| Social Studies Dept Bios
Kristen Benson Flather
[Department Chair]
Ms. Benson joined the Social Studies department in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Georgetown University and a Masters in Education degree from Harvard University. As a James Madison Foundation fellow, Ms. Benson specialized in early American and constitutional history. Since then, Ms. Benson’s interest in world history has grown and she currently teaches A.P. World History and Honors World Studies. Ms. Benson coaches the Girls Junior Varsity tennis team and serves as the faculty advisor for the Model United Nations team and Amnesty International.
Email: bensonk@wpcp.org
Website: http://msbenson.com
Char Ashley
Ms. Charlene Ashley, a graduate of the University of Michigan (BA) and DePaul University (M.Ed) joins the Payton Social Studies Department as a teacher of Modern World History and the History of Europe. She is a veteran teacher with over 12 years of experience. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling the world exploring new places.
Email: ashleyc@wpcp.org
Sam Borde
Mr. Borde joins the Payton Social Studies Department after 15 years at Lindblom College Prep where he taught A.P. U.S. History, A.P. Economics, Social Science and World History. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He hopes his 12 year old son, Michael, will choose to apply to Walter Payton College Prep next year.
Email: bordes@wpcp.org
Katherine Chuu
Ms. Chuu received her Master’s of Science in Education with concentrations in history and political science from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. She earned her B.A. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in political science and English literature. She also minored in Asian American Studies and worked with community-based Chinese language programs in Champaign, IL. She has taught at Evanston Township High School and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Ms. Chuu is the faculty advisor of the Varsity and JV debate teams.
Summer Assignments:
AP U.S. History 2008 Summer Info
Website: http://www.mschuu.wordpress.com
Email: chuuk@wpcp.org
Jeff Fleming
Mr. Jeff Fleming is in his fourth year at WPCP. He previously worked in the Inclusion Autism department for the past three years. This is his first year as a history teacher. Mr. Fleming is a 2003 graduate of Brown University and will be receiving his M.A.T. from National-Louis University this winter. Mr. Fleming will be teaching two World Studies classes and three Modern World History classes this year. He will also be in his second-year as the head varsity Girls Softball coach and a sponsor for the cycling club.
Email: flemingj@wpcp.org
Valerie Gemskie
Ms. Gemskie attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where she majored in the teaching of Latin and minored in History. It was the summers she spent in the Mediterranean that fostered her appreciation for the ancient civilizations, particularly that of the Romans. Upon graduating, she moved to New Orleans to teach at Ursuline Academy, where she taught for three years, before becoming a founding member of Walter Payton College Prep in 1999. She has coached the Boys Softball team for the last 8 years, winning a City Championship in 2004. She also sponsors the Latin Club, which participates in city and state-wide competitions, such as Certamen and the CPS Latin Olympics. In addition, she has spearheaded student travel programs to Rome and coordinates the student exchange program with Piacenza, Italy.
Email: gemskiev@wpcp.org
Adria Mitchell
Ms. Mitchell teaches U.S. History and African-American History this year. She is the faculty advisor for the African-American Club.
Email: mitchella@wpcp.org
Luis Menacho
Mr. Menacho teaches A.P. European History. He coaches the boys Varsity baseball team.
Email: menachol@wpcp.org
Kyle Westbrook
Mr. Westbrook has been teaching in the Chicago Public Schools since 1995. Mr. Westbrook received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Currently he teaches 20th Century Global Conflicts and is a Ph.D. student in Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Email: westbrookk@wpcp.org
Website: http://room324.com
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TEACHER BIOS
Kristen Benson
Char Ashley
Sam Borde
Katherine Chuu
Jeff Fleming
Valerie Gemskie
Adria Mitchell
Luis Menacho
Kyle Westbrook
Honors World Studies
Honors Modern World History
Advanced Placement World History
Honors U.S. History
Advanced Placement U.S. History
Advanced Placement Government and Politics
Advanced Placement European History
Honors Afro American History
Honors Twentieth Century Global Conflicts
Honors History of Europe
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