Faculty & Staff

Mrs. Hanretty holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from DePaul University. She worked as a Consultant in Employee Benefits and served as Director of Development during the renovation and rededication of St. Mary of the Angels Church. Mrs. Hanretty and her husband have eight children who have attended Embers, Willows, and Northridge. They enjoy their residence in Arlington Heights. Mrs. Hanretty enjoys spending time with her family, long walks and loves a good game of scrabble

Mrs. Thursby holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Writing from St. Mary’s College (Notre Dame); an MBA in Marketing Communications from DePaul University; and an M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is currently enrolled in the Program for Inclusive Education at Notre Dame. Mrs. Thursby and her husband live in Park Ridge and have four children, all of whom attended Willows and Northridge. In addition to being an avid reader, she enjoys long bike rides with her husband.

Mrs. Reardon holds a B.A. in Business and Marketing from Miami University (OH), with a minor in English. She has extensive experience working in the academic community providing administrative support at two local parish school offices. She is thrilled to enter her second year at Embers! Mrs. Reardon has four daughters and enjoys reading, gardening, biking, and cooking.

Mrs. Williams joined Embers as Parent Advisory Director overseeing Embers Parent Association (EPA) and has also taken on the position of Director of Operations. Mrs. Williams holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Miami University (OH) and an M.B.A and Certificate in Non-Profit Management from North Park University. Mrs. Williams has spent over eight years working for various independent schools and non-profit organizations in the areas of admissions, operations, and analytics. She and her husband have three children all of whom are Embers Sparks!

Mrs. Flood will be assisting Mrs. Williams with Embers Parent Association (EPA) by coordinating EPA’s Parents First! and Social Events. She has 10 years of experience as an Administrative and Office Manager and also worked at her neighborhood public school providing classroom resource support. Mrs. Flood recently served as Parent Coordinator liaison at Northridge Prep. She and her husband have seven children and seven grandchildren.

Mrs. Harig heads up the Embers Business Office and also coordinates many of our marketing efforts. She and her husband are founders of the Fire Foundation, an organization that seeks to provide inclusive education at Catholic elementary schools. Mrs. Harig is a graduate of St. Mary’s College (Notre Dame) and has five children.

Mrs. Hastings is the mother of six children and is a grandmother of ten. She has 20 years of experience teaching in the Preschool setting and believes that children need love, understanding, patience and, most of all, FUN in a structured setting, where every day is a new opportunity for their minds and souls to grow in grace. Some of her favorite things in life include children, camping, singing, dogs, the ocean, and adventures.

Mrs. del Rosario is the mother of three children, all of whom are Embers Sparks. She loves spending time with her family, attending Latin Mass, dancing, and being outdoors. She holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University. Mrs. del Rosario has 18 years of teaching experience in both the Preschool and Kindergarten settings and believes in helping children learn how to get along with others, become passionate about learning, and grow in independence.

Mrs. Baehl is a wife and mother of 5 children. Mrs. Baehl comes with extensive experience in teaching Preschool, as well as a seasoned Resource Teacher. She brings with her a love for bringing out the best in each of her students. Katie earned a BA from Providence College with a dual degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. She then continued to earn an MA in Learning Disabilities from Montclair State University.

Ms. Miller grew up in Bloomington, IL and will be working with the four-year olds to joyfully set the stage where littles learn through play. She graduated from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN and served in the Seton Teaching Fellows program this past school year.

Ms. Lakowski is entering her fourth year as a teacher at Embers and has four young boys, two of them of who are Embers Sparks. She holds a Masters in Elementary Education from DePaul University and has 15 years of experience teaching young children. Teaching and working with children is her passion and brings her great joy. She believes that every child is a unique person, and strives to teach the whole child, respecting each one’s individuality.

Mrs. Mikan joins Embers this year as a Kindergarten teacher. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in teaching English as a Second Language. Mrs. Mikan brings to the classroom her strong love for teaching young children and her innovative ways of inspiring a love of learning. She and her husband live in Wilmette and have four children, one of whom is an Embers Spark.

Mrs. Donovan is entering her second year at Embers as a 1st-grade teacher. She is a proud Willows graduate! She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in Birth-3rd Grade from the University of Dayton. This year marks her 13th year as an educator, with nine years teaching 1st grade. Mrs. Donovan and her husband and daughter Molly, live in Arlington Heights. They enjoy bike riding, reading, and cooking together!

This year marks Mrs. Potempa’s second year as a member of the Embers team. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Marquette University and has worked in a variety of environments. She has experience in Case Management for a Christian shelter serving displaced families and most recently as a Teachers’ Aid in a dedicated Special Education program. Mrs. Potempa married her high school sweetheart and has four children. She enjoys photography, sewing, and exploring the beauty of God’s creation.

Ms. Zavacki returns for her fourth year at Embers. She is a graduate of DePaul University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Social Sciences. Prior to her time at Embers, Ms. Zavacki taught in other area Catholic schools. She is always ready to engage all her 2nd-grade Sharks!

Mrs. Black holds degrees in both Middle School Education and Elementary Education with endorsements in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. She attended the Willows, married an alum of Northridge, and has six children who have attended Northridge and Willows. Coming from a long line of educators, she believes it is a true honor when parents entrust their children’s education to her. Outside of Embers, she loves to garden, travel, and spend time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

After being a stay-at-home mother for several years, Mrs. Nelson is thrilled to be back at Embers, a school she has been a part of since 1999. She is an Illinois certified teacher (PEL) with a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Education, Curriculum & Instruction. She is also a Level 1 Teacher in Spiritual, Theological, and Ministerial Formation through the Archdiocese of Chicago. Mrs. Nelson believes that helping others is very important which is reflected in her time volunteering in the community in various ways.

Mr. Boville joins the Embers team this year as a 5th Grade teacher. He comes to us from Spain where he spent 13 years teaching. Mr. Boville graduated from the University of Zaragoza earning a degree in Primary Education and Bachelor of Humanity Science. He brings to Embers his passion for nurturing students to excel not only in academics but more importantly in the human and spiritual aspects of their development.

Mrs. Dysart earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Marquette University and has many years of teaching children at various grade levels. Mrs. Dysart is also a certified catechist for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. She enjoys spending time with her husband and three grown children and is an active parishioner at Mary, Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge.

Coming soon…

Ms. Reardon grew up in and around Park Ridge. She joins Embers as our 2nd Grade Support Teacher. Ms. Reardon attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign majoring in English and Secondary Education. She looks forward to bringing her experience to Embers and supporting students to be academically, socially and emotionally successful! 

Ann Sodaro has 16 years of experience teaching young children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program and has also worked as a teacher in several other area Catholic schools. Ann is married with three grown children and enjoys knitting, biking, and caring for her new dog ‘Clover’.

Mrs. Ullman joined Embers in 2017 and has dedicated herself to our littlest Sparks in different capacities. This year, Mrs. Ullman will be sharing the Kindergarten Co-Aide position. She is a certified Level 1 catechist for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program and is excited to bring Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to the young children of Embers to help in their faith formation. Mrs. Ullman and her husband have three daughters, all of them current or past Willows Academy Eagles. Outside of Embers she enjoys spending time with family, traveling (especially to Ecuador where she is from), cooking, and playing with her 23-year-old parrot.

Mr. Hastings is no stranger when it comes to knowing and loving Embers and its Sparks! Mr. Hastings has been part of Embers for many years, dabbling in our Drama Club, After Care staff, Support Teacher and as a substitute teacher. His many roles at Embers has readied him to become one of our newest Preschool Aides.

Señora Carpenter is very excited to begin her fourth year of teaching Spanish to the Kindergarten and 1st grade. Señora Carpenter holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language and International Studies, with a minor in Philosophy, from Gannon University in Erie, PA. She was blessed to work in a grammar school, La Escuela Morelos, in Chihuahua, Mexico, for 13 months while serving as a Catholic lay volunteer with the Canossian Daughters of Charity. Señora Carpenter and her husband have two sons – an Embers alum and a current student. She and her family enjoy music, family walks with their dog, golf, camping, board games, and backyard baseball.

Mrs. Henschell has shared her joy for teaching with Embers since 2019. She has served as a substitute teacher, a 3rd Grade Co-Support Teacher during the pandemic when Embers was in-person, and one of the 5th grade teachers until Mr. Boville arrived from Spain. Mrs. Henschell is currently our Science teacher and provides her magical hands-on science experiments for grades K – 5. She and her husband Scott have four children, with three being current Embers Sparks.

Mrs. Fernandez is in her ninth year as the 3rd and 4th grade Spanish Teacher and her seventh year as a Preschool Aide in Mrs. Dabe’s classroom. She is the mother of three children: two are Embers alum and one is a current student. Her favorite hobbies are arts and crafts. Working with kids in the classrooms is one of her major inspirations.

Mr. Sadlowski is happy to be returning for his third year as Music and Band Director at Embers Academy. He also keeps our Spark fit and healthy as our P.E. teacher. Mr. Sadlowski draws from a vast history in various fields of Fine Arts education and performance as a vocalist, instrumentalist, theatrical actor, choir director, and cantor for the Catholic Church to energetically inspire love and spiritual joy for music and the arts. When not teaching, singing, or performing on stage, Mr. Sadlowski can usually be found at home watching Marvel Movies with his 12-year old son Joshua.

Mrs. Wasserman returns for her fourth year at Embers. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Mrs. Wasserman has 12 years of experience teaching in the classroom and another 12 homeschooling her own children. Some of her favorite things are family bike rides, the Rocky Mountains, campfires with guitars, and a good book. She and her husband have two daughters and live in Northbrook.