New Staff

NEW STAFF AT FXW

Mya Akin is tremendously excited to join the FXW community as a Grade 2 teacher. She brings a wide range of experience with 19 years of educating children. She has a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Stephens College, a master’s in Reading Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon Univeristy, and an endorsement in gifted education. Originally from Michigan, she has lived in and worked in Missouri, Southern California, the Washington, D.C. area, and Chicago. She brings a zest for life, adventure, and a sense of inquiry to the classroom.

Kia Andreadou loves teaching and is looking forward to meeting her Grade 3 students. She attended the University of Athens in Greece where she obtained a bachelor’s in Political Sciences and Public Administration. She returned to the United States and received a master’s in International Relations from the University of California Irvine while teaching students in her free time. She came to the realization that teaching was her true calling and obtained a second master’s in Teaching.

Kestner De Vera is excited to be part of the Grade 8 team. He has a bachelor’s in Global Disease Biology from the University of California, Davis and a master’s of Secondary Education from John Hopkins University, School of Education. He has taught for seven years. He most recently taught science to Grade 7 in Hawai’i. He also previously was a dance coach and hip hop instructor.

Millie Dunbar (picture forthcoming) is excited to join the Grade 4 team this year. She received a bachelor’s from Illinois State University. Millie’s teaching skills have been recognized as she was a 2013 Golden Apple Finalist. She has been teaching middle school students for the past four years, and is looking forward to teaching a younger group of students.

Kristin Edens is looking forward to joining the Grade 1 team. She received a bachelor’s from Savannah College of Art and Design and received her teaching degree in elementary education from National Louis University. She has taught at various types of schools in Chicago including a Catholic school, Montessori school, and charter school. Her passion for teaching even took her to the Czech Republic for two years where she taught English to students in Grades 3-8.

NEW STAFF AT FXW

Angela Gagnon joins the OSP campus as a second grade teacher. Angela holds a masters of Education from DePaul University and has a decade of prior experience as an elementary school teacher. Previously she taught at The Cathedral School in New York City and spent this past spring subbing at FXW. Angela is also an FXW parent and is excited to join the faculty in Grade 2.

Rajni Hasija (picture forthcoming) is the new Global and Digital Citizenship teacher. She has more than 18 years of extensive experience working as a Social Studies teacher and supervisor at schools with different curriculum and catering to students from different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds and with different learning capabilities. She holds a bachelor’s in Education and a master’s degree in History. She is bilingual and holds certifications in Diet, Nutrition, Child Care, Life Skills, Meditation and Yoga.

Terrence Hodges is eager to join FXW’s preschool team this year. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Family Studies with a minor in Psychology from Central Michigan University and has six years of experience working with preschoolaged children in school and therapeutic environments.

Katie Immen is excited to join the FXW community this year as a Learning Specialist at the OSP Campus. She earned her bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Loyola University Chicago and master’s in School Counseling from DePaul University. She holds endorsements in Reading and Language Arts. Katie worked as a school counselor at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to that, she taught at Old Saint Mary’s in Chicago as a K-2 Student Support Teacher and Kindergarten assistant at Latin School of Chicago.

NEW STAFF AT FXW

Naomi Kaplan is looking forward to meeting her Grade 3 students. She holds a bachelor’s from the American University and a master’s in Elementary Education from National Louis University. She has over 13 years of teaching experience throughout the Chicagoland area, including Ginsburg Solomon Schechter Early Childhood Center and Bennett Day School.

Eric Lindau will join the FXW community as our Physical Education teacher. He is a native of Illinois, but grew up in a suburb of New York playing lacrosse. After lacrosse in college and a bachelor’s from Colorado State University, he worked in advertising for about 10 years before realizing his calling to be an educator. He has taught in various schools throughout the country; most recently he taught at Chicago Jewish Day School.

Patricia Lomden will join FXW as a Technical Support Analyst. She holds a bachelor’s from Roosevelt University and an associate’s degree in Information and Network Technology from Westwood College. Her experience with various online platforms will be a great contribution to the FXW IT Team.

Heidi Meyer is excited to join the FXW Kindergarten team. Heidi earned her bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Kansas State University and holds a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University. She has 12 years of Kindergarten teaching experience from her time at St. Andrew School and St. Benedict Preparatory School in Chicago. Heidi is looking forward to meeting her new Kindergarten students.

Robert Perry is very excited to be joining the HNC team as the Student Recreation Supervisor. Rob has worked with middle school students for two years as a culinary arts instructor, specializing in nutrition. He coached little league and basketball in the past and is very much looking forward to coaching the debate team this year. Rob is a civil war buff and tech enthusiast. One of his greatest accomplishments is being an FXW parent of a daughter who graduated in 2016 and a son who is starting Grade 2 at OSP this fall.

NEW STAFF AT FXW

Nurse Chloe Smith is thrilled to continue her passion of school nursing with FXW. She has practiced school nursing ever since she received her bachelor’s in Nursing from Elmhurst College. She has been a school nurse in many diverse communities from Romeoville, IL to Denver, CO and back to Chicago. She is looking forward to working with the school community in keeping it safe and healthy.

Maddi Stern (picture forthcoming) is the new Grade 5 ELA teacher. She is originally from Elmhurst, but has spent the past two years teaching in Indianapolis while completing her master’s degree and her Teach for America corps commitment. She received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geoscience and Anthropology from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.

Shae Turner is an enthusiastic educator and mentor in early childhood education. She joined the FXW community last year as a long-term substitute and looks forward to joining the preschool team this school year. She has had a long career working in the field of education in various capacities including preschool, private school and public charter school settings. She aims to have a positive impact in the development of lifelong learners while holding a strong commitment to continued personal growth as an educator and leader.

Erica Vera holds a bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology from Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazon in Lima, Peru and a master’s from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked for 12 years implementing social/ emotional learning programs in an elementary school. She recently moved to Chicago to be close to her family, and looks forward to working with students and families at FXW.

José joins the FXW community this year as a Spanish teacher at the HNC Campus. José comes to FXW from Centro Venezolano Americano, Caracas Venezuela, where he worked as a language teacher with their kid and teen programs. He has more than 10 years of experience teaching English & Spanish in Venezuela and Chicago. Jose has earned his B.A. in Education from the Pedagogical Institute of Caracas, Venezuela and received certificates in Service Learning and Assessment and Evaluation in Bowling Green State University and The University of Oregon respectively.