Evergreen Academy

Mr. Scott Whipple- Principal

I am starting his 20th year in education. I began my journey in education after graduating from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Health Education. I started teaching middle school science in the City of North Chicago. I knew I wanted to become a teacher after working as a swim instructor the summer after high school.  After teaching for a few years, I moved into administration as a dean of students and an assistant principal. I am currently in my 8th year working as a principal.  My passion is supporting staff and students and creating a safe space and culture for learning to thrive. I’m excited to serve Evergreen Academy as our new principal.

Mrs. Nancy Stone – Administrative Assistant

I started working in the school system in August of 2002-2003 school year.  Working in the schools at that time was ideal because my children were school age and I could be on the same schedule as them. I stayed all these years because I enjoy working with kids.

I have 3 adult children, 2 grandchildren and 1 dog and 1 cat.

Mr. Joe Coughlin

My name is Joseph Coughlin. I am the English and History teacher here at Evergreen Academy. I’m a graduate of the University of DePaul with a Bachelor’s degree in English. After graduating from DePaul, I began coaching Cross Country & Track at Crystal Lake South. Enjoying that job, I made the decision to pursue a career in teaching. I obtained my license from Eastern Illinois after student teaching at Prairie Ridge High School 

Ms. Audrey Donovan

Hello! My name is Ms. Donovan, and I’m a dedicated school counselor with over a decade of experience working with children and adolescents. I earned my Master’s degree in School Counseling from Lewis University in 2021 and have since had the privilege of supporting students from 3rd through 12th grade. I’m passionate about helping students thrive across all counseling domains—whether it’s social-emotional learning, academic success, or college and career readiness. Outside of school, I’m an avid reader who lives off music, finds joy in art and creative expression, and proudly advocates for mental health awareness. I cherish time spent with my family, amazing boyfriend, and close friends, and I’m truly excited to continue empowering students to grow, overcome challenges, and reach their full potential.

Mrs. Kelsey Hillard

Hi! I’m Kelsey Hillard, and I teach Math and English at Evergreen Academy. I’m thrilled to be celebrating my 10th year of teaching and to be part of a school that empowers students while providing a safe and supportive environment for learning. From the very beginning of my career, I’ve been passionate about helping students grow not just academically, but also in discovering their unique strengths, interests, and dreams. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and went on to complete a master’s in Teaching and Learning, along with a Principal/Administration license. Over the years, I’ve taught both 2nd and 5th grade, and now I truly enjoy working with middle and high school students.

I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago before moving to Colorado in 2016. This past May, my family and I returned to the area, and it has been so wonderful to come back home. I’m married and have two amazing children, Mia (5) and Daxton (3). When I’m not in the classroom, I love spending time with family and friends.

For me, teaching is more than a career, it’s a calling. I strive to create a classroom where students feel supported, encouraged, and confident to take on challenges. My greatest joy is seeing students succeed academically while growing into individuals who believe in themselves and are excited about learning. Being able to guide students as they discover their passions and pursue their dreams is what inspires me every single day.

Ms. Kim Wittstock

Hello! I’m Ms. Wittstock, I teach the Art & CTE courses at Evergreen. I began teaching high school art & CTE in 2020 after graduating from Concordia University Chicago with a BA K-12 in Visual Arts Education and an endorsement in graphic arts/CTE. When it comes to artmaking, that has always been one of my passions, and I knew I wanted to pursue an art related career my entire life. Although, the art teachers I had and art courses I took in middle school through high school are what inspired me to become an art educator myself. It is something I had set my mind on very early, and I have never felt the need to look back. The therapeutic process of creating artwork and refining my artmaking skills has always been an essential part of my life. The extent my art teachers went to providing a safe space and healthy outlet for me to showcase my talents and explore my strengths (that at times I didn’t even know I had) was such inspiration for me to get my postsecondary education in teaching so I could provide the same environment for kids. Learning how to most effectively provide that environment in my own classroom was such a positive experience throughout my college career. The idea of my lifelong profession involving the opportunity to share the artmaking process with kids and teach them how to compose such beautiful work while providing them an outlet through creativity was something I have dedicated my life to and plan on continuing to do for the long run. The art of teaching; being in the classroom, working with students, watching their growth & helping guide them on their path of academic success/their road to success beyond high school, has become my true passion. I taught in Naperville for 2 years prior to moving to McHenry County, and I loved teaching hundreds of students in such a large high school, but being given the opportunity to work at Evergreen had allowed me to realize my home was being an educator for the McHenry County Regional Safe Schools Program. Being an educator in such a small school setting has allowed me to build such meaningful relationships with students and staff, ones that I will forever cherish. I love being a part of the Evergreen Academy family and seeing how much of a daily positive impact artmaking has made in our students’ lives.