Office of Catholic Schools

Since 1989, classroom teachers in the Archdiocese of Chicago schools have been recognized through theprogram. This year, fourteen outstanding teachers from elementary and high schools have been recognized for their outstanding, unique and innovative accomplishments in the areas of: Peace and Justice, Leadership, Innovation and Creativity, Technology, Evangelization and Religious Education, the Arts and as a Rising Star.

These teachers were recognized in an awards ceremony on Thursday, January 25, 2001.

Thank you to the many partners from the Chicagoland business community who have joined with us in recognizing excellence in education:

Peace and Justice – The recipients of this award model the Gospel values of love and service through personal commitment to promoting peace and justice and to forming the lives of young people by engaging them in service to their communities.

Deborah Stoeckel

Karen Talchik

Deborah Stoeckel, who teaches fourth grade at St. Mary Fremont Center elementary school in Mundelein, and Karen Talchik, a certified catechist who teaches religion to junior high students at St. Damian in Oak Forest, will receive this award.

"I believe very strongly in Catholic education," said Stoeckel, a teacher for 11 years whose students participate in a variety of service activities at school and in the parish. "I believe as teachers we educate the whole child," she said. "In Catholic schools we are able to bring our faith and values into every class we teach."

Talchik, a teacher for 10 years, also develops and oversees service projects for her students. "Service is a formative force in the lives of my students," she said. "It helps them grow in faith, self esteem and increases their self worth. I witness young adults become more compassionate, caring and loving individuals."

These awards are sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago Office of Catholic Schools and Food Service Professionals, the Archdiocese food service provider.

Leadership – These teachers exhibit exceptional dedication in the classroom, school and community by providing leadership in one or more of the following areas: student activities; parent/school organizations; school administration, or state or national professional teacher organizations.

Lipien, whose classroom library contains more than 800 books, is involved with staff development and curriculum and textbook committees. She also developed a peer tutoring program. "My philosophy of education in simple," she said. "Children deserve to learn in a safe environment where they can be respected and taught to respect others. My job is to teach them content, but more importantly, to teach them how to learn and provide opportunities to think things through on their own."

Swenson, who trains student leaders and often mentors other teachers, formed a student group called Leading Emissaries Against Discrimination, or LEAD, to give students opportunities to discuss relevant issues in their lives, such as respect, violence, safety and discrimination. "As educators, we need to realize that each student possesses a very specialized set of needs and that those needs have a direct effect on classroom performance," Swenson said. "As scholars, we
must continually encourage our students to question and to investigate. As Christians, we need to remember that every student who enters our classroom deserves to be recognized for her efforts."

These awards are sponsored by Success Lab Learning Center, which operates learning centers in Archdiocese of Chicago schools.

Innovation and Creativity – These teachers exhibit the best educational practices by initiating and implementing new learning methods in the classroom. They contribute to educational excellence in curriculum development, student performance and professional development.

Clare Bergnach, who has taught business internship and accounting to juniors and seniors at Maria High School in Chicago, and Laura Majcin, who teaches physics to juniors and seniors at Queen of Peace High School in Burbank, will receive this award.

Bergnach, a graduate of Maria High School, developed the Business Internship program, enhanced the program’s alumni relations outreach, integrated manual and automated accounting in beginning and advanced accounting, chaired the scholarship program and assisted the school’s development department. She has a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois and is a member of the National Business Education Association and the Illinois Association for Career
and Technical Education. "I try to exemplify and teach Christian morals and values so that the business interns will be able to make moral and ethical decisions when they are placed in business situations that require judgments," she said.

Majcin, whose parents were both Catholic school teachers in the Archdiocese of Chicago, said, "My goal is to develop well-rounded and confident young women. I try to make learning fun for students so that they feel comfortable in a class that most consider difficult. The majority of students I reach on a daily basis will never win the Nobel Physics Prize, let alone ever take a college physics course. However, I want to see them gain confidence as they realize that they are capable of
understanding topics they never thought they would comprehend."

Majcin has developed a new class, Honors Pre-calculus/Physics, to help advanced students make connections between math and science.

These awards are sponsored by Sylvan Learning, a provider of educational services to schools, families and industries.

Technology – These teachers make outstanding contributions in integrating technology in education by affecting one or more of the following: curriculum; student learning or interest; assessment, or the learning environment.

Madelyn Brady, a teacher with 22 years’ experience – 15 of them at Our Lady of Humility in Beach Park – and Christine Kowalski, who teaches fifth- and sixth-grade social studies and science at St. Mark in Chicago, will receive this award.

Brady, who teaches seventh- and eighth-grade religion, math and science, is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, the National Middle School Association and the Illinois Computing Educators. She is one of two teachers from Illinois to have received an award from the National Science Foundation to attend the American Meteorological Society Conference in Washington, D.C., and she received a U.S. Space Foundation Grant to attend a U.S. Air Force Academy class on teaching students about space. "In my opinion, an outstanding teacher is a learner," she said. "I am sensitive to different learning styles and can be successful at developing the capabilities individual students have. While some students need to be challenged constantly, others need a great deal of help. However, all students need to feel success and be assured of their individual worth."

Kowalski, the St. Mark’s technology coordinator, developed the school’s technology plan and secured funds to provide computers in the classrooms. Students use Microsoft Word processing programs, spreadsheets for science, Power Point for presentations and database management for any subject, Kowalski said. She was involved in the writing, development and integration of an electronic long-distance learning network, in which students earned scholarships and other awards. She instituted the school’s "Acceptable Usage Policy" to ensure students use the Internet wisely and trains teachers in Internet and computer use. "The world needs problem-solvers, caretakers, concerned citizens, ethical workers and peacemakers," she said. "I strive to make that happen in my classes."

Evangelization and Religious Education – These teachers display extraordinary innovation in religious education through the design and implementation of effective catechetical approaches in the curriculum.

Gail Smith

Karen Vance

Gail Smith, who has taught in Catholic schools for 11 of her 21 years in education and teaches third grade at Chicago’s Northside Catholic Academy, and Karen Vance, who teaches second grade at Queen of the Rosary in Elk Grove, will receive this award.

Smith is involved in integrated curriculum planning. "Writing, art and reading can be connected naturally to any theme in religion, social studies or science," she said. "I see the classroom as a community. It is a setting for children to learn how to work cooperatively, at the same time as they grow in independence. It is in this important interaction of relating to others and growing within that children are able to develop and appreciate their own gifts and the gifts of others."

Vance, a 20-year teacher who has been on the faculty at Queen of the Rosary for 16 years, is active in developing interventions and strategies for students with learning disabilities. She developed a "Teach and Reach" program in which junior high students serve as "study buddies" to first-, second- and third-graders who want extra help. "Several times I have been asked why I teach at a Catholic school instead of a public school where I could be making more money," she said.
"My answer is because I have two passions. I have a passion for God and a passion for family." Vance was a Queen of the Rosary mother before she was a Queen of the Rosary teacher – her seven children attended the school. She coordinates the sacramental preparation program for second-graders and wrote and initiated a four-week First Communion preparation program encouraging students to "reflect, review, repent and rejoice."

The Arts – These teachers make outstanding contributions to instilling a love of the arts among students. They may be teachers of art, music, drama or other art form, or they may be teachers of other disciplines who integrate the study and appreciation of the arts within the classroom.

Kenneth A. Bartosz

Suzanne Senese

Kenneth A. Bartosz, who has taught music at Loyola Academy in Wilmette for 35 years, and Suzanne Senese, who teaches music, fine arts and choir at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, will receive this award.

When Bartosz joined Loyola’s faculty in 1965, the school had no music or fine arts programs. Today, the programs include multiple classes in general music, choral music, band, string ensemble, general art, studio art, design, drama and dance. Bartosz, whose students have performed in Europe, is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, the Illinois Music Educators Association and the National Catholic Band Association. He said his mission is to help students discover the beauty in the world around them, or God’s creation; appreciate the beauty created by individuals, or God’s gifts to his people; and develop
the ability to create beauty that is within every person, or God’s gifts to each individual.

Senese, an arts educator in the Catholic school system for 28 years, is a member of the National Conference on Music, American Choral Directors Association, Illinois Music Educators Association and Illinois Alliance of Arts Education. "What I do in my classroom or choir is an evangelization process," she said. "By giving (students) the foundations, the tools and the exposure to all works of art and music, and my faith beliefs, they will develop a personal and unique relationship with God and the Church."

Rising Star – These teachers, who have taught for less than five years, contribute to the success of the school by exhibiting vigor, enthusiasm and excellence in the classroom. They are involved in extra-curricular activities, exhibiting innovative and engaging strategies both in the classroom and out, and enthusiastically accept added responsibilities.

Roel Vivit

Angela Gordon

Roel Vivit Angela Gordon Roel Vivit, who teaches fourth- and fifth-grade math and science and fourth-grade reading and language arts at Chicago’s Children of Peace elementary school - Holy Family campus, and Angela Gordon, who teaches fifth- through eighth-grade science at St. Cornelius elementary school in Chicago, will receive this award.

Vivit, who attended Catholic elementary and secondary schools, has taught at Children of Peace for two years. He coaches basketball and soccer, works on the school’s scholarship program to provide financial aid to students, and is creating a peer mediation program to help students, teachers and administrators resolve conflict. "Teaching is simply a part of my life," he said. "I live when I’m teaching and I’m teaching when I’m living."

Gordon has been teaching for four years – all of them at St. Cornelius, where she coordinates the school’s science and energy fairs. In addition, Gordon acts as a judge in local, regional and state science fairs. "I try to make my students feel the sense of accomplishment and pride that I feel from learning," she said. "I ask my students ‘why?’ many times. In return, I encourage them to ask, ‘why?’ The processes of the Scientific Method and Higher Level Learning not only suggest asking ‘why?’, they demand it."