Mrs. Boeckman is proud to have been teaching at Harper School for 22 years! This is her third year as Harper's math support teacher. Before that, she taught kindergarten, second grade, third grade, and fourth grade in Barrington and Wilmette. Mrs. Boeckman received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Loyola University, her Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University, and is currently pursuing her Elementary Math Specialist endorsement at National Louis University. Outside of school, Mrs. Boeckman loves spending time with her family and friends, reading books, trying new restaurants, playing pickleball, and birding. 

This is Jackie's first year at Harper Elementary School. She has 8 years of experience as a special education teacher, teaching in both Colorado and Illinois. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education from the University of Dayton in 2016 and completed her Master's Degree in Special Education, with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis, from the University of Colorado in May 2023. She was born and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois. In her free time, Jackie enjoys cooking, traveling, sailing, and exploring new restaurants with her husband.

 Sara’s passion for education stems from her experience moving to the United States from Sweden at the age of 11, with very limited English skills. After completing high school, she taught abroad for two years in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania, which inspired her career as an educator. In 2012, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from North Park University. Additionally, she obtained a Master of Education in Literacy Education from Northeastern Illinois University and an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University. In her free time, Sara enjoys biking along the lakefront, and as soon as the snow falls, she travels west to hit the ski slopes.

This is Mrs. Zielinski's 7th year as a Speech-Language Pathologist, and her 4th year at Harper. She received her undergraduate degree from Augustana College and her graduate degree from St. Ambrose University. She also has a certificate in Assistive Technology from UIC.  During her time away from Harper, she enjoys spending time with her family, going on runs with her dog Butter, visiting National Parks, doing DIY projects and baking. 

Mrs. Bennett is excited to return to Harper as the Occupational Therapist this year! This is her 10th year working in the Wilmette school district.  Prior to working in Wilmette, she worked in a variety of pediatric settings including outpatient clinics, a therapeutic day school, and in the birth-to-three Early Intervention program in Illinois.  She received her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2006. In her free time, she enjoys bike-riding with her husband and 10-year-old son, reading in her hammock, and going to see the Chicago Dogs play baseball.

This is Mrs. Docter’s third year at Harper and her twentieth year as a teacher.  For most of her career she worked in Hyde Park – first at Hyde Park Day School and then at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. She grew up in the northern suburbs and is thrilled to have returned to be closer to family and join the Harper community! Mrs. Docter graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.  She then moved straight back to Chicago to get a dual Master’s in Elementary and Special Education from DePaul University. In her free time, you can find her and her husband spending time with any number of people from her enormous extended family or watching whatever sporting event is on that day!

After working as a special education teacher and earning a Learning and Behavior Specialist I (LBS1) degree from Illinois State University, Madelyn chose to build on her passion for supporting students and families by pursuing a career in social work. She recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago in May 2025 with a Master’s degree in Social Work. This is her first year joining the Harper Elementary School team, and she couldn’t be more excited to bring her educational background and dedication to student well-being to the school community. In her free time, Madelyn enjoys walking along the Chicago lakefront, trying new restaurants, listening to live music, and working on creative projects! 

Katie comes to Harper Elementary with a decade of experience serving general and special education programs. She is trained as a nationally certified school psychologist and has held unique roles, such as her previous role as an intervention specialist in a therapeutic day school program. Katie has a Masters of Education and an Education Specialist degree in School Psychology, and she considers herself a lifelong learner. She is passionate about all students' academic and social-emotional learning and growth while adhering to equitable practices that guide all learners into successful and meaningful lives. Outside of the schoolhouse, Katie is a voracious reader, enjoys crafting, and a good cup of coffee. She is incredibly excited to begin at Harper Elementary and get to know students and their families!

This is Mrs. Shea’s 1st year at Harper and 21st year in the field of education. Mrs. Shea earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin and Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction at National Louis University. Mrs. Shea has taught 3rd, 5th, and 6th grades and worked in program management. Outside of work, Mrs. Shea enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their rescue dog. Mrs. Shea is passionate about education and looking forward to working with our Harper Dolphins as an instructional coach!

This is Ms. Oroni's 9th year teaching as a Learning Behavior Specialist. She received her Learning Behavior Specialist 1 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also received her master’s in special education (LBS2) from the University of Illinois Chicago with a focus in transition, multiple disabilities, and applied behavior analysis. She's very passionate about special education and utilizing differentiation to meet each student's needs. She loves getting to know each student and helping them succeed in the classroom and community. In her free time she enjoys traveling, visiting friends and family, and trying new restaurants in the city. 

This is Ms. Black's second year at Harper Elementary as an Learning Behavior Specialist. She received her masters degree in special education from Northeastern Illinois University. When she is not at Harper, you can find Kate working with Wilmette Children's Theater or going to Dollywood. 

This will be Lauren Librando’s first year at Harper as a Learning Behavior Specialist. Lauren received her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Iowa and her Master’s Degree in Special Education at National Louis University. Lauren has been an elementary special educator for 19 years and enjoys getting the chance to work with students of varied ages. She looks forward to getting to know the students at Harper! Outside of school, Lauren can be found at the baseball fields watching her two sons play ball. She also enjoys baking, joining her family on bike rides and enjoying the lakefront.

Kirsten Gillespie received her B.S. in Psychology from Miami University.  She also earned her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from DePaul University, and her LBS endorsement from Roosevelt University. This will be her nineteenth year of teaching.  She lives in Park Ridge with her husband and two children, Logan and Hallie.  In her downtime, Kirsten enjoys yoga, walking and swimming and riding bikes with her family.

Emily Dunham trained as a school psychologist in Chicago but started her career in London in 2005. She then headed to Iowa, but returned to Chicago and for the last 17 years has been working in schools on the Northshore. After eight years working as a school psychologist, she spent nine years working in special education administration. From there she realized that her true passion and purpose was to work with elementary school children on an individual level. She has begun her third year as a Dolphin at Harper School! She has an Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology and a Master’s of Education in Educational Leadership. When Emily isn’t working with her team and students, she loves to travel to beautiful places to snorkel and scuba dive.