Our Teachers

Last Updated 1/1/2008 5:03:45 PM

Our Teachers

Rachel Oppenheim
Rowe-Clark's Humanities Chairperson and English Composition

Education: BA English – Northwestern University, MA Teaching – Dominican University, Teach for America – Chicago Corps ‘04

Teaching Prior to RCMSA: Chicago International Charter School Prairie Campus (7th and 8th grade Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies), Baldwin Hills Elementary School in Los Angeles (4th grade)

How is Noble Different?: Noble fosters a culture of high expectations, and that culture permeates every facet of the school. From the teachers to the students, from the lunchroom to the classroom, discipline, honor, and learning are valued above all else. The consistency of those high expectations is what sets Noble apart from other schools and allows us to make the significant gains necessary to help our students overcome the obstacles they face and become life-long learners. Education is the great equalizer and all students have the capability to learn, think, and achieve. It is the shared belief in that truth that makes Noble uniquely successful.

What do I hope to achieve: I constantly strive to become the best and most effective educator that I can be. At Rowe-Clark I hope to achieve a number of things: first, I want to support my students’ cognitive development both in and out of my classroom, by providing conduits for positive, imaginative, and shared learning, that develop their active imaginations and evaluative capabilities. To put it plainly, I want my students to be the best writers that they can be and I want them to use the skills they’ve learned in writing class to achieve all their goals for the future. Second, I want to do my part to make Rowe-Clark the most safe, supportive, and challenging educational environment it can be. I will do what I can to support my team and family here. I cannot wait to see Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy as a flourishing four-year institution.

Marlon Tobin
Marlon Tobin attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his major coursework at North Park University majoring in Human Development/Psychology. Prior to working at Rowe-Clark, Mr. Tobin worked at Mayville Academy’s Children’s reception center as the Program Manager for eight years, where he worked with teenagers from 12 to 18 years old. Mr. Tobin then went on to become the Dean of Discipline and Athletic Director at Noble Street Charter High School in the fall of 2003 until moving on as Assistant Principal of Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy in the fall of 2007. I chose Rowe-Clark because it was a unique opportunity to start a college prep school school, with a math and science focus, and the huge absence of a world class high school in the west Humboldt park community. Noble is different from other schools because of the close attention to the “little details” such as close attention to the student behavior and dress code, a physical fitness/discipline requirement, and more time on task in the classroom. I hope to bring positive change to the students of Rowe-Clark and the community as a whole. We would like each and every student to have the opportunity to attend a quality public school that is safe and orderly, has a faculty that is enthusiastic and dedicated to the future success of our students education, and encourages parent support that will enable the staff to get the maximum effort out of each and every one of our students. Achieving these goals will help put our students in a position to be successful in any endeavor they may choose upon graduating from Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy.

Catrina Peoples
Education: Beloit College, BA (Sociology and Women’s Studies)
Taught: I have never taught, though I was a mentor in Beloit, WI, and volunteered at high school Alma Mater with Mayor Daley’s Book Club, also acted as a facilitator in their mentoring program

Why Rowe-Clark: I chose to work at the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy because I wished to work in the community where I grew up and RCMSA presented that opportunity. RCMSA was fresh, new and exciting. I am proud to be a part of the possibilities that RCMSA present to the community.

Noble, Different: What stands out immediately when discussing the Noble community is the disciplinary code and emphasis on the balance of a healthy mind and body. The interconnectedness of the human mental and physical being is essential and as a focus can only improve and envigorate the lives of the students who attend.

Achieve at RCMSA: Ultimately, I would like the students and their families to recognize, through my example, that they can overcome any obstacle and environment to work toward achieving their dreams and goals. The structured educational environment provided at RCMSA offers an edge that can foster success in a vested student body. I am interested in initiating a strong mentoring program that introduces Women’s Studies and a solid sense of self into the lives of the female population that will embolden them with the tools to be a well-rounded, respectable-and respected-young woman who will contribute to all whom they touch over life's journey.

Angela Kuttner
Education: Bachelor of science in secondary education with a concentration in mathematics from Northwestern University, 2004.

Where have you taught before Rowe-Clark? Steinmetz Academic Center, Chicago , IL (Student teaching) and Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD (3 years)

Why did you choose Rowe-Clark? I wanted to work at a school that was making a top-notch education available to students from low-income areas, and I wanted to be part of a school where teachers have a voice.

How is Noble different from other schools? The Noble Street campuses provide students with the support and discipline they need to be successful. We not only have high expectations for students, we give them the means necessary to meet those expectation. Teachers have the support and flexibility to make real learning possible.

What to you hope to achieve at Rowe-Clark? I hope to widen the academic opportunities available to kids growing up in the Chicago area. I also hope to make every school day interesting, challenging, and worthwhile for my students.