Introducing Institute Design Days
Institute Design Days are one-day, collaborative learning experiences where Christian school leaders work alongside experienced faculty and one another to strengthen existing programs or design what’s next.
Alongside Wheaton Academy faculty who’ve spent years refining their own programs, you’ll have room to ask honest questions about yours: what’s working, what isn’t, and what comes next. Our thriving programs once started small and grew slowly, shaped by our community, culture, and students. We want to share with you the lessons we learned through our years of intentional investment so you can determine what your school needs to grow. By stepping into real classrooms and rehearsals and sitting down with the people who lead them, you’ll leave not just inspired, but with concrete next steps for your own school’s programs, no matter where you’re starting from.
This November, Design Days offers two tracks:
STEM & Human-Centered Design and Fine Arts: Instrumental, Choral, and Theatre
Design Days is built for principals, program leaders, department heads, curriculum developers, and teachers alike. Whether you’re leading a school, leading a department, or leading a classroom, there’s a seat here for you.
Location: Wheaton Academy | West Chicago, IL
Date: November 10, 2026 | 9am-5pm (Lunch provided)
Cost: $150 per person
Choose one of the Following Tracks
Led by Wheaton Academy Experienced Faculty
STEM & Human Centered Design
Work alongside Wheaton Academy faculty in the IDEA Lab to see how design thinking shapes STEM instruction, then leave with a concrete plan for bringing that same approach into your own classroom.
Roles that Could Benefit from this Track:
- STEM, Science, or Math Teacher
- STEM Department Chair/Coordinator
- Curriculum Developer
- Academic Dean or Director of Curriculum
- Director of Academic Technology
- Makerspace Coordinator
- Principal/Head of School
PRESENTERs
Dr. Luke Regan & Josh Burick
Fine Arts (Instrumental, Choral, and Theatre)
Sit in on rehearsals across Wheaton Academy’s Instrumental, Choral, and Theatre programs, and work directly with the faculty who lead them to identify what could strengthen your own fine arts department.
Roles that Could Benefit from this Track:
- Band, Instrumental, Choir, or Theatre Teacher
- Fine Arts Department Chair/Director
- Director of Instrumental Music
- Choral Director
- Theatre Director/Drama Teacher
- Curriculum Developer
- Principal/Head of School
PRESENTERs
Steve Willemssen, Corbett Burick, & Joel Visker
Faculty
Corbett Burick
Theatre Arts Faculty | Wheaton Academy, West Chicago, IL
needs to be filled
Josh Burick
Director of Instructional Technology, Engineering Faculty | Wheaton Academy, West Chicago, IL
needs to be filled
Dr. Luke Regan
Science Department Head, Bible Department Head, Science Faculty | Wheaton Academy, West Chicago, IL
BS Wheaton College, MAT Wheaton College, EdD Vanderbilt University
Luke serves as Wheaton Academy’s Science Department Head, currently teaching Physics, AP Psychology, and Topics in Science & Biblical Truth, where he explores the intersection of faith and science with his students. Before joining Wheaton Academy in 2012, he worked as a visiting research specialist at the University of Illinois, studying the genetics of neuroblastoma and potential molecular therapeutics.
At Wheaton Academy, Luke runs the MASTER Program, giving students the chance to engage in the same kind of hands-on research that shaped his own path into teaching.
Joel Visker
Vocal Music Faculty | Wheaton Academy, West Chicago, IL
Joel leads Wheaton Academy’s vocal music program, currently directing Women’s Chorale, Concert Choir, and co-leading Musical Theater Studies, along with several other student vocal groups. Joel first joined the Wheaton Academy faculty in 2005, and after a season teaching internationally, returned to Wheaton Academy in 2020. Across his 17 years on faculty, he has directed five ensembles, provided vocal direction for the school’s musicals, and led choir tours that have taken students across the country and around the world.
His time teaching students from different cultural backgrounds deepened his love of learning alongside them, an experience he continues to bring into Wheaton Academy’s choral classroom today.
Steve Willemssen
Fine Arts Department Head, Instrumental Arts Faculty
BME Valparaiso University, MM Northwestern University
Steve began teaching at Wheaton Academy in 2007, after six years teaching public school in Naperville. As Fine Arts Department Head, he leads Band, Orchestra, Music Composition and Theory, and Percussion Studies, and heads up Pep Band, the pit orchestra for school shows, and Jazz Band, while supporting several other student music groups along the way. His passion is helping students grow not just in musicianship, but in connecting their skills to serving others, a connection that comes alive each year through the annual instrumental tour and music-based mission trip.
Steve grew up playing piano and violin, and once dreamed of conducting shows on Broadway. Today, he conducts the pit orchestra at Wheaton Academy instead, one of the many experiences he’s grateful to share with his students. He and his wife, Katie, also a musician, lead worship together at Wheaton Bible Church.
Best Practices Intensives 2027
A three-day conference where you dive deep into practical application of tools and strategies directly related to your leadership role in your school. With over ten intensive tracks to choose from, you can learn and grow with others who understand the nuances of your role and receive guidance from experts in your field. Designed for school leadership.
BPI 2027 will be hosted June 21-23, 2027 at Wheaton Academy.
Registration will open later this year. Want to be the first to know when Registration opens? Fill out the form below!