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Alise Gaughan
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Jennifer Atkinson
My name is Jenni Atkinson and I am the Instructional Coach at Hilltop Elementary School. This role allows me to partner with teachers to foster our professional growth and improve student learning. At times, I’ll be working with teachers behind the scenes planning for instruction. Other times, I may be team teaching alongside teachers. I have been in education since 1993; I have been a Classroom Teacher (1st and 4th grades), Reading Teacher, and Literacy Coach. When I'm not teaching, I enjoy time with my family, walking my dogs, and all things musical theatre! I'm so proud to be a part of the Hilltop family!
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Tricia Bartos
Hello! My name is Tricia Bartos and I am one of the reading interventionist here at Hilltop. I received my undergraduate at Northern Michigan University, and my reading endorsement through Concordia University. I absolutely love reading with the students and helping them grow as life long learners.
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Theresa Dalton
My name is Therese Dalton and I am a Reading Specialist at Hilltop. I have taught 1st grade, have worked as a Literacy Coach and am currently a Reading Specialist here at Hilltop! I graduated from the University of Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!) with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and continued on to receive two Master's Degrees from National Louis University in Curriculum and Instruction with an English Language Learner Endorsement, and a Reading Specialist Degree. I live in Crystal Lake with my husband and two children, Madeline and Joshua. I am so happy to be doing what I love all day long, and that is teaching children how to read! There is nothing better than seeing a students' progress at the end of a school year!
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Margaret Goodwin
Hello! My name is Maggie Goodwin. I am excited to be the newest member of the Hilltop Interventionist Team. I will be supporting Hilltop students in the area of math and literacy. I earned my Elementary Education undergraduate degree from Purdue University, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction Concordia University, then I returned to National Louis University and completed additional course work to be a Reading Specialist.
My passion has always been to reach all learners, especially the one who needs extra support. By identifying a student's strengths and weaknesses, I am able to link new learning to skills that are known. This approach allows the confidence of the learner to soar while making a connection for new learning to already known skills.
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Jodi Kunz
My name is Jodi Kunz and I am the Math Interventionist at Hilltop. This is my second year as a math interventionist. Prior to this, I taught third grade here at Hilltop for 22 years. I received my Bachelor’s Degree from Southern Illinois University and received my Master’s Degree from St. Xavier University. Math has always been a passion of mine and I am so happy to be able to work with kids to become stronger in math. When I am not teaching, I like spending time with my family, going to the gym, taking my dog for walks, and being outside as much as possible.
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ESL
Neil Shankara
Hello! My name is Mr. Neil Shankara and I serve as the English Language Development teacher for Hilltop Elementary School in McHenry D15. I graduated from Northern Illinois University with my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and got my Masters from Judson University in teaching English as a Second Language. I got engaged in November 2022 and went on to get married in September 2023. I have been a McHenry County resident since Kindergarten. In my free time, I love traveling, cooking, and exploring the National Parks with my wife. I am here to support each student and parent that I come into contact with. Please email or call me if you need assistance.
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Mrs. Ina Obara
Hola, my name is Ina Obara, and I am the Bilingual Reading teacher at Hilltop. Since 2010, I have worked as an ESL and Bilingual teacher with McHenry D15’s culturally diverse population. I am in the most exciting and challenging educational endeavor since my lessons go beyond content and facts but consider language and cultural background. I strive to create an environment where children feel comfortable and confident in using all their languages while learning.
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Custodial Staff
Jason Hocin, Steve Brewbaker, Gloria Ortega Salazar, Dan Savignani
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Recess Supervisors
Lisa King, Kelly Gotsch, Amanda Kamick, Kathryn Farrington
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Cafeteria Staff
Sabrina Dyer, Kristy Pahlke, Sienna Begley
