Dist. 124 Welcomes New Teachers and Staff for 2016-2017 School Year

Students of Evergreen Park Elementary Dist. 124 were greeted by 34 new faculty and staff when classes reconvened last week for the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

Some of the new faculty and paraprofessionals replaced the 18 who retired in June. Dist. 124 provided the following biographies so that parents and community members can become better acquainted with new faculty and staff.

Central Middle School

Kaitlyn Hall has been teaching middle school health in Calumet City for the past four years. Kaitlyn, who earned her undergraduate degree and teaching license from Northern Illinois University, will join the Central Middle School faculty as the new health teacher.

Melanie Miller-Moralez is the new science teacher at Central Middle School. Melanie holds master’s degrees in elementary and science education. She taught middle school science in Chicago Ridge prior to joining D124.
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Jessica Mitterman earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s from National-Louis University. She has three years’ teaching experience in the Chicago Public Schools system and joins the Central Middle School faculty as an English language arts teacher.

Alyssa Zdano is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University. She joins Central Middle School as a resource teacher. Alyssa has taught special education in Cicero for the last three years.

Krystina Borowski speaks fluent Polish. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s (curriculum) degrees as well as her English as a second language (ESL) endorsement from Lewis University in Romeoville. Krystina has experience as a middle school and third grade ESL teacher. Most recently, Krystina was the K-12 ESL services coordinator for AERO special education cooperative serving member school districts, which includes Dist. 124, in Worth, Lyons and Stickney Townships. Krystina will split her schedule between Central Middle and Southwest Schools.

Murphy Mahalik will teach one section each of sixth, seventh and eighth grade English Language Arts at Central Middle School. Murphy earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University last spring.

Bernice Martin joins the kitchen staff at Central Middle School, after retiring as a legal secretary with almost 40 years of experience in that field. Bernice and her family reside in Evergreen Park.

Northwest School

Joe Pettinger is a recent graduate of Marquette University. Joe joins Northwest School as a third-grade teacher, filling in for Ms. Coughlin, who is on a one-year professional leave to teach school in Myanmar.

Alison “Ali” Grazevich completed her student teaching last fall in Mrs. Grebenor’s fifth grade classroom. She has been working with children at Southeast School in the district’s extended day program. A graduate of Illinois State University, Ali will join the staff at Northwest School in August teaching fifth grade.

Jessica Hanna joins the Northwest School staff as a third grade teacher.. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, where she also earned her ESL endorsement. Jessica has been teaching third grade in Arcola, IL for the past three years.

Sara Gulino attended Illinois State University and completed her student teaching in D124 last fall under the watchful eye of Mrs. Jean Matyja at Northwest School. Sara returns to Northwest to teach second grade.

Kathleen Duffy taught four years in Chicago before moving to Minnesota. She is back in Illinois and joining the faculty at Northwest School as a fourth grade teacher. Kathleen holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and master’s degrees from Loyola University and the University of Notre Dame.

Marisol Ilbarra earned a paraprofessional’s license from Morton College in Cicero and joins Northwest School in that capacity.

Colleen Callahan has already joined the Northwest School staff as a long-term paraprofessional substitute and now takes on this position full time. Colleen earned her paraprofessional certification in 2009 and has been working in various special education settings in the Chicago Public Schools systems since that time.

Southeast School

Perla Torres earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and ESL endorsement through the University of Illinois at Chicago . She joins D124 as a bilingual teacher, splitting her time between Southeast and Northwest Schools.

Lynette Mikl joins D124 as an art teacher after two years in the Rockford school system. Lynette holds a B.A. in art education from Northern Illinois University and is completing coursework towards her ESL endorsement,
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Melissa Greco joins the Southeast School staff as the new media aide after a very successful year of substitute teaching in D124. Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Elmhurst College, as well as a master’s in European history from Eastern Illinois University.

Melissa Domenech joins Southeast School as the new ESL teacher. She is a Northeastern Illinois University graduate and has experience as a teaching assistant in the Chicago Public Schools system.

Andrea Dudek joins Southeast School as a new third grade teacher. Andrea earned her bachelor’s at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her ESL endorsement through the University of St. Francis in Joliet. She taught the past four years in Hickory Hills.

Melissa Poole assumes a new role at Southeast School as a paraprofessional. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Lewis University. Melissa has three years’ experience as a preschool teacher in a commercial day care setting.

Ashante Davis will serve as a paraprofessional Southeast. Ashante has worked previously as a teaching assistant and softball, cheerleading, soccer, and volleyball coach in the Chicago Public Schools system. Ashante is pursuing a teaching degree at National-Louis University.

Southwest School

Bryanne Prudden is a new second grade teacher at Southwest School. Bryanne just graduated from St. Xavier University.

Emily Haberkorn will teach kindergarten at Southwest School next year. Prior to joining Dist. 124, she taught kindergarten in Georgia, Emily earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois.

Alison O’Connor – Alison earned her undergraduate and Master’s degrees from John Carroll University in Ohio. She joins Southwest School as a 1st grade teacher after teaching the last ten years in Forest Ridge SD 142.

Coreen Sobczak joins Southwest as a teacher in Dist. 124’s Project TREE gifted program. She earned her bachelor’s at Augustana College and holds master degrees from St. Xavier and Northern Illinois Universities. Coreen currently teaches fifth grade in the gifted and talented program in Prospect Heights SD 23. She has also served as member on in her former school district’s gifted, math, and literacy committees.

Kayla Glogowski is a recent graduate of St. Xavier University; she just completed her student teaching experience at Southeast School in fourth grade. She joins the staff of Southwest School as a paraprofessional.

Michelle Provenzano completed her student teaching at Southeast School in the PALS classroom last year through St. Xavier University. Michelle joins the staff of Southwest School as a paraprofessional.

Danielle Petrizzo is a new paraprofessional at Southwest. Danielle has a special education teaching license through Lewis University in Romeoville and completed her student teaching last spring.

Northeast School

Olivia Mosley is already a familiar face at Northeast School as the long-term substitute in Northeast’s second grade. She completed her student teaching there last fall the school’s fifth grade classrooms. This year, Olivia joins the school faculty as a third grade teacher. Olivia earned her degree and teacher certification through Illinois State University.

Magdalena Rosales-Medina taught in Chicago for ten years after graduating from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She spent 2015-16 as Dist. 124’s as a permanent substitute teacher primarily in the English Language Learners program. She will joins Northeast School as a full-time bilingual education teacher.

Katie Luckett has taught Pre-K and first grade at St. Louis de Montfort School in Oak Lawn for the past five years. Katie joins Northeast School as a third grade teacher this fall. Katie earned her bachelor’s degree and teaching license at Eastern Illinois University.

Hollie Wlodarski joins Northeast School as a kindergarten teacher. She has five years of experience in the Chicago Public Schools system, after earning degrees from Western Illinois University and the American College of Education.

District 124

Sofia Garcia is the district’s new instructional technology coach, coming from Waukegan School District 60, where she taught for more than ten years. Sofa holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University. In addition to teaching fifth grade, Sofia was instrumental in the 1:1 initiative and trained teachers in the use of iPads and Chromebooks in her former district.

Kenya Ingram-Gunn joins D124 as a district nurse. Kenya earned her nursing degree at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago and her LPN pharmacology certificate at Dawson Technical Institute. Kenya has worked as a school nurse in the Chicago Public Schools system since 2008.

Photo by Claudia Parker/Dist. 124 Communications