Staff Transitions

Best Wishes, Goodbye, and Welcome

GOODBYE AND BEST WISHES TO... WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS TO...

Lynn Fabian

Middle School English teacher

Jane Fouracre

Early Childhood teacher

Denise Schweizer

First Grade teacher

Hilary Sophrin

Middle School English teacher Erika Bohman, Middle School English teacher, joined Independence as a member of our middle school English faculty. She brings nine years of experience teaching English at the high school level.

Allison Conner, first grade teacher, who joined Independence from a local independent school, previously worked in a learning support class, and has been a reading and math interventionist.

Rebecca Handloff, Early Childhood teacher, was a long-term substitute in kindergarten and ECI last year and accepted a position as a full-time Early Childhood I teacher in fall of 2022. Parker Slaton, Early Childhood aide, joins her four children as a member of the Independence community. She has experience tutoring, teaching, and advising young people.

Dr. Deepika Thacker, Board of Trustees, has been a pediatric cardiologist at Nemours Children’s Health for over 12 years. She has also served as the medical director of the Cardiac Inpatient Unit at the hospital and has been part of medical research groups advising the CDC on concerns related to COVID-19. As the parent of two alumni and a current student, Dr. Thacker has been an active member of the Independence community for the past 12 years, and most recently has been a member of the Independence reopening committee to help regulate safe practices during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Welcome, Timothy Costello, as the fifth Head of School

In May 2022, Vicky Yatzus announced that she will be retiring at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year. After a long and thoughtful national search, the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Timothy Costello as the Head-elect, beginning July 1, 2023. In making the announcement, Amelia Wyant ’90, President of the Board of Trustees, noted, “Tim is a proven leader and looks forward to nurturing the mission, values, and culture of our school.” He comes to Independence from Science & Arts Academy, a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school in the suburbs of Chicago, where he has been Head since 2013. In accepting the position, Tim wrote, “My visit to Indy was both invigorating and affirming. After every interaction, the passion and love for the school were palpable and on full display.” To read more about the search process and about Tim Costello, please visit theindependenceschool.org/about-us/head-of-school-search.