Who We Are

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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

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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

Ms. Starring

PYP (PK), Room 110
lstarring@cps.edu

Ms. Lopez

PYP (PK), Room 110
sllopez1@cps.edu

Ms. Astle

PYP (KDG), Room 201
kistelzel@cps.edu

Ms. Rose

PYP (KDG), Room 202
bault@cps.edu

Ms. Wallace

PYP (1st), Room 204
cwallace12@cps.edu

Ms. Hulbert

PYP (2nd), Room 203
ekellam@cps.edu

Ms. Fleener

PYP (2nd), Room 206
efleener1@cps.edu

 

Ms. Taguchi

PYP (3rd), Room 205
ataguchi@cps.edu

Ms. Brown-Rivera

PYP (4th), Room 209
mhbrown@cps.edu

Mr. Gillis

PYP (4th), Room 210
legillis@cps.edu

Ms. Ladzik

PYP (5th), Room 301
sladzik1@cps.edu

Mr. Yang

PYP (5th), Room 303
wyyang@cps.edu

Ms. Welsh

MYP, Room 305,
Science
hjwelsh@cps.edu

Ms. Cole

MYP, Room 306
Language and Literature
gcole5@cps.edu

Ms. Baker

MYP, Room 307
Mathematics
mebaker3@cps.edu

Mr. Reece

MYP, Room 308
Individuals and Societies.
tareece1@cps.edu

Ms. Masters

PYP, Room 201
wmasters1@cps.edu

Ms. Manatad

PYP, Room 202
rmanatad@cps.edu

Ms. Nirschel

PYP, Room 204
senirschel@cps.edu

Ms. Montelongo

PYP, Room 204
jramirez393@cps.edu

Ms. Brichta

PYP & MYP, Room 205
jrbrichta1@cps.edu

Ms. Velazquez

PYP, Room 206
evelazquez42@cps.edu

Ms. Castillo

PYP, Room 210
jgcastillo6@cps.edu

Mr. Rench

PYP & MYP, Room 303
djrench@cps.edu

Ms. McNally

MYP, Room 306
memcnally@cps.edu

Mr. Tinich

MYP, Room 307
ajtinich1@cps.edu

Ms. Chestleigh

MYP, Room 308
abchestleigh@cps.edu

Ms. Rosenberg

Case Manager, Room 305
rcrosenberg@cps.edu

Ms. Pirillis

PYP Coordinator
fpirillis@cps.edu

Ms. Traficante

MYP Coordinator
ekbrightwell@cps.edu

Ms. C

PYP & MYP, Dance (PK-8)
Drama (PK-7)
Visual Arts (6-8)
jjheyn-cubacub@cps.edu

Mr. Cordova

PYP & MYP, Physical & Health Education (PK-8)
facordova1@cps.edu

Mr. Hall

PYP & MYP, Music (PK-8)
njhall@cps.edu

Ms. Leventis

PYP & MYP, Library (PK-5th) & Design (6th-8th)
cgleventis@cps.edu

Mr. Bice

PYP & MYP, World Language (PK-8)
wbice1@cps.edu

Ms. Gyorffy

ELPT
jjtupacyupanqui@cps.edu

Ms. Beeker

School Counselor
hlbaumgardne@cps.edu

Ms. Mason

Speech/Language Pathologist
dmmcnicholas@cps.edu

Ms. Hercher

Social Worker
emhercher@cps.edu

Ms. Kardas

Psychologist
efkardas@cps.edu

Mr. Perez

Occupational Therapist
hperez38@cps.edu

Ms. Vezina

Physical Therapist
hvezina@cps.edu

Ms. Reilly

Nurse
creilly1@cps.edu

Ms. Nomura

Nurse
snomura@cps.edu

Ms. Brooks

cmbrooks4@cps.edu

Ms. Cardenas

ccardenas1@cps.edu

Ms. Dixon

Room 206
jndixon4@cps.edu

Ms. Fitzgerald

mrfitzgerald@cps.edu

Mr. Foy

csfoy@cps.edu

Ms. Hernandez

yhernandez141@cps.edu

Ms. Kontos

takontos@cps.edu

Ms. Maldonado

mrmaldonado@cps.edu

Mr. Marrero

almarrero@cps.edu

Ms. Minga

lmminga@cps.edu

Ms. Parnell

mjparnell@cps.edu

Ms. Washington

lwashington72@cps.edu

Ms. Martinez

School Clerk
rmartinez170@cps.edu

Ms. Torok

Office Support
mrtorok@cps.edu

Mr. Harris

Safety and Security
csharris4@cps.edu

Mr. Bonner

Safety and Security
cmbonner@cps.edu

Primary Years Program (PYP) Classrooms

Pre-K

Kindergarten

First Grade

 

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Middle Years Program (MYP) Classrooms

 

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