Instructors
Mrs. Leslee Dirnberger
Leslee Dirnberger (‘Mrs. D’ or ‘Mama D’ to her students), a graduate of the College of William & Mary and Washington University School of Law, has a passion for government, critical thinking, leadership, and teens. She homeschooled her 4 kids through high school, is a former litigator in local, state, and federal court, and was a leader for her church’s teen ministry for over 25 years. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Mrs. D was raised attending senate hearings, working on Capitol Hill, and learning the ins and outs of our government. She has worked at all different levels of government, in different capacities. Since 2007 Mrs. D has taught thousands of homeschool teens in local classes, online classes, and camps. Her classes have included US Government/Constitution, Prelaw/Mock Trial, Critical Thinking for Emerging Leaders, US History, Adulting 101, Informal Logic, and various other leadership classes. Mrs. D is also the Founder and President of Aspire Educational Consultants which helps families and teachers transition to homeschooling. www.aspireeducation.us
Mr. Bob Dobosz
Hello. My name is Bob Dobosz (Americanized pronunciation is Doe-biss). I attended Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn and then I graduated from Illinois State University by way of Washington University in St. Louis where I met my wife Sally. I have a masters degree in counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. Sally and I have been married for 42 years, have three children, three grandchildren and a number of grand animals. I have over 35 years of high school mathematics teaching experience at Gordon Tech, (now DePaul Prep), and Glenbard South High School. My passion is Geometry and I enjoy teaching kids aged 12-16 most. I love all sports, spirituality and spending time with my grandkids.
Mr. Allen McWilliams
Retired math teacher with over 33 years of classroom experience. I have taught basic math, pre-algebra, Algebra I and II, Geometry, Trigonometry, College, Algebra, and Pre-Calculus. I have also taught ACT and SAT math prep classes. In retirement I have been tutoring students in all levels of math and have taught math and chess lessons at Belmont Christian Academy and Naperville Christian Academy. I have also enjoyed coaching chess for over 25 years and I am currently the chess coach at Glenbard South. I will be team teaching with Robert Dobosz.
Dr. Cheryl Peterson
Cheryl is an adjunct professor in the Gifted Education Graduate Certificate Program at Hamline University, MN. She obtained a BA from Millikin University in Elementary Education, a MA from the University of Iowa in Educational Psychology and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Curriculum and Instruction. As an educational consultant and blogger @drcherylpeterson.com, she uses her 30 years of teaching experience at all levels to support families and teaches with an education philosophy of play, practice and purpose. She is currently working on releasing her first book, "Because of 4...Be More," an inspirational story and handbook for teachers to bring play, practice and purpose to their own life and to the students who need it most.
Mrs. Gail Salvatori
Gail Salvatori is a long time Chicago base musician, who over the years has worn 'many different hats' in the music field. As a freelance violinist, she played on over 100 TV and radio commercials and CDs, for groups such as Mannheim Steamroller, and played for artists who perform in Chicago, such as Frank Sinatra, Jr., Ray Charles, and Tony Bennet. She was part of the Ballet Chicago Orchestra for five years, and played for the Joffrey Ballet's 'Nutcracker' for many years. More recently she can be found with the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.
As a pianist, she has acompanied several choirs for various high schools in the area, and has worked for church music programs for over 20 years.
As an educator, she has taught private violin, piano, and viola lessons for over 30 years, and worked at Timothy Christian Schools as the orchestra director, working with four orchetras of various age levels each year, retiring in 2015 to spend more time performing, arranging and composing.
Mr. Caleb Sjogren
Caleb trained in various aspects of stagecraft at Carthage College. He incorporated his passions for worship and creative arts into Abel's Offering, a traveling music/comedy performance team. He later became the founder and first artistic director of the Bill Booth Theatre Company. He has taught and coached acting and improvisation for children, teens, and adults. In addition to occasional forays into local community productions, Caleb performs and teaches regularly with Westside Improv in Wheaton. Through improv and theater training, Caleb is eager to lead these young people into deeper knowledge of themselves, each other, and their Creator.