Jon M. Bennett
Founding Special Education Teacher (Case Manager)

Jon M. Bennett hails from Gary, IN. He studied non-profit management at Indiana University and went on to complete a Master of Information Science degree during his stay there. He took his experiences to the non-profit sector, working as an assistive technology instructor for adults with disabilities. Motivated by the progress he was able to make with adults, he decided to take on the school system.  Mr. Bennett taught special education for several years in the District of Columbia Public Schools and completed an Education Specialist degree in Special Education from The George Washington University. Most recently, Mr. Bennett taught special education and worked as a Dean of Students Affairs at a charter school in Providence, RI. He looks forward to doing his part in helping Muchin prepare all of its students for productive lives beyond high school.

Jillian Carew
Founding Algebra Teacher


Jillian Carew was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Chicago, IL. After graduating from Morgan Park High School, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with a focus in Mathematics from the University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign. Upon graduating, she joined the Teach for America movement in a effort to ensure that one day all children will obtain an excellent education. While serving as a 2007 corps member in the Las Vegas Valley, she taught for two years and earned a Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Jillian currently serves as a member of the Hedgehog team whose purpose is to facilitate the integration and mastery of the College Readiness Standards throughout the Noble Street Charter School campuses. Her passion and dedication as an educator can be summarized with the following quote: "The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to." -Marian Wright Edelman

Stacy Hodges
Founding School Social Worker

 
Stacy Hodges was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota. After graduating high school, Ms. Hodges went on to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (a.k.a. "The U") where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Family Social Science in 2001. During her time at "The U", Ms. Hodges completed several internships working with youth in inner-city St. Paul and also worked with youth with disabilities and their families in training college students to be Personal Care Attendants. Once she completed her undergraduate education, Ms. Hodges began working as a Vocational Team Coordinator at Access to Employment where she assisted adults with disabilities in finding and sustaining competitive employment for 1 1/2 years. In 2003, Ms. Hodges entered into graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) at the George Warren Brown (GWB) School of Social Work as a Whitney M. Young scholar. Ms. Hodges completed her graduate work at GWB and received her MSW with an emphasis in Children, Youth, Families and School Social Work in 2005. Upon graduation, Ms. Hodges went back to Minnesota and worked as a School Social Worker in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale school district for four years in the elementary, middle, and high school settings. Ms. Hodges is excited about being apart of the Noble Network in assisting the founding and future classes of Muchin College Prep in becoming successful young adults.

Angela Jiang
Founding Biology Teacher


Angela Jiang was born in China and raised in Columbus, IN.  She then attended Duke University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a minor in English.  She began her career through Teach for America Chicago from 2007-09 as a biology teacher at Manley CareerAcademy in the North Lawndale neighborhood.  While teaching, she also earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching with a focus on secondary science.  She is looking forward to teaching at Muchin where she will be working with a cohesive team of motivated individuals, all striving to provide the best education possible for Chicago's children.

Tiara Jordan
Founding Special Education Teacher (Case Manager)


Tiara S. Jordan was born and raised in Flint, MI.  She was very active in student organizations as well as sports in high school. Her commitment and dedication to track and field awarded her a full-ride scholarship to Ohio University where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Special Education. Throughout college she was a mentor at the Boys and Girls club of America as well as volunteering for many community service projects with her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Tiara moved to Chicago last year after receiving a position at another Noble Street Charter School. Tiara is enthusiastic and is passionate about helping her students grow and learn to reach their full potential.  She is very pleased to be a part of the Muchin College Prep team and is looking forward to a successful year with both staff and students.


Katherine Knox
Multicultural Literature Teacher


Ms. Knox was born in Springfield, Vermont, but grew up in small-town Michigan just outside Ann Arbor.  After attending the University of Michigan for two years after high school, she decided to transfer to Albion College, a small Liberal Arts school to enjoy smaller class sizes, better relationships with professors, and extra-curriculars like varsity swimming.  Having graduated Summa Cum Laude from Albion with a degree in English, minor in Psychology, and Secondary Education concentration, Ms. Knox student-taught and was later hired as a High School English teacher at at a district in Jackson, Michigan.  Two years later she had the opportunity to move to Chicago, and she didn't look back!  She continued to teach English at the high school level for two years before joining the Noble and Muchin team.  Outside the classrom, Ms. Knox enjoys reading, cooking, walking her dog, and taking advantage of all that Chicago has to offer like concerts, parks, and museums.  Someday, she hopes to finish her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership or Reading.  She is very excited to meet and work with the students and families of Muchin College Prep!  

Emily Mason
Founding Algebra Teacher


Emily R. Mason was born and raised in Chanhassen, MN.  After high school, she was accepted into DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.  She ran four years on DePauw's varsity cross-country and track and field teams.  In 2007, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.  For the past two years, she taught 7th and 8th graders Pre-Algebra and Algebra respectively in St. Louis, MO.  Over the summer she worked in Atlanta, GA as an advisor to incoming teachers training them how to instruct effectively.  Emily has worked with children of all ages her entire life and is beyond thrilled to push Muchin's scholars beyond their potential as they begin their journey to prepare for college.    

 

Nathania Sanidad
Founding Science Teacher

Ms. Nathania Sanidad was born in the Philippines but grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. After graduating from Mundelein High School Ms. Sanidad attended DePaul University and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences with a Chemistry minor. Following  graduation Ms. Sanidad was employed in the science/pharmaceutical industry for Avon Cosmetics and Abbott Laboratories where she worked as a microbiologist and software programmer.  After a few years in cooperate industry she began taking education courses at National Louis University and is currently in the process of completing her Master’s Degree. She was recently a Biology and Physics/Chemistry teacher at Highland Park High School and most recently worked at Glenbrook South High School. Ms. Sanidad hopes to use her love and passion for science to help encourage students to capitalize on their natural curiosities to become life long learners. 

 

Kaitlyn Sullivan
Founding English Teacher

Ms. Sullivan was born and raised in Arlington Heights, IL. She began her career teaching tenth-grade writing and eleventh-grade literature at a charter school in Chicago. During her undergraduate career, she pursued a major in English and a minor in secondary education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While there, she had the opportunity to study drama in London through a summer study abroad program. Continuing her tradition of summer study, Ms. Sullivan currently spends her summers in Vermont pursuing a Master of Arts in English degree at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. Ms. Sullivan is passionate about teaching writing and is proud to be a part of Muchin’s founding staff. 

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