Upper School
Latin emphasizes self-advocacy and empowers students to ask questions and explore, not to study and regurgitate answers.
During the upper school years, our students make deep connections with their teachers and their peers. They become part of a tight-knit community committed to learning and discovering their talents and passion.
Latin students actively shape their academic program. The upper school curriculum begins with everything you would expect in a college preparatory high school—literature and history surveys, biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, calculus, geometry, language. But Latin takes it a step beyond. We offer our students exceptional educational opportunities and ask them to dig deep, think critically and commit themselves to fully pursuing their intellectual passions both inside and outside the classroom.
Latin’s educational approach is student-centered and individualized. By understanding how each child learns best, our teachers help students identify their passions and take on new challenges.
Latin students love learning. They are encouraged to do, to create, to try and to fail. The focus is on the process, not the outcome, which helps students build resilience, remain intrinsically motivated and succeed.
Around the Upper School
Each fall Latin welcomes many new faces to its community. We are pleased to introduce a dedicated group of teachers and staff members who have chosen to make Latin their home. Visit the Directory to discover more faculty and staff members.
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Kendall Gallagher
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Chris Gollmar |
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Ariel Gomez |
Pedro Gonzalez |
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Cory Graef
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Maggie Kmiecik |
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Serra Kook |
Marley Kotler |
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Rachel Lewis |
Jamie McInerney |
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Lo Miles
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Lauren Minga |
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Elizabeth Underwood |
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Tray White Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Tray dedicates his upbringing and values to his grandparents, Herbert and Ella White, who raised him and instilled the love of learning, power of family/community and dreams of achieving liberation through education. Tray’s grandparents believed in the structure and overall effectiveness of Catholic and Independent School education and he is grateful for the sacrifices, commitments and foresight that they had to invest their belief and resources then, so that he could be in the space and position that he is now.
With over 15 years of experience in parochial and independent schools, Tray’s background and training spans across several educational domains including classrooms, courts, fields, and clinical and therapeutic settings. |
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Not pictured, but we are also pleased to welcome:
- Hannah Bannec, Lower School Assistant Teacher
- Jordan Nelson, Middle School French Teacher
Our Voices
- Around School
- Our Voices
- lower school
- middle school
- upper school
The upper school athletics teams had a successful spring season! Check out their highlights and accomplishments.
Boys Baseball
- Independent School League Champions
- All League: Ben Flerlage '23 (1st Team), Patrick Shrake '23 (1st Team), Dillon Romano '24 (2nd Team), Ashton Seymore '24 (1st Team & Player of the Year), Karim Patterson '25 (1st Team)
Girls Lacrosse
- All Sectional: Reese Benford '24, Sanya Arora '25
Boys Lacrosse
- ILBLCA All State: Cole Goodwillie '24 (Honorable Mention Midfield)
Girls Soccer
- Illinois High School Association Regional Champions
- All League: Ava Falk '23 (2nd Team), Eden Raviv '23 (1st Team), Carly Warms '23 (1st Team), Lauren Rosenberg ‘26 (1st Team)
- All Sectional: Alena Brandt '23 (Sportsmanship), Carly Warms '23 (1st Team), Lauren Rosenberg '26
Girls Softball
- All League: Katie Hallinan '24 (1st Team) , Maggie Zeiger '24 (2nd Team)
Boys Tennis
- Independent School League Champions
- Illinois High School Association Sectional Champions
- Illinois High School Association State Champions (3rd year in a row)
- All League: Akshay Garapati '23, Kiran Garapati '23 (Player of the Year), Zuhair Alsikafi '24, Rowan Ing '24, Cole Silverman '24, Jake Goldstein '25, Kiyan Alsikafi '26, Mark Tismensky '26
- All Sectional: Akshay Garapati '23, Kiran Garapati '23, Zuhair Alsikafi '24, Jake Goldstein '25, Kiyan Alsikafi '26, Mark Tismensky '26
- All State: Akshay Garapati '23, Kiran Garapati '23, Zuhair Alsikafi '24, Jake Goldstein '25, Kiyan Alsikafi '26, Mark Tismensky '26
Boys Track & Field
- All League: Akili Parekh '23, Alika Lugo Inciong '24, Paul Silvani '25
- All Sectional: Jackson Ballard '23, Will del Hierro '23, Matthew Kotcher '23, Akili Parekh '23, Alika Lugo Inciong '24, Charlie Steffen '24, Benjamin Gibson '25, Wyatt Parr '25, Paul Silvani '25
- All State: Akili Parekh '23
Girls Track & Field
- All League: Kimiko Darcy '23, Alice Mihas '23 (Player of the Year), Makenze Humphrey '24, McLean Moroney '24, Alina Ballard '26, Vivian Lee-Yee '26, Teagan Moroney '26
- All Sectional: Alice Mihas '23, Ellie Anderson '25, Tatum Kamin '25, Alina Ballard '26
- All State: Alice Mihas '23
Girls Water Polo
- All Sectional: Ava Tse '24
Boys Volleyball
- lHSA Regional Championship Finals appearance, losing a close match against Oak Park River Forest who took 3rd in the state.
Athletics
- Around School
- Athletics
- Community & Traditions
- upper school
We would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to the faculty and staff who will be leaving Latin this year for their service to the school. We wish you well in your next adventures!
Upper School
Suzanne Callis, Dean of Community Learning
Jeremy Foster, Upper School Science Lab Manager
Barbara McKenzie, US Learning Resources Specialist
Andrew Miller, Upper Schol Counselor
Lucie Wright, Upper School History Teacher
Middle School
Kelly Wyatt, Middle School French Teacher
Brian Jerger, Middle School History and Social Studies Teacher
Lower School
Nick Goodspeed, Junior Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Benjamin Hollister, Third Grade Lead Teacher
Michael Keenan, Music Teacher (Sabbatical Leave)
Avani Tandon, Fourth Grade Lead Teacher
Aveva Yufit (retiree), Counselor
LS Assistant Teachers:
Madison Cohen
Courtney Joseph
Meredith Montgomery
Mallory Moore
Genna Newquist
Alyanna Parajado
Rachel Spector
Kai Stolze
Jonathan Yenkin
Staff
Stephanie Chu, Director of Alumni Engagement
Ibrahim Fetuga, Associate Director of Enrollment Management for Diversity and Inclusion
Shelley Greenwood (retiree), Assistant Head of School
Nicholette Lindsay, Receptionist
Deb Sampey (retiree), Middle School Division Director
David VanderMeulen (retiree), Upper School Director of Athletics
- Around School
- Community & Traditions
- lower school
- middle school
- upper school
Recent upper school graduates and faculty members had findings from their ISP fruit fly lab published. Take a look at the publication!
- Academics
- Features
- upper school
How We Approach Teaching and Learning
Upper School Virtual Tour
Experience Academic Excellence
A Wide Variety of Courses and Innovative Electives
178
upper school courses offered
Small Classes
Small class size encourages continual interaction and sharing of ideas.
- average class size: 14
- student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1
Strong Teacher/Student Relationships
Teachers are passionate about their subject areas and are available to students inside and outside the classroom.
Freedom to Pursue a Passion and Create Your Own Class.
If you have a passion for languages, for instance, you can double up. Take French and Chinese, Latin or Spanish for example.
Students can develop independent study courses where they work one-on-one with a faculty member on a self-designed curriculum.
I understood the value of this education first hand when I went off to college. My persistence and strong desire to learn and connect with my professors was a reflection of the close relationships I made with my teachers at Latin.
I love the way that Latin accepts everyone. No matter race, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc., Latin is always accepting and welcoming to everyone.
At Latin, I value the project-based learning where students are able to take their own interests outside of school and bring them into the classroom and share their passions with others authentically.
Experiential Learning
Learning at Latin is experiential and project-based, including simulations, mock trials and hands-on lab work.
Examples of experiential learning:
- tenth grade Nuremberg Trials simulation
- senior projects
- Project Week
100%
percentage of students who have taken different academic paths through the upper school in the past ten years
I chose to become a student at Latin because I am interested in a wide range of topics that expand far beyond the traditional academics curriculum, and Latin has fulfilled that expectation vey well.
FAQ
- How do you support students new to the school?
- How are parents kept apprised of their child’s progress?
- There are so many course possibilities! How do students choose what is best for them?
- What is Latin’s schedule?
- How big are classes?
- How many AP courses does Latin offer?
- Do students have the opportunity to focus on one specific area of study?
- Can students receive college credit for work done at Latin?
- What opportunities for leadership exist for my child?
How do you support students new to the school?
How are parents kept apprised of their child’s progress?
There are so many course possibilities! How do students choose what is best for them?
What is Latin’s schedule?
How big are classes?
How many AP courses does Latin offer?
Do students have the opportunity to focus on one specific area of study?
Can students receive college credit for work done at Latin?
What opportunities for leadership exist for my child?
Do you have questions? We would love to hear from you.

Nick Baer
Titles:
Upper School Division Director
Degrees:
B.A. University of Illinois
M.A. Roosevelt University
M.A. Roosevelt University

Timothy Cronister
Titles:
Director of Student Life
Degrees:
B.A. Haverford College
M.A. New York University
M.A. New York University

Bridget Hennessy
Titles:
9th and 10th Grade Dean of Students, Upper School History Teacher
Degrees:
B.A. Loyola University-New Orleans
M.A. University of New Orleans
M.A. University of New Orleans

Karen Horvath
Titles:
Assistant Director of the Upper School
Degrees:
B.A. DePaul University
M.A. Argosy University
M.A. Argosy University
upper school
Excellence. Integrity. Community.