We are excited to welcome new faculty and staff to our amazing team! Learn more about them below. We look forward to seeing everybody back for a new school year!
New Leadership Team
B.A. Catholic University of America
Ms. Kurkowski has been a part of the Willows community since before she was born! Her parents attended the first ever open house Willows Academy hosted in this current building. Ms. Kurkowski and all of her sisters are proud graduates of Willows Academy.
After Willows, Ms. Kurkowski attended the University of Dallas where she double majored in English and Politics. After teaching in Texas for three years, shet returned to Willows for the 2025-26 school year to teach sixth & seventh grade English and History. This year, she is excited to step into the role of Director of Middle School, while continuing to teach sixth and seventh grade literature.
During her three years in Texas, she worked in Austin as part of the Valor Education Network–a classical charter school network. She started teaching at the school during the first year of the campus’ existence, granting her (and her cohort of teachers!) an honorary “co-founder” title. She taught 1st grade for two years and 5th grade history and language arts for the third year. She especially remembers fondly the beauty of teaching her first graders to read for the first time, being able to guide children who needed extra support, and being a part of establishing the culture of a new school.
When she decided to return to the Chicago area to be closer to family, Willows presented itself as an attractive option. She herself attributes much of who she is today to her time here as a student–especially the influence of her teachers. “They [those teachers] opened me up to so many beauties of life,” she reflects. She is grateful and excited to be able to return and hopefully give back in the ways that she has received.
As the Director of Middle School, Ms. Kurkowski understands that middle school is a very unique and important period of a child’s education. She views it as important years to balance holding on to childhood, setting the trajectory for adolescence, and taking the first steps of learning to think more critically about adulthood.
She believes in the importance of an all-girls environment during this heavily impressionable time and is hopeful for the year to come.
New Faculty & Staff
Mr. Nick Chapello, Director of Finance & Operations
B.A. (2) Dominican University, Accounting, Business Management
Mr. Chapello joins our team as the Director of Finance and Operations at Willows Academy. He completed his accounting and business management degrees at Dominican University. He also spent 25 years in the Chicago Police Deparment’s Bureau of Organized Crime as a Criminal Financial Investigator.
Mr. Chapello is a proud father of 6, including three daughters who all graduated from Willows Academy!
Mrs. Caroline Choi, French & Latin
B.A. University of Provence France, Mathematics and Social Sciences
M.A. Vanderbilt University, French Literature
M.A. Franciscan University of Steubenville, Catholic Studies
Mrs. Choi was a teacher for ten years before changing careers and becoming an actuary. She is thrilled to return to the classroom and join Willows Academy. She is a native speaker of French and passionate about sharing her knowledge of the French language and literature with students.
Mrs. Choi also recently completed a master’s degree in Catholic Studies at Franciscan University, an experience which has deepened her appreciation of Catholic thought and culture. She loves studying humanities and has been learning ancient Greek. In her free time, she enjoys reading and walking.
Ms. Jessica Cieply, Middle School Art
B.A. Millikin University, Theatre
M.A. North Park University, Art Education
Ms. Cieply was first introduced to art as a profession while she herself was a Willows student. As an alum (Class of ’12), she is grateful to return after a Theatre degree from Millikin University as well as an M.A. in Education specializing in Art Education from North Park University.
She has been an active member of Branch church in Jefferson Park since 2017. Her art has been featured in galleries at Oakton College and North Park University.
Ms. Elizabetta Currie, History
B.A. Benedictine College, Secondary Education, Social Science, minor in Theology
Ms. Currie graduated from Benedictine College with a degree in education and social science. She taught as a student teacher in Missouri during her last semester and also served as a Totus Tuus missionary for two summers.
She is a proud Willows alum and hails from a family of Willows and Northridge graduates. Both of her parents (Czarnik and Currie), as well as 6 aunts, 8 uncles, and countless cousins, all graduated from Willows Academy and Northridge Prep!
Ms. Sara Georges (’22), Academic Support Mentor
B.S. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Minor in Chemistry
Ms. Georges is a proud Willows alum (Class of 2022)! She studied biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she worked as an undergraduate researcher for two years. She completed her thesis on PFAS, a topic about which she is deeply passionate.
She also loves to sing, paint and travel and most recently returned from visiting Spain, France, and Switzerland. She is engaged and looking forward to getting married in June 2027.
Ms. Jaime Graves, Front Office
Mrs. Graves has homeschooled her three youngest children for several years, taking a very active role in their education and development. As she and her husband transition their youngest into formal schooling, she is excited to become engaged in the school community and help in any way she can.
Mrs. Graves grew up in a small town in North Central Indiana. She spent her young adult years in Texas and then moved to Chicago where she met her husband. They have four children–3 boys and 1 girl–and 2 dogs!
Dr. Beatriz Ortiz Gray, Spanish
M.D. Xochicalco University
Dr. Gray was born and raised in Mexico and earned her MD from Xochicalco University. As a practicing physician, her work included running a rural public clinic providing care to impoverished communities in Mexico. She treated a wide range of urgent and emergent health issues, including pregnancies and emergency medicine!
Dr. Gray has three daughters who graduated from Willows Academy and is looking forward to remaining a part of the community as part of the faculty.
Mrs. Danielle Huber, Front Office
Danielle Huber is a proud mom to three girls: Francesca, a freshman at Willows Academy, Samantha, a 7th grader at Willows, and Brea, a 1st grader at Embers Academy. She and her husband, Dave, have been married for 17 years—a milestone made even more special as Dave’s uncle, Fr. Jim McDonough, married them and later baptized both Francesca and Samantha.
Residents of Park Ridge and parishioners at Our Lady of Ransom for 16 years, the Hubers love hosting family and friends, though their absolute favorite moments are spent unwinding together at their lake house in Coloma, Michigan. Danielle also coaches softball at Willows and feels deeply blessed by the incredible community of friends she has made throughout her time as a Willows mom.
Ms. Violeta Marovic (’22), Theology
B.A. University of Dallas, Theology
Ms. Marovic is a proud alumna of the Willows Class of 2022. After graduating from Willows, she went on to attend the University of Dallas, where she pursued her love of Theology. She is excited to return to the school that played such an important role in her own education, this time as a teacher!
She loves to sing, dance, and play pickleball. She is proud of her strong Croatian heritage and has a special love for mission trips and serving others.
Ms. Jessica Wiseman (’17), History
B.A. Wheaton College, English
M.A.T. National Louis University, Secondary Education, English
Ms. Wiseman has been working with Catholic schools for many years. She is passionate about helping students become the best version of themselves, as well as helping them deepen their critical thinking skills.
She is a proud Willows alum (Class of 2017) and loved her years as a student. She especially appreciates the teachers that she had who played a big role in inspiring her to become an educator. Outside of work, Ms. Wiseman enjoys spending time with her family and her dog.
