Gifted@Robert Healy school
The Gifted Comprehensive Program at Robert Healy serves approximately 220 students in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
Teachers
1st Grade - Mrs. Patricia Gausselin
(email: [email protected] website:http://www.teacherweb.com/IL/Healy/Gausselin/apt2.aspx)
Mrs. Gausselin brings twenty-seven years of teaching experience to the classroom. This is her twenty-fifth year teaching at Healy School and her fourteenth year teaching the First Grade Gifted Program. Previously, she taught 1st and 2nd grade. Mrs. Gausselin graduated from Dominican University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education and has a Master’s Degree in Multicategorical Special Education from Governors State University. Mrs. Gausselin has been married for twenty years to her husband Tom. She lives in Orland Park with her beautiful daughters and two dogs. Mrs. Gausselin loves teaching, enjoys traveling and playing volleyball.
Mrs. Gausselin’s goal is to provide meaningful learning experiences for her students in a safe and respectful environment. She strives to challenge her students to think and create in different ways. She encourages them to do their best and to work towards excellence. Organizational skills are very important in life and Mrs. Gausselin hopes to instill these skills at a young age to benefit her students throughout their lives. It is Mrs. Gausselin’s hope that her students develop the skills to become successful in life and the desire to become lifelong learners.
2nd Grade - Miss Gianna Levato (email: [email protected] website: misslevato230.weebly.com)
3rd Grade - Ms. Kellie Sorrelll (email: [email protected] website:healyrm104.weebly.com)
Ms. Kellie Sorrell is a twenty-fifth year veteran teacher of the Chicago Public Schools and has been at Healy School for the last twenty years. During this time, she was also an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University in the Teacher Education program. She has a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from DePaul University and a Master of Science in Education in Instructional Technology from Northern Illinois University. Over the years, Ms. Sorrell has taught all grades levels at Healy from PreSchool through 8th grade in various positions, giving her an unique perspective on child development. She has also dedicated twelve years to being the school's Technology Coordinator, Grants Coordinator, and Arts administrator.
Ms. Sorrell is a firm believer educating the whole child and the value of community partnerships, beginning with families. As an advocate for Arts Education, Ms Sorrell has brought in grants to inspire young people to be creative and analytic thinkers and to help them persevere in school and their future careers
4th Grade - Ms. Nancy Nunez (email: [email protected] website:msnunez102,weebly.com )
Ms. Nunez holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Education with an endorsement in Middle School, from Northern Illinois University, a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and an ESL endorsement from the American College of Education. Ms. Nunez has also completed the Gifted Seminar. Ms. Nunez is currently in her fifteen year teaching at Healy School. She has taught sixth grade her first year, nine years in fourth grade and three years in fourth grade gifted. Ms. Nunez believes all students can learn and be successful in their education journey if they are provided with a positive structured environment. By providing the strategies, tools, and guidance to help students develop good learning habits, Ms. Nunez feels that all students can be aware of their strengths and become critical thinkers to be successful in their education.
5th Grade - Mrs. Luisa Santos (email:[email protected] website:http://teacherweb.com/IL/Healy/MrsSantos )
Mrs. Santos did not come into teaching in the traditional way. Instead, it called to her later in life. She graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a degree in French Studies and International Marketing. After spending several years in the business world, she decided to make a change. She wanted to utilize her talents to better serve others. Shortly after making this decision, she applied to the University of Illinois’ Project 29 program. She successfully completed the program after two years while earning a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership and English as a Second Language. Soon thereafter, she was hired at Healy School, where she has been teaching in the intermediate grades for the past 19 years.
Mrs. Santos believes that her experience in a field other than education has proven useful in understanding what students need in order to be successful in their chosen careers. She hopes to inspire students to develop certain habits of mind such as self-discipline, persistence, and careful attention to detail, for it is these habits that will have the most impact on their future success.
6th Grade - Ms. Sarah Boyd (email: [email protected] website: http://msboyd114.weebly.com/)
Ms. Boyd teachers sixth, seventh, eighth grade Science and sixth grade Language Arts at Healy. Originally from Philadelphia, Ms. Boyd studied Human Physiology at Boston University and earned her Master's Degree in Teaching from Dominican University. She discovered her love for science and education through her own experiences as a student in the classroom. Prior to teaching, Ms. Boyd spent time conducting research for the Harvard School of Public Health and Cambridge Health Alliance. She also coordinated an SAT preparation course for high school seniors in Philadelphia. In her third year at Healy, Ms. Boyd loves to see her students find their passions in life and encourages them to explore the fascinating field of science.
7th Grade - Ms. Katie Zwierzynski (email: [email protected] website: msbrasher113.weebly.com)
Presently, Mrs. Zwierzynski teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Language Arts and Social Studies. She received an athletic scholarship to college and completed her undergraduate studies at Lewis University, majoring in Elementary Education. Additionally, she received her Master’s Degree focusing on Curriculum and Instruction. Her endorsements include Language Arts, Social Studies, Middle School, and English as a Second Language. In 2008, she furthered her studies and received a National Board Certification with a focus in English Language Arts Instruction. In 2015, she received an endorsement in Gifted Education.
Katie is currently in her twelfth year at Robert Healy School. Her mission is to prepare middle school students to gain acceptance and succeed at the top schools in the Chicagoland area. She strives to create an educational environment that recognizes the unique intellectual, academic, and social/emotional needs of gifted students.There is no greater satisfaction than seeing a student grow and mature throughout their time at Healy.
8th Grade - Mrs. Sheila Wong-Gracia (email: [email protected] website:mswong115.weebly.com )
Mrs. Wong-Gracia holds a Bachelors of Science in Secondary English Education with an endorsement in ESL from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Masters of Science in the Teaching of Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is National Board Certified in English Language Arts. She has also completed the gifted endorsement and the certification to teach Algebra in the Middle School. Prior to teaching in the gifted program, Mrs. Wong-Gracia began at Healy in the Pathways School-Within-A-School, teaching 5th and 6th grade. In the gifted program, she has taught 7th and 8th social studies, math, and language arts. Currently, she is teaching 6th through 8th math and 8th language arts and has been coaching the academic competition teams for the last fourteen years. Over her eighteen years with Healy students, she has taught her students that their foundation in education is here and that they represent Healy School no matter how far they go. Success comes from within, as the biggest obstacles also come from within. As they graduate, they need to understand that they take forth the hopes, dreams, fears, and promises of all those who have invested their efforts into making them into global citizens.
(email: [email protected] website:http://www.teacherweb.com/IL/Healy/Gausselin/apt2.aspx)
Mrs. Gausselin brings twenty-seven years of teaching experience to the classroom. This is her twenty-fifth year teaching at Healy School and her fourteenth year teaching the First Grade Gifted Program. Previously, she taught 1st and 2nd grade. Mrs. Gausselin graduated from Dominican University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education and has a Master’s Degree in Multicategorical Special Education from Governors State University. Mrs. Gausselin has been married for twenty years to her husband Tom. She lives in Orland Park with her beautiful daughters and two dogs. Mrs. Gausselin loves teaching, enjoys traveling and playing volleyball.
Mrs. Gausselin’s goal is to provide meaningful learning experiences for her students in a safe and respectful environment. She strives to challenge her students to think and create in different ways. She encourages them to do their best and to work towards excellence. Organizational skills are very important in life and Mrs. Gausselin hopes to instill these skills at a young age to benefit her students throughout their lives. It is Mrs. Gausselin’s hope that her students develop the skills to become successful in life and the desire to become lifelong learners.
2nd Grade - Miss Gianna Levato (email: [email protected] website: misslevato230.weebly.com)
3rd Grade - Ms. Kellie Sorrelll (email: [email protected] website:healyrm104.weebly.com)
Ms. Kellie Sorrell is a twenty-fifth year veteran teacher of the Chicago Public Schools and has been at Healy School for the last twenty years. During this time, she was also an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University in the Teacher Education program. She has a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from DePaul University and a Master of Science in Education in Instructional Technology from Northern Illinois University. Over the years, Ms. Sorrell has taught all grades levels at Healy from PreSchool through 8th grade in various positions, giving her an unique perspective on child development. She has also dedicated twelve years to being the school's Technology Coordinator, Grants Coordinator, and Arts administrator.
Ms. Sorrell is a firm believer educating the whole child and the value of community partnerships, beginning with families. As an advocate for Arts Education, Ms Sorrell has brought in grants to inspire young people to be creative and analytic thinkers and to help them persevere in school and their future careers
4th Grade - Ms. Nancy Nunez (email: [email protected] website:msnunez102,weebly.com )
Ms. Nunez holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Education with an endorsement in Middle School, from Northern Illinois University, a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and an ESL endorsement from the American College of Education. Ms. Nunez has also completed the Gifted Seminar. Ms. Nunez is currently in her fifteen year teaching at Healy School. She has taught sixth grade her first year, nine years in fourth grade and three years in fourth grade gifted. Ms. Nunez believes all students can learn and be successful in their education journey if they are provided with a positive structured environment. By providing the strategies, tools, and guidance to help students develop good learning habits, Ms. Nunez feels that all students can be aware of their strengths and become critical thinkers to be successful in their education.
5th Grade - Mrs. Luisa Santos (email:[email protected] website:http://teacherweb.com/IL/Healy/MrsSantos )
Mrs. Santos did not come into teaching in the traditional way. Instead, it called to her later in life. She graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a degree in French Studies and International Marketing. After spending several years in the business world, she decided to make a change. She wanted to utilize her talents to better serve others. Shortly after making this decision, she applied to the University of Illinois’ Project 29 program. She successfully completed the program after two years while earning a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership and English as a Second Language. Soon thereafter, she was hired at Healy School, where she has been teaching in the intermediate grades for the past 19 years.
Mrs. Santos believes that her experience in a field other than education has proven useful in understanding what students need in order to be successful in their chosen careers. She hopes to inspire students to develop certain habits of mind such as self-discipline, persistence, and careful attention to detail, for it is these habits that will have the most impact on their future success.
6th Grade - Ms. Sarah Boyd (email: [email protected] website: http://msboyd114.weebly.com/)
Ms. Boyd teachers sixth, seventh, eighth grade Science and sixth grade Language Arts at Healy. Originally from Philadelphia, Ms. Boyd studied Human Physiology at Boston University and earned her Master's Degree in Teaching from Dominican University. She discovered her love for science and education through her own experiences as a student in the classroom. Prior to teaching, Ms. Boyd spent time conducting research for the Harvard School of Public Health and Cambridge Health Alliance. She also coordinated an SAT preparation course for high school seniors in Philadelphia. In her third year at Healy, Ms. Boyd loves to see her students find their passions in life and encourages them to explore the fascinating field of science.
7th Grade - Ms. Katie Zwierzynski (email: [email protected] website: msbrasher113.weebly.com)
Presently, Mrs. Zwierzynski teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Language Arts and Social Studies. She received an athletic scholarship to college and completed her undergraduate studies at Lewis University, majoring in Elementary Education. Additionally, she received her Master’s Degree focusing on Curriculum and Instruction. Her endorsements include Language Arts, Social Studies, Middle School, and English as a Second Language. In 2008, she furthered her studies and received a National Board Certification with a focus in English Language Arts Instruction. In 2015, she received an endorsement in Gifted Education.
Katie is currently in her twelfth year at Robert Healy School. Her mission is to prepare middle school students to gain acceptance and succeed at the top schools in the Chicagoland area. She strives to create an educational environment that recognizes the unique intellectual, academic, and social/emotional needs of gifted students.There is no greater satisfaction than seeing a student grow and mature throughout their time at Healy.
8th Grade - Mrs. Sheila Wong-Gracia (email: [email protected] website:mswong115.weebly.com )
Mrs. Wong-Gracia holds a Bachelors of Science in Secondary English Education with an endorsement in ESL from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Masters of Science in the Teaching of Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is National Board Certified in English Language Arts. She has also completed the gifted endorsement and the certification to teach Algebra in the Middle School. Prior to teaching in the gifted program, Mrs. Wong-Gracia began at Healy in the Pathways School-Within-A-School, teaching 5th and 6th grade. In the gifted program, she has taught 7th and 8th social studies, math, and language arts. Currently, she is teaching 6th through 8th math and 8th language arts and has been coaching the academic competition teams for the last fourteen years. Over her eighteen years with Healy students, she has taught her students that their foundation in education is here and that they represent Healy School no matter how far they go. Success comes from within, as the biggest obstacles also come from within. As they graduate, they need to understand that they take forth the hopes, dreams, fears, and promises of all those who have invested their efforts into making them into global citizens.