Katie Schwartzlose is a special education teacher at West High School, and she has been teaching since 2012. She previously taught at Peoria Hebrew Day School and in the Champaign School District before moving to Smart Middle School and now West High School. She went to Olney Central College for her Associate’s Degree, Eastern Illinois University for her Bachelor’s in Education, and Morningside College for her Special Education Degree. Schwartzlose’s favorite thing about being at West so far is she likes to work the athletic events and seeing all of the students and staff outside of the classroom environment. She has also had challenges getting students to follow the new phone rule which is now official state law. Outside of West in her free time, she enjoys watching her nephew play football, spending time with her family, watching movies, reading, baking, cooking, and watching historical and criminal documentaries.
Katie Schwartzlose
A new special education teacher joins the staff
September 16, 2025
About the Contributor
Will Earnest, Co-editor
William (Will) Earnest is a senior at West High School. This is his second year on the Beak ‘n’ Eye staff and first year as an editor. He is the creator of Chill Will Media which covers both Chill Will Photography and the Throttle to the Floor Podcast. Outside of school, he likes to lift at the gym and do different outdoor activities such as caving. After high school, Will plans to attend a 4 year college in Georgia with his loving girlfriend Hailey and major in journalism to hopefully work for NASCAR someday.