Discover
What Makes Latin Unique
For more than 130 years we've put students at the heart of everything we do. We're committed to seeing everyone within these walls succeed and reach their full potential through an educational experience that will empower them to tinker, to make mistakes, to ask questions, to change how they see the world around them.
We want you to be aLatin Learner
Get to Know Our Latin Learners
Lower school students start each day together as a class with Morning Meeting. An important part of the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching, it is an engaging way to begin the day, build community and establish developmentally appropriate social skills. Learn more by watching the video above.
In partnership with Stanford University, upper school students in Science Department Chair and Teacher Geraldine Schmadeke’s independent study program (ISP) are helping progress scientific research one teeny tiny fruit fly at a time. Learn how in this video!
Something I learned at Latin that I still use today is the value of perspective.
Our Students Develop a
Lifelong Love of Learning
Experience Latin
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
- Alumni
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
Our Athletes Build
Character and Confidence
Our Alumni
Make an Impact
Latin Changemakers

William Horberg
Executive Producer
"Try to maintain the attitude of a beginner that's enthusiastic... curious... eager to learn... questioning the certainties around you... willing to try... be unafraid of making mistakes..."
The Latin Learner Podcast sits down with William Horberg '76, executive producer of "The Queen's Gambit," a television limited series on Netflix. He has an extensive resume as a producer for several exceptional films, including "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Cold Mountain" and "The Kite Runner." Listen to his life lessons learned from decades of being in the film industry. Listen.
Class of '76

Nora Cheng
Bassist-Vocalist in Horsegirl
"It’s cool to play music because then you get to know a bunch of these other people, and I’ve met so many people from it, and I just keep meeting more."
Nora Cheng '21, one-third of Chicago's alternative/ indie rock band Horsegirl, is featured in a Rolling Stone article. Check out their song "Billy" and its accompanying music video, which the band described as "a love letter to past music scenes we wish we could have witnessed." Read The Forum's article on Horsegirl's emergence here.
Class of '21

Nathan Goldberg
Professional Bird-watching Tour Guide
"When I was about 13 years old, I saw a wood duck at North Pond. It blew my mind and I realized that there were more birds than I had ever recognized. I was fascinated and decided to dive in, buy a field guide and explore the birding world."
The Latin Learner Podcast sits down with Nathan Goldberg '14, professional bird-watching tour guide for Red Hill Birding, a local bird-watching tour company based in Chicago. His "life list," which is the total number of birds seen in a lifetime, spans about 1,230 species and counting. Listen to his adventures of traveling the country to spot some of the rarest species of birds. Listen.
Class of '14

Sadaf Jaffer
Professor, Mayor of Montgomery Township, NJ
"Not only can you be informed about politics, you can actually shape politics, especially at the local level, in a very real way."
Sadaf Jaffer '01 has a prestigious day job, two day jobs in fact: teaching courses on Islam and South Asia through literature and film while also working on a book about secularism among Indian intellectuals as a post-doctoral research associate at Princteon University's Institute for International and Regional Studies. So what prompted her to add to her workload and run for public office? Read more.
Class of '01

Ezra Miller
Artist, Art Director, Web Developer
“I don’t usually start out with a specific image in mind. The final work is a result of the process.”
Ezra Miller '15 recalls a point in the summer of this year where he was stressing over a project. He was commissioned by fashion house Balenciaga to create a video for Paris Fashion Week that would be displayed on the floor and walls of a giant tunnel made up of hundreds of LED panels. The idea, a brainchild of Canadian conceptual artist Jon Rafman, was that models would walk through the tunnel for a 15-minute performance. Read more.
Photo credit: @ezzzrrra via Instagram
Class of '15

Rendel Solomon
Investor, Founder of One Stock One Future
"If I can get an 8-year-old to think about ownership from the simple act of giving her shares, then why can’t I do that with 10 more kids, a 100 more, 1,000 more?"
Latin alum Rendel Solomon '96 is on a mission to instill a sense of hope in underserved youth by turning them into empowered shareholders. Inspired by his great-grandparents' experience as sharecroppers in the early 1900s and his 8-year-old niece's interest in learning what it means to be a shareholder, Solomon founded the nonprofit organization One Stock One Future. Read more.