Creating possibilities for life
Samantha Alvarado has been in education serving as an English teacher, Department Chair, and Principal since 2007. She is from Chicago and has always worked with students on Chicago’s South Side. She had Masters in English as well as Educational Leadership. She has three biological children and more than 2000 babies (most are adults now!) who walked through her classroom doors.
David Goodloe is an actor, teacher and storyteller. He teaches 9th grade English.
Mr. Ridges teaches freshman theology, sophomore English, and journalism at Leo High School. Raised in the St. Jane de Chantal parish in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood, and a member of Quigley South’s (now St. Rita) second to last graduating class, he is a product of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s elementary and high schools. A 20+ year veteran of Illinois public schools, Mr. Ridges brings his passion for teaching and his diverse and storied experience to the students at Leo every day. He and his wife have been married for over 20 years, and they have four children.
Mr. Redmond brings 25 years of experience and commitment to Catholic education to Leo’s English department. A former basketball standout at Gordon Tech High School (now DePaul Prep), Mr. Redmond holds a BS in computer science and is pursuing a Master’s degree in the art of teaching. A father of four, Mr. Redmond has been an athletic director, an admissions director and a dean of students in addition to classroom teaching. He lists reading, politics, public speaking and “research for new knowledge” among his interests. His students have gone on to attend some of the nation’s top universities, including Dartmouth, Northwestern, Marquette and Michigan State.
Ms. Zajac-Clark is excited to join the Leo Team, and teach the Freshmen Seminar and English at Leo. She is a Class of 2015 Golden Apple Scholar and studied the Teaching of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is a member of various academic honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Eta Sigma, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Ms. Zajac-Clark is always hungry to learn and share new knowledge and skills and asks her students to do the same. She is honored to join the team of distinguished educators at Leo and looks forward to seeing her students reach great heights.