Meet the Staff
Rebecca Gonzalez - Owner/Director
Rebecca Gonzalez has spent her teaching career in preschool classrooms and loves the innocence of children and their pure passion and joy of learning. What keeps her happily coming back year after year is a genuine love of watching children discover, learn, and interact with one another, while knowing that teachers have the ability to touch many lives of children and adults at the same time in different ways.
Rebecca received her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from DePaul University, her Master’s in Child Development from the renowned Erikson Institute, and her ESL Endorsement from National Louis University. She is also a proud National Board Certified Teacher. Before opening up Bucktown Academy, Rebecca taught at Burr Elementary for six years after spending six years teaching in the tuition-based Preschool program at Oscar Mayer. Rebecca believes that every child has a natural curiosity that invites them to explore the world around them. This belief is clearly demonstrated in her loving, warm, and welcoming school.
After twelve years of teaching in the Chicago Public School system, Rebecca decided to follow her life-long dream of opening up her own preschool, where children have a safe place to learn without the stress of high-stakes assessments and developmentally inappropriate practices. In the fall of 2014, this dream came true when Bucktown Academy opened its doors.
When Rebecca is not teaching, she spends time with her adorable sons and her CPS-teacher husband, practices yoga, enjoys running, reading, and traveling. She’s also passionate about animals and cares for three adopted cats of her own.
Rachel Hilbert - Director and Extended Care Teacher
Rachel Hilbert recently returned to Bucktown Academy as a director, after teaching in Chicago Public Schools for six years. She is thrilled to be back in the school where she started her teaching career as an Assistant Teacher from 2014-2016. After receiving her B.A. in Philosophy, Psychology, and Physiology from Oxford University, Rachel had a short career as a research scientist before discovering her true passion was working in Early Childhood. She has her Masters in Early Childhood Development from Erikson Institute, and holds a Professional Educators License with endorsements in Early Childhood Education as well as Early Childhood Special Education.
In her spare time, Rachel enjoys spending time with her cat Gracie, and spends her holidays on long distance backpacking trips.
Stephanie Guaman - Lead Teacher, Sprouts and Extended Care
Stephanie Guaman has been a part of the Bucktown Academy community for five years! Her dream of becoming a teacher started in her teen years when she volunteered as a teacher assistant at a daycare. During college, she also worked for Jumpstart - an early education program for underserved communities. Stephanie has made it her goal to inspire and motivate all the children she encounters. Stephanie graduated from Dominican University with a B.A. in English Literature. She has her Early Childhood Certification from Harold Washington College.
In her free time, you can usually find her reading or spending time with her dog Nana.
Marcia Kondo - Lead Teacher, Saplings
Marcia Kondo was born and raised in Surrey, BC, Canada, a suburb of Vancouver, lived in San Francisco for seven years, and came to Chicago in 2018. She is excited to be back in the classroom after being at home with her children during the pandemic. Marcia has her Professional Educator License as a Generalist with Endorsements in Early Childhood Education and Technology. She also has her Bachelors of Education in Early Childhood Education, and her Master’s of Educational Technology Degree. Marcia has taught preschool and kindergarten for over ten years in both private and public schools.
In her spare time, Marcia enjoys staying active with her husband and two children, playing the piano, baking and cake decorating.
Nancy Alvarez - Teacher Assistant, Sprouts
Nancy Alvarez has almost 10 years of childcare experience in the Chicago area. She holds a Child Development Associate Credential, and has worked as a teacher assistant as well as a head teacher. She also has experience as a home caregiver for senior citizens. Nancy’s favorite thing to do is play and interact with children.
Nancy enjoys spending time with her two daughters, who perform traditional Mexican folkloric dance.
Donna Loe - Teacher Assistant, Saplings
Donna Loe has been working in early childhood education for several years as a Teaching Assistant, at schools around the Chicago area. She previously had 25 years experience as a retail manager at Macy’s, after receiving her B.S. in Marketing from Depaul University. Ms. Loe joined us over the summer as a summer camp teacher, and we are very excited to have her joining us longer term as a T.A. in our Saplings classroom.
Outside of her time at work, Donna enjoys going for bike rides and spending time with her husband and children.
Joel Medina - Teacher Assistant, Extended Care
Joel Medina is new to our Bucktown Academy staff, but is familiar to the school already as our music teacher! Joel received his B.A. in Humanistic Studies from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, and has been growing his clientele as a music teacher for over 10 years. He has been a certified Kindermusik teacher at Bucktown Music for the past four years as well as teaching piano, guitar, bass, and drums.
In his spare time, Joel is a performing musician, and released his latest album Agradecer in 2023.
Jessica Dwyer - Teacher Assistant, Floater
Jessica Dwyer has over 5 years of experience in Early Childhood centers and home-based daycares, including as a lead teacher in a 2 year old classroom. She is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood at Harold Washington College. Jessica works with both of our classrooms in her position as a floating Teacher Assistant, so she knows all the students in the school!
Jessica recently moved to Chicago from Iowa, and enjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, cooking, and going for walks.