Amy Osterman 

Amy took her first African dance class in Albuquerque, N.M. in Oct 1999. The deeply rooted call of the drums and the community this cultural art form creates kept her coming back for more. In 2001, her dance teacher Rujeko Dumbutshena invited her to be an understudy dancer in Blue Tribe dance company. As a dedicated understudy she quickly earned her way to a primary dancer. It was during her time in Blue Tribe that she developed a strong foundation in the technique and style of African dances from Zimbabwe, Congo and Guinea. Being exposed to different styles there was something special about Guinean dance and music that touched her deeply and she committed herself to figuring out a way to study in Guinea, West Africa. Her first trip to Guinea was in Dec 2004/Jan 2005. Having travelled to Guinea a total of four times since 2004, Amy loves to share her knowledge of African dance and music with anybody who is interested, from the novice to those who already knows just how great it is. She breaks down dance steps that are intertwined with the dynamic rhythms in a format that makes it easy for everybody to learn. Her classes are taught to live drumming by an ensemble of musicians and she warmly welcomes you to have fun in her classes.

Carol Stone 

Carol holds advanced degrees in clinical psychology and the science of energy healing. A student of yoga for more than 25 years, she has trained intensively with renowned yoga masters worldwide, and has taught hundreds of people to enhance their own ability to stand firmer in who they are. Courtney Lyons Courtney Lyons is an Evanston parent and seamstress. She has a bachelor’s of fine arts in Fashion Design and loves sharing the joy of sewing with kids of all ages. She runs several after school sewing clubs in D65 and is excited to expand the program into Ridgeville.

Chris Shaw

Chris is an enthusiastic maker; among his many crafting hobbies, he has been sewing for practical reasons (like mending and making home decor) since he was a kid, and now enjoys working on more fun projects with his own kids. He is currently a math professor at Columbia College, but in a past life, he was a youth camp director, and he loves teaching. 

Dan DeLorenzo 

Dan has studied the Feldenkrais® Method for 10 years and has been certified as a teacher of the Method by the Feldenkrais® Guild of North America. He has taught Awareness Through Movement classes to seniors and musicians. He hopes to introduce the benefits of this Method to a wide range of people in the Ridgeville area.

Greg Lundberg 

Greg has been studying West African drumming for over 20 years and has performed for several years with two West Ativan jazz bands on percussion and conga: The Occidental Brothers Dance Band International and L’Orchestre Super Vitesse. He is also a high school English teacher at Maine East High School and a resident of South Evanston.

Josh Coveliers 

Josh Coveliers has been a Ridgeville camper, CIT, Camp Counselor, and now Camp Director. He is an Assistant Teacher at the Robert Crown Community Preschool. He is a big fan of Chicago sports teams, indie music, and games of any sort- but especially strategy games. He loves having fun and making people laugh, which reflects strongly in how he leads camp programs for Ridgeville Park District. 

Michael Drennan

Michael studied Tai Chi Chuan 32 years ago with a disciple of Chen, Man Ching to prepare for a theater role. He has practiced ever since, learning Qi Gong and Chan Ssu Chien with another Chen Man Ching disciple, the venerable Jou, Tsung Wa. Michael is rated 2nd Dan in Tae Kwon Do, Moo Duk Kwan and has pursued an equivalent in Moo Sul Kwan. He served on the board of Ridgeville Park District from 2011 to 2017.

Laura Downey 

Laura has a doctorate of education in counseling psychology and is a board certified dance/movement therapist as well as a licensed professional counselor and certified movement analyst. Laura uses her experience as a college graduate program professor and training in lifespan, prosocial skill and motor development to shape her classes and help children and adults to be successful in class and promote general well-being while learning dance technique and exploring movement. Laura’s professional classical dance training was with nationally renowned dance artists and instructors such as Greg Begley, Rory Foster, Julie Cartier, Eileen Cropley, Linda Spriggs and Joel Hall. A Ridgeville resident, she has been teaching ballet, modern, tap, jazz and creative movement at professional dance schools and park districts for over 25 years and is honored to dance with fellow community members and our children.

Pat Bernard

When Pat isn’t designing landscapes you can find her dancing with her dog Thelma (who prefers a slow cha-cha), teaching line dancing, talking about line dancing or just thinking about the rhythms of the new dances she will be teaching. Pat has always moved to the beat of the many styles of music she loves, but when she rediscovered line dancing more than a decade ago she was hooked. Teaching for the past several years, Pat has introduced her students to soul, pop, latin and just a tiny bit of country dances - as long as you're movin’ you're groovin’!! “I’m a 9th Ward resident who walks throughout the 9th, 4th, 2nd and 8th almost daily so being able to offer dance classes to all my neighbors is especially meaningful. Helping my friends and neighbors forget the rest and dance their best for a few hours is pretty magical."

Quintrell Gary

Quintrell is currently captain of the football team at The University of Dubuque, where he is studying exercise science with a minor in teaching. He has played a variety of sports since he was able to walk and has been coaching for 5 years. Quintrell helps run an athletic performance organization where he trains athletes if all ages to compete within the State. He has been a camp counselor for Ridgeville for 6 summers, and looks forward to expanding his role to bring proper development to kids and, as always, have fun!

Shauna Babcock

Shauna has been teaching yoga since 2008. She is passionate about sharing the many benefits of yoga with her students, including increased energy, confidence and joy. She encourages her students to listen deeply to what matters most to them.

Shauna’s professional background is in Human Resources and Leadership Development. Her practice of yoga is informed by her work coaching individuals and teams to open to possibilities, foster engagement and cultivate authenticity. She is grateful for the role the transformative power of yoga has played in her life.

Shauna received her 200 hour certification from the Shambhava School of Yoga in 2008, and 300 hour certification from The Yoga Teacher’s Lab in 2019, and has taken over 500 hours of continuing and specialty education beyond that including hips/lower body, shoulders, arm balances, pre/post natal, sequencing, teaching skills, adjustments and yoga for cancer survivors. She is certified by Yoga Alliance as an Experienced, Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500).

Vee Witter

Vee has been a valued team member of Ridgeville Park District for 15+ years. She is a year-round employee that works at the Community House and oversees many of our youth camps. Vee says the she “loves and cherishes every young person that she works with” and that “seeing the campers grow up is the best gift.”

Victoria Livingston

Victoria holds a Master’s of Education degree and is a certified Early Childhood Montessori teacher. She has over 10 years of experience working with children in a range of environments, including their own home and the classroom, and as a school administrator. Victoria enjoys helping children tap into their creative side, and isn’t afraid of a little mess along the way! In her spare time, Victoria enjoys creating mosaics, gardening, and watercolor painting. 

Avalon Theatre Club www.avalon-theatre-club.square.site

The Imaginary Game www.theimaginarygame.com

Language in Action www.languageinactioninc.com

Evanston Soccer School www.teamevanston.org/club/soccerschools

SWHET Sports www.swhet.com

Young Rembrandts www.youngrembrandts.com

Rhythm Revolution www.drummingcircle.com