Cindie Anderson is a Paraprofessional at Romona Elementary School since February of 2018. She lives with her two darling children and a Labrador Mix. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.  She is excited for the 2025-2026 school year.

Selma Besic is a paraprofessional at Romona. She is on her third year at Romona. In her free time she enjoys traveling with her family, and trying new foods. She is passionate about helping others and can’t wait for what the 2025-2026 school year brings! 

Hello! I am Maksym Bortovskyi and I am a new special education paraprofessional at Romona Elementary School . A few facts about me: my background is Ukrainian/Russian, I moved to Chicago a few months ago, I love sports (soccer, swimming, football — a fan of Steelers). Also, I enjoy hiking and traveling in my free time. 

Speaking of my professional background, I have a Bachelors degree  in English and Literature and a Masters in Education. Additionally, I have previous experience working as a teacher and a special education paraprofessional in Pennsylvania.

This will be Mrs. Gutierrez's eleventh year as a paraprofessional in the early childhood program where she is better known as "Ms. Gail."  Everyday is an adventure as she spends her time getting to know each of the children in the classroom, learning what makes them all unique! Her own children have grown into wonderful adults, her daughter is an art teacher in Naperville, and her son works in Chicago. Her husband is part-time retired. Mrs. Gutierrez likes to eat healthy, exercise, garden, travel and enjoy life!

 Lauren, an Evanston native, has extensive experience working with children, starting from middle school when she volunteered at Park School and continued through college summers. She holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Advertising from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Lauren is passionate about creativity, helping others, and serving the community. She loves being part of the Romona team and aspires to become a published children's book author. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, writing, cooking, biking, and exploring new coffee shops.

 Mrs. Hammond has been at Romona for many years. She loves watching the children learn, accomplishing new strategies, and strengths. She has been married to her best friend, David, for 37: years. Together they have raised three amazing young men that they are very proud of! Mrs. Hammond enjoys listening to books, gardening, board games, taking rides on her recumbent Catrike and spending time with her 4 grandchildren. She likes to get outside and play yard games in the cool of the evening before it gets too buggy. She treasures the time she gets to spend with family and friends.

Jessica Hill has been a kindergarten paraprofessional at Romona Elementary since 2023. She takes great pride in watching how children build on their strengths, accomplish new goals and have fun with learning. Jessica has 2 children; a 20 year old son Christopher who attends Harper College and a 3 year old daughter Jade who loves looking at books, playing with toys, singing and watching television. Jessica enjoys singing, dancing, relaxing, and most importantly spending time with her family.  

Ms. Rosa is excited to begin her third year at Romona Elementary School. She worked as an associate teacher for early childhood and pre-K for the past 8 years. She received a bachelor's degree of Psychology from Northeastern Illinois University and ECE Credentials.

Ms. Rosa has a wonderful husband and a daughter, Yuna, 12 years old. She loves to travel, go road trips, do activities, and go watch musicals with her family. When she spends time alone, she enjoys listening to music and watching drama/movies.

Ms. Kay is excited to join Romona as a kindergarten paraprofessional! Last year, she taught second grade in Park Ridge. She obtained her BS.Ed. from The Ohio State University in 2024 and recently began working on her Master's in Curriculum and Instruction with specializations in ESL and reading/literacy. During the summer, Ms. Kay works at Banner Day Camp on the leadership team. She has been there for eight summers! In her free time, you will find Ms. Kay spending time with her friends, family, and dog Teddy. 

Kerri Mason has a degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Reading. She taught Kindergarten and 1stgrade in Libertyville for ten years. She and her husband, Steve, have raised two amazing children. Luke is now serving as a Marine and Bea is in college studying to be a teacher. Kerri worked at Romona as a paraprofessional in special education for three years and also taught half day Kindergarten for one year. She is excited to be back at Romona working as a para in Kindergarten and enjoying her evenings with her husband as they get used to their empty nest.

Mrs. Mayer is Romona's building paraprofessional beginning her twelfth year teaching at Romona Elementary. Mrs. Mayer and her husband Sean raised their family in East Glenview where they still reside. They have two adult children, Caitlin and Dylan.  Mrs. Mayer enjoys running or walking her two Coonhound dogs, Elly and Bo, through the woods near her home or going to the dog beach. She loves watching her son play college baseball in New York City and is excited to see where her recent graduate’s career leads her in Colorado. Anytime she can meet friends and family to catch up, she jumps at the opportunity. Mrs. Mayer continues to develop close working relationships with staff and students and loves running into past and present students.

I am excited to be part of the Romona staff! I am originally from Champaign, Illinois and recently relocated to Chicago. I graduated from Illinois State University in December with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. I am passionate about helping students build confidence and reach their full potential. Outside of school, I enjoy playing and watching sports, shopping, and trying new restaurants. 

I am excited to be joining the staff at Romona Elementary as a Paraprofessional. I grew up in Kansas where I attended the University of Kansas and studied Business Administration. After many years in the hospitality and sales industries, I am happy to return to what I enjoy most, working with children.

Over the years, I have worked at Head Start, Stretch-N-Grow, coached numerous sports teams and served as the Coordinator of After School and Summer Camp programs at JCYS. I am married with two daughters, ages 11 and 13. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family, bowling, fishing and rooting on all of my favorite sports teams. I look forward to meeting all of our Mustangs and having a great year at Romona!

This is Ms. Palmer's 10th year in the reading program at Romona, and her 17th year in District 39. She earned her Bachelor of Art in Elementary Education from National Louis University. Ms. Palmer is a lifelong resident of Wilmette and is an alumni of District 39, as are her three children. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, walking, reading, and hanging out with her kids.  She is one of the crossing guards at Romona.  Ms. Palmer is looking forward to a great year!

Ms. Philidor is excited for her second year  as Romona's Building Paraprofessional! She has a BA in Wellness with an emphasis in Speech Pathology & Audiology and recently obtained her SLP-A license. With a total of six years experience working in education and four years in birth work, Ms. Philidor has found various ways to serve others and explore her many passions through her work. 

Some of her hobbies include reading, dancing, singing and prioritizing self care. Ms. Philidor is a mom to a beautiful, energetic five year old boy who keeps her on her toes at all times. She hopes to go back to school in the near future to pursue a Masters in Speech Pathology or School Counseling.

Cathy Stevens is beginning her ninth year at Romona. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Art degree in Elementary Education. Cathy grew up in Wilmette and attended McKenzie when Miss McKenzie was the principal!