Pizza, pasta, and beaches! Who would want to leave that slice of heaven? The answer is Mark Lichaj (pronounced Lee-High), the Upper School’s new chemistry teacher. He will join the FWCD community next year, after teaching 5 years in Italy. 

During school, Lichaj always had a passion for science because he liked to understand how things worked. He grew up in Downers Grove, which is a suburb of Chicago. He received a bachelors in biochemistry from Loyola University Chicago and his teaching degree from Northwestern.

When he’s not in the classroom, he is either riding his bike or working in his garden. 

For the past five years, he has been teaching international students at the American School of Milan, which was similar to teaching in the United States. 

“I had one class with students from Italy, Nigeria, India, China, South Korea, England, United States, Spain, and Russia,” Lichaj said. 

He loved hearing the different conversations in multiple languages as he walked through the halls. 

“My favorite memory from living in Milan is when my seniors last year painted a periodic table on the back wall in my classroom,” Lichaj said.

He moved to Italy because of his love for Italian food, and he had always wanted to explore the country. 

After seven years of living outside the United States, he was ready to return. He heard about FWCD through networking and thought it was the perfect place for his next journey. 

Sherri Reed, the Science Department Chair, is excited for Lichaj to join FWCD because he has many new ideas for the chemistry classes. He wants students to be involved in whatever labs they want to explore. 

“Mark stood out with his dedication to his students,” Reed said. “He even went to school on Saturdays to work on labs with his seniors since they could not meet as a group due to the pandemic.” 

Lichaj is excited to get to know the school and the students better.