Who We Are

Tonya Hammaker, Principal
Dear Tubman Families,
Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year! It is with great pride and excitement that I welcome both our returning families and those joining our school community for the first time. Harriet Tubman Elementary continues to grow not only in numbers but in excellence, and we are thrilled to begin another year of joyful, rigorous learning together.
Last year was one of powerful progress and celebration. Thanks to the unwavering dedication of our teachers, students, staff, and families, we saw remarkable academic growth. Our reading proficiency increased by an outstanding 20%, and math proficiency grew by 2%, based on preliminary IAR data. These gains are just the beginning of what’s possible here at Tubman.
Our Star 360 growth percentiles climbed to the 75th percentile in both reading and math—a leap of 15% and 13%, respectively, from the previous year. What’s even more inspiring is that students with IEP's grew at similar or even higher rates than their peers, and students of all backgrounds and ethnicities experienced comparable growth. These outcomes reflect our deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and ensuring that every child thrives.
Beyond academics, our dedication to the whole child was recognized at the district level with an “Excelling” rating in Fine and Performing Arts. Whether on stage or in the classroom, our students continue to shine with creativity and confidence.
As we begin this new year, we carry with us not only the momentum of last year’s accomplishments but also a renewed commitment to cultivating a safe, supportive, equitable and rigorous environment. Our theme this year is Excellence Grows Here, which reflects our focus on differentiation, small group instruction, and our continued support for all students.
I look forward to partnering with you this year! Thank you for being part of what makes Tubman so special.
With gratitude and excitement,
Principal Hammaker

Qiana Wiley, Assistant Principal
Greetings Tubman Community,
It is with excitement and gratitude that I write this introduction as the Assistant Principal of Tubman Elementary School. I’m honored to serve in this capacity. I look forward to building relationships, supporting, and collaborating with the Tubman community.
For the past 17 years, I have served families and students at CPS. I worked as a Middle School teacher, IB Coordinator and Acting Assistant Principal. I am an alumna of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Governors State University and DePaul University.
My philosophy is that every student should have access to culturally relevant resources that catapult their academic success. I am committed to supporting the needs of all students while being equitable and inclusive. I cannot wait to celebrate our collective success during this school year as a community.
I look forward to meeting everyone. My door will always be open to you. Please feel
free to contact me at qrwiley-ruff@cps.edu.
Kind Regards,
Qiana Wiley
Meet Our Faculty and Staff
Primary Years Program (PYP) Classrooms
Pre-K
- Room 110 - Lisa Starring
lstarring@cps.edu
Kindergarten
- Room 201 - Kayla Astle
kistelzel@cps.edu - Room 201 - Whitney Masters
wmasters1@cps.edu - Room 202 - Barbara Rose
bault@cps.edu - Room 202 - Recca Manatad
rmanatad@cps.edu
First Grade
- Room 204 - Carly Wallace
cwallace12@cps.edu - Room 204 - Susan Nirschel
senirschel@cps.edu
Second Grade
- Room 203 - Emily Hulbert
ekellam@cps.edu - Room 206 - Eryn Fleener
efleener1@cps.edu - Room 206 - Esther Velazquez
evelazquez42@cps.edu
Third Grade
- Room 205 - Akemi Taguchi
ataguchi@cps.edu - Room 205 - Julie Brichta
jrbrichta1@cps.edu
Fourth Grade
- Room 209 - Myriah Brown-Rivera
mhbrown@cps.edu - Room 210 - Evan Gillis
legillis@cps.edu - Room 210 - Judy Ann Castillo
jgcastillo6@cps.edu
Fifth Grade
- Room 301 - Sandra Ladzik
sladzik1@cps.edu - Room 303 - Eric Yang
wyyang@cps.edu - Room 303 - Dave Rench
djrench@cps.edu
Middle Years Program (MYP) Classrooms
- Room 305 - Hillary Welsh, Science - hjwelsh@cps.edu
- Room 305 - Rebecca Rosenberg- rcrosenberg@cps.edu
- Room 306 - Genevieve Cole, Language and Literature - gcole5@cps.edu
- Room 306 - Michele McNally - memcnally@cps.edu
- Room 307 - Megan Baker, Mathematics - mebaker3@cps.edu
- Room 307 - Joe Tinich - ajtinich1@cps.edu
- Room 308 - Timothy Reece, Individuals and Societies - tareece1@cps.edu
- Room 308 - Arielle Chestleigh - abchestleigh@cps.edu
Specialists
Fine Arts
Nicholas Hall
Music (PK-8)
njhall@cps.edu
Jan Heyn-Cubacub
Dance (PK-8)
Drama (PK-7)
Visual Arts (6-8)
jjheyn-cubacub@cps.edu
World Language
William Bice
Arabic (PK-8)
wbice1@cps.edu
Jessica Gyorffy
ELPT
jjtupacyupanqui@cps.edu
Media and Technology
Calli Leventis
Library (K-5)
Design (6-8)
cgleventis@cps.edu
Physical Education
Fabian Cordova
Physical & Health Education (PK-8)
facordova1@cps.edu
International Baccalaureate
Freeda Pirillis
Primary Years Program (PK-5) Coordinator
fpirillis@cps.edu
Emily Traficante
Middle Years Program (6-8) Coordinator
ekbrightwell@cps.edu
Resource Specialists
Heather Beeker
School Counselor
hlbaumgardne@cps.edu
Rebecca Rosenberg
Case Manager
rcrosenberg@cps.edu
Betsy Hercher
Social Work
emhercher@cps.edu
Elizabeth Kardas
Psychologist
efkardas@cps.edu
Dana Mason
Speech/Language Pathologist
dmmcnicholas@cps.edu
Hernan Perez
Occupational Therapist
hperez38@cps.edu
Heather Vezina
Physical Therapist
hvezina@cps.edu
Shinobu Nomura
Nurse
snomura@cps.edu
Carol Reilly
Nurse
creilly1@cps.edu