Coming home: Two Downers Grove faculty members return to teach at their alma mater

This past spring, Downers Grove’s Maddie Raftery graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in special education.

This fall, she is back on campus.

However, this time it’s back to her old stomping grounds – Downers Grove South High School.

Of the 700 staff members of Community High School District 99, about 91 are former students of either Downers Grove North or Downers Grove South high schools such as Raftery.

Raftery was hired as a special services teacher, which involves working in the school’s multi-needs program with students with disabilities in a self-contained classroom.

The step back into her old high school is fitting because it was at Downers Grove South where Raftery decided to become a special education teacher.

In addition to playing soccer for Downers South, Raftery participated in the physical education leader program, a course that includes a training portion and a leader portion.

The course, based on teacher recommendation, is open to sophomores and juniors and counts for their physical education credit.

Raftery was a physical education leader for the multi-needs students.

“That is kind of how I fell in love with special education and how I decided what I wanted to do,” Raftery said.

While Raftery was at Illinois State, Downers South underwent a renovation.

“Walking back in the building was really cool because I had not been back at all,” Raftery said.

Walking the halls as a teacher, Raftery will see younger siblings of her friends or neighbors or her younger sister’s friends.

“It is really cool to get to live in this community and see so many familiar faces walking the halls,” she said.

Raftery also is getting used to seeing former teachers she now calls colleagues.

“Overall, I had a great high school experience and so many of the teachers at Downers South have had a positive impact on me,” Raftery said. “To come back as a teacher and be a part of the community is really cool.”

One of the biggest perks, Raftery joked, is the better parking spot she gets as a staff member.

“When I was a senior and running late, I had to park so far away,” she said. “Now I get here early and park in one of the staff lots and walk right to the door.”

Hannah Stark also has started the year teaching at her old school district.

A family and consumer science teacher, Stark will divide time between the district’s two schools. She’ll teach consumer education at South this fall and head over to Downers North for the spring semester where she will teach culinary arts, interior design and clothing construction.

Stark, who is a 2015 graduate of Downers Grove North, also attended Illinois State University for her education degree.

“I have always known I wanted to be a teacher,” Stark said. “My mom and other family members are teachers.”

One of Stark’s favorite memories growing up is accompanying her mom to her classroom to help set up.

She took the child development class at North, where students helped run the preschool.

“I loved the class, but I realized I didn’t want to teach preschool and kindergarten,” she said.

“I always loved cooking and fashion” and with an aunt who teaches family and consumer science teacher, “it seemed like a perfect fit for me,” she said.

Because of the renovations that have occurred at the schools, the classrooms in which she teaches are vastly different than the ones she sat in as a high school student, Stark said.

Stark taught for several years at Oak Park-River Forest High School and Lyons Township High School before joining the staff at Community High School District 99. She’s still able to relate to her students’ emotions, she said.

“I still am able to kind of see myself when I was in their position,” she said. “The anxiety they have and the excitement for new classes, I still remember that and I think it helps me be a better teacher knowing what they are going through.”

Stark, who ran cross country and track in high school, is serving as a coach for the girls’ teams.

This fall, she is looking forward to going to football games and supporting students in their activities.

“Those are things I enjoyed in high school, so now I am excited to experience these events as a teacher,” Stark said.