Faculty

“As a school leader, my goal is to deliver a transformational educational experience that provides students with the opportunity to grow as critical thinkers and life-long learners who are ready to make a difference in the world. I strive to accomplish this by providing strategic leadership and by building strong relationships with and among the entire school community. Most importantly, I lead by example. I am always open to growth and committed to and inspired by the people I work with and serve.

I am excited to be part of The Academy because it is an amazing opportunity to work with a group of people who are deeply committed to creating an exceptional school with the best possible learning experience for each and every child that is rooted in faith and focused on student-driven outcomes. As an independent Catholic school, we get to do things differently while building upon the rich traditions of St. Joan of Arc. While many things will demand my attention this year, two of my priorities are: building a Christ-centered culture of joy where everyone feels valued and welcomed and ensuring rigorous academics where each child feels successful, challenged and engaged every day.”

 

 Let's get to know Mrs. Buis: 

What is your teaching philosophy?
“Education is the foundation for a child’s future.  As a teacher at the Academy, I have the unique opportunity to be in an environment that fosters the academic and social-emotional growth of all students.  I value being a lifelong learner and strive to inspire my students to have a curiosity and desire that will push them to continue to learn and grow.”

What have you learned from the past 18 months?
The last 18 months have been some of the most challenging of my teaching career.  I am thankful to be part of an amazing school and teaching staff that worked diligently to find a way to keep moving forward and continue to provide the best educational experiences for our students, despite the many obstacles and hurdles we had to overcome.

What would you want your Superpower to be?
My superpower would be the ability to build strong relationships with my student.

Cubs, Sox, or Other?  I am a Cubs fan.
 

 Let's get to know Ms. Barr:

What is your teaching philosophy?
“My classroom is a place where everyone is respected and included and where kindness for others is practiced every day. I love that I can see my students grow into young learners and that I get to prepare them for a successful future.”

What have you learned from the past 18 months:
I love how incredible the whole community has been through this difficult time. Everyone has really stepped up to help make it possible for us to be in school. I feel so lucky to work here!

What brings you joy?
I love seeing kids have fun and laugh in my classroom.  Oh, and also my puppy!

What would you want your Superpower be?
I think it would be cool to fly

Cubs, Sox or other? Cubs fan

“One thing I want my students to know about me is that I have three children: a daughter heading to college, a son who is a junior in HS, and a son who is an eighth grader at The Academy. I’m excited to be part of the Academy because it’s great to be a part of something brand new. New ideas, new philosophies, new leaders! I’ll be focusing on making every child feel special and comfortable each day when they enter our classroom. That daily ‘warm welcome’ makes them excited to play and interact with their teachers and classmates.”

“Mrs. Wagener has an amazing gift for engaging, inspiring and activating the minds of young children. She’s hands on in wide-ranging activities and carefully models respect and kindness, artfully teaching them how to treat one another. Additionally, her extraordinary warmth put both of my kids at ease as they transitioned to school for the first time.”

I am enjoying being back in the classroom and love watching the early stages of learning that comes with this age.

I love the challenge of identifying how each student learns and I think it is important to create an environment and a curriculum that supports each child’s learning needs and their emerging confidence. I want to make our preschool classroom and place where students feel happy, safe and part of the family we so proudly call the Academy at St. Joan of Arc. 

 Let's get to know Mrs. Dillon:

What is your teaching philosophy?
“Teaching allows me the opportunity to help a child grow socially, emotionally, and academically. I strive to help children develop a love for learning at a young age and to be influential in helping them build self-esteem and grow in their confidence.”

What have you learned from the past 18 months?
Something positive from these past 18 months is that I have learned a lot more about technology than I ever knew before. I also enjoyed spending more time outside in nature in all kinds of weather.

What brings you joy?
What brings me the most joy is getting to spend time with my grandson. He is the same age as the children in my class are. It is fun to do things with him that I know the students in my class like to do the most!

What would you want your superpower to be?
If I could have a superpower, I would love to be able to teleport myself to different places.

Cubs, Sox, or others?  I grew up being a White Sox fan because my dad was, and we used to go to games. As an adult, I am much more of a Cubs fan than a Sox fan
 

“One thing I want my students to know about me is that I enjoy going to work. I want all of our students to feel the same excitement I do when they come to school! I’m excited to be part of The Academy because we will offer a dynamic, progressive and nurturing learning environment. I’ll be focusing on creating an interactive and enthusiastic learning experience encouraging academic, emotional and spiritual growth.”

“Mrs. Caplice has a gentle, loving nature with the children. No matter the situation she gets down on their level, looks them in the eyes and counsels them through it in the most calm, kind way. Her peaceful, loving nature ensures that the children always feel secure and nurtured, enabling them to reach their fullest learning potential.” Parent of three ASJA students

 Let's get to know Mrs. Hendricks:
 

Over the last 10 years of teaching, my philosophy is to be fully present with the students and lead by example.  Take one day at a time, every day is a new day to start over.  

I am excited to be part of the Academy's mission to encourage kindness, compassion, inclusion & gratitude.

“Excellence in teaching is recognizing that teaching is who you are as well as what you do. As a teacher, you are called to demonstrate compassion, care, encouragement, and to challenge behaviors all the time, not just when teaching. That’s why integrating your life experiences and passions are key to inspiring students.”

“Mr. Ruske is the type of teacher you hope your kid gets. He was really great at being supportive of my son and addressing his academic needs. He also worked to help shape the kids into responsible people. Mr. Ruske made a wonderful and lifelong impact on my son.”  Parent of a 4th grade ASJA student

 Let's get to know Ms. Due:

What is your teaching philosophy?
“I love working with children. I want to be a strong role model that has an influence on children’s current lives and futures. I believe that I am a motivator that brings hard work, dedication, creativity and fun to the classroom. I understand the importance of adaptability, positive rapport, and recognition of each child’s current state of development.”

What have you learned from the past 18 months?
Something positive that I would like to continue is going on my daily walks/runs. It gives me time to reflect on all the good in my life and to enjoy the beauty in nature. 

What would you want your Superpower to be?
If I could have any superpower I would want to fly so that I am able to travel all over the world and explore new places. Also I am able to get places fast!

Cubs, Sox, or Other?  I am a Cubs fan. I used to serve Chicago style hotdogs on the rooftops! Watching the games with that view was so awesome.

“I am very excited and eager to pursue my career in teaching.  I have experience student   teaching on the first-and third-grade levels as well as teaching experiences at the preschool and second grade levels.   I value the importance of a high-quality Catholic education and the   special learning experiences that Catholic schools provide. It is my goal to combine my various experiences with my ability to be a compassionate, enthusiastic, hard-working teacher who will be a positive addition to your school and the community it serves.”

“I feel particularly excited to join The Academy because of the personalized learning that can take place in a smaller school. I believe the most effective learning takes place when teachers have the time and resources to invest in their students to best discover their individual strengths and weaknesses. A personal relationship between students and teachers means a better understanding of where and how to help a student develop to reach their full potential in the particular subject matter as well as in the school as a whole.”

“Throughout my career, I have had a passion to reach all students where they are, which included discovering the manner at which students process information. I believe in a growth mindset and helping students understand unacceptable responses to problems are information for the next attempt. I assist families in supporting their children by discovering their individual needs and looking for every opportunity to make mathematics meaningful.”

 Let's get to know Mr. Payne: 
 

“Being part of The Academy is going to be a wonderful experience. I see it as a positive opportunity to connect with a strong community in order to foster independent growth and lifelong learning in our youth. Being a part of The Academy means that I will be given a chance to do what I love and to share my knowledge with my students and help them find their strengths.”

 Let's get to know Mr. McCray:

What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is that every student can learn.   Some students may have a more natural gift for music than others, but every single child can read, compose, and perform music.   Music is a serious academic pursuit, but I am so lucky to teach music because it is also so much fun!  I strive to be rigorous, but always inclusive of everyone’s abilities.   I want every student to have learned the basics of rhythm and pitch by the time they leave my class, and be ready to join an ensemble in high school.

What brings you joy?
It brings me immeasurable joy to know that I have really taught something to someone, that a student has really discovered something new that they will remember.   Other things that bring me joy are sunsets, my wonderful son, mountains, our amazing Lake Michigan, small kindnesses!   And always music!

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
My superpower would be to compose the most amazing music that supervillains had to just stop and listen, and forget about whatever evil plans they had to take over the world.

Cubs, Sox, or other?  Cubs, definitely over the Sox!

 Let's get to know Mr. Manicalco:

What is your teaching philosophy?
“I am excited to be part of building a great school. Being at The Academy allows me to connect with the students on an individual level. I always look forward to engaging with the students and continuing to grow as an educator.”

If I could have one superpower, what would it be?
It would be to fly!

Cubs, Sox, or other?  I am a Laker fan.
 

 Let's get to know Ms. Ryan

What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is truly rooted in relationships. My ultimate goal is for each of my students to know that I love them, I love their creativity, and I believe in them. Through openness, laughter, support and conversation, I promote a climate where my students are free to express themselves through their work. The three keys to the rapport I share with my students: Love | Care | Respect

What have you learned from the past 18 months?
Life brings with it a whole lotta unnecessary background noise. The silver lining from the pandemic for me is the ability to turn off that background noise, become much more present and practice gratitude EACH and EVERY DAY.

What brings you joy?
Children's enthusiasm for creating and their love for all things silly gives me so much joy. My beautiful niece and four awesome nephews also bring immeasurable joy!

What would you want your Superpower to be?
To have superhuman endurance, strength, and resilience. This would allow me to take on all challenges in spite of ANY adverse circumstance. It would also allow me to survive/thrive on very little sleep!

Cubs, Sox, or Other? Cubs (duh!)

 Let's get to know Mrs. Pitlosh:

I am excited to be a member of The Academy of St. Joan of Arc's Family because of the opportunity to work in an individualized setting.

What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy center's around teaching the whole child. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work and learn at The Academy of St. Joan of Arc. Working in a smaller educational setting gives me the opportunity and time to foster relationships with my students and colleagues. I believe strongly in following the child and supporting a gradual release of control to foster independence. This quote by Marie Clay supports my vision for every child, "If children are apparently unable to learn, we should assume that we have not as yet found the right way to teach them."

"I am excited to be part of The Academy because we have an opportunity as a team to re-imagine Catholic education. I’ll be focusing on spreading the word about the robust community thriving at The Academy.”

Mr. Kuchuris supports Mrs. Reyes and the administration team. He is the point of contact for parents and students for daily needs.
 

 Let's get to know Mr. K.:

Mr. K. is a team player with a passion for basketball! 
"Being raised by my mother who is a 1st-grade teacher, I always knew working in education was going to be an option as a career for me growing up, but after diving into the community offered here at The Academy and being able to work with the children, faculty, staff, and parents, this is a true blessing that I am and always will be eternally grateful for. "

What have you learned from the past 18 months?
Something positive for me from the last 18 months: Going back to school to pursue a degree in teaching.