Grades 1-5 Faculty & Staff

First Grade Team

Mrs. Bailey Fritz graduated from the University of Iowa and moved to Chicago 6 years ago. She is starting her second-year teaching first grade. She was previously a kindergarten assistant and a substitute teacher at St. Bens. In her free time, she enjoys watching sports, attending country music concerts, going shopping, eating Mexican food, reading and hanging out with friends and family. Mrs. Fritz also loves her mini goldendoodle dog, Maddon. She is looking forward to meeting her new students and having a wonderful school year! bfritz@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Debbie Geppert is in her seventh year teaching 1st grade at St. Benedict Prep. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from North Central College in Naperville and many years of teaching experience, her dream job! Mrs. Geppert has been married for 33 years and has 4 adult sons that she is extremely proud of. She loves to spend weekends and holidays in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with family and friends at Geppert’s Cottage. Boating, fishing and skiing are new hobbies that she enjoys.  dgeppert@stbenedict.com

Ms. Gina Zadrozny was born and raised in the city of Chicago.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Dayton and worked as a social worker for ten years before going back to school.   She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (Early Childhood) from National Louis University.  Ms. Zadrozny also completed a post graduate program in Curriculum and Instruction at National Louis and is endorsed in teaching English as a second language.  Ms. Zadrozny published her first children’s book, Oscar’s Day Out, which she loves to read to her class each year!  She is excited to begin her 9th year at St. Benedict. She LOVES being a part of the SBPS community as she attended high school here as a student! gzadrozny@stbenedict.com

Second Grade Team

Jacqueline Barry is in her fourth year teaching 2nd grade at St. Ben’s. Ms. Barry earned her Master of Elementary Education degree from DePaul University. She is a Chicagoland native, attended St. Anne Catholic School, Barrington High School and earned her Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio. Outside of teaching, Ms. Barry loves traveling, art, reading, and Chicago sports. She also loves spending time with her family in Long Beach, IN along the shores of Lake Michigan. 2nd grade is Ms. Barry’s favorite year. She enjoys preparing her students for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion and showing them how they can grow in faith. jbarry@stbenedict.com

Ms. Sherry Smith moved to Chicago from Ohio several years ago to be near her daughter (who was at Northwestern at the time) and her son (who was working in the tech world).  She has taught for many years - 1st grade, 2nd grade, kindergarten, and was even a computer teacher at one point for grades K-5 - all in Catholic education.  She graduated from St. Catherine University with a B.A. in Elementary Education; several years later she received her M.A. in Education from Hamline University.  She has taught preschool for the past two years at St. Ben’s and will be moving to second grade this school year.  She is excited to begin her 3rd  year at SBPS and looking forward to a wonderful year in 2nd Grade!  ssmith@stbenedict.com

Yasmin Suleiman graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a Masters in Elementary Education. She has 17 years of teaching experience through a variety of grade levels within the public schools. She is a Chicago native and attended Our Lady of Victory School as well as Resurrection High School. She is the proud mom of two; an 11 year old son and 7 year old daughter. In her free time, she is busy taking her kids to their sports and extracurricular activities. She also enjoys working out, attending shows, and enjoying all that Chicago has to offer. Her other passions include health and fitness, music, and her favorite Chicago sports teams. ysuleiman@stbenedict.com

Third Grade Team

Ms. Amy Carlino is in her eighth year at St. Benedict Prep and her second year teaching third grade! She previously taught first grade and technology.  Ms. Carlino graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Elementary Education. Prior to coming to St. Benedict Prep, she worked as a learning assistant in first grade and kindergarten at the British International School. When she is not teaching, she loves to travel and spend time with family and friends. acarlino@stbenedict.com

Ms. Sara Sears is so excited to join the St. Benedict Prep family! She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in elementary and special education. She taught third and fourth grades for six years in Reno, NV. In 2020, Ms. Sears graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a master’s degree in educational leadership and moved to Chicago. She taught third grade for three years on the southwest side of Chicago before joining the St. Ben’s community. This year will be her 10th year teaching! She is a parishioner of St. Ben’s and can often be seen at the 8am Mass on Sunday mornings chasing after her son, Timmy.  In her free time, Ms. Sears enjoys going to the library with her son, taking exercise classes, and walking around the neighborhood and by the lake while sipping Starbucks. ssears@stbenedict.com

Ms. Rachel Smith graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Urban Education. Ms. Smith continued her studies in Early Childhood Education, as well as World, French, and American history. She began at SBPS teaching 5th grade math, and is excited to continue her journey in 3rd grade. Born and raised in Chicago, Ms. Smith enjoys nothing more than attending Cubs and Blackhawks games, immersing herself in museums and reading by the lake. She loves to travel and learn about new cultures, people and places. In her free time, you’ll find her with her friends and family, learning new languages and listening to show tunes. rsmith@stbenedict.com

Fourth Grade Team

Ms. Christina DeAngelis attended Catholic grade school and high school in Bloomington, IL. She received her Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from Western Michigan University and has a Masters of Education as a Reading Specialist from DePaul University.  .  Ms. DeAngelis has many years of teaching experience within the Archdiocese of Chicago and is beginning her 5th year at St. Benedict Prep. She is very passionate about teacher and supporting her students to do they best they can!  In the summer you can find her spending time with family at the lake, reading for book club, walking the lakefront trail and riding waves on the Jersey Shore with her 9 nieces and nephews! She is excited for another year at St. Bens! cdeangelis@stbenedict.com

Ms. Maia Gillet grew up in Oak Park. She earned a BFA in Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and graduated from DePaul with a Masters in Elementary Education. She discovered her love of teaching when she taught English in South Korea for two years and returned to the U.S. in 2017.  Before working at St. Ben’s she spent time as an assistant teacher and substitute teacher at Francis W. Parker, Chicago public schools and Oak Park public schools. This is her 4th year as a 4th grade teacher at St. Ben’s. She loves riding her bike to school, kayaking in the summer and playing with her sister’s corgi puppy.  mgillet@stbenedict.com

Ms. Zoe Tarantino attended St. Benedict Prep for high school and graduated in 2013. She received her Bachelors Degree at Columbia College Chicago in 2017 and is currently in her Masters of Teaching program at National Louis University. Ms. Tarantino has been working as a Preschool assistant at St. Bens for 9 years, and worked 4 years as the lead of preschool aftercare program. This is her first year teaching 4th grade! She is extremely excited about starting the new school year. When Ms. Tarantino isn’t teaching, you might find her at a Cubs game, traveling to Colorado to ski and hike, and going to the beach. She can’t wait for a great school year in fourth grade! ztarantino@stbenedict.com

Fifth Grade Team

Ms. Jennifer Bertram is originally from Iowa where she graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with her B.A in Kinesiology. After graduation, Ms. Bertram, coached conditioning classes and choreographed for various competitive dance teams. Through coaching she developed a passion for teaching and working with children. Six years ago, Ms. Bertram decided to change career paths to teaching in a formal classroom setting. In 2017, she became an assistant teacher at the British International School. In December, Ms. Bertram graduated with honors from Saint Xavier University with her Master’s in Education. Coming to St. Ben’s in January, Ms. Bertram completed the rest of the school year as a 5th grade teacher. She is excited to be starting her first full year at St. Bens! jbertram@stbenedict.com

Megan Harris attended St. Catherine Laboure School and Loyola Academy before completing degrees in classics and art history at the University of Notre Dame. Following graduation, she worked as the operations manager and educational coordinator for the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition, traveling first to Philadelphia and then to London. She remained in the United Kingdom and completed her teacher training course at St. Mary's University College, Twickenham. Mrs Harris taught in British schools for five years before returning to the United States to begin teaching at St. Benedict nine years ago. She is looking forward to another exciting year as a part of the St Ben’s community. mharris@stbenedict.com

Mr. Peter White completed his Master’s in Education through the Alliance for Catholic Education Program at the University of Notre Dame. Originally from Philadelphia, Mr. White also attended Notre Dame for undergrad, where he received dual degrees in Marketing and FTT. For 5 years, Mr. White had been teaching 4th-5th grade at St. Ben’s before teaching kindergarten this past year. This year, he is back in 5th grade and excited to work with the incoming students! Mr. White is also the Assistant Athletic Director and works closely with our athletics programming. He can be seen coaching volleyball and basketball after school. On weekends, when not at St. Benedict Prep, Mr. White loves hanging out with his friends in the city, playing basketball, and visiting ND during football season. pwhite@stbenedict.com

Physical Education Team

Mr. Chris Deakins is starting his 14th year as Athletic Director at St. Benedict. Mr. Deakins graduated with a BS in secondary social science education from Illinois State University. Over the years, Mr. Deakins has taught Middle School and Elementary School PE but this year returns his focus to athletics. In his free time, Mr. Deakins loves all things outdoors...sports, hiking, fishing, hunting and enjoys cooking and reading. Mr. Deakins is also the father of 2 current Bengal students. He is excited to see the Bengals on the court, course and field again this year. Go Bengals! cdeakins@stbenedict.com

Ms. Jean Hyland was born and raised in Chicago. She studied Developmental Psychology at UIC and studied Early Childhood education at DePaul. She holds certifications in Montessori, Group and Youth Fitness, Yoga, Children’s Therapeutic Yoga and Health Coaching. She is also a licensed cosmetologist. This summer she became obsessed learning about the physiology of the body’s fascial tissues. Ms. Hyland has been a part of the St. Benedict Prep community for 10 years and has served in many roles. This year she will serve primarily as the PreK-2nd P.E. teacher. Jean looks forward to a healthy, happy and hopeful school year.  jhyland@stbenedict.com

Mr. Dave Regnier grew up an hour south of Chicago in Kankakee. After a successful high school career, he continued playing golf at the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a degree in Accounting. After moving to Chicago, he started his basketball coaching career at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on Belmont while doing financial analysis. His love of coaching was too strong to stay away from the court, so he started a youth basketball training company called One on One Basketball in 1999. After expanding to multiple sports, this led to the formation of 3Point Athletics. After 21 years of youth sports instruction, Dave is excited to be a part of the St. Ben’s teaching community. In his free time, Dave coaches basketball at St. Ben’s, while also coaching his daughters Emma (St. Ben’s 2022 graduate & current freshman at DePaul Prep) & Maddie (4th grade at St. Ben’s) in softball and basketball. He is looking forward to spending more time in the gym at St. Ben’s with the 3rd & 4th Grade PE classes! dregnier@stbenedict.com

Fine Arts Team

Mrs. Agata Ballenger is looking forward to her fourth year teaching band and strings at St. Benedict Prep. After living in Abuja, Nigeria for 18 years, she came to Chicago to pursue a music education degree at VanderCook College of Music. After graduating, she started working at St. Benedict Prep and has enjoyed it ever since. In her free time, she enjoys painting and cooking. Mrs. Ballenger is looking forward to welcoming her first child at the end of 2022. aballenger@stbenedict.com

Ms. Anna Piotrowski is looking forward to starting her 8th year as a Strings Teacher at St. Benedict. She has been playing the violin since the age of 5, and earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with a minor in Performing Arts Management from the University of Michigan, and her Master of Music in Violin Performance from DePaul University. Outside of teaching, Ms. Piotrowski was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago until 2021, which is a training program through the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She is also an active freelancer in the Chicagoland area performing at weddings and private events, and is a substitute member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Ms. Piotrowski is passionate about sharing her knowledge with her students, and aims to give all students the tools they need to express themselves and create meaningful musical experiences!apiotrowski@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Jackie Stancin is looking forward to beginning her 12th year teaching art at St. Benedict Prep. Mrs. Stancin is an alum who graduated from St. Benedict High School and is also a parent to her son who will be starting 3rd grade this year at SBPS. Mrs. Stancin holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art Education as well as a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining St. Benedict Prep’s staff, she taught in various public and private school settings including Randolph Elementary in the Englewood community of Chicago as well as in Chicago Lab School’s afterschool art program. Mrs. Stancin specializes in 3D design and hopes to share her love of ceramics with her students. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and being creative. She is looking forward to seeing her student artists back in the art studio once again. jstancin@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Hannah Thompson feels very blessed to continue her path as a music educator and theater instructor at St. Benedict. Now in her eleventh year of teaching, her degrees include a Bachelor of Music Degree from Chicago College of Performing Arts, and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from North Park University. Along with performing private vocal recitals and maintaining a private vocal studio, Mrs. Thompson is also a certified Orff-Schulwerk music teacher. This unique method exposes her students in grades 2-5 to a highly creative and student-centered form of music education. Her passion is encouraging a love for music and theater in her students at St. Benedict Prep. hthompson@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Emily Houlihan graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Middle Childhood Education. Mrs. Houlihan has an endorsement in English as a Second Language from the American College of Education.  She has worked at St. Benedict Preparatory School for the past 12 years, the first eight years in 3rd grade and three years in 4th grade. This school year, Mrs. Houlihan will be joining the STEAM team as the kindergarten through 5th grade STEM teacher. She is excited for her new role and for the opportunity to work with students at multiple grade levels.  Mrs. Houlihan is also a teacher for the Northwestern Center for Talent Development. She resides in Bucktown with her husband, Colin and 8-month-old son, Henry.   ehoulihan@stbenedict.com

World Language Team

Ms. Caitlin McDonough is in her tenth year teaching Spanish in the Lower School at St. Benedict Preparatory. She grew up attending Catholic school in Chicago, and received her Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching of Spanish at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also studied for one year at the University of Barcelona in Spain. Ms. McDonough loves traveling, playing with her dog Topo, and reading, both in Spanish and English! cmcdonough@stbenedict.com

Ms. Mary Hearns is beginning her fourth year of teaching as an Upper School Spanish teacher and year 2(.5) at St. Benedict’s. She completed her student teaching with the Lower School Spanish classes at SBPS in 2019, and she loves being back in this great community! Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Herarns graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a dual degree in Spanish and Foreign Language Education. She studied in both Barcelona and Madrid, but enjoys learning from the rich Spanish-speaking community in Chicago as well. She loves to see her students grow in their confidence and develop intrinsic motivation to practice Spanish. Ms. Hearns also loves theatre, mystery novels, and trying new restaurants. mhearns@stbenedict.com

Ms. Diana Kilner hails from London, England, and will be joining St. Benedict Preparatory School to teach French and Spanish. She has a degree in Modern Foreign Languages from the University of Durham and she received her Master’s in Foreign Language Education while teaching at a top British private school. Ms. Kilner loves travelling and experiencing new cultures, having spent time living in Paris and Valencia. She is excited to share her knowledge and experience of French and Spanish cultures with all of her students so that they can enjoy a wonderfully immersive language learning experience. dkilner@stbenedict.com

Inclusion Services Team

Kristi Miller graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Elementary Education and completed her Master’s Degree in Special Education at National Louis University. For the last twelve years, she has worked at St. Benedict Preparatory School. She taught Kindergarten for three years and is now going into her ninth year as the Inclusion Facilitator and her fifth year as the Director of Inclusion. This year, she will work with students in grades 4-5 and direct the inclusion team. Mrs. Miller is excited to show all learners the power of education.  kmiller@stbenedict.com

Dawn O’Farrell graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Elementary Education and is working on her Master’s Degree in Special Education at Northeastern University. For the last fourteen years, she has worked at St. Benedict Preparatory School. She taught Preschool for two years, Second grade for eight years and is now going into her fourth year as the Inclusion Facilitator. This year, she will work with students in grades Pk-3. Mrs. O’Farrell is excited to help each student succeed. dofarrell@stbenedict.com

Ms. Carolina Blazkow, LPC is going onto her fourth year here at St. Benedict Prep as our School Counselor for elementary and middle-school. She completed her undergrad degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University and earned her Master's Degree in counseling from DePaul University. She is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. Ms. Blazkow connects with students and families regarding academic, social-emotional, and high school planning. She hopes to create wholesome relationships while being an essential resource for the St. Benedict Prep community. As a mental health advocate, Ms. Blazkow also hopes to continue to promote balance and a positive well-being for students and faculty. cblazkow@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Lisa Wiederkehr is very excited to be starting her 7th year as the librarian at St. Benedict School, having previously served as a librarian at St. Matthias School and Sulzer Regional Library. She has her undergraduate degree in Political Science from St. Joseph's College and her master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University. She loves to spend her free time with her husband, daughter, and her two kitties, Dipper and Mabel. She is a huge fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, enjoys traveling, concerts, and being outdoors, and of course, loves to read.  lwiederkehr@stbenedict.com

Heather Perez, RN began her St. Benedict career in 2003 as a paramedic/trainer for all high school sporting events.  She has been a paramedic for 19 years, a nurse since 2012, and is an American Red Cross CPR instructor.   Nurse Perez started fulltime as St. Benedict Prep’s nurse in 2013 and has been keeping families, students, and faculty safe since 2013 and loves what she does and is excited about entering her tenth year at St. Benedict.  hperez@stbenedict.com