ABOUT

 

JANUARY 2026

Students are pictured above here with Mr. Broderick Booth, Assistant Principal of Student Services.

 

TEACHER TESTIMONIALS:

Jade Dhamers
Jade just completed a marathon! She has been an outstanding student in PE, always pushing herself to grow and take on new challenges. Jade should be incredibly proud of her dedication, hard work, and determination. Congratulations, Jade! –Ms. Kelly Markworth

Melanie Lewis
Melanie has gone above and beyond on her AP Research project ensuring that she is meeting all deadlines, getting regular feedback and setting ambitious goals for herself. She communicates well to get support from peers, her mentor and her teachers to make her project as fantastic as possible. Her project focused on helping her peers feel more welcome in all spaces. Her hard work, positivity and advocacy is that of a true RAM!  –Ms. Alyssa Pavlakis

Isaiah Cardona
I am nominating Isaiah for RAM of the Month because he consistently demonstrated outstanding character and leadership in my U.S. Government class first semester. As a senior, Isaiah helped bring the class to life through insightful questions, a positive attitude, and genuine engagement in discussions. He greeted classmates with a friendly smile and made a point to include others, which did not go unnoticed – especially by my EL students, who recognized him as someone who made them feel welcome and comfortable. Isaiah’s kindness, inclusivity, and academic dedication truly embody what it means to be a RAM.  –Ms. Bindi Patel

Zachary Nguyen
Zachary has been an all-star in AP chemistry. Zachary rises to the challenge with determination and consistency. He collaborates with his peers, helps without prompting, and carries himself with respect. His achievements are all results of choosing to show up, putting forth valiant effort, and reflecting and growing through it all.  –Ms. Caris Zeller

Kaylee Brown
Kaylee, when she saw a substitute teachers car stuck in the snow, stopped and helped the teacher push her car through a snow pile to ensure the substitute could get to school. She was an empathetic and supportive member of our community and we are so grateful for her kindness!  –Ms. Alyssa Pavlakis and Ms. Annie Banduch

Lucas Maida
Lucas exemplifies what we look for in a Glenbard East student. He is kind to others, respectful of his teachers and hard working. He never complains and always has a good attitude. I am very lucky to have such a great student in our classroom.  –Ms. Stacy Markley

Leo Rossi
Leo is a pivotal part of our Human Development pathway within the FACS department. He goes above and beyond both in his Child Development and Dual Credit Intro to Education class. He is a leader who models the profile of a graduate on a daily basis. Through Child Development he has built relationships with the preschoolers and he really works to create unique engaging activities. He collaborates on projects and with his cooperating teacher using research and observations to make decisions or pose solutions to others. His engagement in class models what he would hope to see in his own classroom and he hopes to focus on special education in college. We can’t believe we haven’t had the privilege of working with Leo sooner!  –Ms. Sam Janas/Ms. Amanda Murawski

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025

Students are pictured above here with Mr. Broderick Booth, Assistant Principal of Student Services.

 

TEACHER TESTIMONIALS:

Rosie Grobart
Rosie is tenacious in her dedication to doing well in English. She is thoughtful, hardworking, intellectually curious and is always striving to grow in her reading, writing and discussion skills. While she is dedicated to her own personal growth, Rosie also is committed to helping those around her, offering encouragement and questions to push her classmates. Her insights and observations about our text consistently result in a higher level of understanding and engagement by her classmates. Both her peers and me as her teacher are lucky to have such an asset in our English classroom.  –Ms. Jen O’Connor

Rebecca Lecroy
Becky LeCroy has been a high achieving math student since she began as a freshman in Integrated Algebra and Geometry. She was moved into the honors math program as a sophomore. She is currently one of the highest performing students in Honors Pre-Calculus. Not only is she able to succeed at the honors level, but also increases the learning of those around her by being a valued team member. Becky’s achievement, dedication and collaboration skills make her worthy of this award.  –Mr. Brad Podraza

Nathan Lewkowich
Nathan is an outstanding leader in the classroom. He devotes many hours outside of class to excel in his work as an engineering student. Students in all of his classes look up to him and he is a great collaborator during team activities.  –Mr. Jon Pietras

Hector Santiago
Hector exemplifies what it means to be self-empowered, independent critical thinker. Hector is a hero who regularly stands up for others in a socially responsible and empathetic manner. Hector represents the best of us and the greatness that is the RAMS student community.  –Mr. Jason Jaffe

OCTOBER 2025

TEACHER TESTIMONIALS:

Camila Gonzalez
Camila truly embodies our Profile of a Graduate. She continually challenges herself through rigorous coursework, including AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, and Dual Credit Entrepreneurship. When faced with difficulties, she takes initiative—seeking help from teachers and peers, learning from setbacks, and staying determined to improve.

As a third-year computer science student, she collaborates and mentors others, encouraging classmates who are new to coding and helping them explore multiple solutions. A graduate of her middle school EL program, she also advocates for her peers still developing English skills, showing empathy and leadership by offering to tutor and support them.

Her perseverance, communication, and compassion reflect what it means to be self-empowered, collaborative, and inclusive—a true model of the Profile of a Graduate.  -Ms. Shirley

Hannah Dittrich
Hannah is a pleasure to have in Driver Education. Her effort and attitude create a positive class environment. She is always ready to help her peers whenever needed.  Hannah consistently demonstrates outstanding effort, positive attitude, and respect for others. Hannah leads by example through her participation and being prepared in class.  -Mr. Lepsi

Sydney Tresselt
Sydney is a leader in my class. She is experienced in the hard and soft skills. The hard skills are knots, safety, and proper belay techniques. The soft skills are communication, collaboration, and problem solving. She is able to help teach other students how to do both of these skills. She also is open to talk with any one in class. She is a motivator and always stands up for what is right. She does the right thing even if it is not popular.  -Ms. Miller

Caroline Marchewka
Caroline Marchewka has been an outstanding representative of our World Languages Department as our German Club President, German Honor Society Vice President and student in our AP German class. Over the last 4 years Caroline has committed herself to our German program in every way. She traveled with us to Berlin after her sophomore year and then also participated in our German American Partnership Program (GAPP) Student Exchange the following year. Through GAPP Caroline hosted a German student in her home for three weeks and traveled to Germany, Switzerland and Austria to stay with her partner and immerse herself in the language and culture. Through this exchange Caroline was able to challenge her fluency, gain independence and push herself out of her comfort zone. While abroad she was also a fantastic representative of Glenbard East and the United States demonstrating an open minded attitude, genuine care for those around her and a high level of responsibility. With the help of her German Club Board and Club, Caroline also organized our school-wide Oktoberfest during Homecoming Week and is representing German during the Taste of East planning. She is always respectful, responsible and constantly works to help to promote our German program and the study of all world languages.  -Ms. Lemark

SEPTEMBER 2025

Students are pictured above here with Mr. Broderick Booth, Assistant Principal of Student Services.

 

TEACHER TESTIMONIALS:

Jade Hernandez-Smith
Jade is a standout student who is a leader at her lab table. She leads her group through challenges, not hesitating to ask questions to her peers and teacher along the way. Jade is a problem solver and is always willing to take on a challenge in class.  -Ms. Sabol

DeAngelo Herrera
DeAngelo Herrera is a fantastic advocate for himself and for his peers. He is a very active participant in class activities. He regularly offers to assist me and his peers unprompted and always comes into class with a positive attitude. He is off to an amazing start in our Freshman English class!  -Ms. O’Connor

Jessica Ibarra
I had Jessica last year in Physics. Jessica consistently demonstrated determination and resilience in Physics class, working hard every single day despite the challenges the content presented. She never gave up, even when concepts were difficult, she showed a strong commitment to her own growth by regularly asking for help and seeking clarification. Her perseverance and daily effort were clear indicators of her drive to improve—not because it was required, but because she genuinely wanted to succeed for herself. She is a great model of self-advocacy. So proud of all the work you did last year Jess!  -Ms. Conforti

Michael Kowalczyk
Michael has been showing great self-empowerment skills. He makes responsible decision skills when talking to his peers and when facing challenging situations. He advocates for himself when he needs assistance or when he is facing a challenging situation. He remains motivated and self-reflects on his current grades. When he has a concern or question, he communicates with his teachers to find his own answers.  -Ms. Tovar & Mr. Walker

Evelin Ramirez Diaz
I’m nominating Evelin because she is such a kind, respectful, and hardworking student! She’s always willing to help others, brings positive energy to class, and makes everyone around her feel supported. She truly shows what it means to be a Ram by lifting others up while doing her best every day!  -Ms. Murphy

Leo Rossi
It has been a pleasure getting to know, and work with, Leo Rossi the past few weeks in the capacity of his AP Statistics teacher. Leo is excelling not only as a student, but as a person. Leo earned a perfect score on our first test of the year, but beyond that, he has completed all of his assignments, asks questions during class to gain a true understanding of the content, participates and volunteers answers, and offers assistance to his peers. Leo advocates for his education and is a strong communicator, always notifying his teachers in advance when he is going to be out of class and what he will need to do while away. Leo treats everyone he interacts with the utmost respect.  -Mr. Voss