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Reena Bagri
Teacher Assistant
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Shirley Berger
Kindergarten Teacher
Email: sberger@pccs.ws
Biography
My name is Shirley Berger. I grew up in the Chicago area and now live in Northbrook. I received
my Bachelors in Education and have taken many additional classes in Education over the years. I have
taught Kindergarten, first and second grades as well as pre-school and junior high and adults.
I have lived in New York City, Israel, Los Angeles and Phoenix. I have eight children, yes, three
boys and five girls and yes, I have grandchildren!
My love of children, animals and gardening led me on the path to find our very unique school—Prairie
Crossing Charter School.
I am looking forward to my fifth year here at PCCS with very special children in this exceptional
learning environment.
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Peggy Boyle
Teacher Assistant
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Ed Caplan
Teacher
Email: ecaplan@pccs.ws
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Peter Dawley
4th Grade Teacher
Email: pdawley@pccs.ws
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Claire Di Nanno
5th Grade Teacher
Email: cdinanno@pccs.ws
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Katy Fields
Kindergarten Teacher
Email: kfields@pccs.ws
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Carol Flaig
Teacher Assistant
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Paul Habel
8th Grade Teacher
Email: phabel@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
Biography
The 2007-2008 school year will be my 4th year teaching at PCCS (one year teaching 7th grade
and 3 years teaching 8th grade). I love the opportunities that PCCS gives me to create some
fun and exciting projects for my students.
History has always been a very important part of my life, particularly the American Civil War.
The more I learn, the more I realize that there is so much out there to learn. I look forward
to the 8th grade Virginia Trip every year, when I get to share some extremely important historical
sites with my students.
I have lived in Gurnee all of my life (I still remember when it was a small, unknown town!).
My wife, three children and two gerbils enjoy living here, and we stay plenty busy.
Teaching 8th grade is a very rewarding experience. It is a fun age to get to know kids, and help
them determine who they are and what they believe in. I look forward to the great challenges and
accomplishments that we will have this year.
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Lynn Hahn
3rd/4th Grade Teacher
Email: lhahn@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
Biography
This will be Lynn Hahn’s fifth year at Prairie Crossing and her 10th year as a teacher. She earned
her Bachelor’s of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education at the University of
Northern Iowa. Lynn began her teaching career by teaching first grade in San Antonio for four years.
She then taught first grade in a southern suburb of Chicago. At Prairie Crossing Lynn has taught
second, third, and fourth grade. During her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, spending time outside
and taking her dog, Casper, for a walk.
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Benjamin Haight
7th Grade Teacher
Email: bhaight@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
Biography
I am one of the seventh grade teachers at Prairie Crossing Charter School. I enjoy working with
the students in the environment and classroom to create a unique learning atmosphere.
I received my B.A. from DePaul University and have spent the last 8 years involved in environmental
education. I grew up canoeing the waters of Canada and camping in the mountains of the west.
These experiences helped shape how I feel about the environment and my place in nature. I enjoy
bringing my love of the natural world and history to the classroom.
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Chris Hershiser
5th/6th Grade Teacher
Email: chershiser@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
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Jody Hoffman
Teacher Assistant
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Christine Jeffery
1st Grade Teacher
Athletic Director
Email: cjeffery@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
Biography
Christine is entering her 4th year of teaching here at PCCS. She recieved
her BA in Elementary Eduction from Carthage College. She loves teaching the
1st and 2nd grade and is looking forward to the school year! She coaches the
soccer team and track and field as well.
When she is away from school, she enjoys playing soccer, running and riding her bike.
She also loves watching the Cubs and Bears!
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Annette Johnson
Teacher Assistant
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Tricia Johnson Teacher
1st/2nd Grade
Email: pjohnson@pccs.ws
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Cathy Knight
Teacher Assistant
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Andrea Koeniger
5th/6th Grade Teacher
Email: akoeniger@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
Biography
Andrea is entering her eighth year of teaching and her sixth year at Prairie Crossing.
She earned her BS in Elementary Education from the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.
She is currently attending National-Louis University to earn her masters in Administration and Supervision.
Teaching at PCCS has given Andrea the opportunity to grow professionally and help make her classroom a
place for children to explore and understand the world they live in.
Andrea enjoys devoting much of her time to her classroom; however in her spare time she loves
exploring the outdoors, reading, and papercrafting.
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Megan Kovacs
Teacher Assistant
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Donna Krissek
Teacher Assistant
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Madhu Kumar
Teacher Assistant
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Kelly Lazar
2nd Grade Teacher
Email: klazar@pccs.ws
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Patrisia Mallin
8th Grade Teacher
Email: pmallin@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
Biography
This will be my first year teaching at PCCS and I am very excited. Previously, I have taught
middle school for three years and last year I worked at Warren Township High School.
I graduated from Barat College of DePaul University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Education with Middle School Certification. When I started college I was married and had two small
children at home. My husband and I have been married for 16 years and our boys are now in high
school and middle school right here in Grayslake.
When I am not teaching and looking for new exciting activities to do with my students I am spending
time with my family. We spend a lot of time at lacrosse games, hockey games, and football games
because those are the sports that my sons play. On weekends when my boys aren’t playing a game we
go camping with our dogs usually around Wisconsin or Michigan. We also try to take a long camping
trip every summer usually to the mountains and/or national parks. I’m looking forward to being able
to use my traveling experiences in my classroom this year.
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Cynthia McGovern
4th Grade Teacher
Email: cmcgovern@pccs.ws
Biography
Mrs. Cynthia McGovern has been teaching at Prairie Crossing since the school opened its doors
in 1999. Since graduating from West Texas State University with a Master’s Degree in Education
in 1983, she has been teaching in private and public education. Trained in Montessori and
traditional teaching methods, she blends the best of both into a holistic experience for her third
and fourth grade looping students. Teaching at PCCS has been an exciting experience for her as the
mission of the school has served as a source of inspiration to integrate environmental education
experiences into daily schoolwork. Her most recent success with integrating outdoor education into
the core curriculum was the construction of a Medicine Wheel Garden, designed entirely by the
students and funded wholly by donations.
She and her husband, Jim, run a very busy household with six children and too many pets. Any free
time is spent canoeing, reading, or hanging with her kids. Summers are always a particularly busy
time as she joins the Sierra Club for service projects (most recently she worked at Bryce Canyon
National Park), visits family and friends on the coast of Maine, or joins her youngest son on
Boy Scout camping adventures.
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Nasreen Nasir
Teacher Assistant
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Kathy Rocher
Teacher Assistant
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Catherine Sickle
Teacher Assistant
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Kelly Smith
2nd Grade Teacher
Email: ksmith@pccs.ws
Class Web Page
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Heather Spinney
1st/2nd Grade Teacher
Email: hspinney@pccs.ws
Biography
Ms. Heather Spinney is looking forward to her 2nd year of teaching here at PCCS. She attended
DePaul University and received her BS in Elementary Education from Oakland University in
Rochester, Michigan. Heather taught kindergarten at a charter school in Colorado and was a
YMCA childcare director in Iowa prior to moving to Ilinois and joining the PCCS team.
Teaching at PCCS is very rewarding and keeps her very busy. When not busy at school, she enjoys
being outdoors, taking walks with her new baby, gardening, and scrapbooking.
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Julie Stempeck
Teacher Assistant
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Gery Thomas
Teacher Assistant
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Frances Verenski
Teacher Assistant
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Megan Wright
7th Grade Teacher
Email: mwright@pccs.ws
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Tony Zamiar
7th Grade Teacher
Email: tzamiar@pccs.ws
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