An Exceptional Faculty:

The heart of a great school is its faculty, and the Board of Directors is committed to keeping Northridge's an outstanding one in all respects. On the academic side, over two thirds of the teachers have advanced degrees: nearly a fourth have doctorates. Beyond this exceptional academic preparation, faculty members share a genuine Christian vision of what young boys can and should become, an awareness of their own responsibility as role models, and a love for and dedication to young people and their futures.

Mr. Rich Meyer, Headmaster rmeyer@northridgeprep.org Ext. 115 BA - University of Illinois MAEd - Benedictine MA - Middlebury College Administrative Certificate - Governors State

Dr. Warren Diem: A native of Milwaukee, Warren holds a BA in Modern European History from the University of Navarre and a doctorate in Philosophy from St. John Lateran in Rome. In 1967 he completed an MA in Latin American Area Studies with a major in Spanish language and a minor in Latin American History at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His teaching certification fulfilled, Warren taught at two Wisconsin schools, Waukesha Memorial School from 1967 to 1969 and the New Berlin Eisenhower High School from 1969 to 1976. In 1976 he helped begin Northridge Prep and has been our Spanish language and literature and junior high Religion teacher ever since. Warren has also made use of his extensive educational background to teach various courses in Latin, History, Philosophy, Theology, and Study Skills to students of all ages. For more than twenty years, he organized and taught at Summer Leadership Programs for junior high students and for many years has served as a staff member at Midtown Center . In 1973, '75, and '77, he was a member of a staff that accompanied three different groups of high school students on tours of Mexico. An associate of the American Classical League, Warren also enjoys photography and reading in History and Philosophy.

 

Mr. Mike Egle: Mike joined the NRP faculty in 1988 as a PE instructor and soccer and basketball coach. He also coached the junior high baseball, cross country and high school cross - country teams, all of which he founded. He is currently the 7th -10th grade Physical Education teacher. A former All-State Cross Country runner at Maine East, Mike received his Bachelor's degree in Physical Ed from Illinois State University, where he was also an athletic trainer, a runner on the Varsity Track team, and the winner of the prestigious Horton award. He remains a competitive and well-known runner locally, winning fifteen 5K races in 1994 on his way to being named Chicagoland Runner of the Year, an award he has since won twice more. Mike was also named to represent the U.S. in an international meet in Japan in October, 1995. Mike and his wife, Tina, whom he wed in August, 1995, live in Glenview with their son Justin.

 

Mr. Dave Fulton: Dave joined NRP in the fall of 2004, but for the last 20 years he was involved in marketing and sales in the publishing industry. Most recently, he was Director of Marketing for the SBC Yellow Pages. Dave completed his Masters at Concordia University. Dave teaches 6th and 7th grade Math, as well as 7th grade Earth Science. He enjoys reading, gardening and working in the yard, as well as golfing and running. Married since 1983 to Sue, a nurse, they have two teenage daughters, Amy and Julia.

Mr. Paul Herman: Paul graduated in 1974 from Deerfield High where he was a starting lineman in Varsity football and a member of the gymnastics team. After a stint at the University of Iowa, he returned home to graduate with high honors from Northeastern. Paul joined us at Northridge in 1980, where, in addition to being a bulwark in the English department, he has served as the director of the Drama Club for thirteen years and mounted successful productions of everything from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. In his spare time, Paul produces works of art in photography, pottery, painting, and woodworking; he shares his expertise in special art classes for the sixth graders and in such past summer jobs as teaching inner city junior high students and serving as an associate director of the Arts Workshop for the Center on Deafness. A member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (I ATE). Paul has received a nomination for the Chicago area Excellence in Teaching Awards program. He currently serves on the Administrative Council as Dean of Students and teaches high school English. He, his wife, Kathy, their sons, Mike, Jeff, and Timothy, and two daughters, Julie and Emily, live in Arlington Heights. 

Mr. Tom Herman: A native of Deerfield, Tom graduated from Northridge in 1983 and from Columbia College in New York in English in 1987. He earned his MEd from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1988 and has taught at several schools, including Boston Latin and the Heights School. Tom joined the NRP staff in 1993 and has taught English and various others courses throughout the school. He is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade English/Language Arts. Tom founded and moderates the Debate Club. In 1995, Tom won an NEH grant to study children's literature at Princeton. In 1998, he earned a summer scholarship to study the history of theatre at the University of Chicago. He also likes the guitar and silent movies. 

Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, Chaplain: Rev. Francis J. Hoffman has been chaplain of Northridge Preparatory School since 1998.  He holds a B.A. in history from Northwestern, MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and JCD from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.  In 1992 he was ordained a priest for the prelature of Opus Dei by John Paul II.  He has worked with youth and families for twenty years.  His bi-monthly column appears in “The Catholic Answer” published by Our Sunday Visitor and he is a regular contributor to Relevant Radio.

Mr. Patrick Hunt: Pat graduated from NRP in 1988 and initially attended St. Leo's College in Florida where he played Varsity Baseball. After graduating from Loras College with a degree in Physical Education in 1993, he taught five years at St. Mary of the Angels school in Chicago, before joining the Northridge team in 1998. While teaching at St. Mary's, Pat also coached Varsity Baseball at the Latin School, where he was named conference Coach of the Year. He was named Varsity Baseball Coach of the Year in the Chicago Prep. Conference four out of eight years! At Northridge, Pat is the Physical Education Chair, Assistant Athletic Director, Intramural Director, Head Varsity Baseball Coach, Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach while teaching P.E., High School Humanities, & Health. Pat and his wife Josette have three children, Patrick, Alexandria, and Benjamin.   

Mr. John Kestler: John received his BA from DePaul in 1972, which he attended on a National Tea Company competitive scholarship. After teaching at several different schools and taking course work towards his Masters, John became a Math and History teacher, Athletic Director, and Varsity soccer and basketball coach at St. Vincent's in Lemont. (A generation of NRP grads recall John as "the rival coach" as St. Vincent's was in our conference.) When St. Vincent's closed, John came to NRP in 1991, where he has taught Math, Religion, and History. John and his wife Sharon have been married for 25 years and live in Des Plaines. John coaches Cross Country and junior high basketball.

Mr. Tom Kelliher: Tom has been affiliated with Northridge since 1993. Before that, he taught at the Heights School in Potomac, Maryland. He left to successfully pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame. He also served as principal of Kingswood Academy in Darien for two years. Tom was awarded the Cushwa Scholarship for Hispanic studies, and is an avid admirer of the Civil War, especially the Battle of Gettysburg. Tom is currently teaching United States AP History, 7th grade US History, and 6th grade Social Studies.

Mr. Kevin Kile: Kevin, who grew up in Pennsylvania, has taught Latin and Greek since 1992, from 7th grade to the post-graduate level. He has taught at the Universities of Toledo and Missouri, in high schools in Atlanta, and more recently at the University of Chicago's Graham School. Today Kevin will teach all sections of Latin at Northridge. Graduating cum laude in Philosophy & Classical Languages from the University of Scranton, he later earned a Masters in Classical Languages at the University of Toledo, and us today a PhD candidate in Classical Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. The youngest of seven children, today Kevin and wife Heather, have a daughter, Eileen. Finally Kevin enjoys computers and technology, yet "used book stores are my favorite haunt." 

Mr. Joseph Lechner: As a high school student at Maine North, Joe was both captain of the gymnastics team and co-founder of the school's Drama Society. At ISU where he earned his B.S. in Political Science in 1978, he was elected a member of the student assembly and performed as an acrobat in a fraternity circus that raised money for charitable purposes. After gaining his MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) in Social Sciences and History at the University of Chicago in 1979, Joe taught for three years at Palatine High School, where he founded the Advanced Placement course in History and served as the technical director for ten major school dramatic productions. Joe joined the Northridge faculty in 1982 and is a member of both the national and state Associations for Teachers of Social Science. Joe, Diane, and their seven children live in Deerfield. 

Mr. Gil Lee: After 33 years of teaching Math in Chicago, the Philippines, and in Africa, Gil Lee decided to exercise his love of Math at Northridge in 2002. Gil Lee teaches two Geometry classes, one Advanced Algebra/Trigonometry, two Pre-Calc. classes, and is the Math laboratory Advisor. He is also a member of the National Council of Teachers in Mathematics. When he is not doing math, Gil enjoys fishing, reading, and watching the news everyday. He and his wife, Medina, have three daughters Gleezel, Gleenda, and Meliza. 

Mr. Charles Martin:  Charles joined NRP in the Fall of 2004 after completing his student teaching at Fenton Community High School, in Bensenville, Illinois.  Charles grew up in Shenandoah, Iowa, where he attended Shenandoah High School until graduating in 1999.   While at Shenandoah High, Charles was half of the two person improvisation team which won the 1999 Iowa High School Speech Association’s All-State Improvisational Banner.  After high school, Charles attended the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he received his BA in English, receiving a minor in Communication and Theatre with an endorsement in secondary education.  At NRP, Charles currently teaches sixth grade language arts and reading and freshman English.  In the past, he has also taught eighth grade language arts.  In addition to his teaching assignments, Charles oversees the production of NRP’s yearbook, The Cavalier, as well as the junior high newspaper, The Knightly News.  He also is an assistant director for the drama department.

Mr. Robert O'Brien: Robert graduated from neighboring Loyola Academy in 1993, back when it was still an all-boys institution. He earned his English degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1997, after which he spent two years at LaSalle Bank and two years in the commodities business downtown. During these latter two years he earned his certificate and Masters in Education at DePaul University, where he met his wife Kimberly. His first five years of teaching were spent at St. Francis de Sales High School on the south east side of the city. Robert joined Northridge Prep in the Fall of 2006 and teaches American Literature, British Literature, and the Writer's Workshop class. 

Mr. Jim O'Keefe: Jim is a graduate of Saint Joseph High School in Westchester and the University of Iowa, where he earned his BA from the College of Education with endorsements in United States History, World History and American Government.  Prior to joining Northridge Preparatory School in 2006, Jim taught and coached at various schools throughout the western suburbs, including his alma mater, St. Joseph High School, Cass Junior High School , and Oak Park and River Forest High School.  At NRP, Jim teaches 7th and 8th grade United States History, 9th grade Civics/World Cultures, and he coaches the Freshman Basketball team, Junior Varsity Baseball team, and serves as the moderator of the NRP Student Council.  Outside of teaching and coaching, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife and son. 

Mr. Mark Ostap: Mark earned his bachelors and masters degrees in history from Western Illinois University, where he was member of Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Pi honor societies.  While in graduate school, he met his wife Molly. Before coming to Northridge, he taught at Stockton High School, where he also coached volleyball and baseball. When Mark first came to Northridge, he taught 7th, 9th, and 10th grade history, served as technology coordinator, assistant varsity soccer coach, junior high basketball coach, and junior high baseball coach. Mark now serves as Director of Admissions, teaches, and coaches. Mark and Molly have three children, Jack, Madeline, and Luke. He enjoys history, politics, sports, movies and music. He is currently pursuing a MEd in Educational Leadership at Lewis University.

Mr. Will Rey: A native of Havana, Cuba, Will received his Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University and his Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling from Concordia University. Currently, he is pursuing a second Master’s degree in Theology from Holy Apostles’ College and Seminary. Will has more than 30 years of basketball coaching experience at the university and high school levels. From 1976 through 1985, he taught and coached basketball at Gordon Tech, Crete-Monee and Fenwick High Schools. While at Gordon, the Rams made one IHSA Class AA "Elite Eight" appearance and a pair of "Sweet 16" appearances.  In the spring of 1985, Coach Rey moved to the University of Evansville where he assisted Jim Crews for four years. At Evansville, he helped Coach Crews win two conference championships with second round appearances in the NCAA and NIT tournaments, a 35-consecutive game home winning streak and a Top-25 national ranking. In 1989, Will was named head coach at Loyola University Chicago where his teams defeated national programs such as Wisconsin, Purdue, Notre Dame, Dayton, Northwestern, St. Louis and Butler. In addition, Will coached at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Coach Rey returned to his Chicago roots in the spring of 2004 when he accepted his current position at Northridge Prep. Will also was a lecturer, resident coach and administrator at the nationally renowned Five-Star Basketball Camp for more than 20 years. In 2005, he was inducted into the Five-Star Basketball Hall-of-Fame with the likes of Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, Hubie Brown, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Christian Laettner, Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning. Will has produced 6 basketball instructional videotapes for coaches and players that are sold world-wide. Coach Rey is member of the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches), the IBCA (Illinois Basketball Coaches’ Association) and a basketball consultant for Catholic Athletes for Christ, a Washington, D.C. based ministry for athletes and coaches of all sports. Along with his duties as Athletic Director and Varsity Basketball Coach, Will teaches one class in the theology department. He and his wife of 29 years, Diane, have three children: Christina, Jacqueline, and Robert. 

Dr. Jerry Shepherd: A native of southeastern Massachusetts, Jerry graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1971 and received his doctorate in American Literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 1980. He has taught high school classes at both The Heights School in Washington, D.C., and Westbridge School in Lexington, Massachusetts, and was a Teaching Fellow in Composition while at Washington U. Jerry first joined Northridge in 1977, but left in 1980 for a four-year term as the director of an off-campus residence at Harvard. In 1984 he returned to Northridge as a high school teacher, a member of the Administrative Council, and the Director of Guidance in charge of the advisory program and college and career guidance. He was appointed Headmaster in 1988 and stepped down from that position in 1997 to focus on his jobs in teaching and guidance and as director of alumni relations. A member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE), and the Melville Society, Jerry has published several academic articles, a booklet on coping with college studies and living and one on the moral education of children, a book, Bootstrapping Educators: A Self-Help Guide For High School Teachers, and, most recently, short stories. He is also the author of Being Real, a six-book religion series for teenagers. He teaches classes, including the Senior AP World Lit Seminar and Theology for juniors, to upperclassmen, and moderates the Creative Writing Club and Newspaper. 

Mr. Chris Tipton: Chris joined NRP in the fall of 2004. He Graduated from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio with a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management. Chris then went on to work with Will Rey at Wilmington College as Coach Rey's assistant. Chris is now the Junior-High Athletic Director, Sophomore Basketball Coach, and Assistant Varsity Basketball and Baseball Coach. Mr. Tipton resides in Chicago and is currently pursuing his masters degree in guidance counseling.