JEN SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Director of Educational Services / Principal
Job Titles:
- Teacher
- Teacher Melissa Pollard - Social Worker Martha Machuca - Camargo - Paraprofessional / Job Coach
BIO
Room 612 serves students who are Freshmen and Sophomores in high school. The classroom team consists of Mr. Anthony, Ms. Melissa and Ms. Martha. Mr. Anthony earned his Bachelor's degree at Dominican University with a focus in Education and foreign language. He began working at Jen School as an Instructional Assistant. During that time, he earned his Special Education Endorsement to teach and transitioned to that role. Ms. Melissa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She earned her Master's degree at Dominican University and has worked at Maryville Academy for over 10 years. She integrates social emotional learning throughout the day and provides students with therapeutic support. Ms. Martha has an Associate's degree in Early Childhood and currently working on her bachelors for Human Services. She assists in providing individual support to our students academically and emotionally. Her positive attitude and care for the students have an enormous impact in making strong connections, being a role model and in maintaining a positive classroom environment. The main focus in the classroom is learning through self-respect, respect for others and unity. Mr. Anthony, Ms. Melissa and Ms. Martha believe that their students have a voice in their education and emphasize collaborative learning through project-based activities. The classroom team works to provide trauma focused education through empowerment. Their goal is to help students build the skills necessary to manage their emotions and behaviors in order to achieve academic and life success.
Job Titles:
- Teacher
- Teacher Matt Yaeger - Counselor Stavros Kouriabalis - Paraprofessional / Job Coach
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Assistant Principal for Vocational Educational Services
Job Titles:
- Teacher
- Teacher Kristina Seidelman - Nickels - Social Worker Tanya Horton - Paraprofessional / Job Coach
BIO
The Jen School 600 classroom team works with 17-18 year-old, high school students. The team consists of Mr. Kaleem Nazir (classroom teacher), Ms. Kristina Nickels (classroom social worker) and Ms. Tanya Horton (classroom paraprofessional). Mr. Nazir received a master's degree in education from De Paul University and is currently in his 14 th year teaching at the Jen School. Ms. Nickels received a MSW from Aurora University and has worked in the social work field for 20 years. Ms. Horton has an AAS in culinary arts from the Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago and has worked with at risk youth for 10 years. As a team they strive to instill 21 st century skills and a lifelong love of learning in their students. This is accomplished by building relationships and promoting self-discovery in an environment of mutual respect. The classroom motto of room 600 is, "Empowerment through knowledge; Peace through understanding."
Job Titles:
- Teacher
- Teacher George Nikolaou - Social Worker Maysaloon Alkhafaji - Paraprofessional / Job Coach
BIO
Room 405 works with students across all high school levels, focusing on academics incorporated with social emotional learning, as well as transitional services and planning post high school. Students work both individually and at the group level, allowing everyone to build important skills such as collaboration, teamwork, perseverance, self-awareness and self-management, meeting deadlines, and self-advocacy. Mr. Trerotola, the classroom teacher, graduated from the University of Dayton with a BFA in Studio Art. He has an M.A in Teaching from National-Louis University with an LBS-1 endorsement. Mr. Nikolaou graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a BA in Justice Studies. He has a M.Ed. in School Counseling from DePaul University, having previously worked both in the K-12 setting and as a Community Support Specialist in the mental health field. Ms. Maysaloon graduated from the University of Baghdad with a Bachelor of Arts in English language and German Literature. Through an educational evaluation by the ECE, she was awarded a US equivalency of Bachelor of Arts. She has experiencing working with individuals from Kindergarten through adulthood in educational and residential settings. The vision of our classroom incorporates both academics and social emotional growth for our students, preparing them for the next step in their lives.
Job Titles:
- Teacher
- Teacher Kathleen Samuelson - Counselor Vincent Irvin - Paraprofessional / Job Coach
BIO
Room 407 serves students who are Juniors and Seniors in high school. They have experienced obstacles throughout their school career and have been placed at Jen School as a result. Students are provided unconventional learning opportunities building both academic and social skills through highly-structured, high student-to-teacher ratio programming. The classroom team believes that respectful relationships among the staff and students are the key to school success. The classroom teacher, Tahirah Khan, has worked at the school for 15 years. With her certification in Special Education and Educational Leadership, Ms. Khan creates tailored curriculum to meet her students' needs. These needs could not be met without the cooperation and support of the classroom team. Kathleen Samuelson, Licensed Professional Counselor, provides integrated counseling services throughout the day as an integral part of the classroom team. Ms. Samuelson has worked in various capacities at MVA over the course of 28 years, 14 of those years at Jen School. Vincent Irvin is the classroom Instructional Assistant and has a BS in communication disorders. Mr. Irvin has two years of experience in the residential homes at Maryville Academy and has worked at Jen School for 6 years. Ms. Khan, Ms. Samuelson, and Mr. Irvin bring with them a wealth of experience and education that provide a safe learning environment, creating opportunities for students to experience success in school, and beyond.