About

Mr. Jensen is entering his 28th year as director of choirs at PRHS. He serves as the Auditorium Coordinator, Director of the Musical and Madrigal Dinners, and as the Assistant Division Leader of Humanities. He loves the Cubs, Bears, & Blackhawks (tolerates the Bulls), and is a Hiking, Running & Frisbee Golf enthusiast. 

He has two sons and one daughter in college (Caleb at Eastern Illinois University & Adam and Ellie at Iowa State University), and a son and daughter at Prairie Ridge (Josiah, Lydia). He loves Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, Dunkin' Donuts Coffee, Peanut M&M's, Bundt Cake, and any food with the words "Buffalo Chicken" in the title.

Marykate Kuhne is proud to serve PRHS as Director of Bands and Instrumental music. Her duties include instructing curricular courses: Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Studies and Guitar Class. Extracurricular duties include directing Athletic Bands, Wolfpack Marching Band & Pep Band, and directing the Pit Orchestra for musical productions. Throughout the larger community, Kuhne serves as the McHenry County Honor Band Chairperson and the District 155 Chapter Tri-M National Honor Society co-sponsor. 

Under her tutelage the Wind Ensemble has performed at the Chicagoland Invitational Concert Band Festival and at the Center of Performing Arts in Normal, Illinois with Illinois State University's Symphonic Winds. The band area participates in wind band commissions, consortiums, and new music reading sessions by alumni and young composers. 

 The Wolfpack Marching Band attends all football home games, and travels for clinics and performances to provide students with experience in the marching arts. The Pep Band performs at Varsity Sporting events including Boys/Girls Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, and more.

In her spare time, Kuhne enjoys brewing coffee, attending live concerts, and sharing pictures of her adorable calico cat, Winnie. 

Mr. Dusenske, or Mr. D as most students and colleagues call him, is starting his 14th year at Prairie Ridge High School.  One of PR's counselors, he assisted in the production of the musical in his first year and has been involved in PR Theater ever since.  In addition to directing the Fall Play, he is both the Assistant Director and Producer for the musical and is the Troupe Director for PR's chapter of the International Thespian Society.  

He loves engaging students in the creative process and supporting their endeavors both on and offstage.  His favorite co star is his wife, Betsy, whom he met while they were both performing in Chicago theaters and is blessed with three wonderful children, Lexie, Emme, and Benji.  

Jeff Crylen proudly works with the PRHS Band Program in an extracurricular capacity as the Assistant Marching Band Director and Director of Jazz Studies. As the Band Director at Prairie Grove CSD 46, he is highly motivated to maintain a strong relationship between the PG and PR Bands, as all PG students feed into PR. His position at Prairie Grove is one he has held since 2018, where he directs Beginning Band, Cadet Band, Concert Band, Advanced Band, Jazz Band 1, Jazz Band 2, and small group lessons for all band students. He also teaches a technology-based music composition course.

Under Mr. Crylen's direction, the Prairie Grove Bands have been represented at the state and national level, including performance at the Illinois Music Education Conference (2022: Jazz Band 1, 2024: Advanced Band) and the Jazz Education Network Conference (2024: Jazz Band 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana). Additionally, the Prairie Grove Bands have consistently earned Division I ratings at local and state festivals, including the Illinois Grade School Music Association district and state band festivals, the Jazz in the Meadows festival, and the Mundelein Jazz Invitational (2023: JH Outstanding Section Award - Trumpets & Trombones). He is excited to grow the PRHS Jazz Program and hopes to bring similar experiences to the students at the high school level.

In addition to his various teaching responsibilities, Mr. Crylen is also an active musician as a member of the trumpet section with the Northshore Concert Band and the cornet section with the Chicago Brass Band. Outside of his involvement in music, he enjoys watching baseball (Go, Cubs, Go!) and spending time with family and friends - especially with his wife, Karen, and their dog, Maple. Of course, it’s important to add Mr. Crylen LOVES Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, thinks deep dish pizza is the best kind of pizza, and loves a good medium-rare steak.

Mrs. Hare is a Special Education teacher at Prairie Ridge High School. Per extracurriculars, she is going into her 3rd year as the school’s musical choreographer. 

Mrs. Hare’s love for dance ignited at a very young age. She trained all through her adolescence, earned her degree in dance, and ended up dancing professionally in Chicago. Nowadays, she enjoys keeping her passion for dance alive by choreographing for local dance studios. 

When she’s not movin’ and groovin’, she spends most of her time with her husband, dog,  and new baby, Bryce. She loves a good taco, everything Autumn, and nothing can beat ending the evening with a fresh scoop of cookies and cream ice cream. 

Brenda Brockland joined Prairie Ridge High School when it opened in 1997. Eventually she began working with the theater department, offering her talents backstage. Brockland earned her endorsement for Theater/Drama Arts in 2010. Although she has worked with all realms of the theater department (except directing a show), her favorite roles include costuming, prop making, and set painting. In addition to assisting with the three plays each year, Brockland manages and creates costumes for the Renaissance-period Madrigal singers and actors. 

She is proud to be a member of the STEM Division, teaching Chemistry, Physical Science, and Advanced Placement Chemistry. Since 2004, Brockland has worked extensively for the College Board. This has included scoring AP chemistry exams as an AP reader, a table leader, and a question leader, authoring one of the labs in the AP Chemistry Guided Inquiry Experiments, and being a member and co-chair of the AP Chemistry Development Committee for 7 years. She has consulted teachers on the AP Insight Chemistry program, presented at conferences such as BCCE (Biennial Conference on Chemistry Education) and APAC (Advanced Placement Annual Conference), and is a chemistry consultant for one-day and week-long workshops (Advanced Placement Summer Institutes) around the country. 

In her spare time, Brockland enjoys the sun, tent camping, cooking and grilling, and fostering dogs to find their furever homes.