| 2009-2010 Teachers
While re-welcoming Ms. Nikki Williams, the 2009-2010 English Department proudly welcomes Ms. Kim Cody and Ms. Nathalie Lagerfeld to our group!
Mr.
Tim Bouman
tbouman@nlcphs.org
(Chair, Collins campus)
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Mr.
Tim Bouman has been a teacher for thirteen years. He has taught every
grade from Preschool through Community College—but mostly High
School—and has primarily taught English and ESL (in addition
to some science and social studies here and there). After earning
his BA in English and History from the University of Pennsylvania,
Tim taught for a year at the Culver Academies in Indiana before joining
the Peace Corps to teach English for two years in Dnipropetrovsk,
Ukraine. After that, he returned to his native New York City to earn
a Masters Degree in TESOL at Teachers College, Columbia, while teaching
at two public high schools in Brooklyn for nearly three years. His
wanderlust soon led him overseas once again to teach at a primary
school in Tanzania for four years. Upon returning to the U.S. in 2004,
Tim briefly served as Interim Principal of St. John’s Lutheran
School in Staten Island, New York, before heading west to Chicago,
where, after a year at KIPP Ascend Charter School, he began his career
at NLCP. Tim lives in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood with
his wife, Erin, and his two children, John (age 5) and Ruth (3). His
hobbies include collecting gerunds, infinitives and participles in
their natural habitat, and racing on the NASCAR circuit during the
school’s summer vacation. |
Ms. Kim Cody
kcody@nlcphs.org
(Collins campus) |
Ms. Kimberly Cody received her B.A. in English with a minor in Secondary Education from Wittenberg University in 2002. Kimberly joins NLCP after living in Florida for the past seven years, where she taught English and Intensive Reading. While there, she also served as the grade ten English department chairperson, assistant athletic director, student-athlete tutoring program director, and head coach of the boys’ and girls’ varsity volleyball teams. Along with her certification in English and ESL, she also holds an endorsement in Reading. Within the next year, she plans on going back to school to work toward a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. |
Ms.
Heidi Curran
hcurran@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Ms.
Heidi Curran, a Freshmen World Literature teacher at NLCP, graduated
from Penn State University in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Education.
She then moved to Chicago to live and volunteer in the North Lawndale
community through a one-year volunteer organization. After completing
her year of volunteering, Heidi remained in North Lawndale to teach
adults with disabilities and prepare them to pass the GED. While working
with adults, Heidi was inspired to teach high school students and
prepare them for college. She came to NLCP in the Fall of 2006.
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Ms. Jill Deets
jdeets@nlcphs.org
(Collins campus)
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Ms. Jill Deets brings a wealth of experience to NLCP and her position as Reading Specialist for the Collins Campus. After graduating from Illinois State University with a B.S. in English, she worked first as a technical writer. Later she attended Roosevelt University where she earned her teaching credentials. Combining her love for teaching with an interest in technology, she taught computer applications at Columbia College Chicago for many years. Most recently she completed a M.A. in Reading from Concordia University and is focused on improving student reading. She strives to instill in students the power of learning and the value of education. |
Ms. Sara Eisenbaum
seisenbaum@nlcphs.org
(Collins campus) |
Ms. Eisenbaum joins the NLCP English team with great enthusiasm and a continuing quest for what it means to be an urban educator. For the past two years she has been working on the completion of her Master's Degree in Social Work from Loyola University. Prior to that she was living in Baltimore Maryland, and teaching at an alternative school for students who had been expelled from the regular education setting. Working with those students was one of the most rewarding, and also challenging, experiences of her life. Ms. Eisenbaum discovered early on that teaching English was her passion as she came to realize how many avenues in life are opened by the ability to read, write, and comprehend. She received her undergraduate degree at Bowling Green State University in Integrated Language Arts, and since then she has not stopped pushing youth towards a higher state of survival, success, and achievement. |
Ms. Nora Gross
ngross@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Ms. Nora Gross moved to Chicago in the summer of 2008 in order to join the NLCP family. Born and raised in New York City, Nora has always been interested in social justice and education. Throughout and elementary and high school, she worked with her father to build a small educational non-profit into a national school-based program, the Penny Harvest, which gives the youngest of citizens the opportunity to be philanthropists in their own communities. After graduating from Hunter College High School in 2004, Nora attended Princeton University. At Princeton she studied Art History, Visual Arts and African American Studies, and she ran the University Writing Center for three years. Nora graduated with a BA in 2008 and is coming to NLCP as a Princeton Project 55 Fellow. In her free time, Nora pursues her passion for portrait and documentary photography. |
Ms. Lauren Gruber
lgruber@nlcphs.org
(Collins campus) |
Ms. Lauren Gruber moved to Chicago in 2002 after graduating from the University of Michigan. During a three-year stint at DePaul University as a library-assistant-by-day and graduate- student-by-night, Ms. Gruber earned her teaching certificate. This year marks her third year as a high school teacher on the West Side of Chicago. Some of her favorite activities as a teacher include: sharing her lifelong love of reading with students and helping students develop their own unique voices as writers. |
Ms. Carmen Gutierrez
mgutierrez@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Ms. Maria Del Carmen Gutierrez was born in Mexico and migrated to the United States with her family at the age of four. She joined the NLCP family in the Fall of 2007 with four years of teaching experience. She has taught at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Alternative High School, the Northeastern Illinois University Upward Bound Program, and the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Summer Bridge Program. Ms. Gutierrez is a 1999 Golden Apple Scholar of Illinois recipient. She graduated from The University of Illinois at Chicago, earning a bachelor’s degree in Teaching of English. Her personal accomplishments include completing the 2004 Chicago Marathon to raise money for the Chicago AIDS foundation and earning the “Somos El Futuro” award for her volunteer work at Centro Sin Fronteras, a non for profit organization serving the undocumented population in the city of Chicago. |
Mrs. Veriner Hubbard-James
vjames@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Mrs. Veriner Hubbard-James is a young and vibrant educator who is passionate about educating youth. Veriner has been teaching for nearly seven years and has taught a several grade levels. She initially started as an elementary teacher, and for the past two years has transitioned to a high school English teacher. During her primary years of teaching, Mrs. Hubbard-James developed a Personal Philosophy of Education. Her philosophy simply states: “Every child can learn.” Veriner believes that in order for this statement to become a reality communities of people have to become advocates for children in order to promote academic success. Currently, Mrs. Hubbard-James is pursuing a Masters in English at Chicago State University. Although she enjoys educating students, her ultimate goal is to become an administrator. After the completion of her Masters, Veriner intends to continue her education in hopes of becoming a principal.
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| Ms.
Deondra Jackson
djackson@nlcphs.org
(Collins
campus)
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Ms. Deondra Jackson was born and raised on the Westside of Chicago. She attended Daniel Webster Elementary School and Charles Allen Prosser High School. Ms. Jackson received my Bachelors of Arts in Secondary Education Teaching of English in May 2007, from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She plans on going back (hopefully in January 2009) to graduate school to obtain a Master’s Degree in Education but as of right now, Ms. Jackson wants a break from her formal schooling. She considers herself an enthusiastic teacher of reading, writing, public speaking, and independent thinking. Literature is imperative in exposing students to various perspectives, cultures, and changes in collective beliefs over time. Ms. Jackson wants her students to recognize that learning to understand and appreciate literature means learning to accept and respect others. Literature allows students to accept others’ points of view, while developing analytical skills that can be useful and also applied in real-life situations. Learning to value and appreciate literature is a beneficial tool that all of her students will carry with them throughout their academic endeavors and well after. In order to ensure that every student is successful, it is Ms. Jackson's job to be responsible, committed, professional, loving, understanding, and a motivator. She is often asked that infamous question: "What makes you want to teach?" The answer lies in her passion for helping others realize and maximize their individual potential - as well as in her love for the discipline. Ms. Jackson's philosophy of teaching language arts aligns with the mission statement of any prestigious educational institution. The improvement of our current society relies on the academic, social and emotional growth of our youth. Therefore, the answer as to why Ms. Jackson teaches: To touch the future.
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Ms. Nathalie Lagerfeld
nlagerfeld@nlcphs.org
(Collins campus) |
Nathalie Lagerfeld studied French literature and film at Princeton, graduating in 2009 with a B.A. in Comparative Literature. As an undergraduate, she’d pursued her interest in urban policy and social justice as a summer intern with The Supportive Housing Network, an advocacy group for providers of affordable housing and social services in New York State. However, her favorite job was engaging students one-on-one as a tutor at the university’s Writing Center, and she looks forward to opening a new Writing Center at NLCP Collins this year. She is here on a Princeton Project 55 Fellowship. |
Mr.
Barry McRaith
bmcraith@nlcphs.org
(Chair, Christiana campus)
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Mr.
Barry McRaith, an English teacher and the chairperson of the English
Department since 2006, began teaching in 1986 at Holy Trinity High School (1986-1991)
on Chicago's near northwest side. While pursuing graduate degrees
in English from Northwestern University and in Educational Leadership
from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he accepted an English
teaching position at Von Steuben High School (1992-1999) on Chicago's
northwest side. In 1999 Barry, as English chair and teacher, became
a founding member of Northside College Preparatory HS (1999-2006).
Additionally, Barry has taught at/for Young Chicago Authors (1995-2001),
Fasman Yeshiva High School (1996), and North Park University (1997-98).
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Ms. Misuzu Miyashita mmiyashita@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Ms. Misuzu Miyashita was born in Japan and moved to America with her family when she was three. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2006 and taught English at Naperville Central High School before coming to NLCP in 2008. Ms. Miyashita is very excited to begin fulfilling her lifelong dream of empowering urban students to engage in and transform our world. In her spare time, Ms. Miyashita enjoys salsa dancing, coffee, ethnic cuisine, exploring Chicago, and coaching the NLCP dance team! |
Ms.
Lovie Sanders
lsanders@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Ms.
Lovie Sanders is the Reading Specialist and English teacher for both
the the Christiana and the Collins' campus. She teaches American Literature
for juniors and two freshman language arts classes (READ 180). Lovie,
a native of Chicago, received her B.A in English Literature from Loyola
University and her M.A degree in Secondary Education from Roosevelt
University. Lovie has worked in various teaching capacities, from
peer AIDS education to training and development for adults. Lovie
spent last year (2006) working with the South Carolina Reading Initiative,
helping to develop literacy skills for students in South Carolina.
Since embarking on her teaching career, Lovie has been intent on teaching
language arts on the West Side of Chicago where she was born and raised.
Her goal was realized when she joined the teaching staff at NLCP (2007). |
Mr.
Ian Taylor
itaylor@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus)
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Mr. Ian
Taylor began teaching English at NLCP in 2006, joining the high school
ranks after teaching at the middle school level for seven years. All
of the schools at which Ian has taught have been located on the West
Side of Chicago. He began his teaching career at Dett Elementary and
helped to reopen Dodge Academy in 2003. In his opinion, high school
is more fun because the kids really influence the way a good school
should be, and they are given the freedom to do so. Also, because
high school students are older, they bring more experience to the
classroom, which adds so much to the fabric of the learning. Both
his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degrees are from
UIC; he received a Bachelor of English and a Master of Education. |
Mr. Jake Weiler
jcweiler@nlcphs.org
(Collins campus)
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Mr. Jake Weiler came to NLCP in 2005 after graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Anthropology. During Mr. Weiler's first year at NLCP, he helped to found the school's Writing Center and he learned very quickly that NLCP students are intelligent, passionate and brimming with interesting ideas. In 2007, he left NLCP to live and work in South Africa. While there, he taught English and Computers at St. Leo Primary School in a Zulu township called Molweni. Mr. Weiler rejoined NLCP's English Department in 2008. |
Ms. Nikki Williams
nwilliams@nlcphs.org
(Christiana campus) |
Nikki Williams. Who is she? (Good question) Born and raised on the southside of the Chicago, this old school breed young woman graduated from Mother McAuley High School and went on to a little town of Milwaukee to get her Bachelors Degree. She knew teaching was where her heart was so she jumped into the classroom and hit the ground running. For four years she taught in urban school districts in Milwaukee and Chicago before making her way to NLCP. Only this time, she was not alone; she now had to add a vibrant little girl to her daily routine. She loves English, loves reading, loves writing, and can even be found from time to time coaching the NCLP SoulChild Dance team. If that is not enough (whew!), she also serves as the Executive Director of My Sisters' Keeper of Chicago, a teen mentorship and empowerment program. Come visit her from time to time on the 3rd floor at Christiana, she won't bite - promise! |
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