Meet Our Faculty & Staff

Payton Brasher

MS Theater & Dorm Parent

BA Augustana College

Joe Burck

Social Studies

BA in History Education & Middle Grades Social Studies from Augustana College

Robb Christensen

3D Art & Ceramics

M.A . – Saint Xavier

Sarah Coomber

Kindergarten

B.A. – Carleton College
M.Ed. – University of Toronto
B.Ed. – St. Ambrose University with a Reading (K-8) Endorsement.

“My goal as an educator is to create a learning environment that embraces the natural curiosity, creativity, and joy of the young learner.”

Julia Durango

7th Grade Advisor, English 6, 10, 12 & Creative Writing

MA in Political Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
BA in Latin American Studies

Shayla Hinzman

LS Spanish & Spanish 1

BA in Spanish and teaching degree from Monmouth College

Tiffany Johnson

English as a Second Language (ESL) & US Teaching Faculty

MA in Linguistics with concentration in ESL from the University of Iowa
BA from Southern Illinois University

John Mahlo

1st Grade

B.A. – Western Illinois University

“I love that Rivermont’s small class sizes give us the opportunity to meet every student’s academic needs individually.”

Noah McCracken

8th Grade Coding

B.A. – St. Ambrose University

Zackary Murphy

K-12 Physical Education &
Health Science

BA in Kinesiology from Loras College & Masters of Exercise Physiology from St. Ambrose

563-359-1366
[email protected]

Lamiaa Nadif

2nd Grade

M.A. – National Lewis University
B.A. – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Dr. Blanchard Onanga Ndjila

English 7, 9, 11, AP Lang
& AP African American Studies

PHD in English and American Studies from the University of Bordeaux in France
MAs in French & Francophone studies & English and American Studies
Associate Degree in English

“For me, teaching comes down to sharing my own educational background, my own story and teaching experiences to motivate students to learn and understand the positive impact they could make on the world through education. So far, that part of my teaching has always been very well received and appreciated by the students. Therefore, I always like to help them realize areas they need to work on the most. In the final analysis, teaching, to me, is all about sharing my knowledge with the students. This is primarily done by encouraging them to participate in in-class activities. It is also done by setting goals and giving them the academic tools that will ultimately help them develop, mature, and interact with the world. Interacting with students in such a way that encourages them to ask me as many questions as possible is important to me.”

Dr. Onanga is also a published author. His books include: NKANI: An African Prophecy Onkere: An African Boy’s Story of Struggle, Resilience, and Determination, and Race, Ideology, and the Polarization of America in the Age of the Obama Presidency.

Corey Parker

MS/US Band

Maggie Pena

Pre-Kindergarten
(2-3 year olds)

Kristin Rakoci

4th Grade

Sean Rickman

MS/US Mathematics

BA in Physics and Philosophy from Augustana College

Leigh Ann Schroeder

PS-12th Curriculum Coordination & 6th-12th Grade History

BA in Political Science, Philosophy, and Education from Augustana College​

“What I would like students to take away from my classes, is that history is ever unfolding and alive, not just dates and names in a book. History is a story with characters, conflict, and compromises that need to be discovered to better understand the situations we are in today. Learning from the successes and failures of the past, allows us to move forward as a society.”

Christine Shepherd

Montessori Infused PS (3-5 Year Olds)

Melissa Sweeney

MS Maker Space,
LS Technology, & Faculty IT

Associates in Network Administration from Blackhawk College

Emma Valenzuela

5th Grade

Amber Weeks

Junior Kindergarten
(4 year old)

B.A. – Blackhawk College/Western Illinois University

A quote from my children’s favorite book. “The very Hungry Caterpillar” story is about hope. You, like the little caterpillar, will grow up, unfold your wings and fly off into the future.” Eric Carle

Collin Lawrence

Interim Head of School

MA in Curriculum & Instruction: Social Studies from the University of Minnesota
BA in American Studies with concentration in Educational Studies from Carleton College

563-359-1366 Ext. 335
[email protected]

Jill Beinborn

College Counselor

MA in Organizational Leadership from St. Ambrose
BA in English from U of Dubuque
Basketball fan!

563-359-1366 Ext. 324
[email protected]

Drew Boster

Director of Development

563-359-1366×314
[email protected]

Michelle Grimm

Dean of Students & Athletic Director

BA in Physical Education Teaching from St. Ambrose
MS in Kinesiology from UIW
ABD Doctorate in Health Education from AT STILL University

563-359-1366 Ext. 321
[email protected]

Tia Hodge

Chief Operating Officer

563-359-1366×309
[email protected]

Zackary Murphy

MS/US Dean

563-359-1366
[email protected]

Linda Paget

Assistant to the Headmaster

563-359-1366×301
[email protected]

Gina Reed

Finance Director

563-359-1366×315
[email protected]

Becca Rice

Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Pk – 5th Grade & Rowing Coach

563-359-1366×337
[email protected]

Christine Starling

Becherer Hall Receptionist & Assistant to Becca Rice

563-359-1366×336
[email protected]

Marc Studer

Chef

563-359-1366×336
[email protected]

Jill Weitzel

Communications Director

563-359-1366×308
[email protected]