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Tamara
Nolte
Director of New Business
tamara@bubblesacademy.com
Tamara Nolte grew up witnessing the positive impact of early childhood education at her parent’s Montessori Preschool in her hometown of Media, Pennsylvania. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Boston College, Tamara spent summers teaching at her family’s school. It was there that she developed a love for education.
Tamara started as a Lead Teacher at Bubbles Academy in its first year, 2003. From there, Tamara became the Director, where she now leads the Bubbles Academy team of staff, manages class curriculums and wears many other (brightly-colored) hats, too.
In addition to her love for early childhood education, Tamara has a passion for improvisational comedy. She currently teaches at The Second City in Chicago, and is also an active ensemble member at Comedysportz. Because she likes a challenge, Tamara spends the rest of her free time pursuing an M.B.A from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management. |
Becca Drew Emmerich
Program Director
becca@bubblesacademy.com
Becca Drew is a graduate of Western Kentucky University with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre, and is passionate about Theatre for Young Audiences. Before moving to Chicago, Becca Drew spent three years creating, playing, and growing at Lexington Children's Theatre in the Education Department. When she isn't teaching at Bubbles Academy, she keeps herself busy by auditioning, dancing, writing scripts for young audiences, and celebrating made-up holidays. She can't wait to see you at Bubbles Academy! |
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Kim
Schiefelbein
Music
Program Coordinator and Parent Programs Manager
kim@bubblesacademy.com
Kim
has been with Bubbles Academy since 2005 and has enjoyed
every moment! She has a bachelor of music in voice performance
from Miami University and is the music coordinator at
Bubbles Academy, where she helps create curriculum and
train teachers. Kim has also taught Chicago-area fitness
programs since 1992 and leads the Bubble Stroller Fitness class. Kim has been certified by the American Council on Exercise and the Aerobics and Fitness Association
of America and is thrilled to have been recently chosen as a lululemon athletica fitness ambassador. She also stays busy as Bubbles Academy’s
speaker series coordinator, the organizer of the Triple
B Moms Group and the Navigating the School Search classes,
and a mom to her beautiful daughter, Laken. |
Katie
Powell
Communications
Manager
katie@bubblesacademy.com
Originally from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, Katie moved
to Chicago for a taste of the big city life and to pursue
her career. In 2008, she received her bachelor of
arts from Shippensburg University in communications/journalism
with a minor in art and graphic design certification.
Katie also worked as an on-air DJ, local music director
and event coordinator for her college radio station.
Katie has been a member of the Bubbles Academy team since 2008 and is excited to continue working with Bubbles Academy despite her recent move to Philadelphia. She enjoys reading, playing board games and singing
in the car. “Hi Mom!” |
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Kate Cohen
Office Manager
kate@bubblesacademy.com
Kate is absolutely delighted to join the fantastic team at Bubbles Academy! Originally from Maryland, Kate earned her bachelor of arts in theatre arts from the University of Arizona and spent a semester studying at the University of Westminster in London. She made her way to the Windy City in 2004, and has been braving the winters and perfecting her deep-dish knowledge ever since. She has had the opportunity to work with a number of theatres and educational organizations in Chicago over the years. Kate also has a great love of improv comedy and performs and teaches improvisation all over the city. When she has a free minute, Kate loves music, movies, cooking, and hugging every dog she passes on the street. |
Ashley
Nye
Events Manager
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Ashley
is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but now resides
in Chicago as she completes her degree in art history
and fine arts at DePaul University. In addition to her
years at Bubbles Academy, Ashley has been a nanny for
numerous families in Michigan and Chicago. Her main
goal in life is to become a great mother like the one
she has been blessed with. Ashley loves dogs, kids,
books, cooking, running, Pilates and, of course, art! |
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Megan Lowndes
Membership Coordinator
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Megan is a new Chicago resident, originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa. She graduated from The University of Iowa in 2008 with a bachelor of arts in communication studies with minors in journalism and sociology. After graduation, she spent two years working as a teacher's assistant in special education classrooms, kindergarten through 6th grade, in Omaha. Megan's personal pastimes include traveling, finding new places to visit in Chicago, live music, laughing, and spending time with family and friends!
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Elisa Litwora
Birthday Coordinator
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Elisa comes to us all the way from Portland, Oregon and is so excited to join the Bubbles Academy crew! Since she was young, Elisa has been adding beauty to the world with her inspiring landscape paintings. She enjoyed her time coaching high school volleyball and working as a camp counselor at Nike for over 4 years. Elisa graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor of arts in painting and printmaking. She
continues to be a mover and a shaker by biking to new places, baking, and tending to her vegetable garden. |
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BUBBLES
ACADEMY TEACHERS |
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Beth
Allin
Teacher
beth@bubblesacademy.com
Beth Allin is tickled pink to join the Bubbles team! A native of Kansas,
Beth graduated from the University of Kansas in 2003. She worked in the
Kansas City area as an advertising account executive for three years until
moving to Chicago to pursue a life in the performing arts. Beth has worked
with Theatre Building Chicago, the North Lakeside Players, Bare Boned
Theatre and Brain Surgeon Theater. She is thrilled to be able to use her
high SQ (Silly Quotient) with everyone at Bubbles Academy! |
Ajanta
Chakraborty
Teacher
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Ajanta is the Founder and President of Bollywood Groove. She has a senior diploma in BharatNatyam (Classical Indian Dance) and has been performing dance since the age of 5. She has extensive teaching experience with both adults and kids and believes in making each of her classes an active and joyful experience for all involved!
Her company has been featured on NBC, ABC, WCIU, Groupon, Sun Times and more for bringing Bollywood dance to the masses in an easily accessible way.
She also teaches virtually via Bollywood Groove's Free iPhone/iPad app called "Learn Bollywood Dance" which is the first of its kind in the world. Her team of professional dancers have performed at various shows including Millennium Park stadium, Ruth Page Center, SummerDance festival, World Music festival etc. |
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Carly Ciarrocchi
Teacher
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Carly is originally from Wilmington, Delaware, but has fallen in love with the Chicago winter, so she doesn't plan on going back east any time soon. She is a graduate of Northwestern University. Carly has taught many Bubbles Academy program over the years, since 2008! In addition to spending time at Bubbles Academy, Carly can be found working at Radio Disney, playing her little blue guitar and doing improv comedy. |
Victoria Golden
Teacher
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
New to Chicago from Louisville, Kentucky, Victoria is thrilled to find a place where she can play guitar, sing, and be silly all day! Victoria is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., where she studied Spanish and theatre. She loves working with children, and has most recently as a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp, and as a teaching artist at Lexington Children's Theatre. Victoria enjoys learning new languages, eating fruit, and having band practice with fellow Bubbles Academy teacher, Miss Becca Drew. |
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Lauren
Hubert
Teacher
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Lauren
is so excited to have found Bubbles Academy, where she
uses her love of music, yoga and teaching to help kids
be creative and, of course, silly! She is a native of
Chicago, but received her vocal music education degree
at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. Since
graduation, Lauren has worked with children as an elementary
school music teacher in Kansas and as a peace educator
at the Children’s Peace Pavilion in Missouri.
Lauren sings and plays guitar, ukulele and piano in
a band that performs all over Chicago. She takes guitar
lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music and donates
her time and talents to Practice With a Purpose, a program
that brings live music to schools, hospitals and churches. |
Whitney McBride
Assistant Teacher and Office Assistant
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Originally from Upstate New York, Whitney graduated from DePaul University in 2008 with a bachelor of fine arts in costume design. Her talents include birthday cake-cutting, silly hat-making and of course, excellent high fives. Whitney spends most of her time working as a freelance theatre artist and making messes in the kitchen. She enjoys riding her bike, playing Scrabble and having dance parties.
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Sarah
Parker
Teacher,
Baby Bubbles and Independence Program Coordinator
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Sarah
has been an actress as long as she can remember, acting
academically and professionally since age 12. Sarah
learned to play the guitar when she was 18 and working
in Branson, Missouri, and she earned her bachelor of
fine arts in theater from Southwest Missouri State University.
After moving to Chicago with her theater company in
2002, Sarah worked in both Chicago and New York, but
her favorite “gig” is being a mom to her
amazing daughter, Lyric. Sarah is happy to have found
a special place at Bubbles where fun and frolicking
are abundant, and where singing about any silly thing
you want is the best way to brighten your day. |
Samantha Perry
Teacher
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Originally from Novi, Michigan, Sam came to Chicago to earn her bachelor of fine arts in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and since then has concentrated her career on Theatre for Young Audiences. She has worked with the Tony Award winning Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company, as well as The Chicago Children’s Theatre Company, Emerald City Theatre Company, and Theatre-Hikes. Perhaps her favorite theatrical experience was The Chicago Children’s Theatre Company’s installation for children with autism and their families; The Red Kite Project. When she isn’t having a blast with all of her friends at Bubbles Academy, rehearsing, or choreographing, Sam loves to spend time reading, writing short stories, and playing with her Chihuahua, Chewbacca. |
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Jessie Stegner
Teacher
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Jessie has a bachelor's degree in theatre from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a semester of Shakespeare intensive work in London at the Globe Theatre. She has taught children of all ages in theatre programs throughout her acting career and can be seen around town performing sketch and improvisational comedy. When she’s not at Bubbles Academy, Jessie can usually be found going for a run in her neighborhood, eating pumpkin ice cream, or laughing hard at something one of her friends just said. |
Meghean Warner
Lead Teacher, Event Assistant
memphis@bubblesacademy.com
During the 2008-2010 school year, Meghean was an integral part of the theater program at St. Mary’s School in Memphis, Tennessee. She directed, designed, and choreographed multiple shows for children while working in public relations for a non-profit theatre company. Meghean earned a bachelor of fine arts in theater studies at Southern Methodist University. While at SMU, Meghean received the SMU Leadership Award and the John Lee McCulloch Scholarship Award. In her free time, Meghean enjoys walking on stilts and eating deep dish pizza (though not at the same time). She is passionate about painting, and has taken recently to creating culinary art in lieu of art on a canvas, due to her limited studio space and her love of food. She is thrilled to be working at Bubbles Academy!
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BIRTHDAY
AND SIBLING CARE CENTER STAFF |
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Natalie Dowdell
Sibling Care and Office Assistant
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Natalie has spent her whole life dedicated to the art of silliness and is delighted to embrace it at Bubbles Academy! She is a Chicago native but spent her college years in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2010, Natalie graduated from Spelman College with a bachelor of arts in child development and early childhood education. During college, she worked with children in schools all over Atlanta, teaching literacy and having an awesome time. Natalie loves dancing, her two sisters, giggling, filmmaking, learning new magic tricks, kids and animals. Her favorite part about each day is making people smile!
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GUEST
LECTURERS |
Cathy
Karnuth
Blossom
Bubbles Yoga Workshop Instructor
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Cathy,
who completed her yoga training at the Temple of Kriya
Yoga in Chicago, has been a yoga instructor at Bubbles
Academy since 2004. She educates students about prenatal
and family yoga, teaches adult and senior yoga, leads
fitness classes for seniors and is a certified personal
trainer. |
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Greta
Huizenga
Baby
Massage Workshop Instructor
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Greta
Huizenga completed the Infant Massage USA training program
after discovering its therapeutic benefits in countless
peer-reviewed journals. She seeks to share this empowering
information on nurturing touch and communication with
parents and caregivers. Currently enrolled in the masters
program of pre- and perinatal psychology at the Santa
Barbara Graduate Institute, Greta also has advanced
degrees in secondary education, elementary education,
and English as a second language. She is the mother
of two. |
Susan
and Rick Rizzo
Baby
Sign Workshop Instructors
bigbubble@bubblesacademy.com
Susan
and Rick Rizzo, Brainy Bubbles baby sign language teachers
since 2005, are so happy to offer Sign With Your Baby
(SWYB) instruction at Bubbles Academy. Susan, a certified
member of the SWYB Presenters Network since 2004, has
a master's degree in deaf education from the National
Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and teacher
certifications in New York and Illinois. Rick, who learned
to sign at NTID in his native Rochester, New York, now
works at the Art Institute of Chicago. Their son, Toby,
born in September 2007, is one of the Rizzos’
favorite guest lecturers! |
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