Hi! My name isCara Olansky and I am delighted to be a co-teacher with Joe in the Motzarts classroom! In addition to working with Joe, I am also in charge of running the Drama and Visual Arts programs at CSP. I grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts, but achieved my BA in Theater from Butler University, where I also studied Art History and Design. While attending Butler, I spent a semester abroad in London to further my studies in theater and art at Middlesex University. After my graduation from Butler, I achieved several credits in Early Childhood Development from the University of Phoenix. I’ve been a teacher for over ten years and worked with children of all ages, but preschool is by far my favorite. Our drama class at CSP is a process-based program geared towards expanding our imaginations through the use of creative movement, words and sounds. Using these components we learn to work together to tell stories and play games. In Visual Art, our students are immersed in the study of different artists and the famous work they contributed to their period. We explore different artistic mediums and creative ways to make our own priceless artwork! It is my privilege to be a teacher at Creative Scholars and I truly believe that the greatest tool processed by the Human Race is our ability to imagine.
E-mail: colansky@creativescholarspreschool.com

My name isJoe Robinson and I am very happy to be a part of the Creative Scholars team. Originally from Rockford, IL, I began studying music at Northern Illinois University before completing a B.A. in Psychology. I then studied Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two years. My professional experiences have been with a variety of children and in a variety of settings. I have been a student educational/psychological clinician, an after-school teacher, a summer camp supervisor, and an assistant at a juvenile detention center, but my recent years as a preschool teacher have been my fondest. I will be teaching music as well as running our foreign language program. I consider it a treat to be able to share music, my favorite hobby, with our students.
E-mail: jrobinson@creativescholarspreschool.com

Hello, my name isCatherine Shumaker, and I will be teaching in one of the morning preschool classrooms. I am very excited to be a part of the wonderful team at Creative Scholars. I attended Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Following college, I taught 5th grade for two years and during the summer I was a lifeguard and also taught swimming lessons to children between the ages of 3 and 12 years. My husband and I moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he went to graduate school and received his doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology. While in Baltimore, I started as a lead teacher in a preschool and finished as the Assistant Director. As a preschool teacher, I taught every age level but worked predominately with the older children. In addition, before I left I organized and taught a kindergarten program. As the assistant director, I helped the school become accredited with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). When my husband finished school, we moved to Chicago where he worked as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University. We have lived in Chicago for seven years and have four children, three of whom attend public schools. In each of my older children’s classes, I have taught small reading groups, helped with classroom projects and book fairs, and chaperoned fieldtrips. In addition, I have also substituted for an elementary school reading and mathematics program held at UIC. I am looking forward to being back in the classroom and working with preschoolers again.
E-mail: cshumaker@creativescholarspreschool.com

My name isLisa Smith, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Creative Scholars team! I look forward to working with such great families as the Assistant Director, as well as your child’s teacher in one of our half day classrooms! Originally from Sterling Heights, Michigan, I received my Bachelors degree in both Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Michigan State University. (Go Green, Go White!!) After graduation I completed a full-year of student teaching in a first grade classroom, while I also earned many credits towards a Masters of Curriculum and Teaching. My most recent professional experience has been teaching full-day kindergarten for the past 3 years here in Chicago and in the Washington, DC area. I am so happy to have the opportunity to get back to working with preschool-age children once again, and look forward to meeting all of you!
E-mail: lsmith@creativescholarspreschool.com