Fanny Florez is beginning her eighth year as the Assistant Cook at Romona.  She is married and has three children; ages 40, 39 and 35. She is happy to be the proud grandmother to eight. In her spare time she loves walking with her dog. 

Mr. Gomez is beginning his 13th year in the district. He attended school in Mexico. When he is not working he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, ages 17 and 20.  He is an avid sportsman both playing and spectating. 

Mrs. Krolopp enjoys everything related to technology, which is why she is the Computer Support Technician at Romona. Before coming to Romona, she worked with the 5th and 6th grade students and teachers at Highcrest Middle School. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. In addition to her experience in schools, she has many years of experience as a computer programmer with a wide variety of technologies, so feel free to come to her with your tech questions. If she doesn’t know the answer immediately, she likes to investigate it and figure out the answer! 

Ms. Kropp first came to Romona in 2005 as a parent when her youngest child entered the Early Childhood program. She liked it so much her family moved into the Romona district, and all three of her children came for elementary school. Now two of her children have graduated college, one is just beginning and she's still here! After substitute teaching all over District 39 for over four years, Ms. Kropp joined the Romona staff as the building paraprofessional seven years ago. Her favorite thing to do when not greeting Romona students at the door every morning is DEAR (Drop Everything And Read), especially at the beach, or when on vacation with family and friends.

I started at Romona last year working as a custodian at Romona.  I have a Daughter who is 27 and a son who is 26 and they both reside in Florida.  I love to spend as much time as possible with them.  I have a French heritage and am currently learning to speak and read French.  I look forward to another year at Romona. 

Mr. Patino has worked at Romona for 20 years. He attended Evanston High School. He enjoys playing music in a band. His favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. His wife Ana, is the cook. Mr. Patino and his wife have three children, ages 21, 18, and 7. 

Mrs. Roche is a registered nurse starting her 12th year as the school nurse at Romona. She graduated from Boston College with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and has worked exclusively in pediatric settings. In addition to working with kids, Mrs. Roche enjoys reading, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite book is Wonder by R. J. Placio, which is a great book to read with your older school aged children. 

Ana Rojas is beginning her 19th year at Romona Elementary. After her very busy days preparing meals for the students and staff, she loves to spend time with her family. She has three children, ages 21, 18 and 7. In her spare time she loves to cook (even outside of school), and relax whenever she has time.

Mrs. Smith loves working at Romona. This will be her 16th year and she has enjoyed each and every one but would love to get past this Covid situation. Her daughter Molly will be a senior in high school this year and has her heart set on attending Northwestern but the summer will be spent looking at a number of schools. Mrs. Smith also has two stepsons, Bryan and Tim, both are married but she has no grandkids just yet. She and her family love to explore the city and try all sorts of different activities. She likes to look for the little places all around Illinois that they can check out for a weekend. Mrs. Smith loves all people and children, which makes working at Romona Elementary a perfect fit.

Mr. Valencia is the father of three wonderful children. His oldest, Oscar Jr., graduated five years ago from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. His daughter, Amy, graduated four years ago from Colorado College, and his son, Nicholas, graduated from Warren High School in Gurnee where he played basketball and baseball. In his spare time he likes working around the yard, spending time with his family, and watching sports on TV.