Mr. Dan Janeiro is an award-winning teacher with over 17 years of experience in Catholic education. He has been a headmaster within the Chesterton Schools Network for the past 5 years. A native of Connecticut, Mr. Janeiro double majored in English and Theatre Arts at Providence College, and earned his Masters in English at the University of Dallas. He lives in the Western suburbs with his wife and children. Mr. Janeiro currently teaches Literature, Theology and Philosophy classes for our Sophomores, and Seniors.
Reverend Robin Kwan is an Associate Pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church in Volo, and a member of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. He grew up in San Diego and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2005 from the University of California, San Diego, before joining the Canons Regular that same year. In 2013, he earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. On May 31, 2013 he was ordained to the priesthood. Prior to his assignment at St. Peter’s, he was stationed at St. John Cantius Parish as an Associate Pastor. He has taught Novitiate classes in Latin / Gregorian Chant and on the Consecrated Life. Fr. Kwan has taught multiple levels of Latin since the start of our school in 2020 and is enthusiastic to continue teaching Latin at Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart.
Dr. Ashenbach has a PhD in English from The University of Oklahoma. Born in Ohio and a teacher since 2007, Kevin is a lover of great literature from Sophocles to Solzhenitsyn, as he cherishes the power of literature to help us understand and overcome our own unique challenges. His favorite authors include Dante, Evelyn Waugh, Fyodor Dostoevsky, TS Eliot, and above all, Shakespeare. When not teaching humanities classes or writing about early modern literature, Kevin enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Margaret, exercising, watching movies, scavenging used bookstores, and marveling at life’s follies, even as he hopes that divine grace will help him reform his own.
Mr. Gonzalez has a Bachelor’s in Philosophy from Christendom College and a Master’s in Philosophy from Wayne State University in Detroit. Mr. Gonzalez was the founding headmaster of Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart and taught Philosophy, Theology, Geometry, Literature and Drama in the first years of the school from 2020-2022. A cradle Catholic, Joseph has been involved in Catholic liberal education ever since he attended the Lyceum in Cleveland, OH, a private college preparatory Catholic liberal arts school which inspired the first Chesterton Academy. His free time is often spent pursuing Philosophy with his friends, talking to his eldest goddaughter, writing, and fencing. He feels blessed and grateful to be teaching again at Chesterton Academy in Volo.
Mr. Masterson received his Bachelors of Science in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin Parkside. He has tutored multiple subjects for several years at the high school level, including Algebra, Algebra II, Precalculus, Calculus, General Science, Biology, Marine Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. He has also taught 3rd/4th grade catechism for two years. He is the second oldest of ten and has had a deep devotion to the angels, especially guardian angels, from a very young age. He has gone on two mission trips to Tanzania, Africa totaling six weeks. He was a part of the Boy Scouts of America, where he reached the rank of Eagle Scout. He has enjoyed serving at the Mass and lectoring for several years. Mr. Masterson has taught multiple levels of Math and Science at Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart since its opening in 2020.
Mrs. Hilliard is originally from Indiana and earned her degree in Classics (Latin & Greek) at the University of Dallas, where she also converted to Catholicism. She has over twenty years’ experience teaching Latin at varying levels. She and her family live in McHenry county and she spends her free time reading and hiking. She is involved in scouting with her three boys, volunteers as a catechist at her parish, and teaches Latin and Greek as an adjunct professor at Mundelein seminary. She is excited to continue teaching Latin I, Latin II, and Ancient History this year at Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart.
Mrs. Kumon has a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from Lewis University, Romeoville as well as a Master's of Science from DePaul University. She has taught in the clinical setting and has co-lead a virtue program for girls at the parish level. Mrs. Kumon emigrated to the United States from Poland in 1974 and is a lifelong Catholic. She is married and has two daughters, one of whom is a graduate of Chesterton Academy. Mrs. Kumon teaches Biology and assists in administrative tasks for our school.
Mrs. Ryan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Illinois State University and a Masters of Painting from Northern Illinois University. She homeschooled her four children through high school. She paints and landscapes and enjoys her grandchildren. Recently she had a painting in the 7th Nationwide Juried Catholic Arts Exhibition, and was a finalist in Art Renewal Center's 14th International ARC Salon Competition.
Mrs. Ryan taught Religious Education for 23 years, 14 of which were high school students. She was a consultant for Mother of Divine Grace Homeschool, Ojai, CA for 4 years. She has been teaching studio art for four years at our school from freshmen to senior classes.
Mrs. Brannon works in admissions and is teaching theatre/drama for all our students as well as directing our Fall and Spring Play. She and her husband have one son attending our school.
Mrs. Terri Widhalm has lived in McHenry her entire life. She is a lifelong Catholic and has been married to her husband, Tom, for 55 years. Together they have six children, twenty-three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She is a religious education teacher and enjoys the lively interest of her students in learning more about God's great love for them. Terri's love of music has meant years of singing and directing music to the praise and glory of God. She directed church choirs for 27 years and retired from that endeavor four years ago. She has been called back to working with young people at Chesterton Academy with the hope that she can instill in them the same love of good music that she enjoys.
Mrs. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A lifelong Catholic, she is the seventh of eight children who, with her family, immigrated to the United States in 1974 from Vietnam. Mrs. Wilson and her husband have two daughters, one who is an engineer and one who recently graduated from Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart and is now attending college. She and her husband are co-founders of the school where she also serves as Executive Director.
Mrs. Wojcik graduated in nursing from Cambrian College, Sudbury, Ontario and George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. She practiced family centered maternity care and neonatal intensive care for a number of years in a teaching hospital setting. Mrs. Wojcik immigrated to the United States from Canada in 1997 and became a US Citizen in 2004. She settled with her husband and daughter in McHenry County. A life long Roman Catholic, Mrs. Wojcik is an active parish member at St Thomas the Apostle Church, in Crystal Lake where she started The Prayer Shawl Ministry in 2012 and serves as an adorer and lector. Mrs. Wojcik and her husband enjoyed many years of ballroom dancing and are students of professional ballroom dance instructors, Frank and Jackie Penze from the northern Illinois area, Greater Fox Valley Illinois Chapter #2042. Mrs. Wojcik enjoys family life, home economics and Carmelite spirituality. She has sewn many beautiful costumes for our school plays and leads the sewing club at our school. She appreciates teaching students to discover their talents in ballroom dancing at Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart.
Miss Sigler graduated from Christendom College with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature and a minor in Philosophy. In college, she pursued her love of theatre as a member of The Christendom Players drama group. Her literary interests include the works of Shakespeare, as well as Romantic poetry, and the inspiration behind her senior thesis, Oscar Wilde. She feels blessed to be sharing her appreciation for the liberal arts with the students of Chesterton Academy.