Marlene Brennan
Mrs. Brennan is a veteran shark and is a part of the kindergarten team. She is also one of the Intramural Advisors alongside Mr. Willis.
Mrs. Brennan shares that her favorite part about being in education is trying to provide kids with the best learning environment in hopes that her students will love learning for life! If she could choose one teacher’s class to enroll in for a day, she would attend Mrs. DiPietra’s 3rd grade class. Mrs. DiPietra puts so much love into her work; not only in her planning and teaching but also in the children. Mrs. Brennan feels that it would be such a positive, fun and supportive environment to learn and grow.
Mrs. Brennan wants our Sharks to know to stay positive, smile and try your best always especially when things are hard. Also, she wants our Sharks to know that failures and frustrations are when we grow and learn the most. Her wish for the 2023-24 school year is to bring our kindergarten families together so that they can build a community of love and support for their students.
Fun Facts:
Years in education: 7
Birthday: 4/18
Family: She has 4 lovely daughters! A junior and freshman at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign; studying mechanical engineering and economics respectfully. She also has a junior and freshman at Willowbrook H.S. In order their names are Caitlin, Molly, Maggie and Claire. She has an awesome and supportive husband, Kevin and an energetic 3 year old dog named Nico.
Favorite school subject: Math (and Science)
Favorite school memory: Freshman year in high school (Driscoll Catholic) during a softball game, she made a fantastic dive and catch in left field and threw a runner out at home plate.
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite pet: Dogs
Favorite hobby: Play softball, walk/run (okay – jog)
Favorite drink: She prefers to drink plain old water
Favorite food/restaurant: She loves cheeseburgers and fries from Portillos!
Favorite sports team: Chicago Cubs
Favorite music: Loves all music honestly, but Dave Matthews Band & U2 are a couple favorites
Favorite place visited: Guatemala City, Guatemala when she was young. This is where her extended family lived and she LOVEs being together with them.
Surprising fact: Her picture was on the Kellogg’s Cornflakes cereal box when she was 5 years old!
Favorite quote: “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” Mother Teresa
Rachele Ketelsen
Mrs. Ketelsen is one of our newest sharks and is joining the kindergarten team.
Mrs. Ketelsen shares that her favorite part about being in education is seeing the growth from students from the beginning of the year to the end. When she thinks about her own school experience, she shares that her favorite teacher was her third grade teacher, Mrs. Perillo because she said she knew Mrs. Ketelsen would make a wonderful teacher one day!
Mrs. Ketelsen wants our Sharks to know to always be yourself and push through the hard things! Her wish for the 2023-24 school year is to be an effective first year teacher for the kiddos!
Fun Facts:
Years in education: 3
Birthday: 6/30
Family: She has an 8 yr old boy and 2 yr old girl. She will be getting married at the end of October 🙂
Favorite school subject: Reading
Favorite school memory: Winning the dictionary challenge in third grade- felt like a rock star!
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite pet: Dogs!
Favorite hobby: Read and shop
Favorite drink: Lemonade
Favorite food/restaurant: Pasta
Favorite sports team: White Sox
Favorite music: Elvis
Favorite place visited: San Antonio, Texas
Dream vacation: Turtle Island in Fiji
Hidden talent: She can sing pretty well
Surprising fact: Her parents graduated from District 45, as did she, and so will her children. D45 Lifers!
Favorite quote: Let it go!
Laura Piatt
Mrs. Piatt is a veteran shark and is a part of the kindergarten team.
Mrs. Piatt shares that her favorite part about being in education is getting to start in August, watching a group of students grow beyond your expectations throughout the year and sending them off to the next grade. It is one of the few careers that we have the opportunity for a fresh start each school year. With that fresh start, comes renewed energy and focus for what’s to come. When she thinks about her own school experience, she shares that her favorite teacher was Ms. Myers, her 4th grade teacher. She was kind, made learning fun in creative ways and it didn’t hurt that she was stylish!
Fun Facts:
Years in education: 19 years
Birthday: 6/10
Family: Her husband is Chris. She has 2 children, Amelia (10) and Simon (6) and a dog named Poppy, who is 3. Her parents, sisters and their families are close and do lots with each other.
Favorite school subject: Science
Favorite school memory: In 5th grade, they wrote and performed a play as a class. They made costumes, props and invited families to come watch. They worked for a very long time and were all invested!
Favorite color: Light blue
Favorite pet: Dogs
Favorite hobby: Read, run, take care of my garden
Favorite drink: Iced Tea
Favorite food/restaurant: LOVES movie theater popcorn and her favorite restaurant is Portillo’s
Favorite sports team: Nebraska Huskers Football and Chicago Cubs
Favorite music: She loves listening to music. She has a different preference for every different mood or situation. One example is you will often hear her listening to 90s alternative while prepping for school before the day starts.
Favorite place visited: Hawaii
Dream vacation: Any place with a beach to relax, enjoy the sand and water
