For Christina “Chris” Mette, the story of Teutopolis is written across a lifetime of service—to its schools, its families, and its community. A retired teacher, a village trustee, and now a proud grandmother with the next generation of her family walking the same hallways she once did, Chris embodies the enduring values that make T-Town special.

Chris’s professional journey began with a dual certification in elementary and special education, a combination that would shape more than three decades of work in Unit 50. Early in her career, she served as an itinerant special education teacher, traveling between the district’s outlying church schools and the main campuses. Eventually, as the need for special education expanded, she settled at Teutopolis Grade School.

“I spent 24 years in special ed,” she recalls. “And then I finished my career with nine years in third grade. It was a change of pace, but I loved every minute of it.”

Her students—and their families—were her inspiration. Chris vividly remembers parents’ worries that their children might not make it to graduation. “I’d tell them, ‘They’ll find their niche. They’ll be fine.’ And they were.” For Chris, watching those students grow into successful adults remains one of her proudest achievements.

Retirement in 2014 didn’t slow her down. With a heart for service and a desire to learn something new, Chris ran for and won a seat on the Teutopolis Village Board in 2023. “I was raised with the idea that you give back to your community, your church, and your school. This was a way to keep giving back,” she says.

Chris’s connection to education runs deep. Her father, the first non-religious principal at Teutopolis High School, moved the family from the Chicago suburbs to Effingham County in 1970. Chris entered seventh grade that year and graduated with the bicentennial Class of 1976.

“Teutopolis is unique,” she says. “It’s like no place you’ll ever find. The cooperation, the support, the quality of kids—it really is like Utopia in a way.”

Her two sons grew up in that same environment. One now lives near Atlanta, while the other returned home, working remotely for the University of Illinois. That son and his wife built their home in Teutopolis so their children—Chris’s twin grandchildren—could attend Unit 50 schools. One of the twins is enrolled in the district’s preschool special education program, a connection that feels like her career coming full circle.

What sets Teutopolis apart, Chris believes, is its culture of cooperation. Parents, grandparents, and community members don’t just send their children to school—they partner with teachers and staff to make the district thrive.

“When former students go out and teach elsewhere, they come back amazed,” Chris says. “They tell me, ‘It’s so different out there.’ And I remind them, ‘That’s because T-Town is unique.’”

Even today, Chris keeps a hand in education, volunteering weekly with second graders. “I still get to help, but without all the paperwork,” she jokes. “I can walk out at 2 o’clock and say, ‘See you next week.’”

Chris is also candid about the challenges ahead. Facilities, unchanged in many respects since her own days as a student in the 1970s, are due for modernization. She speaks passionately about the need for spaces that reflect today’s standards—whether in accessibility, classrooms, or cafeterias.

“The kids deserve so much more than what those buildings offer right now,” she says. “We need to be sure they can learn in modern, safe, supportive spaces.”

But she is equally confident in the strength of her community. “People here care about kids. They’ve always invested in them. And I believe they’ll continue to do what’s right.”

For Chris, the story of Teutopolis is as much about tomorrow as it is about yesterday. From her father’s leadership at the high school, to her decades in the classroom, to her own grandchildren entering the district, her family’s journey reflects a shared legacy of excellence and commitment.

“I feel fortunate to live in the same community where I taught, to watch my students grow up, and now to see my grandkids start their journey here,” she says. “This is a place that gives its children every chance to succeed—and that’s a legacy worth protecting.”