1. Sciences
1.1. Regenerative Agriculture, Food, & Sustainability
1.1.1. Marisa DeDominicus
1.1.1.1. Marisa is the co-founder and Executive Director of Earth Matter, a compost and agriculture non-profit education program housed on Governor's Island. Dedicated to removing organic material from garbage and educate about the power of regenerative agriculture along the way, Earth Matter embraces the true essence of sustainable education. Marisa has long been a collaborator of mine in visioning ideas for larger-scale education programs on Governor's Island linked to urban agriculture!
1.1.1.2. - Learning by doing; hands-on environmental sand science education at Earth Matter Governors Island - Mom w/ 3 kids all with IEPs and experienced in the need of advisory and advocacy for students
1.1.2. Charlie Bayrer
1.1.2.1. Charlie is the co-founder and operations manager of Earth Matter, where he has been integral in developing the growth of the compost project at Earth Matter. He has extensive knowledge of various methods of composting and best practices in the maintenance of compost systems. Charlie has been part of Earth Matter since its inception and joins Marisa in being a key collaborator and inspiration in my enthusiasm for compost-based education.
1.1.3. Nando Rodriguez
1.1.3.1. Nando is the Environmental Program Coordinator for Brotherhood/Sister Sol, a program that supports young people in Harlem through programming that spans all stages of their youth through adult development in leadership, health, activism, environmental education, community building, and more. Nando runs the Environmental wing of the program, including garden work, outdoor wilderness experiences, and a youth market program. I am looking forward to learning how the school may partner with Brotherhood/Sister Sol to make their incredible offerings available to students.
1.1.3.2. Experience in youth after school development and active learning program
1.1.4. Raquel Vigil
1.1.4.1. Raquel was connected to me as a Teachers College Zankel Fellow in Environmental and Sustainability Education, through which she developed a sustainable food and garden workshop series for CSS students. Her experience is far-reaching, including a number of positions consulting for climate change and agriculture curriculum, teaching in a CTE food and agriculture program in the Bay area, and working as a trained pastry chef. She brings amazing passion toward community-minded and participatory experiences as a grounding force in building students' learning.
1.1.5. Pam Koch
1.1.5.1. Pam is the Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education, and Policy in the Program in Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to educating graduate students in Nutrition Education, Pam works with educators, policy makers, researchers, and students at a wide variety of settings. She is passionate about integrating garden to table experiences for students and re-envisioning school lunch. Her diverse experiences learning about school food approaches around the world bringamazing insight to possibilities that could exist in NYC public schools!
1.1.6. Ray Pultinas
1.1.6.1. Ray first introduced me to the concept of "Ecoliteracy" while I was in a course he taught at Teachers College about a decade ago, changing the way I thought about approaching literacy in education. Ray's depth of thought and care for educating about sustainable systems shines in all that he does. At DeWitt Clinton High School, Ray's work has made a lasting impact, from developing a student activism seminar to creating a garden program that has grown to include a hydroponic lab and orchard.
1.2. Science Education
1.2.1. Tina Glover
1.2.1.1. Tina is a Manager of the Urban Advantage program housed at the American Museum of Natural History and a number of partner Science institutions all over the city. Tina has mentored Science education for countless schools, students, teachers, parents, and community organizations, and is also a parent of two graduates of NYC public schools. She has amazing insight into ways to integrate Science learning with hands-on investigation approaches and cares deeply about giving all students access to engaging educational experiences. She is also a certified facilitator through the National School Reform Faculty, and I look forward to learning from her to integrate Critical Friends Circles and other approaches in this school design process!
1.2.1.2. - Parent of NYC public school graduates (504 & IEP) - Early childhood educator - Foster child (former:)) - Informal educator at a science institution - Invested in being an ally
1.2.2. Sarah Ohana
1.2.2.1. Sarah is a Science Educator with experiences ranging from NYC public schools to the Rudoph Steiner Waldorf School and other independent school settings to farm-focused education. Sarah worked with me to develop farm-based education experiences for CSS students and a guide for educators published by the Rodale Institute. Sarah has an amazing passion for Science curriculum development a dedication to integrating interdisciplinary hands-on learning.
1.2.3. Anna Newman
1.2.3.1. Anna is a Chemistry and Physics teacher, formerly in NYC public schools and currently in the Boston area, and has experience in teaching in programs in sailing education and garden/food education. We met teaching Food & Sustainability June-Term class at CSS, and have long dreamed of building curricula to integrate Chemistry of Cooking and Physics of Boating into a school setting. Anna's deep content knowledge combined with her passion for teaching in high-needs schools has brought incredible experiences to public school students.
1.2.4. Maria Rivera Maulucci
1.2.4.1. Maria is a professor of education at Barnard College, where she was one of my earliest mentors in education! She is passionate about teaching for social justice and has worked extensively in a range of school settings. Maria started a course series at Barnard called "Science in the City," which partners undergraduate education students, classroom teachers, and the American Museum of Natural History to together expand the science classroom to include institutions in the city. She has since evolved to include "Arts & Humanities in the City" to similarly explore how teachers can best access arts resources and storytelling into the classroom.
1.2.4.2. - Social Justice Teacher Educator - parent, special needs & gifted - former MS teacher: math, science, & technology, gifted school and k-8 NYC public school - former MS design team leader/member - former district staff developer - helped open a new school as a faculty member - experience with dual language and method to teach students learning English
1.3. Engineering & Design
1.3.1. Aaron Kyle
1.3.1.1. Aaron is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University and founder and director of the Hk MakerLab program, a summer program which immerses underrepresented students in biomedical engineering. Hk students culminate their experience by presenting a prototype for a biomedical solution - a true testiment to Aaron's focus on helping students find their voice and their capability for excellence. His innovative curriculum approaches that bring the engineering design process to life through hands-on projects has been pivotal in shaping CSS's engineering programs, and I look forward to seeing where this work could go to inform how middle school students approach problem-based learning experiences!
1.3.2. Mike Carapezza
1.3.2.1. Mike is the Program Coordinator of Hk Makerlab, where he teaches the engineering design process during the Hk summer program and also mentors teachers in integrating engineering principles into their STEM curricula at a handful of public schools in NYC. Mike has been a key partner in developing our approaches on the CSS Engineering team, and is one of the most enthusiastic collaborators I know when it comes to developing new approaches to integrating engineering design thinking into curriculum.
1.3.2.2. Passionate about changing the perception of science and math from a series of facts and formulas to a process for self-learning & discovery. You don't need to be a scientist to have a strong science identity!
1.3.3. Harvey Jaswal
1.3.3.1. Harvey has worked in a variety of education settings, most recently as a Program Coordinator and Educator for Brooklyn Boatworks, an organization that teaches boatbuilding to middle and high school students. Prior to this, he worked at Build it Green, a non-profit dedicated to salvaging and repurposing building materials. Harvey has awesome dedication to bringing people together and creating effective management for school programming, combined with his passion for sustainability and ecology, and I look forward to exploring possibilities for integrating these strengths into this process!
1.3.4. Mohamed Haroun
1.3.4.1. Mo is the mastermind behind NYC Makerspace, bringing maker education to public parks throughout NYC, with a special focus on Harlem. He has engaged many young people in peer-education models to learn and teach engineering approaches. I'm excited to see how a Makerspace could meet a new school model!
1.4. Watershed Education
1.4.1. Christine Petro
1.4.1.1. Christine is the Education Director at Gowanus Canal Conservancy in Brooklyn, where she has built an incredible education program from the ground up. Christine has overseen the development of a range of watershed education curricula and regularly partners with schools and teachers to engage in the development of watershed education projects. Passionate about environmental education and with experiences ranging from leading a Participatory Budgeting team to fund a Brooklyn compost project to founding a large-scale STEM Expo in District 5, Christine's experience in building community education experiences is unparalleled in her passion, dedication, and leadership.
1.5. Outdoor Education
1.5.1. Eboni Cooper
1.5.1.1. Eboni is the NY/NJ Member Engagement Manager for the Youth Opportunities Program, a program of the Appalachian Mountain Club which gives educators access to the resources needed to engage youth in outdoor experiences - from facilitating camping, backpacking, and canoeing trainings for educators to granting access to a wide array of gear for educators to outfit groups of youth. for outdoor experiences.
1.5.1.2. Advocate of collaborative Learning & building self-efficacy; M.Ed in Education, specifically Curriculum & Instruction; Passionate about wellness & kindness
2. Modes of Communication
2.1. Literacy & Identity
2.1.1. Limarys Caraballo
2.1.1.1. Limarys is a Professor and Director of the English Education Program at Queens College and a researcher at the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College. She has extensive research experience focusing on student identity, multiple literacies, and justice-focused education. She runs Cyphers for Justice, which uses a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) approach to engage young people in researching the issues they care about and share their findings through digital media, spoken word, and other forms of literacy. Limarys has been a collaborator and mentor to me since my first year teaching and consistently inspires me through her commitment to educating teachers and students with a mind toward justice and equity.
2.1.2. Katie Martinez
2.1.2.1. Katie is an alumna of CSS and rising Junior at University of Washington in St. Louis, where she is focusing on English Education. A passionate writer and artist, Katie's enthusiasm for bringing her energy to the education world truly shines!
2.2. Mathematics
2.2.1. James Dunseith
2.2.1.1. James is an experienced Math teacher, coach, and mentor with experience in NYC and Massachusetts. A master teacher, he has brought his innovative appraoches to teacher development as an instructional coach and coach developer. He has incredible enthusiasm for supporting teacher growth and curriculum development.
2.2.2. Lisa Edstrom
2.2.2.1. Lisa is a Senior Lecturer in the Barnard Education Program. She has worked extensively with the teacher certification process and student teaching supervision, in particular specializing in elementary education and math education. A parent of an NYC public school student herself, Lisa's research has focused on parent activism in schools in addition to teacher education practices. She is passionate about finding new ways to connect student teachers to public schools in the community to best support new teacher development - and I look forward to seeing how this work could develop in partnership with a new school!
2.3. Arts
2.3.1. Studio Museum of Harlem
2.3.1.1. I've been in conversation with the Studio Museum of Harlem to join the conversation; stay tuned!
2.4. Special Education
2.4.1. Evaluna Acosta
2.4.1.1. Evaluna is a CSS alumna from our founding class and current student in NYCDOE Teaching Fellows in Special Education. Evaluna shared in many of the early forrays into CSS's development and experienced the realities of a new school in a way that will bring great insight to this process. And, in her middle school years, she participated in a range of project-based experiences, from exploring the watershed in our June term program to taking part in a summer environmental engineering program. I'm thrilled to be able to welcome her into teaching and to see her bringing her beautiful light to NYC schools!
2.4.2. Margot Pinckney
2.4.2.1. Margot is a Special Education teacher with a passion for agriculture. I met Margot while working at the NYC Greenmarket, and am thrilled that she joined Teaching Fellows to bring her positive, enthusiastic energy to NYC students. She is currently leading a travel trip for students in China, and I look forward to all that she may bring to this team!
2.4.2.2. Brings global citizenship and cross-cultural communication experience and mindset; brings commitment to integrated education.
2.4.3. Navika Nagarmat
2.4.3.1. Navika was introduced to me through Paula, and is likewise a recent graduate of NYU. With studies in childhood education and special education, Navika will be stepping into a DOE school this fall and is exited to consider how we can best educate students. I'm excited to have a recent graduate from an education program on board to share her insights and reflections as we build this school!
2.4.3.2. - 1st year educator (Special Ed - ICT 5th Grade starting Sept 2019) - A young, passionate mindset that is intentional about integrating multiple perspectives into curriculum - Immigrant woman of color!!
2.4.4. Kristen Birchard
2.4.4.1. Kristen recently received her masters in School Psychology from Fordham University after working for many years as a special education teacher in DOE schools, including CSS, where I had the amazing priviledge to co-teach with and learn from her. Kristen understands the intricate needs of students and is a consistent model of differentiating classroom approaches to help all students be successful. Together we worked on adapting project-based approaches to the ELA classroom, figured out ways to integrate standards into our classroom rather than teaching to the test, and explored standards-based grading approaches - all frontiers I'd love to continue visiting as this project develops!
3. Social Sciences
3.1. Social Studies and Justice
3.1.1. Meg Swan
3.1.1.1. I had the honor to collaboate with and be inspired by Meg for a number of years as a colleague at CSS. A social studies educator with experiences in NYC and Worcester, MA, ranging from high needs public schools to independent schools, Meg cares deeply about meeting students' needs and inspiring them to be activists for the issues they care about. She consistently reminds me to be a teacher who is also a learner as she is constantly investigating new practices while also finding a work-life balance.
3.1.2. Sarah Elrafei
3.1.2.1. I met Sarah when shen had just graduated from Barnard's Education Program and came highly recommended to sub for a maternity leave. Her energy left an impact on all of us, as she jumped wholeheartedly into curriculum design and team collaboration. She has since taught at both DOE public schools and currently an independent school, and brings an amazing passion for restorative justice and integrating proactive socioemotional approaches into the fabric of a school.
3.1.2.2. - Social Emotional Learning & Restorative Justice Advocate - Advisory/community building/student relationships - Learning {history, sociology} through music {mostly hip-hop} - Teaching social studies - Awareness of intersectional identities
3.1.3. Thea Abu El-Haj
3.1.3.1. Thea is an Anthropologist of Education and the Chair of the Barnard Education Program, where she also teaches a variety of courses. She is passionate about justice in education and ensuring educational rights and equity for all students, especially those affected by globalization and conflict. Thea a deep commitment to rethinking education to meet the needs and celebrate the voices of all students.
3.1.4. Ashley Thompson
3.1.4.1. Ashley is an alumna of CSS middle school, graduate of Friends Seminary HS, and a rising Junior at Washington University in St. Louis studying Political Science and African American Studies. She thus brings perspective on experiencing multiple approaches to education, and has always struck me with her deep care for learning and her passion for student leadership. Ashley was a key member of the garden and compost programs while at CSS and has remained connected since.
3.1.4.2. - A perspective from different types of schools (attended charter school elementary, public middle, private high school)
3.1.5. Haby Gadio
3.1.5.1. Haby is an alumna of the CSS Class of 2014, and just graduated from Barnard College with a degree in Political Science. Haby was one of the hardest working students I've ever taught, with amazing dedication and focus to pushing herself to reach her best. She was part of our Project Based Learning June Terms in early years, and brought a beautiful eye toward integrating her own identity and Senegalese heritage to the classroom.
3.2. Health Education
3.2.1. Paula Schicchi
3.2.1.1. Paula just graduated from NYU with a degree in Public Health & Sociology. During her time at NYU, she delved into health education through Peer Health Exchange, educating public school students in health and sex education, as well as a series of internships and studies, from work at Planned Parenthood to studies in Ghana. She brings a forward-thinking vision to addressing modern-day needs through proactive approaches to health education.
3.2.1.2. - Mental & Sexual Health Educator - Focusing on the impact beyond the intent {even with good intentions, we can cause harm} - Integrating health education and agency/accessibility to all parts of school system
3.2.2. Gabriela Gonzalez
3.2.2.1. Gabi is a CSS alumna and rising junior at Hunter studying Psychology. She started her college trajectory at Johns Hopkins, where she was actively involved as a Diversity and Inclusion intern at the Office of Multicultural Affairs. She has since partnered with me as an Administrative Assistant and has worked with school-based research and data analysis to assess the effectiveness of programming. She brings an unending passion for supporting young people's mental health and self-care and an incredible positive outlook!
3.2.3. Abigail Castillo
3.2.3.1. Abby is a rising Junior at University of Southern California, where she is studying Neuroscience. A CSS alumna, Abby's dedication to the garden and musical programs never wavered over the course of her 7 years at CSS, and she has long heard my dreams of starting a school. A student in early "June term" project-based experiences at CSS, Abby was one of the students who most pushed me to integrate this kind of learning into my own teaching. Abby's passion for helping people, in particular focusing on mental health and health in general, continues to inspire me!
4. Community Development
4.1. Community Building
4.1.1. Ann McIver
4.1.1.1. Ann inspired my love of D5 schools after I interned at the Morningside Area Alliance over a decade ago, where Ann was the Executive Director for many years. Her ability to make connections that build community, paired with her support and activism for community institutions from parks to schools, has left a lasting impact in many realms. She is a thought partner who knows how to frame the realities of a situation into useful feedback and a true supporter of equity in education.
4.2. Youth Development
4.2.1. Braly Guzman
4.2.1.1. Braly is a CSS alum and student at NYC College of Technology. He is passionate about working with youth and works for the CSS SONYC Program as well as for other youth camps and after school programs. He has coached a number of sports, but is equally willing to jump into any project with youth, from composting to chorus. Braly is incredibly reflective on his own school experience and seeks to relate to the struggles that students face in order to help them succeed. He is considering a number of ways to work professionally in the education world, from teacher to dean, and brings great energy to this work!
4.2.2. Fachel Garcia
4.2.2.1. Fachel is an alumna of the founding class of CSS and studied Psychology at Hunter. She has been working for the SONYC after school program at CSS for the past two years and hopes to enter school counseling world. She has jumped eagerly into supporting many realms of after school education and developed her own cooking elective this past year.
4.2.3. Nando Rodriguez
4.2.3.1. See more about Nando through his connection with Agriculture, above!
4.2.4. Kiambra Griffin
4.2.4.1. Kiambra is a CSS alumna from the founding class who is getting her masters in Sports Management at Columbia after graduating from Davison College in 2018. With an array of sports experience from her own education and various work in sports programs for youth, I look forward to seeing where Kiambra's ideas could inspire!
4.3. Parent Perspectives
4.3.1. Hyacinth Myers
4.3.1.1. Hyacinth is a mother of four students who have gone through District 5 schools. I met her when I was a college student interning at Morningside Area Alliance, and her passion for supporting schools in D5 has remained strong ever since. Having been an involved parent throughout her children's eduation, Hyacinth has an excellent perspective on the parent role and a pulse on the parent community in D5. I'm excited that she will also be bringing her oldest daughter, Monique, a D5 graduate who is likewise passionate about giving back to the community - and the rest of her crew's voices along the way!
4.3.1.2. - Building community - Communication - Transparency - Support for teachers - Missing male educators - Men of color in MS - School building bridges - Extending "olive branch" to community resources
4.3.2. (Many of the others listed here are parents, too!)
4.4. Youth Voices
4.4.1. Brenda Gutierrez
4.4.1.1. Brenda is an alumna of the CSS class of 2019 headed to Smith College as a Posse Scholar this fall. At CSS, Brenda has been involved in a number of student groups, including the garden, chicken caretakers, musical, Black Student Union, and National Honor Society. She is passionate about finding balance in life and has regularly brought messages of building a strong work-life balance to my life as an Assistant Principal. I know she will bring her deep thought to this process!
4.4.2. Carla Escalante
4.4.2.1. As one of the founding "Official Office Assistants" of my office and "Official Chicken Caretakers", Carla has heard my dreams of a new school more than once and has often bounced back ideas, especially as her passions fall in both the gardening and compost world and the arts world. I can't wait to see where she may encounter some innovative schools in the course of her gap year travels before she heads to UChicago in the fall!
4.4.3. Nicole Fraidenraich
4.4.3.1. A CSS alumna of the class of 2019, Nicole is headed to Rutgers where I know she is going to bring together her passions for engineering, agriculture, and all things creative. Nicole was part of the small group of students who helped to start the "Official Office Assistants" and "Official Chicken Caretakers," and was an integral part of the Robotics team and garden at CSS. Nicole has been a cheerleader of the ideas of starting a school for the past three years, and I know she will continue to spread that enthuasiasm even from afar!
4.4.4. Moshab Rahman
4.4.4.1. Moshab is an alumni of CSS, entering his freshman year at Columbia School of Engineering. Moshab consistently strikes me with his interest in learning about the world and his dedication to hard work. In addition to participating in a series of extracurricular activities at CSS (including as a leader in Robotics Team, Garden, and Musical), he has also been a key part in building NYCMakerspace, a program bringing Maker education to public parks in NYC. I look forward to seeing what he may design next as part of this team!
4.4.5. Daniel Martinez
4.4.5.1. Daniel is a CSS graduate of the Class of 2019 headed for an Art and Education degree at NYU. He was an integral leader in a fledgling peer mentoring program at CSS and truly shines in his ability to educate peers and build teams. He has inspired many younger students and peers through his openness to share his own challenges and successes, and I couldn't be more excited that he is jumping into combining his loves of art and education!
4.4.6. Soma Jackson
4.4.6.1. Soma is a student at NEST+M interning at Earth Matter this summer. I had the joy of meeting her and hearing some of her feedback on her educational experiences. I look forward to hearing more from her as a current student participant in the upcoming Design Day!
4.4.6.2. I can provide my voice as a student who recognizes that change needs to happen.
4.4.7. Monique Myers
4.4.7.1. Monique is a graduate of D5 public schools, currently working in youth development in District 6 through an SYEP Program. She is passionate about working with youth and giving back to the community!
4.4.7.2. - Community and youth development in urban communities - Lived experiences of District 5 equity & access of quality education - Strong advocate of youth voice and purpose
4.4.8. Brotherhood/Sister Sol Students
4.4.8.1. A group of Nando's students from Brotherhood/Sister Sol will be joining the conversation to share their ideas about what works and what needs to change in public schools. They represent a wide-range of public schools in NYC and I'm thrilled to hear their perspective!
4.4.8.2. Lislianny Parra (Lily)
4.4.8.2.1. - I will bring creativity within a classroom - strong relationship between student & teacher
4.4.8.3. Miguel
4.4.8.3.1. - rising sophomore "what I can bring to the table is student opinion, because if students have more freedom, they will have a better mindset going to school"
4.4.8.4. Justin
4.4.8.4.1. - Desire to help students find out what they are interested in / what they want to be and help them get experience in that field or find a new field if they end up not knowing what they want to be/ lose interest in the field before
4.4.8.5. Tyshana McKinley
4.4.8.5.1. - A sense of objectivity in looking at the perspectives of others. - An experience in District 5 schools (middle school specifically). - Passion for catering to and aiding the mental health of Black and Brown students.
4.4.8.6. Koemi Peña
4.4.8.6.1. - Junior - Skills: * Determination * Experience in school * Hands-on task - Interest in education
4.4.8.7. Esther Mojica
4.4.8.7.1. - Junior in Cristo Rey New York High School - Currently working in Brotherhood/Sister Sol Environmental Program
4.4.8.8. Satnam Chaudhary
4.4.8.8.1. I can bring making sure we actually improve instead of just saying it.
4.5. Teacher Education
4.5.1. Thea, Maria, Lisa, and Limarys are all coming from Teacher Education programs, in addition to a range of other specialties. They were the hardest to link to just one area, as each of them possesses wide-ranging experience. Find them above!
4.6. School Counseling
4.6.1. Amanda Engleman
4.6.1.1. Amanda Engleman is the MS guidance counselor at CSS who brings passion for community building, advisory, and restorative justice. She is experienced in a range of counseling approaches and I look forward to consulting her for her expertise in this process!
4.6.2. Kristen Birchard
4.6.2.1. See more about Kristen above in Special Education!
4.7. Hiring & Teacher Retention
4.7.1. Natalia Foreman
4.7.1.1. - 7-12 ELA Educator - College/Career Coordinator - Would like to emphasize hiring practices and effective teacher retention & support
4.7.1.2. Hyacinth's sister-in-law, Natalia jumped into our brainstorm process with enthusiasm and passion for school improvement. I'm looking forward to learning more about her work as an educator who spent time learning in D5 and who also provides career and college supports for students!