Nick Gaona
This is his 13th year teaching. He worked at Carl Sandburg Middle School as a Dual Language Teacher. “I have seen and heard great things about MHS and am happy to be here,” said Gaona.
Joanne Kim
This is her second year teaching. She worked in the Boston area teaching at Somerville High School. “I came to watch In the Heights, and I fell in love with the community. I love how much the community values diversity, equity, and education,” said Kim.
Barbara Alverez
She has been teaching for nine years. Before she came to MHS she taught at Huntley High School for six years, but before that she was at NIU teaching English courses which was part of her graduate school assistantship. “I graduated from MHS in 2010, and I’ve always wanted to come back here because I love this community,” said Alverez, “MHS was where I realized I wanted to be an English teacher, and I want to give back to the school that gave me so much.”
Josh Jorns
He has been a teacher for four years. He taught down in Normal for two years and coached girl’s basketball. Last year he was at Warren High School and Prairie Ridge High School. “I used to live in Mundelein when I was younger and then moved to Grayslake so I am very familiar with the area. I love the diversity that Mundelein offers because I get to learn so much about different cultures. I have very much enjoyed working with my students here and they have been very welcoming of me which has been greatly appreciated,” Jorns added, “There are a lot of great things happening in the Mundelein Community and here at MHS and I would love to be a part of those things and make an impact of my own.”
Stefanie Lara
She has been teaching for five years. He taught in Deerfield before MHS. “I wanted to teach at MHS because of the diverse community of people that live in Mundelein. I wanted to work with students of different backgrounds and use my own background to positively impact students’ lives,” Lara said.
Anna Kaszuba
This is her eighth year teaching. She was at Barrington High School for seven years before MHS. “I wanted to work at MHS because of how forward-thinking MHS is. Students and staff are willing to engage in reflection and participate in sometimes difficult conversations. I think teaching should be relevant to our world and our students. This building does that with kindness, patience, and courage,” Kuszuba said.
Chelsea Troesch
This is her 14th year as a special educator. Before MHS she was a special education teacher in District 60. “I am excited to help our participants in the Transition Center to make long lasting connections within community members in hopes of building their independence within their lives,” Troesch said.
Thomas Wierenga
This is his first year as a full time school psychologist. He completed his master’s degree in 2021 and his specialist degree in May of this year. Last year he was a school psych intern at Niles West High School. “ I wanted to come to MHS because I believe the three core standards (equity, growth, collaboration) are representative of my values for an educational institution,” Wierenga.
Rachel Gross
She has been teaching for three years at Buffalo Grove High School as their resource assistant. “I am excited to teach here at Mundelein High School because of the immense feeling of community I feel from both my colleagues and students,” said Gross.
Gemma Colunga
This is her first year teaching. She was an instructional teacher assistant for four years. She also worked in the English and special education departments. “I have heard so many great things about MHS. The school shouts diversity, and I knew I wanted to be a role model for my students no matter where I ended up teaching. I wanted my students to see themselves in me, that regardless of their background or challenges, it is possible to achieve your goals and dreams. MHS has been so welcoming, and resourceful. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the rest of the school year,” said Colunga.
