Meet our Faculty

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Elementary School

Arin Cox – Kindergarten – graduated from Central High School in Champaign and received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Illinois State University. She worked for five years as our first grade co-teacher with Mrs. Kirby and is now in her fifth year as primary contact teacher for the Kindergarten. She and her husband live in Philo with their two young sons.

Stacy Kirby – 1st grade – began teaching at Countryside in 1993. She graduated from Centennial High School in Champaign and received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Valparaiso University.  Mrs. Kirby minored in Reading and is a Reading Specialist. She has completed Gifted Levels I and II training and is a Certified Junior Great Books Leader. She and her husband are proud parents of a fourth grader and a second grader at Countryside.

Maureen Beyt – 2nd grade – has a BS in Elementary Education from Loyola University, New Orleans with additional certification in Early Childhood Growth & Development. She had begun her Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction concentrating in Elementary Math when Hurricane Katrina hit her city. Mrs. Beyt taught third grade for three years at an independent school in New Orleans, long-term substituted in several public schools in Texas following Hurricane Katrina, and tutored K-12th grade students at Sylvan Learning Center before coming to us in 2008.

Marci Warren – 3rd grade – graduated from the University of Illinois in May 2011 and is now beginning her first year of teaching at Countryside School.  Ms. Warren student-taught 5th grade at Robeson and kindergarten at Prairie School in Urbana and has also worked at the Montessori School of Champaign-Urbana and Canaan Academy.  She was also a museum associate at the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum working at the front desk, facilitating birthday parties and field trips and planning museum events.

Janet Brickey – 4th grade – has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Master's degrees in Education/Reading/Administration from Eastern Illinois University. She has also been trained in Gifted Education. A native of Westville, Illinois, Janet has taught fourth – seventh grades in both public and private schools, including Oakland Steiner School using the Waldorf Curriculum. This is her fifth year at Countryside.

Kathy Eckstein – 5th grade – shares her class with a co-teacher for the fourth year, following six years as the full-time fifth grade teacher. Mrs. Eckstein received her Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.  She worked for Motorola in California before taking time off for her young family. Working as a parent volunteer in her children's classrooms inspired her to complete her teaching certificate at Santa Clara University.

Maya Enriques – 5th grade – joins us this year to co-teaching 5th grade with Mrs. Eckstein.  Originally from Louisiana, she received her BS in Education with a concentration in English from Eastern Illinois University.  She has student-taught 5th grade at Leal Elementary School in Urbana and has previous experience as both a preschool teacher and as a tutor in Louisiana.  Ms. Enriques loves to read and is the proud parent of two young daughters.

 

Middle School

Chris Antonsen – Literature and Writing Workshop – has a BA in English with an emphasis in Rhetoric from the University of Illinois, an MA in Folklore Studies from Western Kentucky University, and a PhD in English from Ohio State University with joint emphases in Folklore Studies and American Literature. He has been a college professor, the founding managing editor of a small academic publishing house, projects manager and grants writer for the National Foreign Languages Resource Center, a web-delivered database developer, and a scout leader. Chris is the proud parent of a Countryside middle schooler and a Countryside alum.

Michele O'Brien – Social Studies – began teaching at Countryside in 2003. She graduated from Purdue University with dual majors in History and African American Studies before obtaining a Master's degree from the University of Illinois in History with a minor in Anthropology. In 2002 she also received her Master's degree in Education from the U of I. She worked as a teaching assistant at the U of I and at Circle Academy before accepting her first full-time teaching position at Countryside. In addition to teaching Social Studies, Ms. O’Brien is the Middle School Team Facilitator.

Marty Stambaugh – Science – taught middle school science at Urbana Middle School for nine years and served as the on-site coordinator for University of Illinois secondary education students who were student teaching at UMS. Having completed 22 graduate credits beyond her M.Ed., Ms. Stambaugh has taken advantage of numerous workshops, seminars, and courses to develop her interests in science education and related areas, as well as conducting various workshops herself. In addition to middle school science, she teaches middle school study skills classes. This is her thirteenth year at Countryside and twenty-fourth year in teaching!

Natalya Zielnicki – Math – graduated from Scripps College in Claremont, California with a BA in Mathematics and a BA in Studio Art. She worked with Arthur Benjamin at Harvey Mudd College on the design of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks. She illustrated and wrote exercises for The Art of Mental Calculation, a workbook series for children about how to compute mental math. In addition to teaching Middle School Math since 2007, Mrs. Zielnicki is our MATHCOUNTS coach. Her MATHCOUNTS teams have placed very well in both regional and state competitions.

Lois Wilken – Math and World Language Lab Director - has spent twelve years teaching at Countryside School.  Mrs. Wilken received her BA from Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, and her MS from the University of Nebraska. She is the coach for the middle school’s Odyssey of the Mind Club, which has qualified for World competition each of the six years we have offered it as a club. In addition, she teaches a middle school math class, is our middle school World Language Lab director, and is the parent of a Countryside alum and another grown son.

 

Specialty Teachers

Chad Simpson – Physical Education and Athletic Director – joins us this year after receiving his BS in Kinesiology from Liberty University.  He has been an assistant tennis pro at both the Champaign Park District and the Champaign Country Club; Camp Director for Tennis for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; and competed on the tennis teams in both at Danville High School and at Liberty University.  Originally from Danville, he was named “News-Gazette Area Boys Tennis Player of the Decade” in 2010.   In addition he has coached both tennis and basketball and assisted with Special Olympics.  

Josh Clark – Physical Education – is in his fifth year at Countryside. A native of Monticello, Josh graduated from Illinois College in Education with an emphasis in Physical Education. He is our Athletic Director and has been both our boys’ and girls’ basketball coach. He has played and coached basketball and been a coach/counselor at various basketball camps. He also played football, baseball, and ran track and field in high school.

Kim File – Music – majored in music education at Milligan College and did her graduate work at the University of Illinois. She taught for four years in Catlin and four years at an independent school in Indianapolis before taking time out to raise her family. The parent of three former Countryside students, Mrs. File is in her fifteenth year with us.

Chris Lukeman – Performing Arts (middle school) and Moventures (elementary) – graduated from the University of Illinois and taught at a private school in San Antonio, Texas for fifteen years prior to coming to Countryside. She spent twelve years as our PE teacher/Athletic Director while actively involved in Performing Arts. She retired from Physical Education, but returned to continue teaching Performing Arts and establish our Moventures program in 2007. This is her seventeenth year at Countryside.

Katrina Widholm – Visual Arts – received her BFA in Graphic Design/Visual Communications and her MFA in Interaction Design from the University of Kansas. She returned to family and the Champaign area after living and teaching in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for three years. She previously taught at the University of Kansas, Robert Morris College, the American Academy of Art, and the British American School. Ms. Widholm has also worked as a professional designer focusing on graphic design, website design and multimedia for the past twenty years. This is her fifth year at Countryside.

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Hsiao-Ching Chen – Chinese (Kindergarten – middle school) –  grew up in Taiwan and moved to the United States over ten years ago.  She has a BS in Industrial Economics from Tamkang University and a MS in Industrial Engineering and Management from Yuan Ze University, both in Taipei and a MS in Business Administration from the University of Illinois.  Ms. Chen speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese, English and Japanese, and was a National Athlete for the Republic of China –Taiwan competing internationally in curling.  Ms. Chen is also the proud parent of two young daughters.

Patrick Neff – Latin (4th grade – middle school) – is originally from Pittsburgh, PA.  He received his BA in Classics from John Carroll University and is currently working on his MA in Classics at the University of Illinois.  He teaches Latin at the U of I and has tutored both Latin and Greek.  His interests include teaching Latin, ancient history and playing the bagpipes.

Gail McWilliams – Spanish (Kindergarten – middle school) – is a twenty-year plus veteran high school and middle school teacher of French, English, and Spanish. She earned both her BA in French and her MA in English at the University of Illinois. For almost ten years she and her husband explored the East coast, Caribbean islands, and South America while living aboard a sailboat. She also studied Spanish and taught English as a Second Language in Venezuela.  Señora McWilliams began teaching at Countryside in 2006.

Mary Russell – Extended Day Director – is in her second year with Countryside’s Extended Day program.  She grew up in Naperville, and obtained her BA from the University of Illinois with a double-major in English and Political Science.   She is currently working on her Masters in Education, her Secondary Education certification in English, and her reading teacher endorsement.  She loves biking and completed a cross-country bike ride for charity during the summer of 2010 with the Illini 4000 for Cancer.