2010 BASE Camp Program Staff
 | Colleen Cushing Geared Up (Session 1) Colleen Cushing is a 4th grade teacher at Holmes School. This is her third year in the district and third year teaching! She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2003 with a degree in Communications and worked for Marriott Hotels for 4 years. In 2007 she earned her Masters degree in Education from DePaul University. At Holmes, Colleen is involved in many things, including Girls on the Run, and Peer Mediators. Outside of school, Colleen enjoys spending time with friends and family. She lives in Evergreen Park with her husband, Ryan. |
 | John McCauley Geared Up (Session 1) John McCauley currently teaches fourth grade at Holmes School. During his four years of teaching, John's students have enjoyed Oak Park Education Foundation programs such as Global Village, Architecture Adventure, and Geared Up. Prior to teaching, John spent thirteen years managing a construction business. John’s education includes earning both bachelors and masters degrees in Business Administration from Loyola University. In 2006, John completed the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Concordia University, and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Educational Leadership. John resides in Park Ridge with his wife and 11-year-old son. |
 | Gretchen Junker Geared Up (Session 2) Gretchen Junker is the community member who proposed Geared Up to the Oak Park Education Foundation during our Call for Ideas to the community in May, 2008. She is the parent of 3 young boys and has lived in Oak Park for 3 years. Gretchen has a B.A. in Comparative History of Ideas from the University of Washington. "Geared Up shows kids that science (and school) can be fun," she says. "Our family has always had an interest in how things work, and that curiosity has managed to fuel our day-to-day life. For me, Geared Up is a natural extension of what my 3 sons and I have already incorporated into our ongoing family dialogue." |
 ; | Melissa Manuel Geared Up (Session 2) Melissa Manuel is a 5th grade teacher and she has taught at Holmes School for four years. She piloted the Geared Up program in her 5th grade math class last year and continued to work with Legos as part of math and science this year. In addition to her degree in education, Melissa has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and she brings her love of math and science to the Geared Up program. She is a longtime resident of Oak Park. |
 | Eric Podlasek Geared Up (Session 2) This is Eric Podlasek’s 5th year of teaching in District 97. He teaches a 2/3 multiage class at Longfellow Elementary. Over the years, Eric and his students have participated in several O.P.E.F programs including Geared Up, Art Start, and Global Village. He has also taught Geared Up classes during the summer. Prior to becoming a teacher, Eric worked as a licensed civil engineer. He has B.S in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a M.S. in Education from Northwestern University. Eric lives in Oak Park (a few blocks from Longfellow) with his wife. |
 | Anna Schroeder Geared Up (Session 2) Anna just finished her first year of teaching 5th grade at Longfellow and absolutely loves teaching in District 97. She received her Masters in Education from DePaul University and bachelor's degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Anna currently lives in Chicago with her new dog, Henry. So far her summer has been spent training Henry, redecorating her apartment, and spending time in the vegetable garden. She has two trips planned--one to Santa Barbara and one to the Jersey Shore. Anna grew up in River Forest area and attended OPRFHS. |
 | Sophia Lyman Architecture Adventure Sophia Lyman began working with the Architecture Adventure program in January 2008. She has 15 years experience in arts management and community development including work in art education, public art, urban planning and historic preservation. With her background and interest in art, culture, design and the built environment, Sophia is very excited to be involved in the Architecture Adventure program. She has lived in Oak Park since 2002 and works as a freelance consultant. She and her husband and have two boys at Longfellow and a toddler in preschool. She is pursuing Masters of Art in Teaching in Art Education at Columbia College. |
 | Adrienne McMullen Architecture Adventure Adrienne McMullen is one of the developers of Architecture Adventure and has been coordinator of the program since its inception. She is an architect and parent to 2 District 97 students who has lived in Oak Park since 2002. Adrienne is on the faculty of Triton College where she teaches in the architecture program. She serves on the Oak Park American Youth Soccer Organization board, and has been on the Beye School PTO for 4 years. |
 | Jason Morrell Vex Robotics Jason Morrell has been teaching sixth grade science, reading, and language arts at Percy Julian Middle School for the last 3 years. He has participated in the Vex Robotics program for all three of those years. Jason graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in Sociology and worked for a few years in marketing/advertising before getting his Masters in Education from Roosevelt University. He has a life-long interest in anything science-related and has a passion for building and construction. |
 | Tim Walsh Vex Robotics Tim Walsh has taught seventh and eighth grade science at Julian since the year 2000. The idea of starting a robotics club at Julian sounded like a good idea and life for him at school has never been the same. Tim and his wife Susan live in Oak Park with their brand new daughter, born on the first day of camp! |