Our Mission & Vision

Our mission is to provide students with a vertically aligned English curriculum comprised of complex texts and rigorous learning opportunities that will result in lifelong readers, writers, and thinkers. Our students will be able to evaluate their thinking independently and engage with society as active participants and promoters of change.

We honor each of our student’s unique abilities and vulnerabilities while providing a nurturing environment in which all students are encouraged to take risks and develop the perseverance necessary to tackle and question complex texts and issues.

Our Teachers

Melanie Dunn | Department Chair | Email
Melanie Dunn started teaching at Solorio in 2019. She earned her Bachelors degree from the University of Kansas in Secondary Education: English and her Masters degree from Emporia State University in Educational Administration. Some of Ms. Dunn's professional interests include American literature, Young Adult literature, and literacy across contents. In her free time, Ms. Dunn enjoys kickboxing.

Juliana Boccumini | Email
Juliana Boccumini started her career at Solorio as an AUSL Teaching Resident in 2015. She became an official Solorio English teacher in 2016. Ms. Boccumini earned her Bachelors in English and Creative Writing from Indiana University at Bloomington, and she went on to earn her Masters from DePaul University in Secondary Education. She is passionate about teaching writing of all kinds.

​

Maximilliano Boyso | Email
Maximilliano Boyso became a Solorio teacher in 2019 after completing his AUSL Teacher Residency program in 2018. He earned his Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from St. Xavier University, and he went on to earn his Masters degree from DePaul University in Special Education. Professional, Mr. Boyso is interested in working with diverse learners of Spanish-speaking backgrounds and providing them with a rich, student-centered curriculum to boost their confidence in their abilities and gain a sense of pride of their origins. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Boyso coaches the Solorio Wrestling team, plays video games, watches sports, reads and writes poetry, and he enjoys Greek mythology and Beat literature as well.

Danyelle Dron | Email
Danyelle Dron became a Solorio teacher in 2018. She earned her Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and her Masters degree in Special Education at the University of Illinois - Chicago, and she became a certified Reading Specialist from her coursework at Benedictine University. Some of Mrs. Dron's professional interests include teaching reluctant students the value of story-telling and using their voice, as well as increasing students' perseverance in tackling challenging but worthwhile texts. Before her time as a high school teacher, Mrs. Dron taught for six years at the elementary level. As a result, her favorite authors are children's authors. She also worked for two years as a regional director of an ACT/SAT tutoring company. Currently, Mrs. Dron is training to run all of the World Marathon Majors.

Joseph Gondolfi | Email
Joseph Gondolfi started his career at Solorio in 2012 as an AUSL Teaching Resident. He became an official Solorio English Teacher in 2013. Mr. Gondolfi has a BA in Secondary Education and English from DePaul University, an M.Ed in Urban Education from National Louis University, and an MA in Literacy Education from Northeastern Illinois University. His professional interests include creating authentic reading and writing experiences for his students, studying psychoanalytic and feminist literary criticism, and strengthening public neighborhood schools. He has two dogs and is a musician in his spare time.

Samantha Gualito | Email
Samantha Gualito started at Solorio in 2020. She has a BA in English from Roosevelt University and is working towards her Master's in Secondary Education. In addition to teaching English, Ms. Gualito is on of the Louder than a Bomb coaches. Outside the classroom, Ms. Gualito enjoys reading, attending music shows and readings, and listening to podcasts.

Diana Iocco | Email
Diana Iocco began her career at Solorio in 2011. She earned her Bachelors in Education from Eastern Illinois University, and she went on to obtain her Masters in Urban Education from National Louis University. Ms. Iocco's professional interests include feminist literature, literacy for English Learners, and accommodation supports. Her favorite books include A Fine Balance, Pride & Prejudice, Americanah, and The Prophet​.

Kaley Jowers | Email
Kaley Jowers graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature with minors in Spanish and Nonprofit Management. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Dominican University. She began teaching at Solorio in 2013. Ms. Jowers is also the JV Girls’ volleyball coach, and her interests include reading, cooking, traveling, and drinking coffee.

Abby Jefferson | Email
Abby Jefferson started teaching at Solorio in 2018. She earned her Bachelors degree from Biola University in Sociology, and went on to earn her Masters degree in Special Education from Dominican University. Ms. Jefferson is passionate about supporting students with diverse learning needs, dystopian literature, young adult fiction, and grammar! Outside of the English department, she teaches math and coaches girl's sprints. In her spare time, Ms. Jefferson can be found running, reading, traveling, and eating.

Patricia Knytych | Email
​Patty Knytych was hired at Solorio in 2012. She earned her Bachelors degree in Special Education (LBS1 Sequence) from Illinois State University and her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an ESL endorsement from Concordia University. Some of Ms. Knytych's professional interests include historical nonfiction, dystopian literature, and content area writing. Ms. Knytych is in her 5th year as an AUSL Mentor teacher, training residents to work in special education urban settings. In addition to being in a book club, Ms. Knytych is from Chicago, is a former tennis coach, and loves to cook.

Viridiana Lopez | Email
Viridiana Lopez started teaching at Solorio in 2020. She earned two Bachelors degrees from Illinois State University: one in Secondary English Education, and the other in Spanish. Some of Ms. Lopez's professional interests include YA literature and nonfiction, particularly biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. In her spare time, Ms. Lopez enjoys watching baseball and soccer, playing with her dogs, and baking. She is also the Varsity Cheer Coach!

Molly McCartt | Email
Molly McCartt started her career at Solorio in 2014 as an AUSL Teaching Resident. She became an official Solorio English Teacher in 2015. She earned her Bachelors in English from The College of Wooster, and went on to earn her Masters in Urban Teaching from National Louis University. Ms. McCartt's professional interests include argument writing and creative nonfiction. She also won her elementary school spelling bee every year, and in college wrote a middle-school self-help book.

Karen Schopf | Email
Karen Schopf became an English teacher at Solorio in 2013. She previously taught in the suburbs for five years and in Hong Kong for three years. Some semesters, Ms. Schopf also teaches writing at Moraine Valley Community College. Ms. Schopf earned her Master’s in Literature from Northwestern and her Bachelor’s in English Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Pedagogically, Ms. Schopf has a passion for teaching textual analysis and writing with the hopes that her students apply those skills to analyzing the world around them and taking steps to improve what they see as injustices. She also likes to geocache, travel, and take pictures.

Jennifer Westfallen | Email
Jennifer Westfallen started as an English teacher at Solorio in 2010. She earned her Bachelors in English from Ohio Wesleyan and her Masters in Education from DePaul University. Some of Mrs. Westfallen's professional interests include social justice, creative writing, satire, the media, and computer science. In her spare time, she loves to run and code!

Samson Widerman | Email
Samson Widerman started at Solorio in 2016. He studied English and Politics, Philosophy and Law at Binghamton University in New York and recently earned his Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Mr. Widerman's professional interests include teaching writing, specifically helping students develop the capacity to tell their own stories. He previously worked at Urban Prep Academy in Bronzeville, and he likes to bike and play Nintendo games in his free time.

​Lauren Wilkie | Email
Lauren Wilkie started teaching in 2012 and joined the faculty at Solorio in 2017. She studied English with a minor in Spanish at Michigan State University. She earned her Masters Degree from University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana in Educational Leadership and Administration, and she is currently working on her second Masters in Teaching and Curriculum in Literacy at Michigan State University. Ms. Wilkie's professional interests include argument writing and rhetoric, grammar, and differentiating instruction for diverse learners. A former cheerleader from Michigan, Ms. Wilkie enjoys working out, attending comedy shows, and cheering on the MSU Spartan football and basketball teams.

Phil Wisniewski | Email
Phil Wisniewski began teaching in 2013 at Saint Ignatius College Prep and joined the Solorio English Department in 2018. Mr. Wisniewski earned his BA in English at Lawrence University and an MA in English from DePaul University. In addition to teaching English, Mr. Wisniewski coaches football and baseball. Outside the classroom, Mr. Wisniewski enjoys reading, playing baseball, and following the Chicago Cubs.