Maple's School Theme is "Spirit in Action"

During opening ceremonies on August 25, Maple School Principal Dr. Nate Carter stated that this year's building theme is "Spirit in Action."

"Nurturing and maintaining a Happy Herd of Maple Mustangs is an important aspect of our work as educators. Positive relationships evolve and grow as interactions occur among and between teachers and students. We believe that the natures of these interactions are critical to our Herd’s health and well-being. Take time to really get to know one another and your students- and keep our Herd healthy and happy!" he said.
 
He welcomed students, faculty and administrators and introduced 10 new staff members. They include the following:

Dr. Roberta Silver is Maple's new Speech and Language Pathologist. She received her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Northern Illinois University in Communication Disorders. She also earned her doctorate degree from Loyola University of Chicago in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Her previous experience includes employment as a Speech and Language Pathologist and administrator for Chicago Public Schools, Winnetka and Evanston Schools.

Sabrina Schaefges is Maple's new Spanish teacher. She graduated from Elmhurst College, where she majored in Secondary Education and Spanish. Most recently, she served as a long-term Spanish substitute in Deerfield School District 109 working with 6th through 8th graders.
 
Molly Masters, Instructional Aide, is a graduate from Michigan State University. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education. Masters was Captain and President of the Michigan State Spartan water polo team during her four years in college.
 
Junyuan Li, Mandarin Chinese is District 30's very first Mandarin Chinese teacher, who acquired his Bachelor's Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign/Second Language from Beijing Language and Culture University. He speaks three of the seven Chinese dialects including Hakka, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Myra Moldofsky is a Spanish Substitute.  She is a graduate from Illinois Teachers' College with a major in Spanish and Social Studies. She has a graduate degree from National-Louis University. She was born and raised in the Chicago area and loves to travel throughout the world. Moldofsky had already completed 30 years teaching Spanish at Maple School before her retirement in 2005. She will be teaching at Maple until Julie Fleisch returns to the classroom.

Beth Kaufman is the new 7th grade mathematics teacher hails from Barrington, Illinois. A graduate of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, she played competitive tennis for the Lady Reds. Previous to this year, she taught 7th grade math in Avoca School District 37 in Wilmette. She is also the former Deerfield High School Assistant Tennis Coach. 

Scott Stahoviak is Maple's new Physical Education Wellness teacher. He attended Creighton and Northeastern Illinois Universities. His previous teaching experience includes three years at St. Norbert School in Northbrook, Illinois. For a decade, Mr. Stahoviak played Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins.

Kristen Burke is a University of Illinois graduate, and the new sixth grade math teacher at Maple. She earned a degree in elementary education with a concentration in middle school math. Prior to working at Maple, she taught 8th grade science in Skokie.

Sara Miles will serve children as an instructional aide at Maple School. She has a degree in Psychology from Lake Forest College, as well as minor in religion. She recently completed her MAT at National-Louis University in Elementary Education with endorsements in middle school math and social studies.
 
Kate Davidson is the new School Psychologist at Maple.  She was the psychology intern last year, and completed her practica experiences at Willowbrook School. She graduated in June 2011 with Master's and Educational Specialist degrees from National-Louis University. Kate also worked with the birth-to-three population for several years through the Early Intervention program at Rush University Medical Center. She will be co-facilitating the Peer Partner program with fellow psychologist Blake Zweig, as well as joining the multi-disciplinary team for students with special needs.