Staff List

Mrs. Toth began working at St. Mary of Gostyn in 1999 as a teachers’ aide

and in 2009 she moved to the school office to become an Administrative Assistant. Her family has been parishioners for over twenty years. Mary has three children who all attended St. Mary of Gostyn from Kindergarten through eighth grade. They went on to graduate from Downers Grove South, and then Illinois State and Lewis University as well.

Mrs. Kalal is starting her 19^th year at St. Mary of Gostyn. Before accepting the position of Assistant Principal, she taught middle school Mathematics. She is an alumnus from SMG, as are her four children, and feel especially vested in St. Mary’s as a student, parent, teacher, and administrator.

Mrs. Kalal earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Concordia College (now Concordia University) and has taken many courses and attended numerous workshops in a wide variety of topics to continue her desire to be a lifelong learner.

She loves being a part of a community that values communication between the school and parents. Seeing the students gain knowledge, confidence, and a love of God is so rewarding to her. She looks forward to seeing the students’ smiling faces every day.

Mrs. Czopek has been St. Mary of Gostyn’s Administrative Assistant for 29 years and has been a member of St. Mary’s Parish for 41 years. Her 4 children attended and graduated from St. Mary’s. Three of them graduated from Benet Academy and one graduated from Montini Catholic. She lives with her husband Frank in Downers Grove. Dianne has 8 grandchildren who are the joy of her life.

Mrs. Czopek loves being part of St. Mary’s because she enjoys watching the students grow from little 3 year old preschoolers, to becoming young Catholic teens, going on to high school and getting ready to take on the world and making us proud.

“Catholic Education and being a vital part of St. Mary’s School are both very near and dear to my heart.”

Ms. Meier is a graduate of Bradley University with a degree in Elementary Education and has been teaching ever since graduation.  Ms. Meier started her career at St. Charles Borromeo teaching kindergarten and then found her love of preschool!   Ms. Meier developed a successful preschool curriculum with District 53 and continues to improve the program at SMG.  Ms. Meier’s love of her faith and strong SMG family are the reasons she loves teaching at SMG.  SMG feels like home!

Mrs. Malik is the Kindergarten teacher who loves her job. She attended Aurora University where she received her B. A. in Elementary Education. For many years, she was the art teacher in Kindergarten and was the first grade aid here at St. Mary of Gostyn. She taught second grade at St. Raphael School before teaching at St. Mary’s. Her years of teaching have been wonderful and she looks forward to many more. Her Husband’s name is Peter and her five children who have all graduated from St. Mary’s support her love of teaching. St. Mary of Gostyn is a wonderful school community and she is so glad to be a part of it.

Ms. Jamrozek has been part of the St. Mary’s Family, first teaching 2^nd grade,  and now, Kindergarten.  She earned her Bachelor degree at DePaul University and continues to study the latest teaching trends through seminars, meetings and educational texts.  Her aim in teaching the young child is to instill in them a love of God and neighbor as she guides them in growing academically, socially and spiritually.

This is Mrs. Pizza’s fourth year teaching at St. Mary’s.  She is happy to return to teaching after staying home to raise her three children.  Mrs. Pizza enjoys being part of the St. Mary’s community;  She loves working with children and helping them learn and grow in their Catholic faith. Mrs. Pizza likes to spend time reading  and being outdoors with her family.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and a Masters in Elementary Education from Roosevelt University.

Mrs. Ryan received her bachelor’s degree at Illinois State University and her Master’s degree at the University of St. Francis in Joliet. She has taught 6^th, 3^rd, 1^st, and 2^nd grades at St. Mary of Gostyn School.  She enjoys teaching at St. Mary’s because of the warm family atmosphere.  The students are respectful to each other and helpful.  The staff is warm and friendly.  They strive to offer a great education for the students and believe in strong Catholic values.

Mrs. Ryan was married at St. Mary of Gostyn Church and has five children.  She lives with her family in Westmont.  She has three dogs and a cat!  She loves to travel and enjoys being active.

Welcome to St. Mary of Gostyn!  Mrs. Nolan is a 2^nd grade teacher at SMG. She has taught 2^nd grade for 6 years and also has experience teaching 1^st grade and Kindergarten. She believes St. Mary’s is a special place because of the Catholic identity that is carried through the school day here. Her favorite part of teaching 2^nd grade is having a role in preparing the students for the two sacraments they receive during the year.

Mrs. Nolan attended Catholic Schools for 16 years and received her elementary education degree from John Carroll University.  She is married and has three children. Mrs. Nolan actually attended St. Mary’s  as a child, and sent her own children to SMG,  so it definitely holds a special place in her heart!

Miss Buh is a graduate of Saint Mary’s from the class of 2007. After Saint Mary’s, she attended Benet Academy then Indiana University, where she earned her degree in Elementary Education with a Spanish minor. Miss Buh returned to Saint Mary’s in 2015 as a third grade homeroom teacher. She is also the Math/Science teacher for both third grade classes. She is happy to be teaching at the same school that gave her so many positive memories as a student!

Mrs. Cantlin began her career teaching high school social studies and English.  She earned her B.A. in Social Science from Illinois Benedictine College (Benedictine University)  with an endorsement in secondary education and English literature.  While teaching at Willowbrook High School, Mrs. Cantlin also worked with students outside of the classroom as the coach of the pompon team and dance troupe director.  Following her six years of teaching at Willowbrook, where she met her husband, Mrs. Cantlin took time away from the classroom to raise her two children, Ryan and Katie.

Both of Mrs. Cantlin’s children are graduates of St. Mary’s.  While her children attended SMG, Mrs. Cantlin was actively involved in the school as an H.S.A. officer and president.  During this time, she also taught students on homebound status with Willowbrook High School.  She eventually returned to the classroom part time as a middle school aide at St. Mary’s for five years.

Mrs. Cantlin is excited to be back teaching in the classroom and is thrilled to be a third grade teacher at St. Mary’s.  She enjoys the third graders’ enthusiasm for learning and their constant energy.  Together they learn while having fun. When she is not teaching, Mrs. Cantlin enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cheering on her children at their sporting events.

This will be Ms. Caldwell’s fourth year teaching at the elementary level. She graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. In addition, she has received endorsements in Reading, Language Arts, Math, and Science. Last year, our school’s theme was “We Are Called.” This theme was very fitting for Ms. Caldwell, as she started her first year teaching in a Catholic school. Ms. Caldwell is excited to have the opportunity to share her faith and be a part of St. Mary’s community.

This will be Mr. Bruno’s ninth year teaching at St. Mary of Gostyn’s. Mr. Bruno has an Undergraduate Degree in Science from Loyola University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Aurora University. He is currently continuing his education, taking history classes at a local college. Mr. Bruno’s two sons are currently enrolled at St. Mary of Gostyn. Having students connect to history is always a goal for Mr. Bruno. Mr. Bruno enjoys challenging students to reach their potential while preparing them for the next stage of their education.

Mrs. Van Allen has enjoyed her six years at St. Mary of Gostyn School as a fifth grade homeroom teacher and a fourth and fifth grade science teacher.  Mrs. Van Allen graduated, magna cum laude, from The University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.  After graduating, she went on to obtain her masters in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, graduated magna cum laude, from Walden University.  Mrs. Van Allen has been taking classes at The University of Illinois, in special education, and will be receiving her Learning Behavioral Specialist One endorsement, May of 2017.  In addition, Mrs. Van Allen served in The United States Army Reserves.  She was activated, in 1990, in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  She worked as a secretary in a military police company, guarding the prisoners of war.  Upon returning to the United States, she obtained a position as a secretary to General Patrick E. Rea of the 85th Maneuver Exercise Command at Fort Sheridan until honorably discharged in February of 1997.

Mrs. Kahlke loves being part of the SMG community. She teaches middle school Reading/Language Arts and infuses the curriculum with our Catholic faith.  Her previous teaching experience includes high school English as well as Japanese. Mrs. Kahlke grew up overseas and appreciates different cultures. She enjoys bringing a multicultural approach to the study of literature. She also has a passion for writing and has founded SMG’s student publication, Voices. Mrs. Kahlke received her degree in the Teaching of English from the University of Illinois and has completed postgraduate coursework in Japanese from Northwestern University.

Mrs. Ruddy graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education (English minor) and from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and reading endorsement.   Mrs. Ruddy holds an Elementary Education teaching license with endorsements in both language arts and reading.  Married to an SMG alumnus for seventeen years and remaining an active St. Mary of Gostyn parishioner for thirteen years, Mrs. Ruddy is blessed to have three beautiful children, one a newer SMG alumnus and two other children who currently attend SMG. Entering her tenth year of teaching middle school reading and language arts this next school year, she looks forward to each day in the classroom being a new story with each student being a unique chapter of the story.

Ms. Pechous is very excited to start her first year teaching at St. Mary of Gostyn School. She graduated Concordia University Chicago with an Elementary degree and middle school endorsements in science, math, language arts, and social studies. Her goal is to help students apply science to the real world. Ms. Pechous loves working with animals, gardening, and hiking. Her favorite part of science is Astronomy.

Mrs. Sloyan holds a B.S. in Math and Computer Science and an M.S. in Computer Science from Loyola University and recently earned her M.A.T. from National Louis University.  She is licensed to teach math and computer science at the middle school and high school levels.

Mrs. Sloyan and her husband Rob have been SMG parishioners for nearly 20 years and have three sons who graduated from SMG.   She has is honored to be a part of such a loving and caring community.

Mrs. Drabik graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Illinois State University.  She came to SMG for her second phase of teaching in 2003 after having taught at SMG for seven years prior to staying home to raise her four children during their formative years.  She is now in her 21st year of teaching.  Her mission as a classroom teacher is to provide a caring, safe environment in which students can excel to the best of their abilities. She strives to challenge students to reach their potential academically as well as spiritually.  The ultimate goal is to challenge students to think critically regarding historic and current events while incorporating social justice and Catholic doctrine.

Mrs. Drabik enjoys spending time with family, hiking, gardening, reading, knitting, and baking.

This will be Mrs. Muñoz’s fourth year teaching math at the middle school level and first year at St. Mary of Gostyn School.  She is honored to be joining such a positive and faith-filled school community.  Mrs. Muñoz graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education and is licensed to teach math at both the middle and high school levels.  Mrs. Muñoz especially enjoys working with middle school students and sharing with them her love of math.

Mrs. Davey graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education (Spanish minor) and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum, Technology, and Educational Reform.  Her Elementary Education teaching license includes endorsements in middle school, language arts, and Spanish.  Mrs. Davey is excited to join the St. Mary’s family this year as the Spanish teacher, after having taught for 9 years in California prior to staying home to raise her three children.  Mrs. Davey believes in immersing students in language and culture while supporting the core values of the Catholic faith.  When she is not teaching, Mrs. Davey enjoys spending time with her family, running with her dog, and cheering on her children at various sporting events

Mrs. Figueroa is very excited to be the school social worker at St. Mary of Gostyn School. She is a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has a BSW and MSW from Loyola University Chicago with a specialization in School Social Work. Alma has previous experience working with children and families in the foster care system, school environment, providing individual and family therapy and crisis intervention. She is passionate about advocating for children and families and empowering them to change.

Mr. Barker is the music teacher at St. Mary of Gostyn. In addition to classroom instruction Mr. Barker is the Wednesday school mass choir director and accompanist, Wednesday school mass music liturgist, Christmas program director, producer and creative director of the yearly school musical and band director.

Mr. Barker studied music at DePaul University in Chicago with Lilianna Navachovich, a protégée  of Iam  Yampolski, with an emphasis on composition and music theory. Mr. Barker developed “The Rhythm of Reading” with Dr. Bernadette LeHai; a program designed to introduce the joy of reading to students with reading comprehension challenges using music cadence and rhythmic syntax

Mr. Barker has credits in commercial music and film score composition and is a veteran performer of theater orchestras, rock and pop bands and has performed as an actor and singer, on stage, in musical theater. Mr. Barker has continued independent studies in piano, brass, woodwind and vocal performance throughout his career and received the St. Mary of Gostyn Teacher Recognition Award in 2015.

In the summer Mr. Barker administrates and directs a Christian based musical theater summer camp program that reaches hundreds of young people in the western suburbs and introduces them to theater performance in a Christ centered environment.

Mr. Barker enjoys teaching at St. Mary’s because of the enthusiasm of the students, the high level of parent involvement, the professionalism of the teachers and staff, the warmth of the community and the genuine partnership that exists between the parents and the school working together for the benefit of each individual student while keeping Christ always at the center and glorified.  St. Mary’s is forward looking; embracing new technology in the classroom while fully supporting professional development for the teachers and staff. This is the recipe for success in the dual mission of educational and spiritual growth.

Mrs. Belcastro grew up in Midlothian, Illinois where her family belonged to St. Christopher Parish and where she attended grade school.  She went to Sacred Heart High School in Mokena, Illinois and then went on to Quincy College in Quincy, Illinois where she received a degree for Elementary Education/K thru 9.

Mrs. Belcastro and her husband have been parishioners at St. Mary of Gostyn for 34 years. All  three of their children attended school and received their sacraments at St. Mary’s.

She started working in the Library at St. Mary’s when her youngest son was in third grade and has been here for twenty two years.  The best part of her job is seeing the children’s enthusiasm for reading and helping them find the books they need for a book report, research or just enjoyment.

Mrs. Buchler is the Director of Technology for St. Mary of Gostyn School. Her education includes fifteen years of Catholic academics and numerous courses in Technology. She received a B.A. from St. Xavier College and has taught exclusively in Catholic schools. In 2016 she was selected to receive the Bishop Imesch award for Excellence in Teaching in the Diocese of Joliet. Mrs. Buchler is a St. Mary of Gostyn parishioner for over 35 yrs. and a proud mother of two alumni from our school. St. Mary of Gostyn is considered home and many important events have been celebrated both in the parish and as part of the faculty for thirty years. Honored to be a member of a dedicated, creative, and spiritually committed faculty, Mrs. Buchler considers her commitment at our school a true ministry.  She finds the challenge of teaching Technology and leading our faith-based school in this digital age a very rewarding career.  Grateful for the blessings she has received, Mrs. Buchler brags that St. Mary of Gostyn School is the BEST school ever!!

Mrs. Calistro is privileged to join the parents of her students in undertaking the God-given responsibility of educating our children about God and His expectations of us.  She draws upon her great love of the Catholic faith and her 16-years of experience in education to encourage those students entrusted to her care to develop a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.  She has been a proud member of St. Mary of Gostyn Parish for 26 years, along the way serving as an extraordinary minister, PADS volunteer, Bible Study participant, and religious education instructor.   She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and a master’s degree in education from National-Louis University. She has taught middle school religion at SMG for the last five years.  For 11 years prior to joining the SMG staff, she worked as a paraprofessional with the special needs students at O’Neill Middle School.   Mrs. Calistro and her husband Ralph have been married for 34 years and are the blessed parents of two grown sons.

Mrs. Cornyn graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.S. in Education and a M.S. in School Counseling. She has over 30 yrs. of teaching experience.  Mrs. Cornyn’s two children graduated from St. Mary of Gostyn School. She has been teaching Physical Education at St. Mary of Gostyn for the past 17 years.

Mrs. Fernandez joined the St. Mary of Gostyn staff in 2016, but has been an active member of the community for many years. In addition to serving as President of the Home and School Association and Chair of the annual school fundraiser, she now fills the role of part-time math resource teacher. She currently helps students in the primary grades develop their math skills, review curriculum and build math confidence.

Mrs. Fernandez, her husband their four daughters live in Downers Grove. Two of the girls graduated from St. Mary of Gostyn and now attend Benet Academy, and the other two are current students. When not at SMG, Mrs. Fernandez enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and planning vacations.

Mrs. Graczyk loves her position as a Technology Assistant at St. Mary’s. She has a passion for using technology in education and keeping technology up and running in the classroom and the school.  She is a graduate from the University of Illinois and holds a Master’s Degree in Business also from the University of Illinois.  In her spare time, Mrs. Graczyk enjoys gardening, walking, and traveling.  For the past sixteen years, she has been fortunate to be part of the St. Mary’s family and working with the teachers and students to solve technology problems.

Mrs. Smith graduated from St. Joseph’s College with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education.  She began her career, teaching  3^rd grade at St. Catherine of Genoa in Chicago.  After getting married and moving to the Western Suburbs, Cathy taught Kindergarten at Sacred Heart School in Lombard. While taking time off to raise her children, she remained teaching as a Religious Education instructor.

Mrs. Smith has been the reading resource teacher at St. Mary of Gostyn for the past twelve years.  She loves working with students in a small group setting, getting to know them better and seeing their  development.

She is a strong believer in Catholic education. Cathy, her husband, and two children have all been products of elementary, high school, and college Catholic school education.

Ms. Wedow is the art teacher for St. Mary of Gostyn. She has a B.S. in Art education from Northern Illinois University. Ms. Wedow has also studied the  Montessori method for 3-6 year olds. For 15 years she was the assistant art director in the advertising department at Carson Pirie Scott & company, creating newspaper ads. Volunteering at Brookfield Zoo ,teaching young people about animals and conservation, going to “clay camps” to learn more about firing and making pots, are things she is passionate about.