ALYSSA FULLERTON
School District 54
s to
Addition
the
ur
MacArth
Staff!
2016/20
17
Campanelli is
t h r iMacArthur
l l e d t o i n - is
troduce to you
thrilled to
the new addiintroduce to you
tions to our
the new
staff. They
c aadditions
n ’ t w a i t to
t o our
can’t
gstaff.
e t t oThey
know
y o uwait
a n dtoyget
o u r to
know
c h i lyou
d r e nand
. your
children!
Kindergarten English Teacher
Ms. Fullerton is excited to be the English side of Dual Language
Kindergarten this upcoming school year. In 2012, Ms. Fullerton
graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
where she did her student teaching in 1st and 4th grade
classrooms. After graduating, she worked as a K-3 English
Language teacher and then as a 2nd grade teacher. She is
currently working on her Master's in Literacy, Language, and
Culture through the University of Illinois at Chicago. In her free
time, Ms. Fullerton loves to be outside, read, and watch sports. While in college, she
played on U of I's club lacrosse team. Every summer she coaches a middle school
girls' lacrosse team. Ms. Fullerton is thrilled to be part of the MacArthur Team!
AMANDA LEIBER
LAUREN STERCAY
1st Grade English Dual Teacher
2nd Grade English Dual Teacher
Miss Leiber is excited to
be joining the staff at
MacArthur as the new
First Grade English dual
teacher. She recently
graduated from Illinois
State University where
she majored in Bilingual
Elementary Education
with minors in Spanish
and TESOL (Teaching English to Students of
Other Languages). She also completed a
full year of student teaching in Elgin, Illinois
where she spent time in both 2nd and 4th
grade dual language classrooms. In her
free time, Miss Leiber enjoys crafting,
spending time outside, and watching her
favorite Chicago sports teams.
Miss Stercay recently
graduated from
North Central
College where she
studied Elementary
Education with
endorsements in ELL
and special
education. She
completed her
student teaching in a
2nd grade classroom
in Naperville. She loves to travel and in
college she got to study abroad in Italy
and Greece. Miss Stercay is excited to
be the new English 2nd grade dual
language teacher at MacArthur!
AMANDA BARTON
3rd Grade English Dual Teacher
Miss Barton
recently
graduated from
Illinois State
University. She
completed a
semester of
student teaching
in a 1st/2nd multigrade classroom
within School
District 54. While at Illinois State
University, she studied Early Childhood
Education, ESL, and Special Education.
Miss Barton loves to read, travel, and
make arts and crafts in her free time.
She is very excited to become apart of
the MacArthur staff!
VANESSA DAKER
MARISELA MEDRANO
3rd/4th Grade Spanish Dual
Teacher
5th Grade Spanish Dual Teacher
Mrs. Daker is very excited
to join the MacArthur
community; and is eager
to meet her new students!
Mrs. Daker graduated
from Dominican University
with a major in Spanish
and a Masters in the Art
of Teaching. Prior to
joining the MacArthur Team she was a K-4
Spanish teacher in Chicago for four years;
along with a K-8 Spanish teacher at a
Catholic school in Chicago as well! Mrs.
Daker enjoys trying new restaurants;
especially Cuban cuisine. She is very
excited to be teaching in a dual
language program at MacArthur!
Mrs. Medrano is thrilled
about joining the MacArthur
team again this school year
as the 5th Grade Spanish
Dual Language Teacher.
Mrs. Medrano completed
her student teaching here at
MacArthur and graduated
from Northern Illinois
University in December of
2012. Since then, she has
worked for three years as a
Third Grade Bilingual
Teacher. She enjoys spending time and
making memories with her husband and one
-year-old daughter. Mrs. Medrano is eager
for the start of an amazing school year with
the great community at MacArthur !
LAURA VALENZANO
6th Grade Spanish Dual Teacher
Miss Valenzano is excited to join the 6th grade dual language team
at MacArthur. Prior to joining MacArthur’s team, Miss Valenzano
taught Spanish as a foreign language as well as reading
intervention for two years in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood
of Chicago. Miss Valenzano studied anthropology, Spanish, and
English as a second language instruction at DePaul University in
Chicago. This spring, Miss Valenzano received her Master of Arts in
Teaching from Dominican University. Because Miss Valenzano loves learning about new
cultures, she spends her time exploring various neighborhoods in the city to uncover the
different ways that people live. Miss Valenzano grew up in a bilingual household, so she
understands the positive impact that bilingualism has on student identity. Miss Valenzano
can’t wait to share her love for culture and language at MacArthur!
Carolina Arroyave
Art Teacher
Ms. Arroyave is ecstatic to join the MacArthur staff as our new visual
arts teacher. She has had experience working in dual-language and
international baccalaureate school environments in Chicago Public
Schools. She graduated from both the Savannah College of Art and
Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Columbia
College Chicago with a Masters of Art in Teaching, concentrating on
K-12 Visual Arts Education. She has dedicated most of her career to
learning about the power of art and design, finding that there is no better way to learn
than through the arts. In her eyes, students have the opportunity to enrich their lives
about the world and many cultures, but also about themselves and their own
communities in the arts classroom. In her free time, Ms. Arroyave enjoys traveling, hiking,
gardening, thrifting, and making art. She especially loves visiting her family in Medellin,
Colombia. As a MacArthur Toro, Ms. Arroyave hopes to further create goals and
opportunities for students to have a deeper appreciation for the arts in the upcoming
school year!
Jillian Sipp
Special Services Teacher
Mrs. Sipp is very excited to be joining the MacArthur Community
this upcoming school year. Mrs. Sipp has had the privilege of
working for District 54 for the last 10 years as a Special Services
Teacher at Enders-Salk, Einstein, and Campanelli Elementary
Schools. Each school has brought many new experiences that
have helped her grow as a professional. Mrs. Sipp earned her
Bachelor’s degree in Spanish at the University of Illinois at
Chicago. She received her Master’s of Arts in Teaching at
National Louis University. Mrs. Sipp loves to spend time with her
two small boys and her husband. She cannot wait to welcome her third baby boy to
the family this fall. Mrs. Sipp is looking forward to an amazing year working with all of
the students, parents and staff at MacArthur Elementary!
CINZIA BELLAROSA
Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Bellarosa
joined School
District 54 in 2014
as a Spanish
substitute teacher.
As such, she has
worked in various
schools with
students from preschool through
eighth grade. Most recently, she
completed two long-term assignments
at Adolph Link Elementary School. First,
she worked as a dual language
intervention teacher and later as a dual
language teacher for first and second
grades. Prior to School District 54, Mrs.
Bellarosa worked in the areas of testing
and assessment for companies in the
education and telecommunications
industries. She completed a bachelor’s
degree in Psychology in Venezuela, her
native country. Later, she obtained a
Masters and a Ph.D. in Psychology from
the Illinois Institute of Technology in
Chicago. Mrs. Bellarosa enjoys
spending time with her family, traveling,
exercising, reading and cooking. She is
eager to be part of the MacArthur
community and support its students.