English Department.
Avra Federman
Avra is in her second year teaching Freshmen Composition at Pritzker College Prep. Before joining Pritzker, Ms. Federman worked for two years as a Program Director for Teach For America, Chicago, helping more than 60 teachers in over fifteen different Chicago area high schools develop their skills. Ms. Federman started her career in 2001 teaching 9-12 grade English in Houston Texas. Other jobs have included working as a Corps Member Advisor at the Teach For America summer training institutes and an English/Reading tutor for Kaplan Test Prep. Ms. Federman graduated from DePaul University Theatre School with a degree in theatre studies and directing. She has discovered that motivating a group of moody actors to do something they don’t want is eerily similar to motivating a group of students to do something they don’t want.
Sheena Bryant
Ms. Bryant is the 10th grade Classical Literature Teacher for Pritzker College Prep and is a native of Chicago's west side. Although Ms. Bryant relocated to Bloomington, Illinois and graduated from University High School, she grew up in the Austin neighborhood and began high school at Prosser Career Academy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University in Washington DC where she studied English and minored in Secondary Education. She went on to pursue a Master of Divinity from Regent University and later made the decision to return to Chicago to teach English to high school students. A product of Chicago Public Schools, the Noble Network of Charter Schools' mission to ensure the availability of high-quality school choice to students in Chicago struck her. Ms. Bryant accepted her current position at Pritzker in August of 2007, and has since been elated to be back in her hometown teaching not very far from where she began high school.
Janine Givens-Belsley
Ms. Givens-Belsley is Pritzker College Prep’s Composition II teacher. She grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and graduated from Andover High School. She received her B.A. in History and French from Wheaton College in Illinois in 2001. After teaching history and English at West Town Academy, for three years, Mrs. Givens-Belsley earned her secondary education teaching certificate through National-Louis University in Evanston, Illinois, and went on to teach 7th and 8th grade social studies for three years at the Chicago Choir Academy. Mrs. Givens-Belsley is enthusiastic about the consistency in the purpose (college preparation) and daily expectations here at Pritzker, and is pleased to be teaching at a school that is truly preparing future leaders from
Carrie Virene
Carrie graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a BA in Psychology and Spanish. She also received her Masters in Teaching from Dominican University in the spring of 2007. For the past two years she has been teaching Spanish in the city's West Englewood community, challenging her students to perform their personal best and even taking a group to explore the culture and landscapes of Mexico. After visiting the different campuses in the Noble Network of Charter Schools, Ms Virene was very impressed with the level of passion the Noble Team was able to bring with them to the job every day, to inspire and educate. She wanted to become a part of that legacy. Now, she is happily pursuing her passion of helping students achieve their personal best while inspiring first generation high school graduates to go to college as a teacher at Pritzker College Prep.
Learning Specialists.
Michael Kucera
Mr. Kucera grew up in Berwyn, a suburb just west of Chicago, and graduated from Nazareth Academy, LaGrange Park. From there, Mr. Kucera pursued a BA in English Education from Dominican University in River Forest. After college, Mr. Kucera moved to Minneapolis where he began a year of service as campus minister and theology teacher at DeLaSalle High School. The following year, Mr. Kucera began full-time classroom teaching in the areas of theology and English literature/composition. After five years at DeLaSalle, Mr. Kucera was moved back to Chicago, where he continued teaching English Literature at St.Patrick High School, on the northwest side. In his second year at St. Pat's, Mr. Kucera toured Noble Street Charter High School and immediately felt akin to the philosophy of the Network. Mr. Kucera was delighted to begin his 2006 school year as Pritzker College Prep's multicultural literature teacher. Currently, Mr. Kucera enjoys the professional challenges of his new roles as Learning Specialist and AP Coordinator, but above all, appreciates the professional, positive, and academically rigorous atmosphere of Pritzker.
Dominika Biernat
Dominika Biernat is Pritzker College Prep’s Education Specialist, grew up on the northwest side of the city in the Edison Park neighborhood and graduated from Resurrection High School. She went on to receive her B.A. in History with a Minor in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she was a multi-disciplinary tutor at Jefferson Middle School for three years. After graduating, she completed her Master’s of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago before joining the Pritzker staff. As a Chicagoan, she is delighted to be able to work in the city as she always hoped she would and to be a part of the foundation years at Pritzker. Currently, she is working towards an additional Education degree at National-Louis University.
Science Department.
Winnie Cheung
Ms. Cheung teaches Chemistry at Pritzker College Prep. Ms. Cheung was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in French Linguistics and a B.S. in Education, and taught in Toronto for two years before moving to London, England to teach for six years. Ms. Cheung is thrilled to be a member of the Pritzker staff and is looking forward to shaping the lives and futures of her students.
Jeffery Maxwell
Jeff Maxwell, Physics Teacher at Pritzker College Prep, graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School just outside of Detroit. He attended Michigan State University where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Biology and Zoology. After graduating from Michigan State, Mr. Maxwell joined the Teach For America organization and was placed in Chicago where he taught Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science at the School of the Arts on the south side. During his time as a Teach For America corps member he also earned his Masters Degree in Teaching at Dominican University. After teaching 3 years at the School of the Arts, he decided to join Pritzker team because he believes in the values that the Noble Network instills in its students and is excited about being a part of high school reform in the city of Chicago.
Social Studies Department.
Vanessa DeGuia
Ms. DeGuia is Pritzker College Prep’s Freshman Civics teacher. She grew up in the North Park neighborhood of Chicago, moved to the suburbs, and graduated from Deerfield High School. She went on to receive her BA in English from University of Illinois at Chicago and Master’s in Education/Curriculum and Instruction from National-Louis University. She taught in the Englewood neighborhood as a member of Teach For America for 4 years before joining Pritzker College Prep. She chose to work at Pritzker because she believes that the Noble Network is a solid opportunity for children in Chicago to break the cycle of generational poverty and create better lives for themselves and their loved ones.
Megan Manna
Ms. Manna graduated from Bradley University in May 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History Education. She taught briefly at New Trier High School before coming to Pritzker. She teaches sophomore World History and Psychology. Ms. Manna is also the co-sponsor of Amnesty International. Her interests include community service, reading, family and friends, and supporting the Pritzker community. She believes the best students in the world are right here at Pritzker. Go Jaguars!
Mark Rychlik
Mr. Rychlik is a Social Studies teacher and Assistant Football coach at Pritzker College Prep. He grew up in the north suburbs and graduated from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein. He went on to receive his BA in History from St.Norbert College in Wisconsin. In 2005 Mr. Rychlik completed a Masters Degree in Education from DePaul University in Chicago. He chose to work at Pritzker College Prep because he deeply believes in the Noble Network’s mission of Academic excellence and strict discipline.
Foreign Language Department.
Mikhail Kostetsky
Mr. Kostetsky is Pritzker College Prep’s Russian language and Technology teacher. He grew up in Minsk, Belarus and at the age of 16 immigrated to United States. In 1999 he graduated from Stevenson High School. He went on to receive his BA in History from University of Illinois at Chicago and his Master’s in Teaching of history before joining Pritzker College Prep. He chose to work at Pritzker because he believes that school provides unique opportunities for academic growth and personal development for the city youth.
Music Department.
Benjamin Das
Mr. Das is Pritzker College Prep’s Music Director and was born and raised in a New Jersey suburb of Manhattan. He discovered music at the age of 13, and started playing professionally on the upright bass at the age of 17. Mr. Das studied jazz at the New School University in New York City before transferring to Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he received a BA in Music Education. After acquiring his teacher certification, Mr. Das started a new band program in the Boston public schools. Due to the program’s success, he won the “Inspire the Future Award” along with $30,000 for instruments from the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and Fidelity Investments. The award was presented on opening night of the Boston Pops 2007 concert season by conductor, Keith Lockhart. Mr. Das is very excited about using his past experience to create Pritzker College Prep’s band program. He believes that the Pritzker’s culture is ideal for his style of teaching, and that Pritzker’s students have huge potential to be among the best bands of Chicago.
Mathematics Department.
Tressie Dust
Ms. Dust earned a BS in Mathematics from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2003. After college, Ms. Dust joined Teach For America, a national service corps dedicated to eliminating educational inequity. Through Teach For America, she was fortunate enough to teach mathematics for three years at Benito Juarez High School in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. She is now thrilled to be a part of the founding staff at Pritzker College Prep as an Algebra II teacher and cross country coach. As a member of the Pritzker team, she looks forward to helping her students achieve mathematical and personal success.
Ryan Smith
Mr. Smith is the Math Concepts teacher at Pritzker College Prep. He teaches Year 1 of the Interactive Mathematics Program, coaches the freshmen Math Team, and is one of three founding members of Pritzker’s Guitar Club. After graduating from Chicago Marist High School, Mr. Smith went on to study Mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduated with a Master’s in Teaching Secondary Mathematics in the spring of 2007.
Sanoj Purathur
Mr. Purathur is Pritzker College Prep’s Geometry Teacher and grew up in the Sheridan Park neighborhood. His family moved out to the suburbs and he graduated from York Community High School in Elmhurst. He went on to receive his BS in Math and Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago (U.I.C.). Two years later, he switched fields and this year, received his Masters Degree in Education from DePaul University. He chose to work at Pritzker College Prep because he believes in the ideals and mission of the Noble Network and wants to see all students succeed, regardless of what neighborhood they are from.
Daniel Selan
Daniel Selan, although born in our fair city of Chicago, was raised a few miles north in the world’s one-time largest village of Skokie, Illinois. His early years included such notable achievements as memorizing TV Guides, being able to name all of the presidents in under 30 seconds, and being able to name every country and capital (a feat he attributed to having grown up across the street from the Rand McNally factory). As a young man, he discovered further passion for both mathematics and music. Needing to escape the confines of the United States, Daniel fled to McGill University in Montreal for college. He quickly realized that perhaps studying French in high school would have been more useful than Spanish (although this quandary would come to haunt him again later in life). However, this did not prove to be a major difficulty. He even went so far as to win a Canadian trivia contest in a public match (on Canada Day nonetheless) beating 3 natives. Victory in hand, Daniel made his triumphant return to the USA where he received his Masters Degree and has been involved in teaching (in some way, shape, or form) for the past 3 years. Daniel is looking forward to finally proving – through the use of advanced statistics – that all of the students at Pritzker are indeed above average.
R.O.T.C.
Master Gunnery Sergeant R. Patterson
MGySgt Patterson, Pritzker College Prep’s “Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps” MCJROTC Marine Instructor, grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from University High School. He went on to join the United States Marine Corps for thirty years where he attended and Graduated several Schools to include the School of Infantry, Logistics and Leadership. MGySgt Patterson served as an Instructor at Non-commissioned Officers School, Drill Instructors School and Officer Candidate School. MGySgt Patterson also served in Desert Storm, Desert Shield and the Iraq war. He chose to work at Pritzker College Prep because he believes that the mission of the Noble Network will graduate disciplined, responsible, well educated great Americans.
Physical Education.
Eric Milton
Eric Milton teaches Physical Education at Pritzker College Prep. After graduating from Reed Custer High School in Braidwood, Illinois, he attended Olivet Nazarene University, where he majored in Physical and Health Education. After graduating, Mr. Milton spent a ski season in the mountains of Colorado honing his skiing and snowboarding skills. Eric started his teaching and coaching career at Ace Tech Charter High School on the south side of Chicago. After a year at ACE, Eric decided to go on the trip of his dream - around the world. The highlight was to be standing at an elevation of 18,500 ft. at the base of Mt. Everest. Upon his return, Eric joined the Pritzker team. He hopes to instill in the students a love for life-long physical activity.
Administration.
Reginald Coleman
Mr. Coleman is Pritzker College Prep’s Dean of Discipline and Athletic Director, grew up in the south side of Chicago, He moved to Evanston Illinois to go to high school he graduated from Evanston Township High School. He went on to study Child Physiology at Lewis University. Mr. Coleman worked with many non-profit organizations such as Maryville Academy DCFS shelter for boys and girls, Luther Social Services drug detox center and Streamwood behavioral health center. Mr. Coleman was on staff as the Dean of Discipline and Athletic Director at ACE Tech charter high school on the south side of Chicago when it opened in 2004. He is now a proud founding administrator at Pritzker College Prep.
Thomas Mulder
Tom Mulder, Pritzker College Prep’s Dean of Students, 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 BA in Health & Safety Education and a BA in Exercise Physiology. After graduating from college he accepted the job of Dean of Discipline and Athletic Director at Noble Street Charter High School and maintained 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 Street to become the Dean of Students at Pritzker College Prep. Noble’s mission to provide a rigorous education and to be the facilitators of adolescents going to and graduating from college is why he’s proud to be associated with Noble again.
Diana Ristoff
Ms. Ristoff is the Social Worker and Dean of College Counseling at Pritzker. She received her BS and MSW from the University of Illinois at Urbana, where she was honored as a Bronze Tablet recipient. As a founding member of Pritzker College Prep, Ms. Ristoff has concentrated on preparing our students to make prudent choices for college by exposing them to the college experience and encouraging them to participate in early college programs. She heads our distinguished Early College Scholars (ECS) program that targets our most accomplished academic achievers. She is deeply committed to making sure that the Pritzker vision of 4-year college admission for all our students is realized.
Nancy Mendoza
Nancy is Pritzker College Prep’s Office Manager and grew up in Mexico and California. She graduated from Milpitas High School in California and went on to receive her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from National University in San Jose, California, where she also worked for three years. She moved to Chicago in 2003 and after becoming a proud mother came onboard to be a founding staff member for Pritzker College Prep. She looks forward coming to work everyday, and is excited to be part of the administrative staff of Pritzker.
Lidia Yadira Renteria
A former Ms. Puerto Vallarta, Ms. Renteria is the Administrative Assistant at Pritzker College Prep. She was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She went to school at a community college where she received her license in Tourism Administration. After gaining experience working in different areas related to her career, she decided to move to United States and explore further opportunities. She is now looking to continue her education.
Technology.
Julio Colon
Julio Colon is the IT Systems Coordinator at Pritzker College Prep. He was born and raised in Chicago in the Logan Square area. In 2004 he graduated from the original Noble Street Campus. He’s currently working on his IT degree at Wright College. He decided to work here at Pritzker because he knows firsthand that the kids enrolled in Noble Street schools are getting a good head start on college preparation, and because of a character-building strict discipline code, here at Pritzker College Prep. He is very interested in exposing students to new technological discoveries and innovations, because he believes that successful leaders of tomorrow must be familiar with Computer and Information technologies.