Debbie Boileve, Program Director of Cherry Preschool, also taught in the Yellow Room since Cherry Preschool was founded in 1992, and was a member of the original Cherry Preschool Board.  Before becoming Director, Debbie was the curriculum coordinator for the preschool.  During the 2006-07 school year, she mentored the staff through reaccreditation by the Academy of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Debbie has a degree in early childhood and elementary education and has worked professionally with young children for the past 30 years.  She has worked as a day care teacher, teacher/director of a camp program, art resource instructor, curriculum coordinator for a home day care network, and preschool teacher.  She is the parent of two adult children, one in college and one in veterinary school.  

Rhonda Cohen is beginning her sixteenth year at Cherry and her twelfth as Child Development/Inclusion Director.  In addition to her general administrative duties, Rhonda works with the staff to support the inclusion of children with special needs and children receiving outside support services.  Rhonda is also available to consult with parents on issues related to their children’s development.  The parent of two adult sons, Rhonda has an education degree as well as a Master’s Degree in special education and Ph.D. coursework in educational psychology, child development and speech and language acquisition. She has worked as a preschool and primary education teacher as well as a teacher of hearing impaired children.  Rhonda was the recipient of the 2004 Childcare Network of Evanston early childhood award. 

Maggie Hessler is beginning her seventeenth year as Site Director.  A member of Cherry Preschool's founding board, Maggie has a background in business and social work.  She is the parent of three adult children, Zachary, Jeremy, and Tess (who was in the first graduating class at Cherry) .  In addition to managing all aspects of building operations, Maggie helps to organize day to day operations and can be found there every day working with Debbie and Rhonda.  Maggie also puts her background in social work and early childhood education to good use as the administrative liaison to the Community Outreach Committee.  For the past four years, Maggie has put a great deal of time and energy into establishing and maintaining the Latino Parent/Child class.

Laurie Levy, Cherry Preschool’s Founding Director, is working part time this year as a consultant.  An active member of Evanston's early childhood community, Laurie twice chaired the Evanston Early Childhood Directors’ Council, co-created the Guide to Evanston Early Childhood Programs, served on the District 65 Task Force on Early Childhood Education and the Evanston Community Collaboration for Early Childhood Education.  Laurie received the 2002 Childcare Network of Evanston early childhood award.  She has a Master’s Degree in early childhood administration, and has taught in preschool classrooms as well as having been a high school English teacher.  She is the proud parent of three adult children and the devoted grandmother of Ella and Tessa in the Morning Pre-K Blue and Purple rooms, their little sister, Maya in the T/Th Transition Green Room, and two year old granddaughter, Ava, who lives in Indianapolis.

Shirlene Ward, Cherry's Financial Manager for the past eleven years, handles all the school's bookkeeping, student medical records, budget analysis and preparation, and generally anything that requires a spreadsheet.  She is the parent of two Cherry alumni (Dan now in college and Paul attending ETHS) and lives in south Evanston with her sons and her husband, Kevin Kipp.  In her former life, she was a music librarian at Northwestern University, and has degrees in Piano, Musicology, and Library Science.  She currently devotes her volunteer hours to chairing the board of The Orion Ensemble, a chamber music group of five remarkable women who perform in Evanston, Chicago, and Geneva.

Jeanette Hollingsworth, who joined the staff last year, continues as Administrative Assistant this year and adds teacher aide in the PM 4 Blue Room to her responsibilities.  She has been involved with Cherry Preschool since 2003.  She and her husband, Rich, have three daughters who are all Cherry graduates and attend the TWI program at Washington School: Nancy is in fourth grade; Sydney is in second grade; and Lily is in first grade.   During the years her children attended Cherry, Jeanette was a frequent volunteer and served two years on the Board.  She has been a substitute teacher for the past three years.   Jeanette is PTA Co-President at Washington School this year and also teaches American Red Cross classes and coaches swimming at the YMCA.

Martha Belmonte begins her twelfth year on the Cherry staff as a teacher in the 4 Morning & 3 Afternoon Red Room classes.  Prior to co-teaching in the Red Room for the past six years, Martha worked as an inclusion aide and in the office and was a teacher in the lunch program.  A member of the founding board of Cherry Preschool and past Board President, Martha has an Education degree and was a special education teacher for six years.  In the past, she served on the Long Range Planning and director search committees.  Martha is the parent of three Cherry graduates, two in college, and one at ETHS.

Michaela Cudahy joins the Cherry staff this year as an inclusion aide in the 4 Morning Red Room class.  Michaela’s twins, Rose and Luke Lawless, are in the 5 Morning Pre-K classes.  She has a background in social work with an MSW and LCSW from Loyola University.  Michaela has been an outreach worker with the mentally ill community.  She has also worked in a daycare center with infants and in a preschool summer camp.

Kitty Culbert, co-teacher in the 5 Morning Pre-K and 4 Afternoon Multi-age Blue Room classes, is returning for her sixth year teaching at Cherry.  Kitty is delighted to be teaching in the Blue Room with Kim Newman again. She first taught in the Yellow room with Debbie Boileve during 2002-03, then took a year off to student teach kindergarten at Walker School and complete her Education degree.   Kitty has a Masters of Education degree from DePaul University as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Set Design from the University of Arizona.  She has three children, all “Cherry grads,” ages 17, 14, and 12.  Kitty has served as a Teacher Representative on the Board.

Anne Donoghue is starting her fifth year of teaching the 5 Morning & 4 Afternoon Pre-K Purple Room classes with Eileen Halperin.  Before her return to Cherry in 2004, Anne taught at a wonderful co-op nursery school in Michigan for 7 years. Going way back, she and Eileen taught together in the Orange Room at Cherry for several years as well as at another nursery school in Evanston. Anne was also part of Cherry Preschool’s founding staff.  Anne and her husband have three adult children: Ellen, Mary, and John.  Anne has also served as a teacher representative on the Cherry Preschool Board.

Beatriz Douma is beginning her seventh year on the Cherry staff as a teacher in the 4 Day Morning and 3 Day 3 Afternoon Red Room classes.  Prior to joining the Red Room three years ago, Bea taught the M/W Transition Rose Room Class and the Latino Parent/Child Class.   A native Spanish speaker, Bea is a certified teacher and has a degree in elementary education.  She taught in Evanston/Skokie District 65 for seven years.  Bea has three children.  Her three children are Cherry graduates. Katie attends St. Ignatius High School, and Henry and Jill attend Sacred Heart School . Bea has served on the Board, both as Room Parent Coordinator and as a Teacher Representative. 

Maria Martinez Hain is serving her fourth year as Latino Program Coordinator and her third year teaching the Latino Parent/Child Class.  This year, Maria is also working as an aide in the Green Room's Monday/Wednesday Transition Class.  In addition, Maria translates materials into Spanish and works with Cherry’s Latino families to facilitate their full participation in the preschool.   Maria’s sons are Cherry graduates and attend the TWI program at Dawes School.  Will (10) is in fifth grade and Mateo (7) is in first grade.  In her life before children, Maria worked in public relations and marketing in the non-profit sector.  We are happy to have Maria as one of our native Spanish speaking staff members.

Eileen Halperin teaches the 5 Morning & 4 Afternoon Pre-K classes in the Purple Room.  She has been teaching preschool classes for 26 years.  Prior to her career as an early childhood educator, Eileen taught art in elementary and high school for over six years.  She has attended numerous workshops and seminars in the field of early childhood education, and is particularly interested in preschool art and the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching.  She is responsible for the hands project that decorates our front hall and the bas-relief installed across from the office.  Eileen has served on the Cherry Preschool Board and was part of the original staff of the preschool.  Eileen is the parent of three adult children. 

Mary Hart is starting her third year on staff, working as co-teacher in the Young 3’s Yellow Room.  Last year, Mary was an aide in the M/W Transition Rose Room class as well as teacher the Little Sibs class.  Mary has also worked as an aide in the M/W and T/Th Transition Green Room classes. She has two children who graduated from Cherry Preschool and both attend King Lab School.  Mary served on the Cherry board for two years as Community Outreach Chair.  She has previous experience as a teacher of parent/child classes. 

Ann Herder begins her ninth year at Cherry, teaching the M/W and T/Th Transition and the Afternoon Young 3’s classes in the Green Room.  She is the parent of two daughters, both at ETHS.  Ann served on the Preschool Board while her younger daughter attended Cherry and is currently serving on the Board as a Teacher Representative.  Ann is continuing to take courses in early childhood education to complement her experience in the classroom.

Sunita Jain begins her sixth year on the Cherry staff as an aide, working this year in the 5 Morning Pre-K and 4 Afternoon Pre-K Purple Room team.  In past years, Sunita also worked in the M/W Transition Rose Room.  Sunita is from India where she taught school for 11 years.  She also holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology and has taken classes in child development.  Sunita is very interested in working with children with special needs.  She is the mother of two boys attending Evanston schools.

Kristen Lidstrom is returning to Cherry Preschool for her third year as the inclusion aide for all three classes in the Orange Room, while also working on her degree in Special Education at Kendall College.  Previously, Kristen taught in the Yellow Room Young 3’s and PM 3’s and worked as an aide in that room and the Orange Room.  Additionally, Kristen is a certified yoga instructor for children with and without special needs.  She leads yoga programs for children in a Lincolnwood after school program.

Del Lord is beginning her fourteenth year at Cherry Preschool.  She teaches both of the Transition Classes and the Afternoon Young 3’s Class in the Green Room.  She also works in the Morning Lunch program on Mondays and Wednesdays.     A native of Belize where she worked in a school for five years, Del also worked in childcare for over eleven years prior to joining Cherry’s staff. Six years ago, Del earned her CDA early childhood credential and became an American citizen!  Del has been a Teacher Representative on the Board.  Del's son, Ray, is a Cherry graduate and is now a sophomore at ETHS.

Louise Matek  is in her second year at Cherry, teaching in the 3 Morning 3’s, 3 Afternoon 3’s and 2 Morning Young 3’s, all in the Yellow Class Room.  Louise has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Roosevelt University.  Before coming to Cherry, she taught for the Board of Jewish Education and the Beth Emet Early Childhood Program in Evanston.  In addition, Louise has been an active volunteer in District 65 for many years.  She served as President of the PTA at Willard Elementary School and tutored many students at Willard and Haven Middle school. Louise lives in Evanston with her husband Michael and her two sons, who attend Evanston Township High School.  She is a Teacher Representative on the Board this year.

Amy May teaches the 3 Morning 3’s, Young 3’s, & 4 Afternoon Multi-age classes in the Orange Room.  Prior to this, Amy worked in the Blue Room.  This will be her nineteenth year teaching preschool.  Prior to joining the Cherry staff, Amy worked as a permanent substitute preschool teacher for a year and subbed extensively at several Evanston nursery schools. Amy also worked at Kendall College Day Care for five years, serving as lead teacher for part of her tenure there.  The parent of two grown daughters, Amy has been an active volunteer in the Evanston community and schools.  Amy has served a record three terms as a Teacher Representative on the Cherry Preschool Board!  Amy was part of the original staff of the preschool. 

Linda Messam begins her sixth year on the Cherry staff, working as an inclusion aide in the 5 Morning Pre-K and 4 Afternoon Multi-age Blue Room classes. Linda has also been part of the summer camp staff and worked in the 3 Morning 3’s and Young 3’s Yellow Room classes in past years.  Linda has been a long time Cherry fan, as she is Del Lord’s sister and has attended many Cherry events!  She was a teacher in Belize before coming to the United States, and she is very excited to have come back to her original love of education

Kim Newman teaches the 5 Morning Pre-K and 4 Afternoon Multi-age classes in the Blue Room.  She has a degree in early childhood education and is starting her twentieth year as a preschool teacher.  Kim worked as teacher/director of a preschool in California where she developed curriculum and taught four and five year olds.  She also taught kindergarten and first grade for two years.  The mother of two adult daughters, Kim was an active volunteer at Willard, Haven, and ETHS and served as president of Willard PTA.  Kim is the Cherry Preschool Camp Coordinator, has served a record three terms as a Teacher Representative on the Cherry Preschool Board, and was part of the original staff of the preschool. 

Ione Novak is beginning her ninth year as a teacher, working this year in the 3 Afternoon 3’s Yellow Room class.  During her first two years on the Cherry staff, Ione taught the M/W Transition class in the Green Room, worked as a permanent sub in the 3 Afternoon 3’s Yellow Room Class, and was a frequent substitute teacher in other classrooms.  Ione has a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois.  She is the parent of two boys, ages 14 and 12, who are Cherry Preschool graduates and has been an active volunteer and former PTA President at Walker School. 

Julie Rapisarda is rejoining the Cherry staff as Amy May’s co-teacher in the 3 Morning 3’s and 4 PM Multiage Orange Room classes.  Julie started at Cherry as a parent during our founding year (1992) and has a degree in special education.  She taught in the Transition and Parent/Child classes for nine years, leaving in 2003 to focus on her role as PTA President at Haven Middle School.  Julie served on the Cherry Board as Secretary and as a Teacher Representative.  She has recently been working as a permanent sub in the Orange Room.  Welcome back to our sunny Julie!

Shellee Reinisch rejoins the Cherry staff this year as an inclusion aide in the T/Th Transition and PM Young 3’s Green Room classes.  Last year, she worked as a permanent sub in the Young 3’s Orange Room.  In the past, Shellee was Debbie Boileve’s co-teacher in the Yellow Room.  Shellee also taught in the Orange Room for two years and did her teaching practicum in the Blue Room. Shellee is the parent of two boys in college.

Reyna Rojas is starting her fourth year on the Cherry staff as an inclusion aide in the 4 Morning and 3 Afternoon 3’s Red Room classes.  In the spring of 2005, Reyna did an internship for early childhood education in the Rose Room M/W Transition class.  Reyna is the mother of three children, two at ETHS, and one in college.   We are also excited to have Reyna as one of our native Spanish speaking staff members.

Jackie Scobie-Rogers is starting her third year on the Cherry staff as teacher in the M/W Transition Rose Room class.  She has served on the board of Cherry Preschool for two years as the secretary, and been active within the Cherry community as a volunteer for various fundraising events.  Jackie has a BA. in Early Childhood Education from National College of Education and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Leadership and Advocacy from National-Louis University.  She has been teaching young children for over eleven years throughout the North Shore and has also taught education courses at the college level.  Jackie's children, Jackson and Jessica, are Cherry graduates and attend Walker School.  Jackie lives with her husband and children in Evanston.

Daniela Val is joining the Cherry staff as Amy May’s co-teacher in Morning Young 3’s Orange Room class.  Daniela has a Master’s Degree in early childhood development from the Erikson Institute and was a child development specialist and state pre-K teacher.  Daniela has worked as a substitute in many of our classes, and most recently worked on Monday and Friday in the Orange Room as permanent sub.  Daniela has served on the Cherry Board for the past two years as Volunteers Chair.  She is the parent of Cherry graduate Zoe and her daughter, Mia, is in the 5 Morning Pre-K Purple Room class this year.

Chantel Washington is beginning her tenth year at Cherry as a teacher’s aide.  This year, she is working in all three classes in the Yellow Room, as well as the Afternoon Lunch Program on Tuesday through Thursday.  In past years, Chantel has worked in the Purple Room, Green Room, Orange Room, and Yellow Room.  She is also part of the summer camp staff.  Chantel is the mother of a Cherry graduate, Christian, who is in sixth grade at King Lab School.  In her years as a Cherry parent, Chantel worked on Cherry’s Jubilee and volunteered for the Market Money program.  Chantel has also served as a Teacher Representative on the Cherry Board.  Chantel has a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Oakton Community College.

Karen Weine is starting her sixth year on the Cherry staff as an aide in the 5 Morning Pre-K Blue Room Class.  She is also the coordinator of the morning lunch program Monday through Friday.  Karen is certified in food service and sanitation, a DCFS requirement for preschools.  She has also worked in the 5 Morning Pre-K Purple Room as well as the summer camp and afternoon lunch programs.  Karen’s son, Eric, is a Cherry graduate who is currently in sixth grade at Chute Middle School.  Karen has a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Oakton Community College. 

Joann Zobel is beginning her tenth year on the Cherry Staff, working this year as an assistant teacher in the M/W Transition Rose Room class.  Joann also teaches the Little Sibs Class and works in the Afternoon Lunch program on Wednesday.  In her first four years on the Cherry staff, Joann worked as an aide in the Green Room .  She is the parent of two boys, ages 16 and 14.  Her younger son, Joe, attended Cherry Preschool for two years.  Joann has served on the Cherry Preschool Board and was an active Cherry volunteer.