Curriculum Resource Support--Mrs. Julie Hoeper holds a Masters Degree in Education and has previously taught 3rd Grade at the Academy. She currently works as Curriculum Resource Support for all Academy teachers from preschool through 8th grade.  Mrs. Hoeper researches and assists teachers in developing "best practice” techniques, tailoring differentiated instruction to their classrooms, and identifying valuable curriculum materials to enhance the learning at HFCA.

Mrs. Hoeper was instrumental in researching and implementing the SEPUP (Science Education for Public Understanding Program) which is a hands on issues oriented science program. She also advised Holy Family on implementing reading and writing workshops and determined multiple math resources to be used in the math curriculum which stresses both traditional computational methods as well as problem solving.

Dr. Emily C. Alford, Ed.D spearheaded the effort to develop an innovative middle school program at Holy Family Catholic Academy.  The Academy’s program is founded on “best practices” for middle school students. The curriculum includes inquiry and service learning units, math and science curricula that emphasize problem-solving, and a social studies curriculum that provides meaningful, real-world issues. The inquiry learning units are also linked to issues of social justice. Dr. Alford also participated in developing Holy Family’s partnership with Harper College in which Holy Family purchased space and instructional support, a model never before done either at Harper or through any other middle school in the region.  

Dr. Alford’s background includes extensive experience in both elementary and secondary education, including 20 years as a principal in the public school system. Over the last 12 years, Dr. Alford has worked as a curriculum consultant focusing on developing inquiry-based teaching strategies and training thousands of teachers, from kindergarten through 12th grades throughout Illinois, to restructure existing curriculum topics in science, social studies, and mathematics as inquiry-based units.  

Dr. Alford earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Illinois University.