Ellen was born and raised in the Chicagoland suburbs. She's always had great math teachers who have fostered her abilities and interest in math. While completing her master's, she worked in the tutoring center at Loyola and that's when she realized that teaching math was the path for her. Since earning her degree, she has been teaching higher education for the last 14 years, from Pre-algebra to Differential Equations and everything in between. Showing the connections and relevance of math in daily life are some of the most important lessons a student can learn.

Education

B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Physics, Lewis University
M.S. in Mathematics, Loyola University

Why Roycemore?

Attending Lewis University is what led me on my path, so I've always been drawn to and appreciated smaller schools. A sense of community and belonging make all the difference to students!

Favorite Quote

"You are good enough to be everything you want to be." - New Girl

Dr. Lara Dotson-Renta comes to Chicagoland from the east coast, where she has been both faculty and dean at various educational institutions. She holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from UPenn, with a focus on Spanish and French postcolonial literatures and a subspecialization in African Studies. She also has an MA from NYU Paris and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. She has published extensively in academic outlets as well as in popular media outlets.

Dr. Dotson-Renta loves to engage students in critical thinking through culture and literature and to make language come alive through the arts.

Currently, she lives in Lake Bluff with her husband Adam, three kids, two enormous Golden Retrievers, and her mom. She is also a certified 500 hour yoga teacher and periodically takes courses in theology to learn more about this world, its people, and how they all fit together.

Education

Ph.D. in Romance Languages, concentration in Hispanic Literatures, University of Pennsylvania
M.A. in French Literature, New York University
B.A. in Spanish and French Literatures, Dartmouth College

Why Roycemore?

I am drawn to Roycemore's small class environment and emphasis on the unique needs of each individual student. Community is important, and that is emphasized at Roycemore.

Favorite Quote

"Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar" – Antonio Machado

Dan teaches Science and STEM classes for the Upper School at Roycemore. Dan has conducted research in biomechanics around the world including as a professor at Virginia Tech. Prior to teaching at Roycemore, he taught Physics at North Cross School in Roanoke, Virginia. When not at school, Dan enjoys spending time with his family, walking his greyhounds, and playing cello.

Education

Ph.D. in Biology, University of California, Berkeley
B.A. in Biology, University of Chicago

Favorite Quote

“We are stardust brought to life, then empowered by the universe to figure itself out — and we have only just begun.” - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Why do you teach? What is the impact you hope to make on students?

The world is a mysterious and awe-inspiring place. The fact that we can understand and predict so much of what happens around us is remarkable when you stop to think about it. As Douglas Adams wrote in The Salmon of Doubt, “I’d take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day.” I hope that students who leave my classroom have the awe of understanding, understand where they are ignorant and are hungry to fill in the gaps.

Why Roycemore?

Roycemore fosters a community where students (and faculty) can grow their knowledge while being themselves. Our small size allows me to get to know the students and individualize my teaching to help them develop as critical thinkers.

Matt has taught in four US states and overseas in Japan at the Middle School, Upper School, community college, and university levels. Holding Masters degrees in both English and Communication from Northern Illinois University, he has taught courses in English literature, ESL, Photoshop, Web design, print design, digital video, digital audio, rhetoric and composition, AP English Language and Composition, public speaking, communication theory, and film theory. Matt is interested in Ultimate disc sports, scale modeling, podcasting, and Japanese language study.

Education

M.A. English, Northern Illinois University 2001
M.A. Communication, Northern Illinois University 2004

Favorite Quote

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, then you can only think what everyone else is thinking" — Murakami Haruki

Why Roycemore?

The mission and vision of Roycemore is tempered with my own personal values in balance - academic achievement, social respect, and responsibility. I'm excited to participate in and learn from the Roycemore Community. I was also eager to return to Illinois after so much time away, and to rediscover the diverse community offered by Chicagoland with my wife and son.

Chris English has over two decades of experience as a creative, solution-oriented, educational leader with a keen focus on effective classroom practice and student-centered learning. He has guided educational philosophy, brought new programs to fruition, developed alternative revenue, overseen expansion, led strategic planning, led accreditation, housed international students, and taught in classrooms, deserts, mountain tops, and rivers.

Chris and his wife, Lori, are parents to twin daughters. Lori and Chris enjoy home-renovation projects, historic houses and architecture, card games, movies, beaches, and discovering local art, music, and cuisine. Chris spends his downtime singing with his guitar or ukulele, or when he needs to be quiet, he settles in with a good book or TV show.

Education

M.A. in Technical and Professional Communication, East Carolina University
B.A. in Creative Writing, East Carolina University

Favorite Quote

“What’s another word for Thesaurus?” – Steven Wright

Why Roycemore?

When describing what I was looking for in a school, the person I was talking to leaned forward and said, “It sounds like you’re talking about Roycemore.”

Ms. Dawn is an experienced early childhood educator. She loves working with children because it keeps her young. She enjoys watching students grow throughout the school year.

Education

AAS in Early Childhood Education, Level 4 Credentials, Paraprofessional Licensure

Favorite Quote

“Opportunities don't happen, you create them.” — Chris Grosse

Why Roycemore?

I love the diverse atmosphere!

Tyler is a graduate of Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. He has been teaching since 2013, including teaching in his hometown of Rantoul, Illinois as well as a couple of Chicago suburbs, Chicago’s Southside, and he also had the pleasure of teaching a variety of subjects in a school 25 miles out of London, England. He believes that his previous experiences set him up for success at Roycemore, and he looks forward to continuing to grow as an educator in Evanston. His hobbies include drumming, football, and TRAVEL!

He believes that PE should be the most fun lesson of the day for all of his students. He wants them to look forward to coming to a class where they can express themselves and build relationships every single day. Being fun, having integrity, and using creativity drive his passion for physical education, and these valuable pieces of the puzzle will be his foundation for providing the most well-rounded and engaging curriculum that he can to all of Roycemore’s students.

Education

B.S., Millikin University

Why Roycemore?

My goal is to set roots down in a community and be able to develop strong and trusting relationships with every student that I teach.

Favorite Quote

“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney

Mohan is an educator and multi-disciplinary artist from Toronto, Canada. He studied Mathematical Sciences at Middlebury College in Vermont, earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from The Ohio State University and is currently working towards a Masters in Secondary Education at DePaul. He is passionate about integrating mathematics within the broader secondary school curriculum, emphasizing math as a tool for modeling real world phenomena. He aims to cultivate creative thinking, curiosity and problem solving over the traditional pillars of memorization and repetition. In particular, he is fond of student-lead and inquiry-based learning--hoping his students will be motivated by provocative, intrinsically meaningful questions about their world.

When he isn't teaching, Mohan is a husband, father, published writer and audio storyteller, musician and avid chess player.

Education

B.A. in Mathematics, Middlebury College
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, The Ohio State University
M.A. in Secondary Education, DePaul University (currently pursuing)

Favorite Quote

"That's the way it crumbles...cookie-wise."

Why Roycemore?

I was attracted to Roycemore because of the diverse student body. Roycemore is striving to innovate, especially in math, where the roles of empathy, intuition and emotion have been historically neglected. I am excited to learn from the students and faculty at Roycemore, and hopefully teach math in a deeply human way.

Adrienne served as the Middle School Principal for Chartiers Valley Middle School in PA until August of 2019. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Middle School Principal and District Assessment Coordinator for Quaker Valley Middle School. Adrienne has been a fifth and sixth-grade teacher, providing instruction in math, English language arts, and social studies. Prior to moving from the classroom to school administration, Adrienne served as the Academic Specialist in the Quaker Valley School District serving the needs of gifted and talented students. Adrienne was a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in 2012 and was named the Outstanding Middle-Level Administrator of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Middle-Level Educators in 2018-19.

Adrienne joined Roycemore in July 2020 as the Middle School Division Head. In the spring of 2021, she was recruited to serve in the role of Assistant Head of School for Academics.

Education

M.A. in Public Administration, Carnegie Mellon University
B.S. in Secondary Social Studies, Duquesne University

Publications

ASCD's Educational Leadership magazine "From Apathy to Mastery"

Favorite Quote

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

Why do you teach? What is the impact you hope to make on students?

I believe education to be the most important job on the planet Fortunately for me, education is my vocation and avocation. It’s my passion. I feel very privileged to spend my life fostering a love of learning and personal growth among the students, colleagues, and parents I’m blessed to know and work with on a daily basis.

Why Roycemore?

Roycemore’s small, diverse, progressive, innovative culture puts students first as the leaders of their own learning and supports them remarkably well in their academic and social/emotional development. Students at Roycemore are SEEN, KNOWN, and HONORED.

Dori Franck began her career at UTHS in East Moline, Illinois, and subsequently taught at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook for the bulk of her career. Additionally, she taught for the Glenbrook evening school, helping dropout students earn their high school diplomas. She has been an adjunct professor at Concordia University where she taught education classes and placed student teachers, and was an instructor for the CTD program at Northwestern University. At Roycemore, she currently teaches AP Psychology, U.S. History, and a variety of semester psychology courses. She also served as Roycemore’s Northwestern Coordinator and as a Co-Sponsor of our yearbook.

She has been fortunate to have been the recipient of a variety of awards, such as GBN’s Distinguished Teacher of the Year, Calvin College Excellence in Teaching, AP Psychology Notable Instructor, Golden Apple Nominee, GBN Distinguished Service Award, Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, Eastern Illinois University Excellence in Teaching Award, was chosen to be a member of the Teacher Development Board at Augustana College and an AP Advocate for the State of Illinois.

Her dissertation was entitled Teaching Empathy for the Military Experience to High School Students. She is passionate about extending that study into her classrooms. It is her goal not only to teach content to students but also to help them become productive, compassionate, and well-rounded citizens.

Education

Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Organizational Change
M.S. in Counseling
B.A. in Psychology

Favorite Quote

“Teach like the world depends on it.”

Why do you teach? What is the impact you hope to make on students?

I LOVE teaching. I cannot think of a more noble profession and the opportunity to work with young minds.

Why Roycemore?

I chose Roycemore since it would be an entirely new experience for me. I have spent over 30 years in the public education sector and usually had classes that were quite large. I thought it would be a nice change of pace to be able to work with students in smaller groups and get to know them better.

Hilda became Roycemore's librarian in 2019. She had become familiar with our education and community when her daughter, Alanis, attended and graduated in 2018. Hilda has been in the Chicagoland area her whole life, growing up in the Uptown area where she was always visiting her local branch of the city library. It was there that she developed a love for reading and a desire to pursue a degree in literature.

Hilda put herself through school and earned her B.A. in English Literature at Northeastern Illinois University in 2013 and her Master's Degree in Library Science from UW-Milwaukee in 2020. Before joining our staff, Hilda was a library assistant in the children's department at both Oak Park and Evanston Public Library. Hilda is passionate about diversifying the library's collection, reading to the students, bringing authors in, and offering Battle of the Books and other reading programs to both Lower and Middle School students. Hilda's voice and perspective on diversity and mental health have been a welcome contribution to the school community, as she has sponsored our Diversity Club in the Upper School and co-sponsored our Teen Empowerment Group in the Upper School.

"Ms. Hilda" is loved by students young and old for her library skills and her ability to appreciate and validate every student who enters her door. In her free time, Ms. Hilda enjoys finding gems for the library, watching movies, and connecting with friends and family.

Education

MLIS, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
B.A. in English Literature, Northeastern Illinois University

Favorite Quote

“The only thing stronger than fear is hope.”

Why do you teach? What is the impact you hope to make on students?

I chose children’s librarianship because I feel it’s the area where I can make the greatest impact on children’s lives. To put the right book, in the right hands, at the right time is, I feel, one of the most important things one can do for a child.

Why Roycemore?

Roycemore has given my daughter opportunities neither of us could have imagined and welcomed us into their family. I hope to support Roycemore’s mission as a faculty member and help students and families in similar ways that my daughter and I have been supported in the past.

Ruth is an artist and art teacher. She has been teaching at Roycemore since 2004. In her free time, she enjoys being a potter, practicing yoga, and being a mother to her daughter.

Education

M.A., University of Illinois
B.F.A., Washington University

Fun Fact

I love cats and have three.

Why do you teach? What is the impact you hope to make on students?

I teach to share my love of art and to show that anyone can be successful at it. Welcoming art into your life is an experience that can last a lifetime and provide peace, beauty, and a sense of accomplishment.

Why Roycemore?

Roycemore has a loving caring environment where I have the autonomy to create my own art lessons and teach on a team of very dedicated, smart teachers. I feel I am a part of a caring community that supports art.