Grades 1-5 Faculty & Staff

First Grade Team

Mrs. Bailey Fritz graduated from the University of Iowa and moved to Chicago 7 years ago. She is starting her third-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, traveling, 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 beginning her eighth-year teaching 1st grade at St. Benedict Prep.   She has a Bachelor's Degree in Education from North Central College in Naperville and has many years of teaching experience, her dream job! Mrs. Geppert has been married for 35 years and raised her 4 sons in Naperville, Illinois. 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 Masters Degree in Teaching from National Louis University.  Ms. Zadrozny also completed a post graduate program in Curriculum and Instruction at National Louis and has an endorsement in ESL (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 so excited to begin her 10th 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

Ms. Jacqueline Barry is in her fifth 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. Post college and during grad school she worked on a campaign at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a non-profit organization very near and dear to her. She loves co-leading elementary student council at St. Ben’s to teach students how they can be involved in their community. Outside of teaching, Ms. Barry enjoys traveling to new places with her fiancé and spending time along the shores of Lake Michigan in Long Beach, Indiana with her family. She loves to read, cook, and draw too! She can’t wait to get married in 2025 at St. Ben’s! 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

Mrs. Zoe Malter is starting her 1st year as a 2nd Grade teacher, and this is her 2nd year as a teacher. Mrs. Malter is finishing her Master of Early Childhood Education program at National Louis University. She received her Bachelor’s Degree at Columbia College Chicago in 2017. She attended St. Benedict Prep for high school and graduated in 2013. You may know her by her former name, Ms. Tarantino. Mrs. Malter worked as a 4th Grade Teacher at St. Bens last school year. Previously, she worked as a preschool assistant here at St. Bens for 9 years and 4 years as the lead of preschool aftercare program. Mrs. Malter got married last November and is very excited to start this year off with a new last name. When Mrs. Malter isn’t teaching, you might find her at a Cubs game, traveling to Colorado to ski and hike, spending time with family or going to the beach. She can’t wait for a great school year in 2nd Grade! zmalter@stbenedict.com

Ms. Yasmin Suleiman is a proud Chicago native who is excited to begin her third year at St. Benedict’s!  She is from Portage Park and attended Our Lady of Victory School as well as Resurrection High School.  She graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Elementary Education. This is her 20th year as a teacher.  She is the proud mom of two; a thirteen year old son and a nine year old daughter. When she is not at school, she is spending time with her children supporting them in sports (baseball and hockey) and other extracurricular activities. They also enjoy exploring Chicago and all it has to offer from sporting events to shows. She is passionate about health and fitness, music, and her favorite Chicago sports teams.  Most of all, she’s looking forward to another wonderful year in second grade! ysuleiman@stbenedict.com

Third Grade Team

Ms. Amy Carlino is in her ninth year at St. Benedict Prep and her third 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 in her second year at St. Benedict and her 11th year teaching! She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in elementary and special education. She taught third and fourth grades 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 is a parishioner of St. Ben’s and can often be seen at Mass on Sunday mornings chasing after her son, Timmy.  In her free time, Ms. Sears enjoys going to the library with her son, reading, and walking around the neighborhood and by the lake with friends while sipping Starbucks. ssears@stbenedict.com

Ms. Rachel Smith Graduating 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

Ms. Anna Kougias is so excited to complete her student teaching this year at Saint Benedict. She grew up in Skokie, Illinois and is in her senior year at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Elementary Education with a reading teach minor. Growing up she attended Greek school at Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox church for 12 years and has worked as a teacher's aide there for four years in different grade levels. In her free time, Ms. Kougias enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling and watching sunsets.  

Fourth Grade Team

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 5th 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. Melissa Garcia  is excited to be starting her first year at St. Bens as a 4th grade teacher!  She was born and raised in Chicago, IL and graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Following graduation, she worked as a teacher for Ladybug and Friends Daycare and Preschool. Furthering her career, Ms. Garcia continued her education in Early Childhood Education in which she then became the assistant director of the facility in which she taught in . Ms. Garcia discovered her love for teaching when she taught in the preschool classroom. Ms. Garcia is a strong advocate for providing an inclusive educational environment that assists with child development through fun and educational activities. She believes that the earliest years in a child’s life are a crucial time for learning. Therefore, Melissa allows children to get creative and learn new things by getting involved with different kinds of projects that are both challenging yet exciting. Melissa’s main perspective on education is that all children should have the opportunity to learn in an inclusive, diverse, and fun environment. Therefore, Melissa aims daily to make her classroom a fun and educational learning environment.   In her downtime, Ms. Garcia enjoys spending time with loved ones. She also enjoys traveling, working out, exploring nature parks, shopping and attending sporting events. mgarcia@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Sarah Zinkula is excited to join St. Ben’s this year as a 4th-grade teacher. Originally from Iowa, she has spent the past seven years teaching in Milwaukee, London, New York City, and Chicago, with the last five years dedicated to 4th-grade instruction. A Marquette University graduate, Ms. Zinkula holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle School Education and Psychology. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, traveling to Colorado to visit family, and cheering on Marquette basketball with her husband and friends. She is looking forward to a fantastic and rewarding school year ahead. szinkula@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 path to teaching in a formal classroom setting. In 2017, she became an assistant teacher at the British International School. In December of 2022, Ms. Bertram graduated with honors from Saint Xavier University with her Master’s in Education. After graduation, she became a 5th grade teacher at St. Ben’s! As well as teaching, Ms. Bertram also coaches the St. Benedict Dacne team. She is excited to be starting her second full year at St. Bens! jbertram@stbenedict.com

Mrs. 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 ten 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 7 years, Mr. White had been teaching Kindergarten, 4th, and 5th grade at St. Ben’s and this will be his 10th year teaching overall. This year, he is teaching 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 16th 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 will continue to focus on the athletic program at SBPS.  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 a current SBPS student (Aaron in 8th Grade) and one SBPS graduate (Alex – Class of 2022).  He is excited to see the Bengals on the court, course and field again this year. Go Bengals! cdeakins@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 22 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 volleyball & basketball at St. Ben’s, while also coaching his daughters Emma (St. Ben’s 2022 graduate & current junior at DePaul Prep) & Maddie (6th grade at St. Ben’s) in softball, volleyball 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 sixth year teaching band and strings at St. Benedict Prep. This year she is excited to be continuing principled leadership as well! 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. aballenger@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Anna Gabriel is looking forward to starting her 10th year as a Strings Teacher at St. Benedict! She began playing the violin at 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. Mrs. Gabriel was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2017-2021, which is a training program through the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She is also a substitute violinist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and an active freelancer in the Chicagoland area performing at weddings and private events! Mrs. Gabriel is passionate about sharing the joy of music and aims to give all students the tools they need to express themselves and create meaningful musical experiences! agabriel@stbenedict.com

Mrs. Jackie Stancin is looking forward to beginning her 14th 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 5th grade this year at SBPS. Mrs. Stancin holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art Education as well as a Master 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 outdoor adventures, cooking, and being creative. She is looking forward to seeing her student artists back in the art studio to continue to develop creative thinking and experiencing hands on projects. 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 13 years, the first eight years in 3rd grade and three years in 4th grade. This is her second-year teaching kindergarten through 5th grade STEM. All are encouraged to check out her class Instagram page, @stbensstem. Mrs. Houlihan is also a teacher for the Northwestern Center for Talent Development and Connections Academics Chicago. She resides in Edison Park with her husband, Colin and toddler son, Henry. ehoulihan@stbenedict.com

World Language Team

Ms. Caitlin McDonough is in her 12th 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

Mrs. Kimberly Carmona is thrilled to join St. Benedict as the new Upper School Spanish teacher, Creative Writing, and International Studies teacher.  She grew up in the Chicagoland suburbs and currently lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.  Ms. Carmona received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Iowa.  She has spent the last few years gaining valuable experience as a substitute teacher at St. Benedict.  She decided to pursue a career in teaching after discovering a love for working with kids. In her free time, Ms. Carmona enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, working out, and spending time with her family.  Ms. Carmona looks forward to a wonderful year at St. Benedict! kcarmona@stbenedict.com

Ms.  Cynthia Okoye is looking forward to starting her first year at St. Benedict Preparatory School as a French teacher. Originally from Nigeria where she taught for eight years, she recently earned her Master's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago where she served as a French graduate cokoye@stbenedict.com

Inclusion Services Team

Mrs. 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 fourteen years, she has worked at St. Benedict Preparatory School. She taught Kindergarten for three years and is now going into her eleventh year as the Inclusion Facilitator and her seventh 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

Mrs. 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

Mrs. Kaitlin Krasney is excited to be back for her second year at St. Benedict Preparatory School as the Middle School Inclusion Facilitator. A DePaul University graduate, she spent 8 years teaching elementary school in both Chicago and Denver.  Mrs. Krasney holds a Master’s Degree in Education. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, going to Cubs games, and spending time with her family.  Mrs. Krasney is looking forward to a great year at St. Benedict! 

Ms. Carolina Blazkow, LPCis going onto her sixth 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 9th 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. This summer she completed her training as a social-emotional learning facilitator and as a 200-hour certified yoga teacher. She loves to spend her free time with her husband, daughter, and her two kitties, Dipper and Mabel. She is a huge fan of Disney, Harry Potter and the Chicago Blackhawks, enjoys traveling, concerts, and being outdoors, and of course, loves to read.   lwiederkehr@stbenedict.com

RN Ms. Heather Perez is going into her 11th year as St. Benedict’s school Nurse and has been working for St. Benedict since 2003 with all sporting events. Has been a paramedic since 2003 and got her Nursing degree in 20013, she is an American Redcross Instructor and trains all staff and even Middle school. I love hanging out with Faith the  (cutest little dog in the world) and seeing the excitement and joy in all the students faces watching them grow into amazing young individual's.    hperez@stbenedict.com