About Nan

Nan Tulchinsky was born and raised in Jackson, Michigan. She completed her degree work at St. Mary’s College with a B.A. in Education and Indiana University with a M.S. in Education.

Nan felt her top priority was being a mother and wife, but her dedication to teaching was a life time dream for her.  She loved teaching 2^nd grade and kindergarten.  Nan taught at Perley Elementary School for the majority of her career, but with the redistricting of the school system in 1980 she moved to Jefferson Elementary School and was eventually asked to teach kindergarten at Brown Centralized Kindergarten. A change in assignments gave Nan the opportunity to become the Athletic Director of the former LaSalle High School.  She was the first female Athletic Director in the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC).  When LaSalle High School was closed she was appointed the Director of Athletics for the entire SBCSC.  She retired from that position in 2007 after 43 years in the SBCSC.

The joy of teaching children to read, write, add, subtract and to help them become more self reliant and see the students grow into adulthood always kept her fresh and ready to teach everyday. Many of those children stay in contact with her still today and often times a young mother or father will bring a youngster and introduce them to her and tell the child that Nan was their teacher.  The love and respect in her eyes as well as the eyes of her former students is indicative of how much she loved teaching.

Nan was nominated by her colleagues and selected for the Jefferson School Teacher of the Year in 1983, the Brown Kindergarten Teacher of the Year in 1989, and the  SBCSC  runner up for Teacher of the Year in 1998.  She says that could never imagine doing anything more rewarding than being a teacher in the SBCSC.

Athletics has always been a large part of Nan’s life.  She always felt she was born a bit early, as Title IX hadn’t come into existence while she was of high school and college age.  She loves basketball, running, golf and swimming but enjoys most sports.  Nan was the first woman to earn IHSAA basketball officiating status within the St. Joe Valley Referees Association.  She coached elementary and middle school girls basketball and YMCA co-ed basketball.  She is the Official Scorer at Notre Dame for both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams.

Nan has been dedicated to service outside of the classroom as well.  She has been a blood donor since 1977 having donated over 100 times.  For many years she volunteered as a referee for Special Olympics basketball and she is a volunteer for the annual  Hospice Walk.  Each week Nan is a receptionist at the North East Neighborhood Food Pantry and volunteers at Our Lady of the Road with meal preparation.  Always a teacher, Nan also mentors a child at McKinley Elementary School for the SBCSC. 

Nan Tulchinsky is the Greatest Big Kid in Town!