Tanja (Matuschkovitz) Tuck, is a first generation Donauschwäbin who grew up in the Northwest Chicago suburbs in a German-speaking family, including her Opa who lived with the family. Both of Tanja’s parents emigrated to the US as adults and after much contemplation, decided to stay to raise Tanja and her older sister here in the Chicago area. Tanja is a duo-citizen of Austria and the United States, and spent time living and working in Austria and Germany after her undergraduate study abroad program in Vienna ended. Her two sons, Alexander and Maximilian, are also duo-citizens.

Tanja has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in German Commercial Studies. She also has two master’s degrees, a Master of Science in Education from Northwestern University, and a Master of Arts in Linguistics with a concentration in ESL (English as a Second Language) from Northeastern Illinois University. Tanja has worked for over twenty five years in the field of Human Resources, Learning & Organizational Development in global companies, both private and public, in a variety of industries. She currently works as a Director of People Strategy at the global consulting firm, Publicis Sapient. When she’s not at work you can find her practicing her new hobby of playing flute, trying out new recipes, enjoying her garden, and hanging out with family and friends. Tanja is thrilled to get back to her roots, working alongside her talented niece, Victoria Wilson, as a co-teacher in the Krabbelgruppe class. Vielen Dank für die Gelegenheit, wieder Deutsch zu sprechen!

Abigail Doyle is a student at Triton College studying Political Science and Early Childhood Education. She took four years of German in high school. She also works as a summer day camp counselor as well as an after school program counselor for the Oak Park Parks District.  When she's not working or studying she loves musical theater, singing, reading and practicing her German.  She was an assistant in 1st and 2nd grade for many years. This is her first year teaching Kindergarten. 

Victoria Wilson taught abroad in Germany and Austria before teaching in the US. She has a  degree in Elementary Education with a minor in German from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, she holds two masters degrees. She has a Masters in Reading from Olivet Nazarene University and a Masters in Education Technology from Concordia University. During the week she is an Instructional Technology Coach in a public school.  She currently teaches grades 1 and 2  at the Wochenendeschule der Donauschwaben as well as co-teaching the Krabbelgruppe. 

Elizabeth Plaskacz is a retired teacher of German, French, and Spanish. She started teaching in 1979, marking six decades in which she taught languages.Teaching German to adults was her first job as a teacher. Since then she has taught foreign languages to students from the sixth grade through senior year of high school. German has always been a special love of hers. She started studying it in high school, and went on to study it at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She then spent her junior year abroad living outside of Vienna, Austria, attending the Pädagogische Academie (now Hochschule) in Baden and the Universität Wien. Frau Plaskacz has a B.A. in the Teaching of German from U of I, and her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in ESL from Concordia University. She travels back to Europe most summers to enjoy the culture and to visit friends. She is now pleased to be teaching the Donauschule third and fourth graders.

Kateryna Bronson (born on September 2, 1993 in

Odesa, Ukraine)

2010-2015 Bachelor& Master’s Degree in German

Linguistics at the Odesa Metchnikov University

2015-2017 Master’s Degree in Cultural Studies at

Europa Viadrina University in Frankfurt an der

Oder, Germany

2017 moved to the USA

Hobbies: art, languages, teaching, reading and

watching detective stories

Kirk met the German language through his family, having cousins from Cologne who would visit his Texan family multiple times a year all through his childhood. It took love, however, to make him finally learn to speak it! He met his wife in college, and she made him major in German. There really wasn't a choice. 

Come graduation, he began using German for work as an IT professional for a European-based company, and eventually got around to becoming a certified teacher as well. Though he quickly decided that full-time teaching wasn't for him, becoming instead a professional instructional designer and trainer, he has kept his love of German alive by being an active participant at the Donauschwaben Society. Kirk has taught at the weekend school since 2008, becoming vice principal in 2019 and principal in 2023.