UNI - Key Persons
is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is an alumna of the University of Illinois who graduated with a bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies and received her Masters in Social Work. Amy has spent the last 2 decades working with and learning from young people ranging from early childhood to post-secondary graduates. Her experiences include working with students with Autism, mood disorders, trauma, conduct disorders and other behavior issues. She loves working with Uni students who are highly academically motivated but also understands they need the tools to navigate life as high schoolers. Amy enjoys mindfulness, nature, running, and food.
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Cheryl Lehman (ctrotter@illinois.edu) is the School Registrar and Office Manager of the Student Services Office. She holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language, both from UIUC. Before working at Uni she taught pre-college ESL for over 20 years, and she loves reading, travel, geography, and all things language-related. Ms. Lehman is also the sponsor of Uni's literary magazine, Unique.
Christian Millán-Hernández (millanh2@illinois.edu) teaches Subbie Science, Entomology, and Environmental Science. He earned an M.S. in Entomology and an M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Having grown up in Puerto Rico, Mr. Millán is a native Spanish speaker who enjoys photography, hiking, cooking, and family time when he is not teaching. Prior to Uni, he worked as a laboratory manager at Michigan State University and has experience performing field work for biological sciences.
is an Office Support Specialist. She has worked for the University of Illinois for over 32 years. Christine has greatly enjoyed the variety of people she has met and worked with during that time and has also enjoyed the variety of departments she has served. Although she retired from full-time University work in June of 2014, she is now employed as a permanent part-time employee with Uni High Advancement and enjoys engaging with students and staff.
@illinois.edu) is the Director of Uni High. She taught at Uni for twenty years before taking on the role of Interim Director for two years and was officially named Director in May of 2021. Dr. Majerus previously served as Uni's Executive Teacher in the department of English for seventeen years. As a Uni English teacher, she has taught Nonfiction Writing, Poetry, the Nineteenth-Century Novel, Utopias and Dystopias in Literature, Native American and Latino/a Literature, and Creative Writing. Dr. Majerus earned her B.A. in English and Integrated Liberal Studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Job Titles:
- Director & CAO for Advancement
Janet Kroencke (jlk@illinois.edu) joined Uni in January 2020, after previously serving as the Associate Director for Advancement at the University of Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences. Prior to that time, Janet served as the Assistant Director of Wellness at University of Illinois Campus Recreation and Student Affairs. She has worked on the University of Illinois campus for over 23 years. Janet earned her Bachelor's of Science (Applied Health Sciences) degree at Indiana University and her Masters of Science (Education Policy and Organizational Leadership) degree at the University of Illinois in 2015.
teaches German 1-4 and is the Executive Teacher for the Department of World and Classical Languages. She earned a B.A. in German, Anthropology, and International Studies with a minor in Japanese from the University of Iowa and obtained her M.A. in German Linguistics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). Frau Dr. Robins also completed her doctorate through the LMU with a degree in Applied Linguistics and Language Theory with an emphasis on Historical German Sociolinguistics.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Digital Media Production Course Instructor
is the Executive Teacher of the Computer Science Department. He teaches Computer Literacy 1 & 2, Digital Media Production and Yearbook. He earned his B.A. at Valparaiso University and his M.A. at Southern Illinois University. Mr. Beesley is also the junior class co-sponsor and the head girls basketball coach.
teaches Subfreshman English, Native American and Othered Literature, Nonfiction Writing, and the Short Story course. Mrs. Rodems is also the sponsor for Students for a Better World and a co-sponsor for the Junior class. She earned her B.A. in English from University of Illinois at Springfield and her M.A. in English from Eastern Illinois University.
Kristi Deedrick (kbandy2@illinois.edu) is the school counselor for students with last names ending in A-K. She is a University of Illinois alum, receiving her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2009. Mrs. Deedrick received her Master of Social Work in 2011 from Loyola University Chicago. She has experience working with students K-12 as a school social worker and as a school crisis counselor.
Job Titles:
- Athletic Director
- Director With Uni High
is the Athletic Director with Uni High and currently teaches sophomore physical education. Coach Hummel grew up in the Northwest, and he earned his bachelors at Eastern Washington University, where he was a mid-distance and cross-country runner. Coach Hummel continued his competition living and training in San Diego, where he was the 2014 Ironman 70.3 AG World Champion.
teaches Studio Art 1, Two Dimensional Art, Three Dimensional Art, Design: Thinking and Process and Interrelated Arts. Ms. Evans serves as the Coordinator of Lab Mission and Professional Development. She earned her B.S. at Miami University, her M.B.A. at the University of Chicago, and her B.F.A. and M.F.A. at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Director of College Counseling
is the Director of College Counseling and serves as the Department Head for the Student Services Office. She is also the coordinator & supervisor of the Peer College Counseling program at Uni High. Lisa received her B.S. and M.Ed. from the University of Illinois, Urbana. She received a second master's degree (M.A.) from Lewis University. Lisa has been a part of the Uni High faculty since March of 1993.
Job Titles:
- Office Manager at Uni High School
is an Office Manager at Uni High School. They have a B.A. in Communication Studies and a Minor in Vocal Performance from Eastern Illinois University and are currently studying World Labor Relations and Social Work at the U of I. In addition to their job at Uni, Martha is the President Emeritus of the Board of Uniting Pride of Champaign County and is a coach at C-U Women's Boxing.
Matt Mitchell (mtmitch@illinois.edu) teaches Language and Literature 2 (freshman English) and History as Fiction (juniors and seniors) and serves as the Executive Teacher in the English Department. He earned his B.A. in English at Rutgers University in 1994 and his M.A. in English at the University of Illinois in 1997.
Melissa Schoeplein (mschoepl@illinois.edu) teaches Introduction to Social Studies, Contemporary Issues in Government, Politics, and Society, and World Since 1989. She also coordinates the Uni High Oral History Project - a 20+ year partnership with WILL/Illinois Public Media. Ms. Schoeplein is a 1994 graduate of Uni High and she holds a B.A in History from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to teaching at Uni, she taught high school in the Washington, DC area and worked for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois. She currently co-sponsors the subbie class and the WILL interns. When not at Uni, she is chasing her kids around various area parks.
Job Titles:
- Specialist at Uni High Library
Paul Kotheimer [he/him] (p-kothe@illinois.edu) is the Senior Library Specialist at Uni High Library. Paul joined the Uni High Library staff in 2010. He's worked in academic libraries since the late 1980s and has served the University Library system at the University of Illinois since 1994. He holds a B.A. in English from UIC.
teaches sports and strength training in the PE department. She holds an M.S. in sports management from Illinois State University where she ran XC/Track&Field. She is a great community volunteer and has worked with area programs such as Girls on the Run and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Rachael was the 2017 Illinois Marathon champion.
teaches Music Theory, Music History, Interrelated Arts, Chorus, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Madrigals. He earned his B.F.A. at MacMurray College and his M.M.Ed. at Illinois State University. During his time here at the University of Illinois, Mr. Murphy has completed all of the course-work in the music education doctoral program.
is a teacher in the Computer Science department and the Uni High Makerspace manager. He teaches Computer Literacy 1 & 2. He earned his B.S. in Physics and his B.A. in Philosophy at Purdue University. Mr. Kiesel is also the faculty sponsor of the engineering club.