Jon Shay was born and raised here in Chicago and now lives in Evanston. He graduated from Colorado College with a major in English and Ethnic Studies, and then earned a M.S. of Ed from Northwestern University. 2010 is the year that he can finally say that he’s been vegetarian longer since before his students were born. Before joining Pritzker in 2008, Mr. Shay taught at New Trier in Winnetka and at Whitney Young Magnet in Chicago. He is thrilled to serve the Noble goal of helping Pritzker students become critical thinkers on their way to graduating from college.
Hadley Austin was raised in Kentucky and spent most of her adult years in Arizona, moving to Chicago in 2008. She graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2005 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Religious Studies and again in 2007 with a Master’s in English. In the past she has taught English and religious studies courses at Northern Arizona University, worked as a librarian at NAU’s Cline Library and the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library. She has also taught ESL and composition courses at Truman College and had a brief tenure as a children’s social worker at a women’s shelter. Of all these undertakings, teaching at Pritzker has been the most rewarding.
Mark Rychlik-PE Health, Football and Strength Coach
Mr. Rychlik grew up in the Northern Suburbs in the quiet little town of Hawthorn Woods. In 2001 he graduated from St. Norbert College with a degree in history and business. In 2005 Mr. Rychlik earned his Master’s of Education from DePaul University. Mr. Rychlik’s lovely wife, Stephenie, works for Starbucks Coffee Company as a store designer so he gets all the coffee he needs. This helps him have plenty of energy all day long. Before becoming a teacher at Pritzker Mr. Rychlik has worked in sales, construction, and was the assistant manager at the Cubby Bear by Wrigley Field.
Benjamin Seigle was born and raised in East Dundee, Illinois and has always been nice to his mother. He went to college at the University of Chicago where he learned that he didn’t know anything and probably never would. He continued his studies of literature and history at Brown University where everybody thought they knew something. After school, Mr. Seigle joined TFAPE (Teach For a Privileged Elite) in New York City where he taught the children of hedge fund managers and movie stars. Mr. Seigle left teaching for a period and worked for a building supply company and in real estate. Mr. Seigle has a condominium to sell if you are interested. Mr. Seigle really enjoys his freshman advisory at Pritzker, but is ambivalent as to whether he should laugh or cry at their antics.
Kristin Mays was born in Illinois but grew up mostly in Florida and traveling around the United States. She returned to IL to attend Northwestern University, where she studied Psychology and Environmental Policy. After college she moved to New York City to teach Middle School Science. She is happy to be back in Chicago working with Pritzker students in 12th grade Environmental Science!
Janine Givens-Belsley spent the first eighteen years of her life in Andover, Massachusetts, where she was raised and attended high school. Besides living in Grenoble, France for one year, Janine has been in Illinois ever since. She attended Wheaton College, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree with majors in history and French. In the nine years since her graduation, Janine has taught history and English at three charter schools in Chicago: West Town Academy (Youth Connections Charter School), the Choir Academy of Chicago Charter School, and now Pritzker College Prep, where she has been teaching Composition and U.S. History for the past three years. When she isn’t furiously planning her lessons or grading, Janine hangs out with her daughter, Aurélie, and dreams up wilderness trips for her family to take over summer vacation.
Son of an immigrant family from India, Sanoj Purathur was born on the north side in the great city of Chicago. He grew up in the lovely suburb of Elmhurst, IL when his parents moved there after years of hardwork. However, the city called to him and upon graduating from high school he attended the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), receiving degrees in Math and Computer Science. He worked as a computer programmer for a short period of time. But not content with his profession, he returned to school to receive his M. Ed in Secondary Education from DePaul University. He then worked in the math department at Proviso East and then its sister school, Proviso West. Since then, he was worked at Pritzker, believing in its mission for its students to receive a quality education and to graduate from college. Not only seen at many sports and extracurricular events for the school, 'Mr. P' is also a sophomore coach for the division champion Math Team and helped to start the school's Chess Club. He spends his time having strange adventures over the weekends with family, friends, and traveling all over the U.S.
Daniel Selan received his B.S. in Mathematics from McGill University; M.S. in the Teaching of Secondary Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was born and raised in Chicago. Daniel began his teaching career at the University of Illinois and at Duke University's Talent Identification Program before he joined the faculty at Pritzker College Prep. He currently serves as the Mathematics Department Lead, teaches Pre-Calculus and Statistics, and also coaches the school's Math Team. Currently, Daniel is pursuing his Ed.M. in Educational Leadership at Columbia University. In his free time, you may find Daniel playing guitar, enjoying an obscure German board game, or trying to perfect his Mexican cooking skills in order to become the next Rick Bayless!
Alice Yoon was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later went to the University of Iowa to continue her studies. She studied Art and Graphic Design. She also showed had great interests in Mathematics. Something that is unique to Ms. Yoon is that she has webbed toes. In the past, Ms. Yoon was a violinist in an orchestra and was a teleresearcher, NOT a telemarketer. J
Caroline Kelly was born and raised in Hinsdale, IL a western suburb of Chicago. After graduating from Fenwick High School, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Fairfield University in Connecticut. Upon graduating, she returned to Chicago and joined an AmeriCorps program called Project YES! Through this program she was placed at Pritzker College Prep in October of 2007. After completing her year of service she was hired as a full time staff member at Pritzker and is very excited to see the first senior class graduate this year.
Molly Janney is the Junior and Senior Learning Specialist at Pritzker College Prep. Growing up in the small, northern suburb of Fox Lake, Illinois, Molly always knew that she wanted to pursue a career that allowed her to help people in some capacity. With this goal in mind, she set off to earn a degree in Learning and Behavior Sciences at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During her four years at this university, Molly worked in a wide variety of settings ranging from kindergarten classrooms through adult transition programs. Although she enjoyed all of these age groups, Molly determined that her energy was best focused on assisting teenagers, and she began teaching at Urbana High School while beginning a Master’s program in Transition Services. Eventually, Molly tore herself away from the beautiful cornfields of central Illinois for a new adventure in Chicago at Pritzker College Prep. She firmly believes that all students can be successful with the right guidance and resources, and she works hard to assist them in finding their individual strengths and building skills for the future.
Tom Mulder is an Assistant Principal at Pritzker College Prep. He was born in Chicago but grew up in Lafayette, Indiana. While attending high school in Lafayette, he excelled in school and in sports. Mr. Mulder graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Health and Safety Education along with a B.A. in Exercise Physiology (and a minor in Mathematics). After graduating from college, he accepted the job of Dean of Discipline and Athletic Director at Noble Street Charter High School and held that job for two years. Wanting to pursue a football coaching position, Mr. Mulder left Noble Street to coach football while teaching math, health, and physical education at Lake Central High School in northwest Indiana. After three years of coaching and teaching in Indiana, Mr. Mulder returned to the Noble Network to become the Assistant Principal at Pritzker College Prep. Noble’s mission to provide a rigorous education and to graduate students from college is why he’s proud to rejoin the Noble Network. When Mr. Mulder is not working with or coaching Pritzker students you can find him at the nearest park working with his two boys, Thomas Jr. & Tillman, on tackling drills and taking batting practice.
Nora Leerhsen was born and raised in New York. She majored in History at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While there, she worked as a tutor, camp counselor, and swim team coach. After college, she joined the Teach For America program and taught middle school in Philadelphia while working towards her Masters Degree in Education from Chestnut Hill College. She then returned to study history at the University of Chicago where she obtained a Master’s Degree in Social Science, working in particular on the history of education in Chicago. She is passionate about empowering students through education and loves the culture of high expectations here at Pritzker!
Winnie Cheung was born in Hong Kong but immigrated to Canada when she was 5 years old. Her career in education started at a Catholic High school in Toronto, where she taught General Science, Biology and French. After two years at this school, she moved to England to teach Science and Chemistry at a public high school. During the six years abroad, Winnie had the opportunity to travel to many different countries and meet people from around the world. This is Winnie’s third year teaching at Pritzker as a Chemistry teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, running and yoga.
Michael Kucera is the curriculum director at Pritzker College Prep – but he wasn’t born this high on the administrative food chain. Mr. Kucera, born and raised in “The City of Homes,” Berwyn, Illinois, studied English/Education at Dominican University in River Forest, then moved to DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis to begin his career as a religious studies and English teacher. After five years, the fast pace and savory dishes of Chicago called him home. After two years of teaching at a private school on the Northwest Side, Mr. Kucera became the founding literature teacher at Pritzker College Prep, and in the past four years has enjoyed wearing a wide variety of hats, but his favorite is that of curriculum director.
In the 1880s, Phillip Stosberg’s ancestors emigrated from northwest Germany to Louisville, KY, where he was born and raised. In high school, he took a life-changing world literature course, in which the teacher introduced him to Russian literature. It was during his senior year of high school that he read the great prose works of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Lermontov. He continued to study Russian and German at the University of Kentucky, graduating summa cum laude in 2004. Mr. Stosberg also studied and lived with a family for a year in Vladimir, Russia and for a year in Heidelberg, Germany, where he studied Russian, German, and philosophy at one of the oldest universities in Europe, the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität of Heidelberg. Mr. Stosberg also completed the advanced level summer course at Middlebury College’s Russian School in 2004. After teaching German for a year in Louisville, Mr. Stosberg moved to Chicago to find new teaching opportunities and to pursue music. At Pritzker, Mr. Stosberg teaches senior Russian and one course on 19th century Russian literature. In addition, Mr. Stosberg runs the Chess Club and gives drum lessons. Mr. Stosberg has played drums since grammar school and has toured and recorded with several different bands. His motto in life, which comes from his host family in Russia, is, “Не усложняй жизнь.”
Dominika Biernat was born and raised in the great city of Chicago. She attended elementary and high school on the northwest side of the city and went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she majored in History and Minored in Mathematics. Upon graduation from college, she knew she always wanted to move back to the city she loved and so decided on the University of Illinois at Chicago for her graduate work. While there, she completed her Master’s of Education and discovered the place she now calls home, Pritzker. Ms. Biernat has been a teacher at Pritzker College Prep since its second year. She is proud to be a part of the fundamental beginning years and thrilled to watch the first graduating class. While teaching at Pritzker, Ms. Biernat completed an additional educational degree, a Certificate of Advanced Study, from National Louis University. In her spare time, Ms. Biernat enjoys practicing and studying Taekwondo and recently earned her 1st Degree Black Belt. She is also excitedly planning her upcoming wedding.
Carrie Virene spent the first eighteen years of her life in Glenwood, Illinois, where she was raised and attended high school (Homewood Flossmoor High School). Carrie attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an undergraduate student, where she studied Spanish Literature, Psychology, and Criminal Justice. While in school, she lived abroad in Seville, Spain for 5 months, and still attributes this experience as being one of the most influential of her life. After graduating from U-W Madison, Carrie joined Teach for America where she worked to help minimize the educational crisis in this nation. While teaching Spanish at Harper High School, Carrie also completed her MAT (Masters in Teaching) from Dominican University. Carrie was thrilled to join the Noble Network in July of 2007, and has been working as the Freshman Literature teacher at Pritzker College Prep since that Fall. In addition to teaching Literature, Carrie is actively involved in creating new and wonderful experiences for the students of Pritzker, including the bi-annual Europe Trip, Operation Snowball, and coaching Varsity Softball. Ms. Virene is currently busy planning her wedding, and will return with her new name in the Fall!
Jennifer Kuehl is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but she has called Chicago her home for the last few years. Before Ms. Kuehl taught at Pritzker, she was an educator in Milwaukee, WI and at Harper High School, in the Southside neighborhood of Englewood. In each school, she has learned more about herself and why she is committed to improving the educational lives of teenagers in all walks of life. Reading and writing have been two of Ms. Kuehl’s great passions from an early age, so she dedicated her collegiate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to English. Ever since Ms. Kuehl completed her degree in English Education, she has worked to bring an understanding and love of reading and writing to high school students.
Matthew Rogers received his BA in Journalism from Stanford University in 2006. Before joining Pritzker’s staff as an instructor in literature, Rogers lived and worked in Los Angeles California as a film production assistant and entertainment consultant. Rogers own passion for literature has never been far from his professional life; while working in Hollywood, Rogers developed film scripts and pilots for television series. In 2009, he decided to bring his passion for reading to the classroom and joined Pritzker College Prep. In his free time, you may find Mr. Rogers criticizing the latest blockbuster films, or brainstorming ideas for Pritzker’s very own drama club.
Ryan Kasak was born in Macomb, Illinois. Mere months thereafter, he moved to Park Ridge, Illinois and then to the city of Elmhurst, where he spent his formative years. Mr. Kasak spent many summers away from home irritating a wide variety of out-of-state relatives in Minnesota, Florida, and Washington. After graduating from York High School, he went on to the University of Iowa where he took far too many classes and had the good fortune to be able to enroll in a study abroad program. Thanks in part to a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education, Mr. Kasak spent several months in St. Petersburg, Russia immersed in the language and culture and cemented his desire to get other students to do the same. Graduating in 2006 with majors in Russian, Spanish, and Secondary Foreign Language Education, Mr. Kasak went on to teach for two years at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois where he taught first-year Spanish and ESL World History classes and was an assistant speech team coach. After seeing an opening for a Russian teacher at Pritzker, he jumped at the opportunity. Mr. Kasak first heard about the Noble Network from one of his Russian instructors at Iowa, whose daughter was a Russian teacher at the original Noble campus for some time. He is currently working towards his M.A. in Linguistics from Northeastern Illinois University. In his free time, Mr. Kasak enjoys traveling abroad, having already been to Ireland, Russia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, to name a few.
Adrienne Cruz is the freshman Learning Specialist here at Pritzker as well the Pritzker Student Council 9th-grade faculty sponsor. Originally from South Florida, Ms. Cruz relocated to the Chicagoland area to attend Northwestern University where she received a Bachelors of Science of Education in human development and psychological services. Ms. Cruz continued on with her graduate studies at Northwestern to earn a Masters of Arts in learning disabilities, eventually becoming a certified Illinois Learning Behavior Specialist. For two year, Ms. Cruz was the lead teacher in a self-contained classroom at a therapeutic day school for emotionally and cognitively disabled students. The school year before coming to PCP, she was a learning resource teacher at an intermediate school in Glenview, Illinois. Ms. Cruz’s favorite things are traveling and nature, and she often finds a way to combine her two passions. In fact, at the end of summer 2010 she will have visited 12 National Parks in the US and 8 National Parks in Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America! Ms. Cruz loves working with the freshmen, and she is honored to be a member of the Pritzker community.
Joni Peterson grew up in rural Minnesota moving to Chicago five years ago. She attended St. Mary’s University in Minnesota where she earned a degree in Mathematics. Ms. Peterson is also a 2006 Teach For America Alumni that was placed in Chicago. During her two year commitment she earned a Masters in Teaching from National Louis University here in Chicago.
Emily Prettyman grew up in a small town outside of Ann Arbor, MI. From a young age she developed a love of running, musical theater, and of course, math and science. She received a full academic scholarship to attend DePaul University upon graduating high school. While at DePaul, she studied Physics and Mathematics and was a member of the Cross-Country and Track and Field teams. After graduating from DePaul University, she went out west to Boulder, Colorado to participate in a graduate program in Applied Mathematics, but city life in Chicago called her back to the midwest. Since being back in Chicago, Ms. Prettyman has taught Algebra II and Geometry at Mt. Carmel High School on the South Side and served as the Math Resource Teacher at Northtown Academy on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Now, she has found a true home in the science department at Pritzker College Prep. She is also completing her Masters degree in Education and Physics at DePaul University. When not at Pritzker, Ms. Prettyman can be found training for the Chicago Marathon, attending plays at the Goodman Theater, contemplating Chaos Theory, or scoping out delicious and unusual foods at any of Chicago’s great farmer’s markets.
Avra Federman has been teaching at Pritzker College Prep since the school’s founding in 2006. After graduating from DePaul University’s Theatre Conservatory, Avra joined Teach For America and taught high school English for two years in Houston, Texas. She then returned to Chicago where she worked for Teach For America as a Program Director in addition to working as a private tutor for Kaplan Test Prep. In her first three years at Pritzker, Avra taught Freshmen Composition. Currently, she is the Sophomore Literature teacher and Grade Level Lead.
A native Chicagoan, Christopher Liang-Vergara attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School and continued on to Washington University in St. Louis to double major in Secondary Education and Biology. After graduation, he lived and taught abroad in Beijing, China, Santiago, Chile, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he developed his fluency in Spanish. Mr. Liang-Vergara formalized his passion for modernizing education with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He continues to enjoy playing a wide range of sports (soccer, tennis, volleyball, etc.) and trying foods from around the world.
A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago with degrees in Mathematics and Secondary Education, Ryan Smith is a life-long resident of the Chicagoland area and has been teaching math to the freshmen at Pritzker College Prep since 2007. As a youth in Chicago's south-western suburbs, Ryan could often be found working with his pencil and calculator, playing music, serving the community, or earning some cash at one of his many jobs at car washes, restaurants, or horseback riding summer camps.
Megan Manna was raised in Des Plaines, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago. She attended Bradley University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in History Education. Ms. Manna has taught sophomore world history at Pritzker for the past three years. She also is a co-director for Operation Snowball, a program she loves! She also loves her job, her family, her friends, and cheering for the White Sox and Blackhawks. And of course, the Pritzker Jaguars!
Kirsten Morton grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and decided to move to Chicago for college. After graduating from Loyola University Chicago with a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science, she meandered around the country from Detroit, Michigan to Providence, Rhode Island working in politics until discovering her passion for urban education. Ms. Morton is now pursuing her Master’s in Social Work and enjoys contributing to the counseling needs of Pritzker students.
Jeffrey Maxwell graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School (a public school in a suburb just outside Detroit). He attended Michigan State University where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Zoology. After university, Jeff joined the Teach For America organization and, after his training in Los Angeles, moved to Chicago. During his first three years in Chicago, Mr. Maxwell was a Chemistry, Biology, and Environmental Science teacher at the School of the Arts (formerly South Shore High School) on Chicago’s South Side while simultaneously earning a Master’s of Arts in Teaching Degree at Dominican University. In 2007, he decided to join the Noble Network and became the Freshmen Physics teacher at Pritzker College Prep. Mr. Maxwell is currently in his third year at Pritzker where he is teaching Junior Biology and Honors Biology, Senior AP Biology, and is the Junior Team Lead Teacher. Outside the classroom, Mr. Maxwell has coached both the Boys and Girls Rugby teams and has lead two study abroad trips with students to Costa Rica.
Originally from beautiful New Hampshire, Laura Rincon spent her college years in the “southern slice of heaven” that is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At Carolina, Ms. Rincon tutored for four years with America Reads and spent a wildly rewarding summer teaching with the Breakthrough Collaborative. In 2007, she graduated from UNC with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and set right to work not using it. After teaching-related adventures in the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, and Boston, Ms. Rincon joined the Pritzker team in 2009 to teach Freshman Composition. When She;s not teaching, you can find her skiing, traveling, eating good food, and catching up with her incredible friends and family.
Eric Milton was born in Hinsdale, Illinois and has lived in several places including North Carolina, Illinois and Colorado. He graduated from Reed Custer High School in 2000 and went to Olivet Nazarene University where he double majored in Physical and Health Education and also played on the soccer team for two years. One of the biggest highlights from college was getting to spend a semester in Romania, learning about the people and the culture. This is where his love of travel was sparked. Mr. Milton is currently working on his master’s degree at Concordia University where he plans to receive his Type 75 and be an athletic director. He has been teaching Physical Education for four years in Chicago. His first job was at Ace Tech High School on the south side and he has been teaching and coaching soccer at Pritzker for the past three years.