Milan Jilka, Fine Arts Mr. Jilka was born in Switzerland, raised in Canada, and has spent the last eight years in the United States. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Windsor in Canada, Mr. Jilka moved to Arkansas to pursue his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and was even able to teach Art to college level students. After graduating, Mr. Jilka was hired by the University of Arkansas to teach art for the next two years. In 2003, Mr. Jilka received his education license and began teaching art to middle school students. As well as being a strong advocate for Art education in our schools, Mr. Jilka is a practicing artist. He has paintings displayed in both private and public collections throughout the United States and Canada.
Ashruf Ghanimah, Theatre Shortly after his birth in Detroit, Mr. Ghanimah spent almost all of his life in Chicago. Mr. Ghanimah makes a “big deal” about college in his classroom because it is something he always dreamed about as a child. He earned a B.A. in both Theatre and English, and a B.S. in Secondary Education at Loyola University Chicago. At Loyola, Mr. Ghanimah secured many grants to fund an after-school, theatre program that exposed higher-income, suburban students to lower-income, urban youth. Before joining the DREAM Team, Mr. Ghanimah taught 8th Grade English at MS 322, where he also served as English Department Teacher Leader, Chair of the School Leadersip Team, and Chair of the Department of Fine & Performing Arts. Mr. Ghanimah was excited that his students topped the charts in reading/writing. Among the myriad of films, plays, and musicals he produced during his time at MS322, his students’ 2007 production of Electricidad earned honorable mention in a festival and merited his school winning a grant for $50,000. After much lobbying, he also founded the Miguel Martinez Media Arts & Film Production Lab, a state-of-the-art facility. During that time, he also worked with The Children’s Aid Society as a Theatre Arts Adjunct Staff Member. Currently, Mr. Ghanimah teaches Theatre and is the Artistic Director of Democracy Prep’s Theatre Company. He is excited about the potential that a professional and rigorous theatre model has at this amazing school.
Dennis Wolfe, Physical Education Mr. Wolfe was born and raised in Wappingers Falls, NY. He attended Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. He received his B.S. in Physical Education with a concentration in Teacher Certification. After a short time in the small business world he returned to teaching. Dennis is excited to start his career as a Physical Education Teacher at Democracy Prep, and looks forward to join the DPCS DREAM TEAM and is focused student success.