Frank Belmont teaches U.S. History. Mr. Belmont was born and raised in Waukegan and attended Carmel High School in Mundelein. Frank received his Undergraduate degree from Southwest Minnesota State and his Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. Frank has twenty seven years of experience teaching at Carmel High School and Waukegan. Frank enjoys reading and lists Atlas Shrugged and Catcher In The Rye as his favorite books. E-mail Frank at fbelmont@waukeganschools.org.

Mike Berrie has been teaching at Waukegan for 14 years.  He currently is the Dean of Instruction for the Social Studies Department.  He used to teach U.S. History in the College Studies Program.  Mike has also been the Head Coach for the Boys Soccer Program and JV Coach for the Girls Soccer Program.  He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Political Science.  He recently earned a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University.  When not coaching or playing soccer, Mike enjoys spending time with his daughter, Lani, and his wife, Debra. E-mail mike at mberrie@waukeganschools.org.

Josh Bill is in his fifth year of teaching, he started teaching World Civilizations at the NGC. His real  passion has always been  US History. Being from New England, he visited Boston at a young age to see the site of the famed Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party as well as other elements from the hotbed of the American Revolution. His favorite movie remains 1776 . He loves all sports, and he is an avid supporter of all New England pro-teams, and the teams at WHS. Josh is seen here with the sports page from the Red Sox World Championship, the first time around.  He also loves to escape back to NH from time to time for hiking, skiing, white water rafting, and to do anything involving the great outdoors.

Pat Cook teaches You and the Law, Sociology and Geography at the Upper Grade Center.  Pat is a graduate of Waukegan High School and came back to teach after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1997.  He has three brothers and his youngest brother is a teacher at Stevenson High School.  Pat is very active and enjoys sports.  He is a coach in baseball program at Waukegan.  His favorite book is A Season on the Brink and he lists Vacation as his favorite movie.  Pat's favorite historical figure is Thomas Jefferson, a true Renaissance man.  Mr. Cook lists this quote by Charles Swindell as his favorite, "The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life". 

Bob Coy is in his seventh year of teaching at the Upper Grade Center.  He teaches a Social Studies survey course.  Step into his classroom for just a brief moment and it is quite evident that he loves to teach.  Bob received a B.A. from Roosevelt University and a teaching certificate through Trinity.  He is currently pursuing a Master's Degree from University of Illinois-Springfield.  Bob had quite a successful career in the business world.  He also has served his country through his service with the Navy.  He was in the Navy Hospital Corp.  His favorite movie is "The Great Escape".  His hobbies include anything sport related but he really enjoys coaching sports. 

John Franco has taught Urban Studies, Western Civilizations, and American History as well as presently teaching CSP Western Civilizations the Upper Grade Center. John is originally from southern California and he graduated from California State at Northridge with a degree in Religious Studies. He also holds a Masters degree in philosophy from Trinity Divinity School and a teachers certificate from Northeastern Illinois University. He is currently working on a second masters degree in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University.  He lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin with his wife, Jennifer, and his son, Nathan. John lists his favorite book as The DaVinci Code and considers DaVinci as his favorite historical figure. Mr. Franco believes that DaVinci is the epitome of the Renaissance man. John is quite involved in community theater and likes to play tennis in his spare time. John's favorite quote is from Lord Acton, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely".  As you can see, John also has an extensive collection of historical "dolls".  E-mail John at jfranco@waukeganschools.org.

Paul Friedrich has been teaching for 19ish years and currently teaches American Studies to juniors and AP Government to seniors in the College Studies Program. He received a bachelors degree in Psychology and Communication from Eastern Michigan University as well as a masters degree in Communication from Eastern Michigan. He received a bachelors degree in History from Loyola University in Chicago. Prior to coming to Waukegan High School, Paul taught at both Eastern Michigan and Loyola Universities. In his spare time, Paul enjoys reading (his favorite book is The Autobiography of Malcolm X), hiking and playing African drums (djembe). He resides in Chicago with his wife, Peggy, and son, Kaiden. Paul's favorite quote comes from Mohandas Ghandi, "I cannot possibly lower my standards to suit my circumstances". Mr. Friedrich's favorite historical figure is Malcolm X. Paul admires "his ability to transform himself throughout his life, intellectually, spiritually, and personally as well as his strength in articulating his beliefs and motivating others to do the same"  You can reach Paul by e-mail at historytime@hotmail.com.  Check out a sample assignment from Paul's AP American Govenrment class by clicking here.

Mr. Jacks teaches American History at the Upper Grade Center. He has been teaching for 14 years. Mr. Jacks was born and raised in Minneapolis and received both an undergraduate and masters degree from the University of Minnesota. In addition, he received another advanced degree from Northwestern University in Evanston. His favorite movie is The Deer Hunter and his favorite book is Brothers Karamasov. One of Mr. Jacks' greatest role models is John Wooden who he believes set the standard for coaching and teaching in the 20th Century. Mr. Jacks favorite quote comes from George Bernard Shaw, "Some men see things as they are and say, why? I dream of things that never were and say, why not?".

Pete Krackenberger is a newer addition to the Social Studies Department.  Mr. Krackenberger is a graduate of Loyola Academy (1994) and St. John's University in Minnesota (1998). Mr. Krackenberger has worked in a variety of capacities over his nine years in education. He has been a high school Director of Admissions, a Vice President in charge of Institutional Advancement and even a kindergarten P.E. teacher. He is very excited to get back into his true passion, the Social Sciences. He will be teaching our core and honors World History classes at the Freshman Center. In addition to teaching, Mr. Krackenberger coaches football and baseball at Waukegan High School.

Phil Maione has been teaching for the past 13 years.  He currently teaches World Civilizations to freshmen at the Ninth Grade Center.  Phil is an extremely knowledgeable teacher who makes learning fun for his students.  Phil grew up in Palatine and graduated from Palatine High School.  Phil loves sports and has also coached numerous sports.  He currently serves as an assistant in the Boys Baseball Program.  Phil is a diehard White Sox fan and attends games at the "Cell" quite regularly.  Phil lists his favorite books as The Godfather, Timeline, and Hop on Pop.  Phil has many favorite movies that include Goodfellas and Full Metal Jacket.   His favorite quote is "It is better to remain quiet and have someone think you are fool than to open your mouth and prove it".  Phil's favorite historical figure is Perseus.  Phil states, "1/2 man, 1/2 god; always up against unbeatable odds, always coming out a winner; what's not to love?".

Patricia Mellican teaches six sections of Psychology. Pattie is an innovative teacher who likes to provide meaningful experiences for her students in the classroom. Pattie graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. In her spare time, Patti enjoys being a mother to her two children, Abbie and Seamus. Patti's favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. Pattie has put together a fantastic website for her classes,  be sure to check it out here.  E-mail Patti at pmellican@waukeganschools.org

Tony Mers was born and raised in this great state of Illinois.  Tony loves the city of Chicago and wouldn't move anywhere else.  Anthony likes the change of seasons and experiencing all of them.  He graduated from Prarie Ridge High School in 2001 and immediately began persuing my desire to become a teacher.  A goal he achieved after graduating in spring of 2006.  Anthony love sports, expecially hockey and football...I played D.-I Roller-hockey for Illinois State University and am the only goaltender to ever shutout Michigan State.  Nowadays, Mr. Mers spends his time immersed in language and history books. He recently finished an easy read but excellent text, Epic of Gilgamesh". 

Tiffany Mueller joined the social studies staff last year.  Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked in Marketing and Clinical Research departments for a pharmaceutical company.  Tiffany is very excited to be teaching 4 sections of American Governent and one section of Psychology.  She graduated from with a B.S. in History and Political Science from Northern Illinois University and earned her teaching certification from Trinity International University.  She has been married for nine years and has three children.  Her favorite sports team is the Chicago Cubs and she enjoys spending her summers camping in between Cubs games.  Tiffany is a self-described walking t.v./movie guide and her favorite quote is "Do or do not, there is no try."  See a sample assignment here.

Flor Rico is a recent Lake Forest College Graduate with a degree in Education and History with a minor in Politics. She is teaching World Civilizations at the Washington Campus.  Flor enjoys playing softball and volleyball during her free time. She also enjoys traveling to historical locations and learning about other cultures.

Jacalyn Roche has been teaching for over 30 years. She currently teaches in the College Studies Program at the Ninth Grade Center. Ms. Roche earned both an Undergraduate and Masters degree at Northwestern University. She is currently pursuing National Board Certification.  She has 6 children and 8 grandchildren. Jackie is quite multi-lingual as she can converse in French, Latin, Spanish and she knows enough Russian "to get into trouble". Ms. Roche includes gardening, 5K races, reading and pets as her hobbies and interests. Her favorite movies are Shane and  Hondo with John Wayne. Ms. Roche considers Winston Churchill as her favorite historical figure because "he feared nothing and always rose to the challenge". Her favorite quote is from Kermit the Frog, "It isn't easy being green". You can access her website by clicking here.  If you would like to e-mail Ms. Roche, send your message to jroche63@hotmail.com

Christine Tangkhpanya has over 7 years of experience in education, tutoring students in a variety of subjects ranging from reading and study skills to ACT test preparation.  She holds a M.A. degree in secondary education from the University of Iowa (yes, a HAWKEYE fan) and is multilingual in English, Laotian, Taidam, and Spanish.  Going by the shortened name of "Tank", this 5'2" mountain of muscle enjoys coed volleyball, movies, and visiting the great city of Chicago.  Ms. Tank recommends the book, Of Mice and Men and the movie, Remember the Titans.  You can visit Ms. Tangk's website at www.waukeganschools.org/ctangkhpanya/  or email her at tangkhpa@yahoo.com.

Joe Trimble has been teaching in the district for 8 years now.  He teaches World Civilizations to freshman at the Ninth Grade Center.  Joe received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Loyola University and a teaching certificate through Barat College in Lake Forest.  Like many others in the department, Joe has served his country through the military.  He was a Ranger in the U.S. Army.  He retired from the Army in 1995, shortly after a tour of duty in Gulf War I.   Joe loves reading history books and says that " Ghost Soldiers" is one of his favorites.  Joe does some extensive volunteering at the VA Hospital in his spare time.  He is extremely proud of his military insignia collection that numbers close to 9,000 insignias.  Joe's favorite quote is one that he uses quite often in class, "If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to get off of the porch".  E-mail Joe at jtrimble@waukeganschools.org. ;

Will Van Daele teaches 5 sections of U.S. History.  Will completed his student teaching at Waukegan.  Mr. Van Daele has also served as the Freshman Football Coach during the Fall.  Last year he took time off so that he could watch his son, Matt, play football for Valparaiso University.  In his spare time, Will enjoys anyting that pertains to the outdoors.  He loves to camp and fish.  He even has a second job at Bass Pro Shops where he helps customers in the fishing department.  Will has five children and one grandchild. 

Rebecca Vercillo is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois.  She is very active in politics and has worked on numerous campaigns for local politicians.  She is currently teaching U.S. Government on one of the sophomore learning teams.  She also works at Camp Kesem, a camp for kids who have parents with cancer.  She enjoys being outside and doing yoga.

Nate Weber has returned to his former school to teach social studies.  He is sincerely infatuated with this town and finds it one of the most unique cities he had every encounted.  He graduated with a history degree from the University of Illinois.  He genuinely enjoys reading non-fictional works relating to the fields of social studies.  His two favorite books are *Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies* and *A Tale of Two Cities.  *His favorite film is *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  *He coaches baseball in the spring and is an avid Chicago White Sox fan.  Nate has deep roots in Waukegan as his family has called this town home for well over 100 years. One of Nate's favorite quotes is "He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master."

Mrs.White teaches History of World Civilizations and African American Studies.  She has been teaching for 20 years and her husband is also a teacher.  During the summer, Mrs. White enjoys travelling. She has travelled the world over and shares her experiences with her students.  She lists Lean on Me and Stand and Deliver as her favorite movies.  Her favorite quote is "No one rises to low expectations".