Mulberry School • Our Teachers and Staff • Mulberry School

Our Teachers and Staff

Devon, Academic Director

Devon loves seeing children become totally engaged and excited about school. She is excited to be Academic Director at Mulberry where students (and families) have space to learn according to their individual styles. Devon earned her B.S. in Speech Education from Northwestern University. In addition to her work at Mulberry, she works with volunteer tutors and Chicago public school students at Family Matters, a community- based NPO in Rogers Park. At Family Matters, she started a specialized reading program for students with dyslexia. From 1990-2000, she taught high school English and theatre in Central Illinois and suburban Washington, D.C. She loves exploring the outdoors, biking, growing things and adventures of all kinds.

Colette, Pre-K Teacher

Colette has been with Mulberry School since 2000. She teaches the half day 3K class in the morning and the half day 4K class in the afternoons. In 2002, Colette was a Girl Scout Teacher of The Year Nominee. Colette is a graduate of Illinois State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education.

Melissa, 7-10 Year-old Teacher

Melissa was born and raised in the Chicago-land area. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Illinois State University in 2007. Towards the end of her college career, she began to read about alternative education philosophies and methods. It was then, that she started to seriously consider how school could and, maybe should, be different from the “traditional” system of the public schools in America. After graduation, Melissa worked for four years at the Hammitt School at The Babyfold as a teacher therapist. She led a class of 6-9 students with severe emotional and/or behavioral disorders in all academic areas, with a focus on their social-emotional development. There she fine tuned the skills of adapting curriculum and creating effective small group lessons. The students Melissa worked with ranged in age from 6 years old to 10 years old, however their academic ability ranged from pre-k to 3rd grade. When not teaching, Melissa enjoys being active by playing soccer, running, and dancing. She also likes to create beautiful, interesting things through drawing and painting. Melissa is excited to help the students at Mulberry grow in their love of learning and to create opportunities for them to explore and discover more about the world we live in.

Michelle, PreK Teacher

Michelle recently graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. Prior to Illinois State University, Michelle attended Lincoln Christian University and obtained her Associates degree in Biblical Studies. Ever since Michelle was in second grade, she has had the desire to become a teacher. She has developed her skills and passion for teaching through work experiences at a camp, learning center, daycare, and various elementary schools. Michelle is excited to be a part of Mulberry School because of their strong focus on teaching to each child’s needs.

Sue, K-1 Teacher

Sue began her career at Mulberry School in 1987 and currently teaches our Kindergarten class. She is a past teacher consultant for the ISU Writing Project and was the recipient of the 1999 Girl Scout Educator’s Recognition Award as a Primary Teacher. Sue holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University with certificates in both Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education.

Bonnie, Art Teacher

Bonnie, our Art teacher, joined the Mulberry team in 2002 after teaching art in the public schools for more than 20 years. While introducing different movements of art history, Ms. Bernardi inspires each student to explore his/her creative potential.

Jennifer, Business Administrator

Jennifer has served as Mulberry School’s Bookkeeper and Administrative Assistant since 2003. Prior to moving to the Bloomington-Normal area, she operated a home-based counseling business helping high school students in all aspects of the college application process. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Simpson College.

We also have a number of student teaching assistants from Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State University.