Ms. Anderson is excited for another year as an English as Second Language (ESL) teacher at Romona. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in English. She also has a master’s degree in educational leadership and an ESL endorsement. Over the course of her career, she has worked as an assistant principal and curriculum coordinator in District 39. Before working in Wilmette, Ms. Anderson worked as a third grade, fifth grade, and ESL teacher in her hometown of Skokie. She now resides in the Northwest suburbs with her husband and twins, Ella and Charlie. When she is not immersed in her work, you can find her reading, trying new recipes, practicing yoga, and spending time with her family.

Megan received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from The University of Iowa...go Hawkeyes!  After teaching in Iowa for three years, she made the move to Chicago.  She received her Master's Degree in Reading from Northeastern Illinois University and her English Language Learners endorsement from Benedictine University.  She taught for eleven years in Westchester and fourteen years in Skokie.  In addition to being a classroom teacher, she has also enjoyed being a reading specialist and EL specialist.  Multilingual learners hold a special place in her heart, and she is looking forward to supporting students in her fourth year at Romona.  When she's not focusing on school, you can find her practicing yoga, traveling, hiking, reading, and spending time with her husband and dog.

Mrs. DeSalvo is thrilled to be back for another year as Romona's Math Support Teacher! Mrs. DeSalvo LOVES math! Before becoming the Math Support Teacher, Mrs. DeSalvo taught kindergarten, first, second, and fourth grade. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from DePaul University with endorsements in Mathematics and Social Sciences, her Master’s degree in Reading Education with a Reading Specialist Certification from Concordia University, and, most recently, her Elementary Math Specialist endorsement. Mrs. DeSalvo is looking forward to another wonderful year at Romona!

This is Miss Cook’s fifth year teaching and second year teaching at Romona! She is very excited for this school year as a Learning Behavior Specialist. Miss Cook received her Bachelor’s Degree from Illinois State University. Miss Cook lives in Bucktown and loves trying new restaurants and workout classes with her friends. In her free time she enjoys being outside, reading, running and practicing yoga. 

My name is Maggie Donner, and I am a Learning Behavior Specialist at Romona Elementary School. I previously worked at Harper Elementary School (also in District 39). I have an undergraduate certificate in American Sign Language from Columbus State University, a B.S. in Education from The Ohio State University, and an M.A. in Teaching from North Park University. I am very passionate about teaching, and I enjoy implementing a variety of pedagogical approaches to maximize my students’ development. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, gardening, and spending time with my family and friends. I have been married to my husband, Chris, for 14 years, who is a criminal justice professor at Loyola University Chicago. We have a 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, and an 11-year-old miniature dachshund named Layla. I grew up in Logan, OH and have also lived in Florida and North Carolina. My husband and I moved to Chicago in 2015 and have been living in Arlington Heights since 2020. 

Mrs. Ehsan is eager to join the Romona student support team as a long-term substitute, where she looks forward to supporting students’ growth and fostering a deep love of reading and writing. This will be her first year with District 39, following a recent move to the area with her family. Mrs. Ehsan brings over thirteen years of diverse experience in education, having been a classroom teacher in 2nd-5th grade, as well as serving in various instructional leadership roles at the elementary level. Throughout her career, she has supported students, teachers, and school communities in a wide range of capacities.

Due to her husband’s career path, Mrs. Ehsan’s teaching experience spans four states—California, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Alabama—broadening her perspective and skill set. She has worked as an elementary learning specialist, literacy interventionist, and instructional reading coach. Mrs. Ehsan is passionate about collaborating with students, families, and colleagues to help every student reach their fullest potential.

Outside of her work at Romona, Mrs. Ehsan enjoys the role of personal Uber driver and chef to her three active children, ages 11, 9, and 6.

 Mrs. Fochs is excited to start her 17th year of teaching this school year. She has worked for seven years as a certified Reading Intervention Specialist, and began at Romona as a Learning Behavior Specialist.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education (LBSI) from Illinois State University and earned her Master’s Degrees in Literacy Education and Special Education (LBSII) from Northeastern Illinois University. 

Mrs. Fochs enjoys working on home improvement projects with her husband, Chris, and spending time with her family and friends! She is a proud mom of her four kids- Adeline (7) who is starting second-grade this school year, Henry (5) who is starting kindergarten, Eloise who is a strong-willed 2-year-old and Baby Charlie who was born this past July!

Mrs. Grudowski graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Speech and Hearing Science and earned a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Northern Illinois University. She is very excited to return to Romona this year and begin her sixth year in District 39. Previously, Mrs. Grudowski worked in the pediatric hospital setting. Mrs. Grudowski lives in Arlington Heights with her husband, son, and rambunctious rescue dog, Nelson. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, reading and crafting!

Mrs. Hanawalt received her MS in occupational therapy from UIC in 2012. She is excited to begin her 4th year in district 39.  She will be supporting students at Romona in the LEEP program in addition to K-4 students. In her free time she likes to paint, take hikes, and hang out with her family including her husband, 2 kids and dog, Theo. 

This is Ms. Harney’s 20th year in Wilmette District 39. She has worked for eleven years as a certified reading specialist, and previously taught first and fourth grades at Romona. She has a wide range of experience all the way from early childhood to eighth grade that include the role of english language teacher (EL), literacy specialist, classroom teacher, and early intervention Head Start Site Director. She has a middle school language arts and social studies endorsement, and was part of the Global Student Teaching program in Dublin, Ireland. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a minor in psychology at DePaul University. She earned her Masters Degree as a Reading Specialist from Concordia University. One of her favorite roles has been participating as a member of the North Shore Township Reading Association, where reading specialists come together to learn and collaborate with fellow experts. She is passionate about literacy and helping students realize their limitless potential and unique contribution to the world. Ms. Harney loves working in the Wilmette 39 School District, where parents and community are passionate and supportive about education! 

This is Mrs. Hurlburt's 4th year at Romona Elementary! She received her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her master’s degree in school social work from Loyola University Chicago. In her free time, Mrs. Hurlburt enjoys reading, hiking, and practicing yoga. Mrs. Hurlburt hopes to one day visit every national park in the United States!

This is Mrs. Konecnikʼs 21st year teaching at Romona. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences with a concentration in Learning Disabilities at Northwestern, and her M.Ed. in Special Education at University of Illinois. Mrs. Konecnik loves spending time with her son, Cooper, who is in 4th grade this year, and Bennett, who is in first grade this year. They love reading books, playing soccer in the backyard, and playing games. She and her husband like to take Cooper, Bennett, and their dog, Barley, out for walks or on bike rides. She loves the Harry Potter books and movies. 

Mrs. Kramer is thrilled to be at Romona and McKenzie schools, serving as a Student Services Coordinator. This will be her 6th year in Wilmette. Previously, she taught pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten general education, as well as K-2 special education, in Kalamazoo, MI for 7 years before coming to Wilmette. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Western Michigan University and a Master’s Degree in Special Education with a focus in Emotional Impairments and Behavioral Disorders from Western Michigan University.

Mrs. Kramer lives in Chicago. She enjoys road trips, hiking, and camping. She spent her summer renovating a two-flat in the city, taking a month-long road trip out to Bend, OR where she and her husband tied the knot.

This will be Mr. Lee's eighth year working in District 39 as a Learning Behavior Specialist (LBS). Mr. Lee grew up in Wilmette and attended Wilmette schools. He enjoys the opportunity to work in the schools and community that he grew up in. Mr. Lee graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree as an Intervention Specialist. In his free time, he enjoys biking and spending time with his friends and family.

Ms. Martyn received her undergraduate degree as a Spartan from Michigan State University in Special Education and Elementary Education. She went on to receive a Masters Degree as a Reading Specialist from DePaul University. During that time, she also worked for Wilmette Junior High. After teaching at an International School in Switzerland for a few years, she moved back to Illinois and taught in Burr Ridge. Ms. Martyn is so excited to be back “home” in District 39. She is looking forward to working with students at Romona! In her off time, Ms. Martyn enjoys hiking, reading, traveling, and playing with her 12 and 14 year old children. 

Mrs. Matthews is excited to be returning for her 5th year at Romona Elementary. She earned a bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Science and a Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining D39, Mrs. Matthews worked with children in the pediatric hospital setting. Mrs. Matthews enjoys reading and spending summers by the pool with her husband and two daughters.

Mrs. Mermelstein joined Romona School ten years ago and is thrilled to be part of this amazing school. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology, and earned a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University. She loves working with students and helping them gain the skills to feel successful both in school and outside of school. In her free time, Mrs. Mermelstein loves to cook, read, and travel to exciting new places.

Mrs. Miller is thrilled to be the Instructional Coach at Romona!  Previously, she taught first through fifth grades in Atlanta, Georgia, Schaumburg, Illinois, and San Francisco, California, before coming to Wilmette. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University.

Mrs. Miller lives in Wrigleyville with her family. She enjoys hiking, running, and skiing. She had a busy summer hanging out with her family and playing with her two boys.

Ms. Morse is excited to join the Romona community this year. Before coming to Wilmette, she served as a teacher in New Mexico and Massachusetts, as a school leader, and as a graduate school professor. She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Wesleyan University and a Master's Degree from Boston College Lynch School of Education. Ms. Morse lives in Evanston with her husband, two children, and cat. In her free time, she likes to run, read, and be outside!

Mr. Needleman has been a Speech Language Pathologist in schools for over 20 years, and is very excited to join the team at Romona Elementary School. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, then a Masters in Communications Disorders from William Paterson University in New Jersey. 

He lives with his phenomenal wife (who is also an educator) and two fantastic children in Chicago. They enjoy exploring all that Chicagoland has to offer, and being outside as much as possible when the weather allows.

This is Mrs. Parker's 15th year teaching at Romona. Before starting at Romona, she taught in Ohio for eight years in a variety of positions, including as a fifth and sixth grade Learning Behavioral Specialist (LBS), a seventh and eighth grade LBS and as a special education pre-k teacher. She also worked for two years prior to that at Don Johnston, Inc., a company that specializes in technology and support for struggling students. Mrs. Parker earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, and a Master's Degree from Concordia University in Inclusive Classrooms. Mrs. Parker currently lives in Lake Villa with her 16 year old son, 15 year old daughter and her husband. She spends her free time playing board games, working in her garden, birding, baking, and geocaching. Mrs. Parker always looks forward to school in the fall and can’t wait to get started!

This is Mrs. Pastuovic's tenth year at Romona Elementary School! She received her undergraduate degree in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her Master's Degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Behavior Intervention and Curriculum Adaptation. Mrs. Pastuovic absolutely loves co-teaching 3rd grade with Mrs. Kukankos! They have so much fun together and with their students. Mrs. Pastuovic is looking forward to another great year in 3rd grade with the amazing Romona students!

Dr. Patel received her degree in Educational Psychology from National Louis University (NLU). She worked in District 39's Early Childhood (EC) program 2007-2009. In the winter of 2016 she was a long-term school psychologist sub in EC, and in the winter of 2017 she was a long-term school psychologist sub at Highcrest Middle School. She has worked in private settings and has taught undergraduate classes at NLU. Dr. Patel enjoys early mornings, reading, and spending time with her three children and husband. She looks forward to her ninth year as a full-time Mustang.

Mrs. Spalo has worked as a physical therapist for 25 years. This is her 21st year at Romona School. Mrs. Spalo earned her under-graduate degree at the University of Illinois – Champaign/Urbana and earned her Masters in Physical Therapy at Midwestern University. Mrs. Spalo enjoys spending her free time with her three kids and husband. She enjoys coaching, biking, reading, and traveling.

Ms. Valaitis (aka "Ms V the Feelings Teacher") loves being one of the social workers at Romona! She received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 1999. Over the next several years she honed her clinical skills in a variety of settings, such as therapeutic preschools, an early intervention program, psychiatric hospitals, and a foster care community. After discovering her love of working in schools, she returned to Loyola University Chicago for additional classes and became school certified in 2006. Since that time, Ms. Valaitis has worked with children in both alternative and elementary schools. When she is not working, you can find Amy running by the lake, traveling to the Caribbean, and trying new restaurants. If you have any recommendations - she would love to hear them!

Mrs. Undesser has worked as the Districts’ Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) for the past twelve years. Mrs. Undesser earned her undergraduate degree at Illinois State University in Low Vision and Blindness and Learning and Behavior, she continued her education and earned her Master’s in Elementary Education from St. Thomas University and a Master Certificate in Developmental Therapist of Vision (DTV) at Illinois State University. Recently, Mrs. Undesser earned her Vision Coordinator Endorsement from Aurora University as well as her CVI Range Endorsement from Perkins School of the Blind. Mrs. Undesser enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as traveling to new places and gardening.