The staff at St. John Berchmans School is dedicated to serving the needs of the students and their families and would be happy to assist you in any way we can! You may contact staff members directly by email or by contacting the school office at 773-486-1334.

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School Administration

Fr. Tomasz Wojciechowski
Pastor of Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish
Email: twojciechowski@archchicago.org
Mrs. Peggy Roketenetz
Principal
Email: proketenetz@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA English Education; MA Writing; MEd Educational Leadership
  • Miami University, OH and DePaul University
  • Employed since 2007
Mrs. Julie Castelli
Director of Admissions & Programs Coordinator and Director of Enrichment
Email: jcastelli@stjohnberchmans.org​
  • BS Mechanical Engineering
  • Marquette University
  • Employed since 2022
Mr. Louis Russo
Director Of Operations
Email: lrusso@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA
  • Loyola University
  • Employed since 2019
Mrs. Claire Kenny
Director of Events
Email: ckenny@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA / Juris Doctor
  • Marquette University, DePaul University College of Law
  • Employed since 2019
Mrs. Judy Ciukowski
Administrative Assistant
Email: jciukowski@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Mundelein College & Universidad de Zaragoza
  • Employed since 1999
Mrs. Monica Parker
Technology / Spanish / Director of Athletics
Email:  mparker@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Spanish
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Employed since 2008
Mrs. Cathryn Cheney
Director of Inclusive Education
Email: ccheney@stjohnberchmans.org
  • MED in Education, LBS1
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Employed since 2021
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Early Childhood PreK Faculty

Mrs. Abby Hill
Preschool - Ocean Buddies
Email: ahill@stjohnberchmans.org
  • B.A. in Elementary Education
  • University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL
  • Employed since 2022
Mrs. Eileen Salamone
Preschool - Dazzling Dinosaurs
Email: esalamone@stjohnberchmans.org
  • AA, BA Elementary Education
  • Triton College, Concordia College
  • Employed since 1986
Ms. Jenny Peters
Preschool - Ocean Buddies
Email: jpeters@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Elementary Education
  • Loyola University
  • Employed since 2010
Juliet Calderon
Preschool - Wise Owls
 jcalderon@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Northern Illinois University
  •  Early Childhood Education (birth-2nd) and Early Childhood Special Education (birth-2nd) and English as a Second Language (Pre-Kindergarten – 12th)
  • Employed since 2023
Mrs. Cristina Gomez
Preschool - Wise Owls
Email: cgomez@stjohnberchmans.org
  • MSEd Childhood Education, MFA Acting, Alternative Early Childhood Certification (UIC), ESL endorsed (Concordia)
  • SUNY Purchase, CUNY Hunter, UIC
  • Employed since 2013
Ms. Crystal Sanchez
Preschool - Dazzling Dinosaurs
Email: csanchez@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BS Early Childhood Ed, Minor Theater Performance
  • Dominican University
  • Employed since 2022
Ms. Becca Welch
Preschool - Zoo Crew
Email: rwelch@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA in English, Masters in Early Childhood Education
  • Wesleyan University, DePaul University
  • Employed since 2022
Mrs. Mary Jean Zaino
Preschool - Zoo Crew
Email: mzaino@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Elementary Education, Minor Early Childhoood
  • St. Norbert College
  • Employed since 2011
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Primary School K-3 Faculty

Ms. Hannah Faucher
Kindergarten Teacher
Email: hfaucher@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Early Childhood Education
  • Miami University
  • Employed since 2018
Ms. Allison Kotas
Kindergarten Teacher
Email: akotas@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Early Childhood Education with an ESL Endorsement
  • DePaul University
  • Employed since 2017
Mrs. Julie Kurzynski
K-3 Religion Teacher
Email: jkurzynski@stjohnberchmans.org
Ms. Mary Kail
1st Grade Teacher
Email: mkail@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BSW, MEd Early Childhood
  • Western Michigan University, DePaul University
  • Employed since 2020
Ms. Katie Basil
1st Grade Teachers Aide
Email: kbasil@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Employed since 2020
Mrs. Raquel Maksomowicz
1st Grade Teacher
Email: rmaksomowicz@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Early Childhood Education
  • National Louis University
  • Employed since 2022
Ms. Josie Sanning
2nd Grade Teacher
Email: jsanning@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Miami University of Ohio - B.S. in Primary Education
  • ​Employed since 2023
Ms. Nadya Chiavola
3rd Grade Teacher
Email: nchiavola@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Elementary Education
  • Illinois State University
  • Employed since 2022
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Middle School 4-5 Faculty

Mrs. Kerri Druckmiller
Grade 4 Homeroom / Middle School Language Arts
Email:  kdruckmiller@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA in Elementary Education, University of Illinois-Champaign
  • MA Reading Specialist, Concordia-River Forest, IL
  • ​Employed since 2022
Mr. Larry Schwider
Grade 5 Homeroom / Middle School Math and Religion
Email: lschwider@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Social Science
  • Northeastern IL University
  • Employed since 1995
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Junior High 6-8 Faculty

Ms. Lily Valentine
Junior High ELA
Email:  lvalentine@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Kenyon College - BA in English and Art History
  • Relay Graduate School of Education - M.A. in Teaching
  • ​Employed since 2022
Mrs. Ella Wood
Junior High Mathematics
Email:  ewood@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Pre-Med and Anthropology
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Masters in Education from Dominican University
  • Employed since 2020
Mr. John Malecki
Junior High Science and Social Studies
Email: jmalecki@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Bachelor's Degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
  • Employed since 2023
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Support Services Staff

Mrs. Magda Cardona
Attendance Clerk and After Care
Mrs. Lindsey Davis
Reading Teacher
Email:  ldavis@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Early Childhood Education
  • Miami University
  • Employed since 2012
Ms. Aida Farias
Playground Aide
Ms. Virginia Perez
1st-8th Grade Extended Day
Email: extendedcare@stjohnberchmans.org
Isis Caraballo
Lunch Coordinator 
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Specials Faculty

Mrs. Evelyn Kim
Physical Education
Email:  ekim@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BS Physical Education
  • Illinois State University
  • Employed since 2004
Mrs. Monica Parker
Technology / Spanish / Director of Athletics
Email:  mparker@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BA Spanish
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Employed since 2008
Ms. Taylor Varnado
Art
 tvarnado@stjohnberchmans.org
  • BFA Graphic Design
  • MA Teaching + Learning in Art +Design
  • Employed since 2022
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Maintenance Staff

Mr. Andy Paredes
Maintenance
Email:  aparedes@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Employed since 2022
Mr. Robert Emerson
Janitor
Email:  remerson@stjohnberchmans.org
  • Employed since 2018
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