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A New Orleans charter network takes on special education 38 Overcoming dyslexia 44<br />
Alumni Magazine / SPRING 2014 / Edition XX<br />
Latisha Justice<br />
has a learning<br />
disability. It should<br />
determine how we<br />
teach her. But will<br />
it decide her future?<br />
1 One Day • SPRING 2014
Letter TO THE ALUMNi COMMUNITY<br />
ARE YOU<br />
READY TO<br />
LEAD?<br />
Take the next step toward becoming a superintendent, principal or supervisor.<br />
Teach For America Alumni . . . Seton Hall University provides a fast-track to an M.A. or<br />
Ed.S. degree and to a rewarding career in education administration. Our intensive, yet flexible study<br />
path, both online and on-campus, lets you earn your degree and meet eligibility requirements<br />
for supervisor, principal and school administrator certifications in just two years.<br />
Program Options Include:<br />
• Executive Cohort M.A. & Ed.S. Combines<br />
On- Campus & Online Classes<br />
• Off-Site At Select Community Colleges<br />
• National Online M.A. Degree<br />
• District “Grow-Your-Own” Leadership<br />
Partnerships<br />
• New: Charter School And Special<br />
Education Leadership<br />
• Catholic School Leadership<br />
• K-12 Supervisor Certificate<br />
Stafford Loans are available.<br />
Our programs are NCATE certified and<br />
meet state certification requirements.<br />
“There’s a lot of potential in a<br />
partnership with Teach For America<br />
and Seton Hall University for the critical<br />
preparation of urban school leaders.”<br />
Lars Clemensen ’05 and Teach For America Alumnus<br />
Superintendent of the Hampton Bays Public School, NY<br />
For more information or to attend<br />
an upcoming Webinar, visit:<br />
www.shu.edu/go/edleadertfa<br />
Contact:<br />
Al Galloway, Assistant Program Director,<br />
(973) 275-2417 • albert.galloway@shu.edu<br />
Rethinking special education<br />
Dear fellow alumni,<br />
Down at the end of the eighth<br />
grade hallway, there was<br />
a classroom of nine or ten<br />
students whose names I never<br />
learned. They were in a selfcontained<br />
special education class<br />
and rarely mixed with other<br />
students. They didn’t participate<br />
in the school-wide poetry slam, join field trips, or contribute to<br />
the after-school literary magazine. There almost seemed to be<br />
an invisible line between them and the rest of the school.<br />
The division extended beyond the students down the<br />
hall. Their teacher was a fellow corps member, but I don’t<br />
remember ever talking with her about learning strategies or<br />
sharing units and resources, as I did with other teachers at<br />
my school. More than once I heard general education teachers<br />
refer to their most disruptive students as “special ed” (though<br />
these students did not receive services), making the term<br />
sound more like a judgment than an instructional program.<br />
I taught language arts and social studies, and many of<br />
my eighth graders had significant problems with reading<br />
and writing. Whether the cause was undiagnosed learning<br />
disabilities or whether they had simply been promoted year<br />
after year through failing schools, it’s impossible to know.<br />
In the end, it doesn’t matter. Like the students down the<br />
hall, my kids faced extraordinary challenges and needed<br />
highly individualized instruction to gain ground. And yet<br />
the students in special education also had to contend with<br />
social stigma and a tacit though pervasive belief—even from<br />
many of the adults in the building—that not much could be<br />
expected from them.<br />
In the last two decades, the education reform movement<br />
has forged a compelling narrative around the influence of<br />
race and class on student achievement. Yet the conversation<br />
around disability has been remarkably muted considering its<br />
outsized impact on the educational outcomes of children of<br />
color from low-income communities.<br />
When I interviewed Latisha Justice for the cover story, it<br />
was painful to see such a bright young woman so disempowered<br />
by her disability—partly because it was easy to imagine how,<br />
in a different setting, she might flourish instead of flounder.<br />
In the absence of a proper diagnosis of her reading disability,<br />
Justice has struggled for years in all of her classes with<br />
damaging effects to her self-esteem and future prospects.<br />
But what if she were a student at Denver Academy,<br />
where Philippe Ernewein (G.N.O. ’94) leads a program for<br />
children with special needs that fundamentally honors their<br />
individuality and teaches to their strengths, not their deficits?<br />
Who would Latisha Justice be if her school were focused on<br />
maximizing her abilities, not compensating for her disability?<br />
Johannah Chase (N.Y. ’05), who heads up special education<br />
implementation for the New York Department of Education,<br />
says education reformers must come to recognize that students<br />
with disabilities are not marginal groups, but rather primary<br />
stakeholders in the fight for educational equity.<br />
“We have to break the assumption that special ed is<br />
‘other,’ ” Chase told me. “When you focus on kids with the<br />
most challenges, you figure out solutions that are applicable<br />
to everyone. This is really about figuring out how to leverage<br />
the world of special education for all kids.”<br />
Warm regards,<br />
Ting Yu<br />
N.Y. ’03<br />
Editor<br />
400 South Orange Avenue • South Orange, NJ 07079<br />
One Day • SPRING 2014 3
contents<br />
Features<br />
dO NOW<br />
You’ve always had the talent and passion.<br />
Now get the resources.<br />
12 Take 5<br />
Sophia Pappas (New Jersey ’03) is leading<br />
the charge in New York City to increase<br />
the number of students enrolled in highquality<br />
pre-K programs, starting in the most<br />
underserved neighborhoods.<br />
18 spotlight on...<br />
South Louisiana often sits in the shadow of<br />
New Orleans during conversations about<br />
school reform in the Bayou State. But thanks<br />
in part to the work of alumni in the region,<br />
South Louisiana is coming into its own.<br />
28 Something Special<br />
Special education was conceived to meet the needs of children who learn differently.<br />
Yet in schools across the country, the 6.3 million students with disabilities lag far<br />
behind their nondisabled peers. They struggle to learn within a system that emphasizes<br />
procedural compliance over academic achievement—leaving ability rights advocates to<br />
ask: Has special education become a legitimized pathway for low expectations?<br />
38<br />
Hope Renewed<br />
Charter schools have a poor reputation<br />
for serving students with disabilities, but<br />
New Orleans’ ReNEW Schools is turning that<br />
rep on its head—and hoping other charters<br />
find creative ways to do the same.<br />
20 postcard<br />
Teach For Lebanon fellow Sahar Machmouchi<br />
uses her love of Arabic and theater to inspire her<br />
students—many of them refugees, most of them<br />
girls—to strive beyond society’s expectations.<br />
22 corps 360<br />
Barbecue, the blues, and now frozen yogurt.<br />
Delta Dairy, started by Suzette Matthews (Delta<br />
’08) and Matty Bengloff (Delta ’07), is on its way<br />
to becoming a Cleveland, Miss., institution.<br />
24 media<br />
Saladin Ambar (N.Y. ’90) deepens our<br />
understanding of Malcolm X; Joe Wilkins (Delta<br />
’02) writes poems of the open road; Tyrone<br />
Simpson (L.A. ’91) examines segregation<br />
through the lens of literature; Sara Cotner (S.<br />
Louisiana ’00) tackles cooking with kids and<br />
wedding planning without losing your mind or<br />
your last penny.<br />
You joined TFA to apply your passion and intelligence. Now take it to the<br />
next level with Project L.I.F.T., a public/private partnership in Charlotte,<br />
NC. We are committed to recruiting, rewarding, and developing top<br />
educators to empower the lives of 7,500 children in nine promising public<br />
schools. With master teacher roles, performance bonuses, leadership<br />
opportunities, professional development and an unwavering commitment<br />
to all students, this is the perfect time for you to further your career and,<br />
more importantly, create successful students….all in a public school setting.<br />
Visit us at applytoLIFT.org today.<br />
44<br />
Becoming Sammie<br />
Across the country, millions of students with<br />
disabilities move from class to class, grade<br />
to grade, working harder than average but<br />
only sometimes getting the supports they<br />
need. Let’s meet one of them.<br />
50<br />
Perspectives on Ability<br />
Three alumni—Taniesha Garrison (Metro Atlanta ’03), Brent Bushey (G.N.O.<br />
’99), and Adele Jackson (S. Louisiana ’02)—share their personal stories and<br />
beliefs about what is possible when we see the person, not the diagnosis.<br />
55 INNOVATOR<br />
News is great, but not if students can’t read it.<br />
Newsela, a website founded by Matthew Gross<br />
(N.Y. ’94) and Dan Cogan-Drew (Georgia ’94),<br />
makes news stories more accessible.<br />
58 Post-its<br />
Nine alums among Forbes’ “30 Under 30” in<br />
education; new resources to find a new job; a<br />
scholarship for aspiring businesspeople.<br />
63 ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Cover and top photo by Michael Schwarz. Middle photo by Ted Jackson. Bottom photo by Sara Rubinstein.<br />
4 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 5
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
One Day<br />
tEACH FOR AMERICA Alumni Magazine<br />
Grow Your Career at Achievement First<br />
brent bushey<br />
calvin hennick<br />
(G.N.O. ’99), who<br />
(N.Y. ’04), a frequent<br />
wrote an essay<br />
about his daughter<br />
Madeleine on p. 51,<br />
serves as the<br />
executive director<br />
of the Oklahoma Public School Resource<br />
Center, a new nonprofit that supports<br />
public education by providing resources,<br />
expanding networking opportunities and<br />
advocating on behalf of public schools.<br />
When he’s not working, Brent spends time<br />
contributor to One<br />
Day, wrote “News<br />
Makers” on p. 55.<br />
Hennick writes about<br />
education and other<br />
topics for publications like the Boston<br />
Globe, Scholastic Instructor, and Scholastic<br />
Administrator. He also teaches writing at<br />
the University of Massachusetts Boston<br />
and Grub Street, an independent writing<br />
center in Boston. Hennick earned a master’s<br />
Editor<br />
Ting Yu (N.Y. ’03)<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
editorial associate<br />
Tim Kennedy (Delta ’11)<br />
art director<br />
Maria Burke<br />
350<br />
Number of hours that<br />
Achievement First devotes<br />
annually for teacher and leader<br />
learning and development<br />
90<br />
Percent of teachers and leaders<br />
who report that someone at<br />
Achievement First supports their<br />
learning and development<br />
with his two daughters and his wife and<br />
best friend, Kirsten Wright.<br />
Sara Rubinstein<br />
of fine arts degree in creative writing from<br />
UMass Boston, and his fiction has appeared<br />
in Bellevue Literary Review and Baltimore<br />
Review. When he’s not writing, Calvin<br />
EXECUTIVE Vice President,<br />
Alumni Affairs<br />
Andrea Stouder Pursley (Phoenix ’02)<br />
is a Minneapolisbased<br />
photographer<br />
specializing in<br />
portraits and lifestyle<br />
imagery, striving<br />
with each shot to<br />
capture her subject’s “dual nature.” Her<br />
photos are featured in the story “Becoming<br />
Sammie” on p. 44. Rubinstein has been a<br />
enjoys building block towers and watching<br />
his 3-year-old son knock them down.<br />
ted jackson is a<br />
Pulitzer-Prize-winning<br />
photojournalist with<br />
the (New Orleans)<br />
Times-Picayune. He<br />
has covered the fall of<br />
Share your news<br />
Write to onedayletters@teachforamerica.org<br />
and tell us what’s new in your life. Notes<br />
may be edited for length and clarity. Digital<br />
photos are welcome.<br />
90<br />
Percent of principals and<br />
deans who returned to<br />
Achievement First to lead<br />
this year<br />
64<br />
Percent of Achievement<br />
First principals and<br />
deans who served as<br />
TFA corps members<br />
professional photographer for more than<br />
15 years. Her work has taken her to 18<br />
countries, more than 35 states, and all<br />
across Minnesota. Her work was recently<br />
the Berlin Wall, the<br />
Persian Gulf War, and political upheaval<br />
in Haiti. His photos are featured in the<br />
story “Hope Renewed” on p. 38. In 2003,<br />
Advertise in One Day<br />
For information, please email<br />
tim.kennedy@teachforamerica.org.<br />
featured in Communication Arts magazine,<br />
a leading trade publication for visual arts.<br />
michael A.<br />
schwarz is an<br />
independent<br />
photographer based<br />
in Atlanta. He is a<br />
three-time Pulitzer<br />
Prize nominee<br />
and a winner of the Dag Hammarskjöld<br />
Award for Human Rights Advocacy<br />
Jackson photographed “LEAP Year,” a local<br />
story about one eighth-grade classroom’s<br />
preparation for the state’s high-stakes test.<br />
His photos won the 2003 Community Service<br />
Photojournalism Award from the American<br />
Society of News Editors. Through the years,<br />
he has covered the physical destruction<br />
and emotional trauma of earthquakes and<br />
hurricanes, most notably Hurricane Katrina.<br />
The Times-Picayune staff won a Pulitzer<br />
Prize for public service and another for<br />
breaking news coverage of Katrina.<br />
One Day<br />
is published by<br />
Teach For America Alumni Affairs<br />
315 W. 36th St., 6th floor<br />
New York, NY 10018<br />
onedayletters@teachforamerica.org<br />
TFA<br />
15<br />
Achievement First falls within the<br />
top 15 percent of U.S. workplaces<br />
for employee satisfaction,<br />
as measured by Gallup<br />
6<br />
Additional full days<br />
of professional<br />
development devoted to<br />
your content area<br />
Journalism. He photographed the special<br />
education cover story on p. 28. Schwarz is<br />
a Baltimore native and a graduate of the<br />
Rochester Institute of Technology.<br />
Teach For America corps members and alumni play an integral part in<br />
Achievement First’s expanding network of high-performing, college-prep,<br />
K-12 public charter schools in NY, CT and RI. To learn more about career<br />
opportunities, please visit us at www.achievementfirst.org/team.<br />
6 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 7
1 ONE DAY • FALL 2013<br />
As the Dallas Independent School District strives to become the premier urban school district<br />
in the nation, Teach For America corps members and alumni have contributed significantly to the<br />
district’s transformation.<br />
Corps members and alumni are serving in the classroom, the principalship, central office, senior<br />
leadership, and even on the Board of Trustees. All are impacting change in Dallas.<br />
Join our hard-working team by contacting Human Capital Management:<br />
■ Lindsay Coshatt (Charlotte ’06) • Design Manager • lcoshatt@dallasisd.org<br />
■ Larena Flemmings (Houston ’02) • Senior Talent Leader, Secondary Schools • lflemmings@dallasisd.org<br />
■ Carmen Darville (Houston ’06) • Chief of Human Capital Management • cdarville@dallasisd.org<br />
“In a large and diverse urban school district like<br />
Dallas ISD, there are many opportunities like<br />
mine to impact the academic achievement of<br />
students. I now contribute to the sustainable<br />
success of our campus while continuing to<br />
grow in my leadership role.”<br />
Quinton Courts<br />
Dallas ISD Assistant Principal<br />
New Jersey-Camden ‘06<br />
JOIN THE TRANSFORMATION IN DALLAS<br />
INBOX<br />
Getting political<br />
When President Obama announced<br />
his visit to my D.C. school during my<br />
first year teaching seventh grade,<br />
Edgar popped into my classroom<br />
excitedly. He wanted to ask the<br />
president about the DREAM Act.<br />
Why? I asked. Because Edgar was<br />
undocumented.<br />
My heart sank. I realized that<br />
Edgar was ineligible to to apply<br />
for federal financial aid for college.<br />
Suddenly I felt that by pushing<br />
college in my classroom, I’d been<br />
peddling a lie. “Don’t worry,” Edgar<br />
said. “Things will change by the<br />
time I graduate.”<br />
Edgar is about to be a junior, and<br />
little has changed. So I read with interest<br />
last issue’s interview with Elisa<br />
Villanueva Beard about Teach For<br />
America’s new willingness to speak<br />
up on issues of public policy like the<br />
DREAM Act. “It’s our right and<br />
responsibility,” she said. I applaud<br />
her vision.<br />
But I challenge Beard and other<br />
alumni to reconsider the notion that<br />
it’s “not political, it’s a question of<br />
educational equity.” It is political,<br />
and that’s okay. As an organization<br />
with 32,000 alumni, we’ll only create<br />
policy change for educational equity<br />
if we get comfortable with the power<br />
in our numbers and begin organizing<br />
for political influence. A good way to<br />
start is by listening to our students<br />
and their families about the pressures<br />
they feel are most important<br />
in their lives.<br />
Edgar and millions of other kids<br />
are counting on courageous adults to<br />
change things for them. If not us, who?<br />
If not now, when?<br />
TFA steps up support of DREAMers 50 Diversity drives culture at KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate 52<br />
ALUMNI MAGAZINE / FALL 2013 / EDITION XIX<br />
DREAM<br />
DEFERRED<br />
Miguel is one of the 65,000 undocumented<br />
students who will graduate from U.S. high<br />
schools this year. He dreams of a bright<br />
future, but can he get there?<br />
teaching “All children”<br />
Only 65,000 undocumented students a<br />
year make it to high school graduation.<br />
Another 1.4 million do not.<br />
Almost one-fourth of those who are<br />
deported have children who are U.S.<br />
citizens. Each year, 3,000 kids are placed<br />
into foster care following their parents’<br />
deportation. Meanwhile, thousands of<br />
deported U.S. children do not have<br />
citizenship in their parents’ country of<br />
origin and are unable to attend school.<br />
Thank you for putting Arizona<br />
DREAMer, Miguel Ruiz, on the cover<br />
of One Day. TFA deserves praise for<br />
extending Deferred Action for Childhood<br />
Arrivals recipients the opportunity to<br />
serve as corps members, but Miguel’s<br />
story reminds us that we shouldn’t pat<br />
ourselves on the back just yet. TFA must<br />
stress that “one day, all children” includes<br />
both undocumented students and the<br />
U.S. citizen children of undocumented<br />
parents. Until Congress fixes this nation’s<br />
broken immigration system, Miguel, his<br />
family, 11 million aspiring Americans,<br />
and 16 million individuals who are a part<br />
of mixed-status families will face persisting<br />
academic and economic uncertainty.<br />
olga’s story<br />
Soon after President Obama announced<br />
his executive order, DACA which grants<br />
eligible undocumented individuals a stay<br />
from deportation, I received a phone call<br />
from an alumna of IDEA Public Schools<br />
in the Rio Grande Valley. Olga Prado, a<br />
graduate of IDEA, a first-generation<br />
college graduate, and a DREAMer, wanted<br />
to know if there was anything we could<br />
do to help her pay the $6,000 in legal fees<br />
required to prepare her and her sister’s<br />
DACA applications.<br />
In January 2013, in partnership with<br />
the University of Texas at Austin School<br />
of Law (an effort led by Tina Fernandez<br />
[N.Y. ’94]), IDEA hosted free clinics<br />
to help our local DREAMers apply for<br />
DACA. Olga completed her application<br />
and, a few months later, she received<br />
deferred action.<br />
Like so many DREAMers, Olga was<br />
brought here as a young child by her<br />
parents, immigrants who came to America<br />
in pursuit of greater opportunities for<br />
their children. Olga and her sister worked<br />
hard, honored their teachers, and found<br />
ways—big and small—to give back to their<br />
community. Olga defied the odds—earning<br />
her high school diploma and graduating<br />
from college in four years, joining the<br />
only 8 percent of low-income students<br />
who do this.<br />
Olga is now a teacher at her alma<br />
mater, IDEA College Prep Donna, and<br />
leads her sixth graders, some of whom<br />
are DREAMers, toward extraordinary<br />
academic results.<br />
This was made possible by everyone<br />
who came together for Olga, and for our<br />
DREAMers in the Rio Grande Valley. As<br />
IDEA’s chief schools officer, JoAnn Gama<br />
(R.G.V. ’97), often says, “When everyone<br />
else says no, we say yes.”<br />
Veronica madrigal (D.C. Region ’10)<br />
Rio Grande Valley, Texas<br />
Unai montes-irueste (L.A. ’98)<br />
Los Angeles<br />
Phillip garza (HOUSTON ’03)<br />
Rio Grande Valley, Texas<br />
3700 Ross Ave., Dallas, TX 75204 • (972) 925-3700 • www.dallasisd.org<br />
8 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 9
Fist Bump / Sequoyah Middle School / Doraville, Ga. / Feb. 15, 2014, 9:15 a.m.<br />
Upbeat and witty, Michael Roblero, 13, loves watching wrestling and soccer. He jokes about becoming a “video<br />
game tester” when he grows up. Roblero also has cerebral palsy, a congenital neurologic disorder that affects<br />
movement and muscle coordination. He gets around mainly by wheelchair with help from his aide Gariel Pineiro,<br />
left. Roblero’s math resource teacher Allison Bohl (Metro Atlanta ’11), right, believes his disability led past teachers<br />
to underestimate his potential. “He hadn’t been taught to work with fractions, integers, or decimals,” Bohl says.<br />
He had never passed a standardized test until last year, when he passed all of them and earned the school’s “most<br />
improved” award for math. “It’s truly not that we’re doing anything extraordinary—it’s that we expect him to pass,<br />
and he met those expectations,” Bohl says. “Now he can say, ‘I know I’m capable of doing this.’”<br />
10 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 11
Do now<br />
Coding in Carolina • The gifted gap • Malcolm X revisited • Alums leading Atlanta • D.C. and Tennessee take flight<br />
When more kids attend high-quality pre-K, New York City wins, says Sophia Pappas. “There are tremendous<br />
long-term benefits—everything from higher incomes to lower rates of teen pregnancy and juvenile crime.”<br />
take five<br />
Across the country, more than<br />
1.3 million kids attend pre-kindergarten programs, up<br />
from 700,000 in 2001. New York City has been at the forefront of this growth<br />
under the leadership of Sophia Pappas (New Jersey ’03), executive director<br />
of the district’s Office of Early Childhood Education. Since 2001, the number<br />
of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K programs from the Bronx to Brooklyn has<br />
risen from 35,000 to 59,000. In the current school year alone, the city’s highestneed<br />
areas saw an increase of 4,000 seats. Pappas, 32, aims to provide pre-K<br />
access to all 4-year-olds, beginning with neighborhoods most in need—and to<br />
ensure beyond question that each site is an inspiring place to begin a lifetime<br />
of learning. The prognosis is promising: a 7-to-1 return on financial investment<br />
in high-quality pre-K, according to conservative estimates—and studies show<br />
academic gains are even higher for children growing up in poverty.<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
Photo by Tamara Porras<br />
1What skills and talents are amplified<br />
in a great pre-K teacher, as opposed<br />
to an elementary or high school<br />
teacher? What’s unique is that when we<br />
talk about school readiness, oftentimes<br />
we’re talking about adjusting children to<br />
their first formal learning environment.<br />
So when a pre-K teacher thinks about<br />
gains that need to be made, she or he<br />
needs to think about skills in all areas of<br />
development—cognitive skills, language,<br />
and literacy, but also social-emotional<br />
skills, and the ways in which kids<br />
approach learning.<br />
2Do pre-K teachers have different<br />
responsibilities when it comes to<br />
engaging families? Families tend to be<br />
more involved at the beginning of their<br />
child’s education, so pre-K teachers<br />
need to think really strategically about<br />
how to hook them, and how to help<br />
them navigate the school system. You’re<br />
equipping parents with the skills and<br />
knowledge they need to be an effective<br />
partner and advocate for their child for<br />
the next 12 years.<br />
3A lot of states and school districts<br />
are looking to expand early childhood<br />
options. What are the smartest<br />
ways to go about that? It’s important to<br />
look at expansion through the lens of<br />
access, participation, and quality. We<br />
look at how many kids are enrolled in<br />
kindergarten in particular areas, versus<br />
the pre-K options available. If there’s<br />
a service gap but parents aren’t taking<br />
advantage of existing options, then you<br />
have to unpack why that is, and address<br />
that. Is it a lack of information? Are they<br />
not wanting the options available? Or is<br />
it something else?<br />
Then there’s the quality part—whatever<br />
the setting, you need to build in quality<br />
assurance at all stages, from the application<br />
process to the classroom efforts<br />
to whatever levers you have after that.<br />
And you have to think in relation to the<br />
K-12 system. Everything we do is focused<br />
on school readiness, so you need to have<br />
aligned learning standards.<br />
4As enrollment has increased, a<br />
lack of high-quality leadership<br />
has hampered many early-childhood<br />
efforts. How are you addressing that?<br />
In terms of building our pipeline, we<br />
established an early-childhood leadership<br />
institute this fall—part of a larger<br />
initiative called FirstStep NYC. The<br />
institute is housed at a new, full-day,<br />
year-round site in Brownsville—one of<br />
our most at-risk communities—serving<br />
children 6 weeks old to 5 years old. We<br />
expect the institute to train and develop<br />
more than 1,000 high-quality pre-K educators<br />
over the next five years. What’s<br />
key is that we’re supporting the existing<br />
workforce with scholarships, targeted<br />
training, and peer-learning communities,<br />
but we’re also building a pipeline<br />
of future leaders by partnering with<br />
organizations like TFA, JumpStart, and<br />
institutions of higher education.<br />
5What are the signs for parents<br />
that their child is in a high-quality<br />
early-childhood program? Every parent<br />
is looking for something a little different,<br />
but you want to make sure this is a<br />
welcoming environment for you and your<br />
child. It may not be a completely opendoor<br />
policy, but there should be chances<br />
to visit. And intentionality is important.<br />
It’s a good sign if they’re focused on<br />
learning objectives in all areas—<br />
cognitive, language, social-emotional,<br />
physical—and they have ways to<br />
regularly observe and monitor progress.<br />
You want your kids to have opportunities<br />
for active, hands-on learning, and to<br />
make choices about their learning—but<br />
also to know there’s purposeful planning<br />
to make sure all kids are getting what<br />
they need to be successful. <br />
by the numbers<br />
Modern gifted and talented education has its roots in Cold<br />
War-era, Sputnik-fueled fears that America’s best and brightest were<br />
falling behind. Fifty years later, gifted programs are widespread but vary<br />
significantly in scope and implementation—in most states, the decisions<br />
about funding, identification, and instruction of gifted students are left<br />
to local school districts. One enduring criticism of gifted education is<br />
the under-representation of minority students in gifted programs, with<br />
African American and Latino children under-represented by as much as<br />
50 percent, according to some estimates.<br />
PERCENTAGE OF K-12 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GIFTED<br />
AND TALENTED PROGRAMS, BY RACIAL BACKGROUND<br />
7 % %<br />
7<br />
4<br />
%<br />
12<br />
%<br />
5<br />
6<br />
%<br />
%<br />
All students<br />
White students<br />
African American<br />
students<br />
Latino students<br />
Asian American/<br />
Pacific Islander<br />
students<br />
Native American<br />
students<br />
Source: 2009 Civil Rights Data Collection—Estimated Values for United States, Office of<br />
Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education<br />
12 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 13
do now<br />
do now<br />
Chisom Onuorah (middle) shows off her web design skills at the Northampton Summer STEM<br />
Program’s parent and community night. Co-founder Grayson Cooper (E.N.C. ’12) (top right) looks on.<br />
The summer after his first year teaching<br />
at Northampton County High School<br />
in Conway, N.C., Dale Hammer (E.N.C.<br />
’11) tried to launch a summer program<br />
for his Advanced Placement Calculus students.<br />
He was defeated by the cost of busing<br />
students from the county’s farthest<br />
reaches, more than 40 miles away.<br />
But luck struck in the fall. A chance<br />
meeting between Hammer’s girlfriend,<br />
Elizabeth Chen (E.N.C. ’10), and a North<br />
Carolina state legislator led to an introduction<br />
to the state’s superintendent of<br />
public instruction, who agreed to earmark<br />
$50,000 for Hammer’s idea. The<br />
Northampton Summer STEM Program<br />
was born.<br />
Hammer conceived the four-week<br />
program solely to serve AP Calculus<br />
students—the school had never had a<br />
student pass the AP Calculus exam. But<br />
the vision soon broadened—driven, in<br />
part, by community demand—to include<br />
other math and science courses. Hammer<br />
then partnered with fellow teacher<br />
Grayson Cooper (E.N.C. ’12) to expand<br />
enrollment to all grades and introduce a<br />
technology component.<br />
“[Web design] is something we saw as<br />
a definite entry point into future oppor-<br />
making summer count arkansan advantage<br />
Children as young as 18<br />
tunities,” Cooper says. “We really aimed<br />
for a level of professionalism and authenticity,<br />
pushing [students] further than<br />
they thought they were capable.” Students<br />
soon were designing websites for local<br />
businesses, including an internal site<br />
for Teach For America’s Eastern North<br />
Carolina region.<br />
Bethany Martin, a Northampton senior<br />
who worked on the Teach For America<br />
project, says she’s hoping to inspire<br />
girls in earlier grades to get involved<br />
in Web design, a male-dominated field.<br />
“You have to push your way inside the<br />
boys’ club and realize this skill is valuable<br />
for everybody. When you’re female,<br />
it’s even more valuable—you’re very<br />
marketable.”<br />
The program’s first-summer results<br />
were promising—across the various<br />
courses, student practice test scores<br />
rose an average of 28 percentage points<br />
between the first day of class and the<br />
last. Hammer and Cooper plan to double<br />
enrollment to 80 students next summer<br />
and potentially branch out into adult<br />
education. Eight of Cooper’s students—<br />
including four who participated in the<br />
summer program—will take the AP<br />
Calculus test in May.<br />
“I view our service to the community<br />
right now as building trust in our<br />
schools,” Hammer says. “I hope our<br />
program shows [families] that, yes, we<br />
can get your children the opportunities<br />
and access to the education that they<br />
really deserve.”<br />
“Web design is something we saw as a definite<br />
entry point into future opportunities. We<br />
really aimed for a level of professionalism and<br />
authenticity, pushing students further than<br />
they thought they were capable.”<br />
In its first year, the Arkansas Teacher Corps attracted 135 applicants—nearly half of them originally<br />
from low-income communities, says the program’s executive director Benton Brown (Delta ’09).<br />
Adam Sweatman, a first-year teacher<br />
in Pine Bluff, Ark., overheard his students<br />
one day talking about Oceans, a locally<br />
renowned fried fish and chicken joint.<br />
“I said, ‘Hey, I like Oceans!’” Sweatman<br />
says. “They were like, ‘Mr. Sweatman,<br />
you know Oceans?’ ‘Yes! I’m from here!’”<br />
Sweatman’s Arkansas roots are<br />
more than just a folksy perk; they are<br />
key to his work as an inaugural member<br />
of the Arkansas Teacher Corps,<br />
a program that recruits graduates of<br />
Arkansas colleges and universities to<br />
teach for three years in underserved<br />
areas of the state—like Teach For America<br />
writ local.<br />
“I think it’s inherent in so many<br />
people…to want to help individuals in<br />
their home,” says ATC executive director<br />
and Arkansas native Benton Brown<br />
(Delta ’09), who developed the<br />
program in 2012 with the support of the<br />
University of Arkansas. “We’re able to<br />
tap into that.”<br />
Brown taught in the Delta town<br />
of Helena, Ark., before moving for family<br />
reasons to a school in Bentonville, a more<br />
affluent district in the northwest part of<br />
the state. “I knew when I left Bentonville<br />
[to found the ATC] they were going<br />
to fill my position with a very good math<br />
teacher,” Brown says. “I didn’t know that<br />
when I left Helena.”<br />
Lee Vent, superintendent of the<br />
Clarendon School District, about 70<br />
miles east of Little Rock, struggles each<br />
year to hire enough great teachers.<br />
“Our pay scale is not competitive,” he<br />
says. According to state data, first-year<br />
teachers make nearly $13,000 less per<br />
year in Clarendon than they would in<br />
wealthier parts of the state. Without the<br />
help of two ATC fellows and one Teach For<br />
America corps member this year, Vent<br />
says, “there was no way humanly possible<br />
to fill those positions.”<br />
In all, 21 ATC fellows were placed in<br />
9 school districts, after a summer training<br />
modeled in part on Teach For America’s<br />
summer institute. Jared Henderson,<br />
executive director of Teach For America<br />
Arkansas, where the corps numbers<br />
189, says the programs see themselves<br />
more as partners than competitors. “We<br />
both have a mindset that our mission<br />
is first and foremost about increasing<br />
opportunity for as many kids as quickly as<br />
we can.” Tim Kennedy (delta ’11)<br />
findings<br />
months may reveal a<br />
language gap based on family<br />
income level—younger than<br />
previously believed. Researchers<br />
from Stanford University measured<br />
toddlers’ response time to<br />
instructions such as “Look at the<br />
ball,” and found that children from<br />
low-income backgrounds, on<br />
average, took about 25 percent<br />
longer to respond. The gap persisted<br />
in follow-up tests six months later.<br />
(Stanford Report, September 2013)<br />
Great teachers, brace<br />
yourselves: Assigning more<br />
students to top instructors—even<br />
when that means above-average<br />
class sizes—may lead to better<br />
results for all of a school’s<br />
students. Researchers found that<br />
achievement among eighth graders<br />
could increase by a measure of 2½<br />
weeks of classroom time when a<br />
school’s “highly effective” teachers<br />
have up to 12 students more than the<br />
average class size. (The Thomas B.<br />
Fordham Institute, November 2013)<br />
1 + 1 = a better learning<br />
experience for kids playing<br />
math video games, whether<br />
competitively or as partners.<br />
Researchers at New York University<br />
and the City University of New York<br />
found that students adopted a<br />
“mastery mindset” when paired with a<br />
peer, making the educational aspects<br />
of the game more effective than when<br />
played alone. Another plus: Playing<br />
with a partner made the games more<br />
fun, too. (Journal of Educational<br />
Psychology, November 2013)<br />
14 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 15
do now<br />
do now<br />
from corps members to<br />
board members<br />
Four alumni aim to rebuild trust in Atlanta’s schools<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
In July 2011, news of Atlanta Public Schools’ widespread cheating<br />
scandal shocked the city and drew national attention. More than half<br />
of the district’s 65 elementary and middle schools were implicated, and<br />
ultimately 35 educators—including then-superintendent Beverly Hall—were<br />
indicted on charges ranging from making false statements to theft and<br />
racketeering. Trust evaporated overnight from a system that had been<br />
perceived as on the rise, and thousands of struggling students lost out on<br />
honest assessments of their academic progress.<br />
In 2013, each of the nine of seats on the Atlanta Board of Education was<br />
up for election, offering the city hope for a fresh start. Four of the candidates<br />
were Teach For America alumni, and all of them won: Eshé Collins (Metro<br />
Atlanta ’02) now represents a southeast Atlanta district, while Courtney<br />
English (Metro Atlanta ’07), Jason Esteves (Houston ’05), and Matt<br />
Westmoreland (Metro Atlanta ’10) secured the board’s three citywide<br />
seats. “Restoring faith that APS can work for our kids will be a huge hurdle,<br />
and we can’t do it alone,” says English, now the board chair. “We’re going to<br />
need the community to stand up in a powerful way to help make it happen.”<br />
Eshé Collins’ mother didn’t want to<br />
gamble on her children’s education,<br />
so when it came time for school, she<br />
sent them to live with their grandmother<br />
in the suburbs. “I was a child<br />
with two lives,” says Collins, a project<br />
director with Jumpstart early education.<br />
“At school [in DeKalb County],<br />
I was challenged intellectually and<br />
invested socially, and I came home on the weekends to my<br />
childhood friends having babies at 16.” More than 25 years<br />
later, the schools in Collins’ neighborhood are still subpar.<br />
“Part of why I ran is because I just got tired of years and<br />
years of failure,” she says. “It’s personal for me.”<br />
Collins on being the only woman of color<br />
on the board:<br />
“It matters to me in a lot of ways. It definitely increases<br />
the level of accountability and transparency I must<br />
have to my community. I am the only black woman<br />
on the board of a district where the majority of homes<br />
in our lowest-performing communities are led by<br />
single, African American mothers. I feel obligated in a<br />
very personal way to be that voice representing their<br />
concerns and their needs.”<br />
Courtney English<br />
grew up in Atlanta,<br />
where he took seventh<br />
grade social<br />
studies in the same<br />
classroom where he<br />
taught it later as a<br />
corps member. He<br />
was elected to the<br />
school board in 2009, and is the only incumbent<br />
to be re-elected after the cheating<br />
scandal. Throughout the campaign, he and<br />
his alum colleagues endured criticism related<br />
to their Teach For America affiliation,<br />
but it didn’t stick. “Parents want high-quality<br />
teachers, good principals, safe learning<br />
environments, a responsible and equitable<br />
use of resources,” English says. “Ultimately,<br />
people selling conspiracy theories about<br />
a corporate reform movement didn’t gain<br />
traction, because that’s not what parents<br />
were concerned about.”<br />
English on what to expect<br />
from the new board:<br />
“I think you’ll see three things.<br />
One, a focus on school autonomy.<br />
We’ll be looking to decentralize<br />
operational systems to give the<br />
people closest to our kids the<br />
ability to allocate resources as<br />
they see fit. Two, a focus on<br />
wraparound and support services<br />
dealing with issues of poverty,<br />
workforce development, parental<br />
literacy rates—things that impact<br />
our kids long before they walk<br />
through the school doors. And<br />
three, early childhood education<br />
will be absolutely critical. We’ll<br />
move quickly to provide universal<br />
pre-K to every kid who plans on<br />
attending Atlanta Public Schools.”<br />
Jason Esteves went to law school to address the issues<br />
he saw holding back his students at Houston’s Fonville<br />
Middle School—issues like a flawed juvenile justice system<br />
and a lack of wraparound services. After earning his law<br />
degree from Emory University in Atlanta, he returned to<br />
Houston to see his students graduate from high school, and<br />
was struck by how many of them had dropped out. “I realized<br />
that my two years in the classroom were not enough,”<br />
says Esteves, who continues to work full time as a business<br />
litigator. Serving on Atlanta’s board “represents my best opportunity to have that<br />
direct impact on kids.”<br />
Esteves on the board’s mandate:<br />
“During the campaign, every winning candidate—TFA or not—<br />
made it pretty clear that we were going to work very hard to take<br />
money away from the central office and put it in the classroom,<br />
where it belongs. And the city responded by electing us by a<br />
very large margin.”<br />
While a student at Atlanta’s Grady High School, Matt<br />
Westmoreland sat in college-prep classes with mostly<br />
white, mostly upper-income peers, even as Grady’s student<br />
body was majority minority. As a corps member, he<br />
saw that same gap play out district wide. Westmoreland<br />
started to attend school board meetings, but quickly<br />
became frustrated. “It was adults bickering, rarely<br />
doing anything to help my kids.” So he made the difficult<br />
decision to run, even though a victory would require leaving<br />
the classroom. “I spent the day with amazing kids, but we had a system<br />
that wasn’t doing what it needed to do to get them ready to succeed.”<br />
Westmoreland on choosing a new superintendent:<br />
“Our job is to hire an awesome superintendent who will re-energize<br />
parents, students, teachers, and leaders in the school system, and<br />
take to heart the idea that decisions about education are best made<br />
by the people closest to kids. That refrain was repeated so much<br />
throughout the campaign that I think we have people in Atlanta who<br />
really believe that, and a board that does, too. We’ll hire someone<br />
who’ll make that happen.” <br />
16 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 17
do now<br />
do now<br />
corps connection<br />
One Day asked corps members who teach special education:<br />
What has surprised you the most about being a special education teacher?<br />
South Louisiana corps members celebrated the school year’s close at a supporter’s home in New Roads, La.<br />
spotlight on<br />
South Louisiana<br />
Alicia Escobar<br />
(N.Y. ’12)<br />
9th-12th grade special<br />
education<br />
“I teach special education<br />
in an integrated coteaching<br />
(ICT) setting. Coming into Teach<br />
For America, I had this idea that I would<br />
be teaching 30 kids in a classroom all my<br />
own—my decisions and choices. But in an<br />
ICT setting, you’re 100 percent reliant on<br />
your co-teacher, and I also work closely<br />
with our guidance counselor, other special<br />
education teachers, my special education<br />
coordinator, my principal. It’s about<br />
working together, bouncing ideas off one<br />
another constantly, and figuring out what<br />
works for all of our kids.”<br />
Lauren Levy (L.A. ’13)<br />
9th-11th grade special<br />
education<br />
“When someone says<br />
‘special education,’<br />
people immediately<br />
think moderate to severe [disabilities], like<br />
cerebral palsy or Down syndrome. The<br />
biggest surprise for me was working with<br />
children who have ‘hidden’ disabilities, like<br />
visual or auditory processing disorders. A<br />
lot of them have no idea—even at 15, 16,<br />
17—that they should use their disability<br />
to empower them and speak up for<br />
themselves. You really do become an<br />
advocate for them, teaching them what their<br />
own rights are and how they can get what<br />
they need in order to succeed in school.”<br />
Karlena Riggs<br />
(Oklahoma ’12)<br />
3rd-6th grade special<br />
education<br />
“It’s really my students’<br />
resilience that has<br />
surprised me the most. Most of them<br />
have been in special education for a<br />
while—months, if not years. School has<br />
always been a struggle for them, but<br />
they just keep coming back excited to<br />
learn and can still be excellent students<br />
when their needs are met. If school had<br />
been such a struggle for me, I can’t<br />
imagine how hard it would have been<br />
to make myself go, even in elementary<br />
school. But they keep giving their best<br />
effort. It’s astonishing and inspiring.”<br />
As Louisiana integrated its public schools<br />
following Brown v. Board of Education,<br />
thousands of white students from the Baton<br />
Rouge area fled to private—and often allwhite—alternatives.<br />
The effects linger—today,<br />
students of color make up more than<br />
80 percent of the region’s school systems.<br />
In 1990, South Louisiana became one of<br />
Teach For America’s six charter regions,<br />
but it took years to develop the momentum<br />
necessary for progress beyond individual<br />
classrooms, says Michael Tipton (N.Y.<br />
’05), the region’s executive director and a<br />
Baton Rouge native. Policy changes made<br />
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina<br />
accelerated reforms, and alums started to<br />
move into leadership positions—not only<br />
at schools, but within the government and<br />
local nonprofits. “We’ve spent the last seven<br />
years building up that base of people to<br />
rally around a shared vision of progress for<br />
our students,” Tipton says. “Now, the reform<br />
movement in the region is far bigger than<br />
we are, and Teach For America can play one<br />
role among many partners pushing toward<br />
the same vision of excellence.”<br />
fast facts<br />
6 Number of parishes served by corps members | 444,526 Population of<br />
East Baton Rouge Parish, the region’s largest | 83 Percentage of students<br />
in East Baton Rouge Parish School System who qualify for free or reducedprice<br />
lunch | 88 Percentage of students of color in East Baton Rouge Parish<br />
School System | 82 Percentage of parish students who are African American<br />
did you know?<br />
Almost 5 percent of the residents of Pointe Coupee<br />
Parish, a corps member placement area, speak French<br />
or Cajun French as their home language.<br />
stats<br />
1990<br />
Year placements started<br />
South Louisiana’s alumni in leadership roles<br />
include Bethany France (S. Louisiana ’02), director<br />
of Louisiana A+ Schools; Chris Meyer (G.N.O. ’04),<br />
founder and CEO of New Schools for Baton Rouge;<br />
and Lucas Speilfogel (S. Louisiana ’10), executive<br />
director of the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition.<br />
THRIVE, the state’s only charter boarding<br />
school, was founded in Baton Rouge in 2011 by<br />
Sarah Broome (S. Louisiana ’08) and is one of fewer<br />
than 10 such public schools in the entire country.<br />
Baton Rouge’s annual Mardi Gras parade has<br />
become an unofficial homecoming for Teach For<br />
America South Louisiana.<br />
158<br />
First- and second-year<br />
corps members at the<br />
start of the 2013-14<br />
school year<br />
185<br />
Alumni in region<br />
63<br />
Percentage of alumni<br />
in education<br />
18 One Day • SPRING 2014
do now<br />
Photos by Nour Ayoub<br />
Q Tell me about your students.<br />
A “I have about 150 students from<br />
kindergarten through sixth grade.<br />
They’re from all over the region—<br />
Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt—<br />
but the consistent factor for them is<br />
poverty. In wealthier areas, schools<br />
take it upon themselves to do fundraising,<br />
but in poor areas, that’s not as<br />
prevalent. One example is extracurricular<br />
activities—they were nonexistent<br />
at our school until I started the<br />
drama club. And that’s been so important<br />
to students’ happiness in school to<br />
be able to work with them outside of<br />
the classroom.”<br />
Sahar Machmouchi grew up in rural Lebanon challenging societal expectations all the way to her master’s degree. Now she hopes her students can do the same.<br />
Greetings from Lebanon<br />
Teach For Lebanon is part of the Teach For All network operating in 32 countries around the world<br />
By Tim Kennedy (Delta ’11) with translation by Amal Muna<br />
Lebanon’s population has with book bags, supplies, and even temporary<br />
schools. But for educators like Teach For<br />
grown by a third since 2011,<br />
as more than 1 million Syrian Lebanon fellow Sahar Machmouchi, incredible<br />
refugees—including nearly challenges remain as she leads students from<br />
400,000 school-aged children— diverse educational backgrounds, impacted by<br />
have fled there to escape a the trauma of warfare, and sharing poverty as<br />
brutal civil war. The nation’s a common denominator. “The language that<br />
ministry of education and international<br />
relief agencies have taken steps to ac-<br />
you would think it was a 20-year-old talking,”<br />
these students are using to describe their pain,<br />
commodate the influx—the ministry extended says Machmouchi, who teaches Arabic and drama<br />
in the city of Saida, about 30 miles south<br />
the school registration deadline this year by a<br />
month to ease access for newly displaced students,<br />
and many refugees have been provided given the hardships they’ve<br />
of Beirut. “They’ve had to mature very quickly<br />
seen.”<br />
Q Your school is all-girls, except<br />
for some mixed-gender classes in<br />
the early grades. How does this<br />
impact your teaching? A Given the<br />
poverty in the area, education is valued<br />
a bit more for boys than it is for girls. A<br />
lot of girls end up leaving school after<br />
sixth grade—they stay home and help<br />
their parents, or take a job, or they even<br />
get married. Part of what’s really<br />
difficult for me is trying to change<br />
perceptions—to get them to see themselves<br />
in education long term. I talk<br />
about how I struggled and worked two<br />
jobs to finish my master’s degree in<br />
journalism. And especially in the older<br />
grades, I try to incorporate a lot of<br />
gender conversations to prepare my<br />
students for the dynamics in higher education<br />
settings. With sixth grade drama<br />
students, I include a boy character in<br />
every sketch we perform. It’s a conversation<br />
point in my classroom.”<br />
Q Most of your students’ parents<br />
aren’t highly educated. How do<br />
you work with them to support<br />
this shift in students’ perceptions?<br />
A “I often go outside of the bounds<br />
of my teaching. For example, I’m a<br />
coordinator with the World Human<br />
Rights Forum—an international<br />
group of human rights activists and<br />
organizations—and I work with the<br />
(Top) Machmouchi’s school is in Saida’s Old<br />
City, home to a large and mostly poor population<br />
of refugees from around the Middle East.<br />
(Bottom left and right) Machmouchi’s passion<br />
is for the Arabic language and its potential to<br />
improve society by raising students’ standards<br />
for news and dialogue.<br />
community that way. I also work with<br />
friends—one of whom works for the<br />
local government, and another who<br />
leads parent workshops on topics like<br />
positive discipline. Because many of<br />
the parents are not educated, they<br />
don’t necessarily know how to support<br />
their own children’s learning. Through<br />
the work, I’ve seen a lot of parents open<br />
up when they see how attached their<br />
students are to me as a teacher, and to<br />
their schoolwork. They ask, ‘How did<br />
you make this happen?’ That’s an<br />
opening to talk about positive ways to<br />
get kids to study and want to learn.”<br />
Q You teach formal Arabic, as<br />
opposed to the colloquial Arabic<br />
used for daily interactions. What’s<br />
the value of formal Arabic,<br />
which is incredibly difficult to<br />
learn? A “Formal Arabic is the<br />
language of the media and the<br />
government. If you turn on the news,<br />
or pick up a book, no matter what<br />
country it’s from, it’s going to be the<br />
same. It can be drastically different<br />
from spoken Arabic—it can feel like a<br />
different language. But without it, we<br />
can’t be active citizens. We can’t<br />
be well versed in other languages or<br />
navigate a global world if we don’t have<br />
a grasp of our own language. I truly<br />
believe that the more we raise<br />
the quality of our own language, the<br />
better the quality of society. The output<br />
we show to the world will be of a<br />
better quality.” <br />
20 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 21
do now<br />
corps 360<br />
fro-yo, delta style<br />
“Yogology” plus Cheetos creates a small-town hangout<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
here’s a bright-orange hue to swirls of frozen<br />
T<br />
yogurt at Delta Dairy in downtown Cleveland,<br />
Miss.—and a crunchy kick unknown to fro-yo shops<br />
from Santa Monica to Park Slope. “Hot Cheetos,” says<br />
proprietress Suzette Matthews (Delta ’08), as if Flamin’ Hots are<br />
an obvious choice alongside fresh fruit, Oreo crumbles, and other<br />
do-it-yourself toppings.<br />
Suzette opened Delta Dairy in April 2013 with her business<br />
partner and now husband Matty Bengloff (Delta ’07). The hot<br />
Cheetos—“regional flair,” Matty says—help differentiate the locallyowned<br />
shop from the fast-food chains lining Cleveland’s main drag<br />
half a mile away.<br />
Delta Dairy also serves up a green-and-white twist cone in late<br />
August to welcome students at nearby Delta State University, where<br />
the school colors are green and white, and the unofficial mascot is<br />
the Fighting Okra. But the local touch only goes so far: The green<br />
coloring masks vanilla, not veggie, yogurt.<br />
Suzette and Matty moved to the Delta to join the corps—Suzette<br />
from rural Texas, Matty from New York City. They met and<br />
fell in love—both with each other and with the town of Cleveland,<br />
population 12,000, and recently named by Smithsonian magazine as<br />
America’s second-best small town for travelers. They decided to stay.<br />
Matty had long entertained the idea of opening a business, and<br />
Suzette had more than once wished for a frosty fro-yo in the land of<br />
fast-food soft-serve. They imagined a gathering place for anyone in<br />
the community—kids, teachers, college students, lifelong residents.<br />
“The biggest need was for someplace to go after school, or after<br />
dinner, or on a Sunday afternoon. The space is just as important as<br />
the product,” Suzette says.<br />
They researched chain operations, but chains’ exorbitant upfront<br />
costs led them to go it alone. They visited every frozen-yogurt shop<br />
in a five-hour radius; they studied soft-serve machines; they even<br />
attended “yogology” training four hours away in Russellville, Ark.<br />
The yogologists “gave us these really interesting facts about<br />
people who like yogurt,” Matty says. “Only 10 percent of your yogurt<br />
population likes the tart kind—those are the real yogurt fanatics.” In<br />
fact, the majority of Delta Dairy’s patrons don’t call it yogurt at all.<br />
“They call it ice cream,” Matty says.<br />
Longtime Cleveland resident Homer Sledge, Jr., comes in almost<br />
every Sunday. His father founded the Nehi Bottling Company in 1927<br />
to provide soda pop for the people of Cleveland, and Homer and<br />
his son continue the business today. Each week, Suzette and Matty<br />
Matty Bengloff and Suzette Matthews opened Delta Dairy in what had been an<br />
empty storefront. “The town is going through a kind of rebirth,” Matthews says.<br />
relish his business advice. “They’ve owned a business for so long,<br />
they know all of the joys and the woes,” Matty says.<br />
Sledge is one of many regular customers, from kids whose eyes<br />
pop at the lineup of toppings to college students on a study break<br />
and native Clevelandites on a downtown stroll. “We’re really proud<br />
of how diverse our customer base is,” Suzette says. “The Delta can<br />
still be really segregated, and we have people from all over town. No<br />
matter who you are, we welcome you.” <br />
in the news<br />
“It is time to admit<br />
that the SAT and ACT<br />
have become far too<br />
disconnected from the<br />
work of our high schools.”<br />
David Coleman, president of the College Board,<br />
announcing on March 5, 2014, an overhaul of the<br />
SAT college entrance exam<br />
fyi<br />
In 2002, Congress passed the No Child Left<br />
Behind Act, adopting an ambitious plan to<br />
reach 100 percent student proficiency by 2014.<br />
Twelve years later, that remains a distant goal.<br />
The law is in political limbo—it expired in 2007,<br />
but its mandates carry over until Congress<br />
passes a replacement. Federal funding for its<br />
major components has plateaued at about<br />
$20 billion per year, roughly half of what<br />
the government originally authorized. And<br />
despite incremental improvements across the<br />
board, proficiency rates—especially for lowincome<br />
children—continue to lag.<br />
pulse check on nclb<br />
Low income students at or above proficient<br />
All students at or above proficient<br />
4th grade math<br />
2003<br />
2003<br />
2003<br />
15%<br />
32%<br />
8th grade math<br />
2003<br />
12%<br />
29%<br />
15%<br />
31%<br />
16%<br />
32%<br />
2013<br />
2013<br />
4th grade reading<br />
2013<br />
8th grade reading<br />
2013<br />
25%<br />
42%<br />
20%<br />
35%<br />
20%<br />
35%<br />
20%<br />
36%<br />
The above proficiency figures were determined by the National Assessment<br />
of Educational Progress. Each state also uses a unique assessment, and<br />
results of these assessments are not comparable.<br />
Tommy Rappold, Post-Bac Pre-Med<br />
From Computer Information Systems to Medicine.<br />
Wanted to Make a Difference.<br />
Attending Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.<br />
Join Us<br />
Become a part of a community of college graduates<br />
who chose UVa to prepare for a career in medicine.<br />
Our faculty and staff will work closely with you to<br />
maximize your chances for success as a premed<br />
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Complete prerequisites for medical school in just 12 months<br />
in our intensive, full-time Post-Bac Pre-Med Program.<br />
• Superior instruction in the University of Virginia tradition of<br />
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• Sections of general and organic chemistry, and physics just for<br />
PBPM students<br />
• Small class size of 35-40 students ensures one-on-one pre-med<br />
and program advisement<br />
• 360-degree support from faculty and staff that builds a close-knit<br />
cohort community<br />
• Shadowing & volunteer experiences in clinical settings<br />
• MCAT preparation<br />
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• A 94% acceptance rate to medical school<br />
Applications are accepted from August 15 to February 15.<br />
Read Tommy’s story and learn more about our program at<br />
www.scps.virginia.edu/TFA<br />
270-HS-TFA-mag<br />
22 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 23
do now<br />
do now<br />
media<br />
rethinking malcolm x<br />
Saladin Ambar (N.Y. ’90) uncovers a brilliant lost speech<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
In 2009, Saladin Ambar (N.Y.<br />
I<br />
’90) was a first-year political<br />
science professor at Lehigh<br />
University teaching a course<br />
on black political thought. While preparing<br />
the portion on black nationalism, he read a<br />
little-known speech delivered by Malcolm X<br />
in December 1964 at the Oxford Union, the<br />
prestigious debating society at Oxford University.<br />
In it, the civil rights leader defended a<br />
statement by defeated presidential candidate<br />
Barry Goldwater: “Extremism in the defense<br />
of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit<br />
of justice is no virtue.” Ambar recognized the<br />
speech as an undiscovered gem of the era—<br />
both rhetorically brilliant and revelatory of a<br />
Malcolm X no less radical than his younger<br />
self but far more nuanced in his understanding<br />
of race relations and power dynamics in<br />
the United States and abroad. Ambar, who<br />
taught high school history for 17 years in New<br />
York City and Princeton, N.J., before earning<br />
his Ph.D. from Rutgers University, proceeded<br />
to immerse himself in Malcolm X’s diaries<br />
and travelogues, interview his contemporaries,<br />
and trace his steps from Harlem to<br />
Paris to Oxford. In January, he published<br />
the sum of his efforts: Malcolm X at Oxford<br />
Union: Racial Politics in a Global Era.<br />
Over the course of researching and<br />
writing this book, what was the most<br />
significant shift in your understanding<br />
of Malcolm X? As a younger man, there<br />
was a sort of bias I had toward the early<br />
and more radical career of Malcolm X—the<br />
Malcolm without the beard, a member of the<br />
Nation of Islam, fiery, certainly radical, and<br />
in many ways more off-putting to whites. In<br />
some senses, that earlier Malcolm has been<br />
identified as the “true” Malcolm—and as<br />
a teenager and in my early 20s, I held that<br />
view. My research led me to conclude that<br />
the Malcolm at Oxford was certainly no less<br />
“true” than the earlier Malcolm, but someone<br />
whose thoughts had matured, who was very<br />
sophisticated in his understanding of the<br />
complexity of human nature. The Malcolm at<br />
Oxford, I think, is in many ways more heroic<br />
than the earlier figure I’d confronted, because<br />
he was open to change, and open to seeing<br />
the world in a more complicated way.<br />
In his speech, Malcolm X spoke<br />
about schools as an example of an<br />
injustice perpetrated by whites on<br />
African Americans. Is there any way<br />
to guess what he’d think of the<br />
school reform movement today? My<br />
guess is he would’ve put “empowerment”<br />
at the forefront of any understanding of<br />
reform—the idea that black folks needed to<br />
be strong participants in changing their own<br />
local school conditions. I think he would’ve<br />
asked what role African Americans are<br />
taking in their own local achievement and<br />
administration, and what are the resources<br />
being allocated to their schools—public<br />
or otherwise. He certainly understood that<br />
the public school system had failed African<br />
Americans, and him personally, and he no<br />
doubt would’ve chastised much of current<br />
education policy—and more than anything,<br />
the still-deplorable state of many schools.<br />
You suggest that by the time of the<br />
Oxford speech, his ideas about race<br />
and power had been significantly<br />
complicated. In what direction was<br />
he moving? His trip to Mecca [in 1964],<br />
and more broadly his trip to the Middle East,<br />
changed that binary of black-white that he<br />
had as an American. When he met Algerian<br />
revolutionaries who were what most people<br />
would define as white, it really floored him,<br />
because the ideology of black nationalism<br />
really had no place for a white revolutionary.<br />
He had to step back and see that for what it<br />
was. And I think he also understood that there<br />
was truly a class dimension to the nature of<br />
struggle worldwide—that global capitalism<br />
presented its own host of challenges, and<br />
that race alone as a window to these problems<br />
was not going to be sufficient. He wrote<br />
in his diary, in so many words, that black<br />
nationalism is insufficient.<br />
Having said that, I think one of the<br />
contributions of the book is that it suggests<br />
that Malcolm X didn’t, and perhaps we<br />
shouldn’t, abide an all-too-easy postracial<br />
view of the world, given that so many of the<br />
conditions that concerned Malcolm about<br />
the lives of people of color in America<br />
and around the world are still with us. He<br />
certainly understood that these conditions<br />
were very much tied to race, but that there<br />
were more elements to the problem than<br />
race alone.<br />
You write that Malcolm X’s foundational<br />
ethic “requires revolutionary justice<br />
to flow from the people upward.”<br />
What were some other tenets of his<br />
radical philosophy? I think, first and<br />
foremost, being honest with yourself, and being<br />
honest about the nature of political struggle.<br />
If there’s anything that made—and I think<br />
makes—Malcolm X such a powerful figure, it’s<br />
that there was nothing in the way of sugarcoating,<br />
nothing in the way of some kind of<br />
palliative to present the world other than what<br />
it was. People crave authentic leaders today—<br />
they really desire someone to be completely<br />
honest, to use language that is unfettered<br />
and apolitical.<br />
What do you most wish you could ask<br />
him? I think more than ask him anything, I<br />
would wish to thank him. I have to say, especially<br />
when I was in Oxford, there’s a bit of<br />
survivor’s guilt. In Oxford, I purposely stayed<br />
in the same hotel where he stayed—the Randolph<br />
Hotel. And as I walked its corridors, I<br />
Notes from the Journey Westward | White Pine Press<br />
Joe Wilkins (Delta ’02) opens Notes from the Journey Westward, his second published collection of poetry, with an<br />
epigraph from Bob Dylan’s 1975 album Blood on the Tracks: “We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out<br />
west.” Like Dylan in the mid-70s, Wilkins, a writing professor at Linfield College in Oregon, writes about landscapes,<br />
drifters, highways, and other folk-music themes from a perspective that is intimate but clear-eyed—Americana<br />
stripped of sentimentality. The 50-plus poems in Notes are not linked by narrative—some, like the title poem, are set in<br />
pioneering times while others (“Now That It Has Been Many Years, and I Have Moved Far from Mississippi”) seem more<br />
autobiographical. But they share Wilkins’ gifts for clipped imagery (“think how your hands, watching your father as a boy,<br />
hung useless as bright wings”) and striking phrasing (“Blink and cry but this earth is all/you’ll ever see.”).<br />
Ghetto Images in Twentieth-Century American Literature | Palgrave Macmillan<br />
Tyrone Simpson’s (L.A. ’91) Ghetto Images in Twentieth-Century American Literature explores how six American<br />
novelists have depicted the effects of urban segregation over the past 80 years. The “ghetto,” Simpson argues, is<br />
not merely a consequence of racial tension and urban decay; it is a construct that actively fuels discrimination and<br />
limits opportunity. Simpson focuses each chapter on a specific author and text—from Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers<br />
to John Edgar Wideman’s Two Cities—ultimately tracing how six very different writers interpreted the “ghettoization”<br />
of the 20th-century American Rust Belt. Simpson is an associate professor of English, urban studies, Africana<br />
studies, and American culture at Vassar College.<br />
Kids in the Kitchen: Simple Recipes That Build Independence and Confidence<br />
in the Montessori Way | CreateSpace Independent Publishing<br />
Parents, put down your knives. Now, give them to your toddlers. Okay, okay—not a sharp knife—but you’ve got the<br />
idea, according to Kids in the Kitchen: Simple Recipes that Build Independence and Confidence in the Montessori Way, coauthored<br />
by Sara Cotner (S. Louisiana ’00). “Even the youngest child can work in the kitchen with the right guidance,”<br />
writes Cotner, founder of Montessori For All, a nonprofit working to open and lead public Montessori schools in<br />
diverse communities. Kids in the Kitchen offers simple recipes and helpful tips, like advice for setting up kid-friendly<br />
kitchens (keep toddlers’ utensils in a low cupboard, for example, and keep healthy snacks on the lower shelves of the<br />
fridge). Recipes range from tzatziki dip to banana and strawberry muffins, and detailed pictures accompany each step.<br />
A Priceless Wedding: Crafting a Meaningful, Memorable, and<br />
Affordable Celebration | Voyageur Press<br />
was thinking that when he was walking those<br />
corridors, when he walked up those very old<br />
steps of that beautiful hotel, he was thinking<br />
of security. He was thinking, “I might not<br />
make it down to the lobby. I could be shot<br />
at any moment.” He was fearing for his life.<br />
In many ways, the life I have, and the life so<br />
many middle-class African Americans have,<br />
is possible because of him and other leaders<br />
of his time. I have to say I felt a deep sense of<br />
gratitude for him, and a sense of sadness that<br />
I couldn’t thank him personally. <br />
Cotner is also the author of A Priceless Wedding: Crafting a Meaningful, Memorable, and Affordable Celebration, which<br />
encourages couples to resist the pressures of the “wedding industrial complex” by planning the “vision-first” wedding<br />
that best suits them, with tips like adopting a wedding “mantra” (e.g. “Our marriage is more important than the<br />
wedding.”) and using a worksheet to decide whether to “retain, revise, reject, or reinvent” the more traditional elements<br />
of a wedding. “There’s so much cultural baggage about what makes a wedding a real wedding,” Cotner writes. “This<br />
book focuses on how to reclaim the real purpose of a wedding: community, connection, commitment, and fun.”<br />
24 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 25
do now<br />
do now<br />
unprecedented gains<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
E<br />
ducators, parents,<br />
and students in<br />
Tennessee and Washington,<br />
D.C., have reason to be proud:<br />
2013 results of the biennial<br />
National Assessment of<br />
Educational Progress showed<br />
their students’ growth to be<br />
greater than anywhere else in<br />
the country.<br />
KEVIN<br />
HUFFMAN<br />
(hOUSTON ’92)<br />
Q: What drove the gains?<br />
A: Ultimately, we believe it’s two<br />
things: higher standards for our<br />
kids, and higher standards for the<br />
adults working in the system.<br />
Q: Once you gathered the overall positive<br />
results, where did you focus more in-depth?<br />
A: For us, it was looking at the different subgroups, and the<br />
places where we’re making significant progress and lesssignificant<br />
progress. Does that line up with what we’re seeing on<br />
other assessments? Do we have a plan of attack for making sure<br />
we’re improving everywhere? The other piece is about making<br />
sure we have strategies in place to continue improving at a fast<br />
pace. We moved from the 40s in national rankings to the 30s.<br />
And not only that: The two states (D.C. is considered a state for<br />
the purposes of national testing) showed the greatest-ever growth<br />
over a single testing cycle. The test also compares progress across<br />
a sample of 21 urban districts, including D.C. Public Schools, which<br />
educates about 56 percent of the city’s public school students. In<br />
every grade and subject, DCPS students showed greater growth<br />
than any other tested district.<br />
Outcomes are hardly where they need to be—overall, D.C. still<br />
lingers near the bottom compared with other large cities nationwide,<br />
and Tennessee’s results place it in the lower-middle compared<br />
to all states. But the trend lines show promise.<br />
More than 1,000 alumni contributed to the results—teachers,<br />
parents, school leaders, and system leaders. Kevin Huffman<br />
(Houston ’92) has been Tennessee’s state education commissioner<br />
since 2011, and Kaya Henderson (N.Y. ’92) has led DCPS since<br />
2010, after taking the reins from Michelle Rhee (Baltimore ’92).<br />
Kathy Hollowell-Makle (D.C. Region ’98) is the 2013 DCPS<br />
Teacher of the Year and a 16-year district veteran. “We’re<br />
absolutely moving in the right direction,” she says. “I see a great<br />
sense of pride in the work teachers are doing, and that relates<br />
directly to student progress.”<br />
That’s great progress, but none of us wakes up and comes into<br />
work thinking we want to be 35th in the nation in education.<br />
Q: When the results are broken down by<br />
student groups, many of the same gaps show<br />
up that have plagued schools for years.<br />
How does that play into your strategy<br />
moving forward?<br />
A: For our students with disabilities and our English language<br />
learners, what we saw on NAEP mirrors what we’ve seen already<br />
on our state assessments. Those are areas of focus for us, and<br />
the NAEP scores reinforced the strategies that we have in place.<br />
If we come back in two years and those students still have not<br />
made strides, then I’ll be scratching my head. One thing we’re<br />
proud of is that we significantly increased the number of students<br />
with disabilities who took the NAEP. Previously, Tennessee<br />
excluded a huge portion of students with disabilities—they were<br />
excluded on some tests at rates of 40 to 50 percent. We cut that<br />
in half, and we know there’s still room to grow.<br />
Q: NAEP doesn’t measure the inputs that<br />
drive student outcomes. Can you say with<br />
any certainty that the reforms you’ve<br />
implemented have made a difference?<br />
A: That’s technically true. But at the same time, I would say it’s<br />
not accidental that Tennessee and D.C. are implementing many<br />
of the same reforms on the same timeline with the same fidelity—and<br />
to see that, it is perfectly reasonable to hypothesize<br />
that those are in fact drivers of results and those are things that<br />
other states might reasonably want to emulate. There are a lot of<br />
people who don’t like what those drivers are, and therefore are<br />
very resistant. But to put it simply, I don’t think it’s accidental<br />
that Tennessee and D.C. had the largest gains in the country.<br />
KAYA<br />
HENDERSON<br />
(N.Y. ’92)<br />
Q: What’s driving<br />
the gains?<br />
A: First, I think it’s the attention<br />
we’ve paid to people quality—the<br />
quality of our teachers, our school<br />
leaders, our support staff, our central office staff. Then, three years<br />
ago, we created an academic plan to change the teaching and<br />
learning happening in the classroom. Getting great people is only<br />
part of the solution—giving them the tools and resources they need<br />
to succeed is the other part.<br />
Q: When DCPS’s scores are broken down into<br />
student groups, the gap between white,<br />
mostly higher-income kids and lower-income<br />
students of color is actually growing in<br />
places. How can you address that?<br />
A: One thing we know for sure is that the population of D.C. has<br />
one of the largest gaps in the country regarding race and economics,<br />
so some of this is simply the reality of the kids in our classrooms.<br />
Clearly, we’re growing our white kids at a pace that’s good<br />
for them, and we have to be experts at catching up many kids who<br />
come to us already behind, and actually accelerating them. It’s<br />
STATE RESULTS<br />
4th grade<br />
math growth<br />
1 Tennessee<br />
2 Washington, D.C.<br />
(district and charters)<br />
3 Arizona<br />
4 Indiana<br />
5 Hawai‘i<br />
4th grade<br />
reading growth<br />
1 Tennessee<br />
2 Washington, D.C.<br />
(district and charters)<br />
3 Minnesota<br />
4 Indiana<br />
5 Washington (state)<br />
literally about taking kids and moving them multiple grade levels<br />
in one year, and that’s what we have to get good at. Here’s the<br />
challenge for DCPS: We have to innovate to catch up. But at the<br />
same time, we have to go beyond. Because even if we catch up to<br />
where everyone else is, that’s not good enough.<br />
Q: Teach For America has been operating in<br />
D.C. since 1992, and more than 2,000 alumni live<br />
in the region. Do you see the organization in<br />
any way relevant to these results?<br />
A: We have corps members and alumni in our classrooms; four of<br />
the seven people on my leadership team are alumni; we have an<br />
astounding number of alums in the central office; a number of our<br />
principals are alums; some of my instructional superintendents<br />
are alums. If I look at the statewide results, many of the charter<br />
leaders are alums, and many charter teachers are alumni or corps<br />
members. Teach For America has changed the talent pool in the<br />
city—and it can share in the statewide victory with us because<br />
it’s people who have delivered these results, and many of those<br />
people are Teach For America alumni.<br />
Q: What do you make of many in the media’s<br />
temptation to throw cold water on positive<br />
results?<br />
A: You know, sometimes I want to say, ‘Tell me what I<br />
should be doing. Should I pooh-pooh these completely<br />
outsized gains because we’re not yet where we need to<br />
be? Or do I recognize that with a whole lot of work, people<br />
have moved us from an F- to a D or a D+?’ No, we’re not<br />
at an A yet, but you don’t get to an A by staying in the F pile.<br />
If we only celebrated goal attainment, that would be antithetical<br />
to what we tell our kids. How do you get to where you’re<br />
going? Through steady progress. Not incremental progress,<br />
but radical progress. And that’s what we’re bringing to D.C.<br />
Public Schools. People who have thrived on DCPS’s<br />
dysfunction are very, very upset that we’re actually making<br />
progress. But we’re gonna keep on bringing progress,<br />
we’re gonna keep on bringing change, we’re gonna keep<br />
on knocking it out for our kids, because that’s what<br />
they deserve. <br />
URBAN DISTRICT RESULTS<br />
8th grade<br />
math growth<br />
1 DCPS<br />
2 Charlotte<br />
3 Fresno<br />
4 Los Angeles<br />
5 Milwaukee<br />
8th grade<br />
reading growth<br />
1 DCPS<br />
2 Fresno<br />
3 Baltimore<br />
4 Milwaukee<br />
5 Los Angeles<br />
26 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 27
SOMETHING<br />
SPECIAL<br />
By Ting yu (N.Y. ’03)<br />
Photographs by Michael Schwarz<br />
Special education was conceived to meet the unique<br />
learning needs of students like Latisha Justice. But is<br />
the system empowering or oppressing its students?<br />
“Since I have an IEP, it follows me,” says Latisha Justice,<br />
16, at Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta. “People make fun<br />
of me. Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe.”<br />
Latisha Justice bounces in her chair, feet tapping the ground.<br />
Justice is slight and jittery—not unlike the subatomic particle<br />
she is studying at the moment. “How many electrons give you<br />
a full valence?” asks her teacher, Andrew Fuller (Metro Atlanta<br />
’12). Justice and the four other 10th graders in Fuller’s physical<br />
science class at Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta are poring over<br />
laminated periodic tables, filling out charts of atomic mass, protons, and<br />
neutrons for various elements. Vivacious with a wide smile, Justice keeps<br />
up a near-constant chatter as she taps her calculator and writes down the<br />
answers. When she raises her hand to share, she answers correctly. But<br />
when Fuller praises her and asks her to state the element’s name, she<br />
hesitates then reads chlorine aloud as “Tyrone.” Her classmates erupt<br />
into laughter, and Justice turns quiet for the first time that morning.<br />
28 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 29
“When I first came to this school, I got bullied<br />
and teased. People make fun of me because I’m<br />
in small-group classes. They say, ‘She’s dumb.<br />
She’s the retarded girl.’ I feel sad like, why are<br />
you all doing this to me?”<br />
“I like literature, even though that’s the main struggle I have,” Justice says. “I like to read stories about real people with problems and how they can help themselves be better.”<br />
ative,” Justice says. “My reading just…<br />
stops me.”<br />
Justice’s IEP states that she has a<br />
“specific learning disability,” a term<br />
that belies remarkable ambiguity. SLD<br />
is the most common referral category for<br />
students who receive special education<br />
services. Nationwide, 41 percent of students<br />
with IEPs have this designation<br />
which includes disability categories,<br />
ranging from dyslexia to developmental<br />
aphasia to brain injury. It’s defined<br />
as an imperfect ability to listen, think,<br />
speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical<br />
calculation.<br />
“Practically every kid has SLD on<br />
their IEPs. It makes no sense,” Fuller<br />
says. “There’s no time or effort or individualized<br />
planning dedicated to solving<br />
problems for each child. It’s so frustrating.<br />
Why has no one ever stopped to<br />
Justice, 16, has struggled with reading<br />
since first grade when she was held<br />
back at the teacher’s recommendation.<br />
Her mother, Keeshan, says Latisha was<br />
evaluated in third grade and received<br />
her first Individualized Education Program<br />
(IEP), a tailored instructional<br />
framework for each child who receives<br />
special education services.<br />
Since then, Justice has been educated<br />
in both co-taught inclusive classrooms<br />
(a general education classroom with two<br />
teachers, one a special educator) as well<br />
as small-group settings like Fuller’s science<br />
class. She says her main problem<br />
is comprehension, but it’s clear that<br />
even decoding the words themselves can<br />
be confounding to her. Since reading<br />
affects one’s ability to access material in<br />
every class, her frustration has seeped<br />
into all of her coursework. “I’m very cresay,<br />
‘Why can’t Latisha read?’ ”<br />
Teachers, he says, are essentially<br />
left on their own to identify underlying<br />
issues and come up with strategies to<br />
address them—often with students<br />
who are profoundly behind. “We’re in<br />
10th grade, and Latisha’s reading at<br />
a third grade level. I have kids who<br />
can’t read at all,” he says. “I’m teaching<br />
them sight words. I have a whole<br />
box of flashcards in my room. I’m in a<br />
position where I’m trying to figure out:<br />
Do I stop teaching science and teach<br />
the kids who can’t read? Then what<br />
about my kids who need to learn science<br />
to be successful in college? With<br />
some of my kids, we need to go back to<br />
the foundations of math and reading.<br />
We can’t start with how to balance a<br />
chemical equation when you can’t add<br />
five plus five.”<br />
Justice receives accommodations such<br />
as having extended time to finish work<br />
and getting her tests read to her but can’t<br />
name any strategies she has been taught<br />
to address her reading issue. “The teachers<br />
just say, ‘Keep on trying,’ but they<br />
don’t help. Or when I ask questions, they<br />
say I’m complaining too much and to just<br />
sit and wait. That’s when I feel anxiety.<br />
They look at me like, ‘Why are you having<br />
this problem?’ And I’m like, because<br />
I have this issue that I’m trying to overcome<br />
and y’all are not helping me, just<br />
making more pressure on me.”<br />
As dictated by her IEP, Justice<br />
takes all of her core subjects—math, literacy,<br />
science, and social studies—in<br />
small-group settings. The only time she<br />
interacts with general education peers is<br />
during electives like business and Spanish.<br />
Justice likes having more one-on-one<br />
time with teachers and fewer distractions,<br />
but says the social stigma of being<br />
in a special education class can be<br />
unbearable. “When I first came to this<br />
school, I got bullied and teased,” she<br />
says. “People make fun of me because I’m<br />
in small-group classes. They say, ‘She’s<br />
dumb. She’s the retarded girl.’ I feel sad<br />
like, why are you all doing this to me?”<br />
In Fuller’s class, she has found a<br />
haven. “He’s fun, but he’s serious,” she<br />
says. “I know a lot about science now—<br />
stuff I didn’t think I’d know. He can get<br />
on people’s nerves because he makes<br />
everything hard for us, but we come out<br />
of his classroom knowing stuff. He’s the<br />
only teacher who can teach and it stays<br />
in our heads.”<br />
Fuller says a bright student like<br />
Justice could excel in a general education<br />
classroom given the right supports.<br />
He’s pushing for a clearer diagnosis of<br />
her reading disability and believes she<br />
needs more individual assistance.<br />
Yet he’s disheartened by what he<br />
sees as a deeply embedded culture of<br />
low expectations that permeates special<br />
education programs in low-income<br />
communities, where students who don’t<br />
meet academic standards are routinely<br />
promoted. Rather than seeing special<br />
education as a way of differentiating for<br />
kids who learn differently, Fuller says,<br />
“it becomes a place to keep kids quiet, so<br />
we can teach other kids.”<br />
Breaking the silence<br />
For all of its flaws, No Child Left<br />
Behind got one thing powerfully right:<br />
It shined a light on huge disparities in<br />
student achievement that had long been<br />
obscured by school-level performance<br />
data. Suddenly marginalized groups<br />
such as low-income students of color and<br />
students with disabilities surfaced as<br />
urgent priorities.<br />
The new data galvanized reformers<br />
and helped them fashion a powerful<br />
narrative about the influence of race<br />
and class on educational equity in the<br />
United States—a narrative that has<br />
largely succeeded in raising the profile<br />
of students in low-income communities.<br />
So why, more than a decade later—and<br />
despite persistently terrible academic<br />
outcomes—do children with disabilities<br />
garner little more than a whisper in the<br />
education reform conversation?<br />
The world of special education is labyrinthine<br />
and, in many ways, esoteric<br />
to the general public, which has limited<br />
awareness of students with disabilities<br />
and their challenges. With its tangle of<br />
laws and regulations, segregated placements,<br />
and unfamiliar diagnoses, special<br />
education can seem somehow separate<br />
and detached from the way “our<br />
kids” are taught.<br />
Johannah Chase (N.Y. ’05), the chief<br />
operating officer for special education for<br />
the New York Department of Education,<br />
says the lack of urgency and action on<br />
behalf of children with disabilities won’t<br />
change until reformers come to see that<br />
the fight for these students’ rights is in<br />
every way the fight for all students. “We<br />
have to break the assumption that special<br />
ed is ‘other.’ There’s not a bifurcated<br />
special-ed-versus-general-ed world,” she<br />
says. “Special ed isn’t for those kids over<br />
there who have some type of need so<br />
extreme we can’t possibly expect your<br />
average teacher to meet their needs.<br />
30 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 31
“I have a vendetta against making work easy,” says Andrew Fuller (right), who was taught in a restrictive<br />
special education setting from 1st through 12th grade and could “barely read” when he graduated.<br />
That’s deeply problematic, not only for<br />
kids with disabilities, but it’s the wrong<br />
approach for public education. When you<br />
focus on kids with the most challenges,<br />
you figure out solutions that are applicable<br />
to everyone. This is really about<br />
figuring out how to leverage the world of<br />
special education for all kids.”<br />
Oppression or empowerment?<br />
As recently as the early 1970s, 80 percent<br />
of American children with disabilities—roughly<br />
1.75 million children—<br />
had no protected right or access to a<br />
public education. Nearly 200,000 people<br />
with disabilities were institutionalized,<br />
many of them children. Those who were<br />
educated were schooled at home or at<br />
private facilities.<br />
Special education advocates speak<br />
passionately about the movement for<br />
“ability rights,” marking as a key turning<br />
point the Education for All Handicapped<br />
Children Act—now known as the Individuals<br />
with Disabilities Education<br />
Act—passed in 1975. IDEA mandates<br />
that all schools receiving federal funds<br />
provide students with disabilities with<br />
“a free and appropriate education” in the<br />
“least restrictive environment.”<br />
Despite progress, there are deeply<br />
troubling trends that point to a separate<br />
and unequal reality for the 6.3 million<br />
students in the United States who currently<br />
have IEPs. Nationwide, these students<br />
are vastly underperforming their<br />
peers in general education.<br />
A recent report from the U.S. Department<br />
of Education reveals huge gaps in<br />
state graduation rates between students<br />
with disabilities and their nondisabled<br />
peers. The 2013 National Assessment of<br />
Educational Progress shows that nearly<br />
70 percent of fourth graders with disabilities<br />
scored “below basic proficiency”—the<br />
lowest designation—in reading,<br />
with only 11 percent scoring proficient<br />
or advanced. (That’s compared with 27<br />
percent and 38 percent, respectively, for<br />
nondisabled students.) This despite the<br />
fact that the majority of students with<br />
IEPs do not have disabilities that would<br />
prevent them from achieving at grade<br />
level, if given the appropriate supports.<br />
“Millions of children with disabilities<br />
are getting an abysmal education,” says<br />
Dr. Douglas Fuchs, a leading researcher<br />
and chair of the special education<br />
department at Vanderbilt University.<br />
“Gross underachievement is a fact, and<br />
it can’t be explained by the disability.<br />
The degree to which these students are<br />
behind begs for a real explanation.”<br />
Many special educators believe that<br />
strict federal enforcement of IDEA<br />
regulations—but little emphasis on<br />
achievement—has bred a misguided obsession<br />
with access and compliance with<br />
no accountability for achievement. Too<br />
often IEPs “are done poorly and not for<br />
the right reasons,” Fuchs says. “They’re<br />
treated by educators as a legal document<br />
instead of as an educational document<br />
that is essential to the current and longterm<br />
future of the child.”<br />
Both Mississippi and South Carolina,<br />
for instance, earned top marks for meeting<br />
federal requirements for compliance<br />
last year, while posting appalling graduation<br />
results for students with disabilities.<br />
State-reported data showed that half<br />
of South Carolina’s students with disabilities<br />
drop out of school, and only 23<br />
percent of Mississippi students with<br />
IEPs earn diplomas—43 percentage<br />
points lower than the rate for nondisabled<br />
students.<br />
The U.S. Department of Education’s<br />
Office of Special Education Programs has<br />
announced plans to monitor more closely<br />
“performance indicators”—such as participation<br />
in state general assessments<br />
and graduation rates—for students with<br />
disabilities, to induce a shift toward “results-driven<br />
accountability.” States that<br />
report poorly on these measures may be<br />
subject to improvement plans or loss of<br />
funding, but OSEP says the use of statelevel<br />
assessment results likely won’t<br />
happen for another five years.<br />
Another serious concern, Fuchs says,<br />
is that too few teachers possess specialized<br />
knowledge of how disabilities<br />
affect learning and how to differentiate<br />
instruction in a meaningful way. IDEA<br />
recognizes 14 categories of disability that<br />
encompass a huge range of diagnoses.<br />
Because disabilities manifest differently<br />
for each child, figuring out the most effective<br />
intervention can be like detective<br />
work. Charters are often criticized for<br />
relying too heavily on inclusion models<br />
and contracting outside specialists who<br />
don’t know the students as well, because<br />
they lack the funding and resources to<br />
provide such services in house.<br />
“Students need teachers who are<br />
skilled in the art and science of assessing<br />
and differentiating at a highly individual<br />
level and who also possess technical<br />
knowledge,” Fuchs says. “We no longer<br />
have teachers who become masters of six<br />
different ways of teaching reading and<br />
four different ways of teaching math.<br />
Special educators today are trained to<br />
co-teach. In many places, they’re glorified<br />
aides to the general education<br />
teacher. A very large number of students<br />
with disabilities require an intensity of<br />
instruction that simply is not provided<br />
in the majority of special ed classrooms.”<br />
Philippe Ernewein (G.N.O ’94) is the<br />
director of education at Denver Academy,<br />
an independent private school in<br />
Colorado for children with learning differences.<br />
DA has a long track record of<br />
student success, and last year sent 90<br />
percent of its students to two- or fouryear<br />
colleges. A 20-year veteran special<br />
educator, Ernewein says the school’s<br />
core philosophy is asset-based and one<br />
that honors individuality and multiple<br />
intelligences. Differentiation is key.<br />
“We have a curriculum. It has flexibility.<br />
It’s not uncommon for us to ask<br />
kids: ‘How are you smart?’ Let’s say<br />
you’re a graphic artist learning about<br />
literary devices like simile, alliteration,<br />
or metaphor. How would you show<br />
what you know? You might create a billboard,<br />
or a website, or a logo. We give<br />
students an opportunity to be creative<br />
and explore a different way of showing<br />
what they know.”<br />
DA’s website carefully avoids the<br />
term “disability,” and Ernewein concedes,<br />
“We don’t give that term a lot of<br />
currency here.” Students begin the year<br />
by taking Myers-Briggs and Strengths-<br />
Finder personality assessments. School<br />
staff is getting training on ideas in a<br />
book called The Dyslexic Advantage,<br />
which talks about the benefits of a dyslexic<br />
learning style. Ernewein says that<br />
tremendous gains are possible when students<br />
are educated in a way that inherently<br />
values their differences.<br />
Although DA enjoys resources most<br />
public schools don’t have, Ernewein says<br />
committing to asset-based differentiation<br />
costs nothing: “We have autonomy as<br />
leaders of our classrooms. You have control<br />
over how your content is delivered,<br />
what kind of process and interactivity<br />
your kids have with that content, and<br />
how they’re going to show you what they<br />
know. We have this idea that we’re going<br />
to do school the way it was done to us,<br />
and I think that’s a great injustice. Let’s<br />
challenge that pedagogy.”<br />
Dr. Thomas Hehir, a Harvard professor<br />
and former OSEP director under<br />
President Clinton, made the case for an<br />
asset-based approach to teaching in his<br />
seminal 2002 article “Eliminating Ableism.”<br />
In it, Hehir calls for applying the<br />
architectural principle of universal design—conceiving<br />
of buildings with the<br />
assumption that people with disabilities<br />
would use them—to special education.<br />
“We often try to retrofit the child with<br />
inappropriate interventions after they<br />
“It’s not uncommon for us to ask kids: ‘How are<br />
you smart?’ ” says Philippe Ernewein of his school’s<br />
asset-based approach to special education. “We give<br />
students an opportunity to be creative and explore a<br />
different way of showing what they know.”<br />
32 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 33
Why are so many<br />
black students in<br />
special ed?<br />
18<br />
students with<br />
%of disabilities are<br />
26 %<br />
of students<br />
identified as<br />
intellectually<br />
disabled<br />
are African<br />
American<br />
African American<br />
Research suggests that some of the overrepresentation<br />
of students of color in<br />
disability categories may be attributed to<br />
factors linked with poverty—poor nutrition,<br />
greater exposure to environmental toxins,<br />
physical or substance abuse. Health issues,<br />
especially prenatal ones, can play a<br />
role in future disabilities.<br />
But University of Miami professor Beth<br />
Harry says it’s telling that overrepresentation<br />
occurs only in categories such as<br />
emotional disturbance, mild intellectual<br />
disability, and specific learning disabilities—where<br />
identification is not based<br />
on a medical evaluation but a subjective<br />
process that may be swayed by a child’s<br />
behavior, race, and other factors.<br />
The evaluations themselves may be<br />
unreliable, Harry says. “I.Q. testing is<br />
known for having biases that are culturally<br />
and socioeconomically based. They don’t<br />
test your naked intelligence; they test what<br />
you’ve had the opportunity to learn.”<br />
Vanderbilt’s Douglas Fuchs cautions<br />
that poor academic performance may trigger<br />
inappropriate special education referrals.<br />
“Unfortunately, in a lot of low-income<br />
communities, there are poorly functioning<br />
schools. So you have kids with low performance<br />
who are not disabled but who are<br />
simply undereducated or not educated. If a<br />
child is doing poorly, and if the instruction<br />
is also poor, no one should be leaping to<br />
the conclusion that the kid has a disability.”<br />
have failed in school,” he wrote, “rather<br />
than design the program from the beginning<br />
to allow for access and success.”<br />
Ernewein and Hehir raise an interesting<br />
idea: What if special education<br />
programs—or even better, entire school<br />
systems—were designed from the get-go<br />
to be flexible, rigorous, and welcoming<br />
to a wide diversity of learners? What if<br />
children like Latisha Justice weren’t<br />
seen as burdens on a system that need to<br />
be “accommodated,” but rather individuals<br />
with a unique set of challenges and<br />
strengths deserving of respect?<br />
all teachers are special EDUCATORS<br />
Ryan Mick (G.N.O. ’09), who leads Teach<br />
For America’s national training and<br />
support for special education, says the<br />
organization is beginning to embrace the<br />
notion of universal design as it makes<br />
significant changes to its training and<br />
support of special education corps members.<br />
“Rather than thinking about our<br />
special educators as this discrete group<br />
of people, we should be thinking about all<br />
of our teachers as special educators and<br />
preparing them as such,” he says. “Our<br />
goal is to see people with disabilities as<br />
an integral part of our work and see disability<br />
as something we consider in all<br />
the choices we make. There is a privilege<br />
of silence we take when we don’t talk<br />
about those issues. It’s not okay for us<br />
to be silent on this anymore, and I think<br />
we’re on the cusp of changing that.”<br />
Nationwide, 1,300 corps members<br />
are placed in special education. Placement<br />
is driven by district needs and varies<br />
greatly. A few regions have no special<br />
education corps members, but in New<br />
York City, they make up a fifth of the<br />
region’s 1,200 corps members. Next year<br />
Los Angeles expects that nearly 60 percent<br />
of its incoming corps will be placed<br />
in special education.<br />
Critics complain that corps members<br />
lack adequate training to teach students<br />
with the most challenging needs. Dhathri<br />
Chunduru (Metro Atlanta ’08), who<br />
leads the team that supports Atlanta’s<br />
60 special education corps members, believes<br />
some of the criticisms are valid.<br />
Since the implementation of IDEA<br />
differs from state to state and district to<br />
district, historically much of Teach For<br />
America’s support has been regionally<br />
driven. Regions with a higher proportion<br />
of special education corps members<br />
tend to have multiple coaches on staff<br />
with specialized training, but regions<br />
with fewer such corps members often<br />
have no dedicated staff support in special<br />
education and are instead supported<br />
by general education coaches.<br />
For too long, Chunduru says, the<br />
organization relied on the rhetoric that<br />
special education was just an extension<br />
of good teaching. “It is good teaching, but<br />
there’s so much more,” she says. “We fall<br />
into the trap of thinking there’s a best<br />
practice for teaching a kid with a certain<br />
disability. What we need is specialized<br />
training on how to make sense of the<br />
manifestation of a disability. We need<br />
teachers who are able to analyze and<br />
problem solve.”<br />
In 2008, as part of an increased focus<br />
on differentiated support at institute,<br />
Teach For America hired its first special<br />
education curriculum designer. The<br />
team has been steadily building capacity<br />
since then.<br />
Chunduru has been encouraged<br />
by recent shifts in the organization’s<br />
stance toward special education. “Our<br />
discussion around diversity is changing<br />
to include ability—that gives me<br />
hope,” she says. More concretely, this<br />
summer four of the largest special education<br />
placement sites—New York, Los<br />
Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta—will<br />
pilot institutes dedicated to teaching<br />
special education tenets and skills to<br />
corps members in both general and<br />
special education placements.<br />
In time, Teach For America’s “unique<br />
impact can be in special education,”<br />
Chunduru says. “I see our corps members<br />
doing incredible things every day.<br />
They’re mainstreaming kids and building<br />
knowledge with their parents about<br />
how to be a warrior for their children.<br />
I have principals and veteran educators<br />
saying that their expectation for what<br />
kids with disabilities can achieve has<br />
been radically blown out of the park.<br />
That’s the value we bring—making<br />
the world question their beliefs about<br />
what’s possible.”<br />
27 % “I always tell them, ‘You’re the best kids in the building,’ ” says Sheena Varghese (center, during a typical<br />
of students<br />
identified as<br />
emotionally<br />
disturbed are<br />
African American<br />
WHEN Success looks different<br />
The eighth graders in Sheena Varghese’s<br />
(Metro Atlanta ’11) classroom at Harper-<br />
Archer Middle School are not learning<br />
the Pythagorean theorem, analyzing<br />
themes in literature, or examining Georgia’s<br />
role in the American Revolution. In<br />
fact, her instruction does not resemble<br />
anything close to the learning objectives<br />
laid out in Georgia’s eighth grade<br />
standards. That’s because Varghese<br />
teaches students who have moderate intellectual<br />
disabilities (MOID). Students<br />
with MOID generally have I.Q.s ranging<br />
between 40 and 55 and make up just<br />
over 1 percent of the special education<br />
population.<br />
Varghese’s students likely will never<br />
attend college and some may never<br />
write their own names. Three of her<br />
eleven students are nonverbal. Yet,<br />
if anything, her sense of urgency as<br />
their teacher has only increased with<br />
this awareness. “Their instruction and<br />
education are no less critical to their<br />
quality of life and to giving them maximum<br />
independence so they can live the<br />
lives they want,” she says.<br />
Varghese was the only 2011 Atlanta<br />
corps member to teach in a self-contained<br />
classroom of students with significant<br />
disabilities. Since Georgia has no functional<br />
skills curriculum, Varghese read,<br />
researched, and talked extensively with<br />
veteran APS special educators at other<br />
schools to design units geared toward<br />
helping her students become as independent<br />
as they can be beyond school. “It’s<br />
left up to each teacher to decide what<br />
they’re going to do for the year,” she says.<br />
morning warm-up in February). “I love hanging out with them—they’re so much fun!”<br />
“It was a lot of trial and error.”<br />
Now in her third year of teaching,<br />
Varghese says her understanding of<br />
what her students need has evolved radically.<br />
“At first, I went into it with a very<br />
academic achievement focus—looking at<br />
grade-level standards and trying to pare<br />
them down to what might actually apply<br />
to my classroom—which is completely the<br />
wrong way to go about it. Over the years,<br />
I’ve realized that academics are a component<br />
of what my students need to learn,<br />
but the best outcome is based on so much<br />
more—all the different domains of independent<br />
living. So now I base what I do in<br />
my classroom off of those life skills.”<br />
When I enter Varghese’s room, the<br />
class is just settling into their chairs after<br />
a jubilant morning dance session to<br />
the thumping beat of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.”<br />
Seated at three round tables, the<br />
students gaze at the Promethean board<br />
where Varghese is displaying individual<br />
goals based on their IEPs on a slide<br />
titled “Path to Independence,” and praising<br />
each child’s progress on benchmarks<br />
like knowing a certain number of sight<br />
words, counting coins and mixed change,<br />
handwriting, and controlling impulses.<br />
Students receive points for mastering<br />
independent tasks such as tying<br />
one’s own shoes or eating breakfast unassisted,<br />
as well as for teamwork. “We<br />
prioritize teamwork as a character skill<br />
because their job is probably going to be<br />
working as part of a team,” Varghese<br />
says. She also tracks goals on the wall<br />
with highlighted bars to show them their<br />
own progress.<br />
“People don’t think my students need<br />
to know their goals,” Varghese says. “I<br />
think they do. People think that they<br />
can’t know them because they’re too<br />
low-functioning—like, ‘What’s the point?<br />
They’re not going to understand it.’ But<br />
they do understand. And they want to<br />
learn it if they understand why they<br />
need to learn it. It’s the same way you<br />
would teach any student in any setting;<br />
hitting the rationale helps motivate<br />
them. I don’t think most of them have<br />
had that opportunity before—having a<br />
depth of knowledge of what they’re doing<br />
and why it matters. And it works.”<br />
34 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 35
Varghese started a program at her school called<br />
Peer Advocates that brings mainstream students<br />
into her classroom as volunteers. Seeing her<br />
kids forge positive friendships with their nondisabled<br />
peers “gives me hope,” she says.<br />
Next Varghese plays a short clip of<br />
the local TV station’s weather report. She<br />
points out areas of the map and symbols<br />
that indicate different weather patterns,<br />
and the students discuss whether the<br />
temperature that day is hot or cold. The<br />
class discusses how they might dress for<br />
their trip on Friday to a local Publix grocery<br />
store where they’ll practice finding<br />
and purchasing items they’ve planned to<br />
buy in advance.<br />
Varghese takes her class on weekly<br />
neighborhood trips—a program called<br />
community-based instruction—to teach<br />
them practical daily living skills. She<br />
is the only middle school teacher in<br />
the district who does this, though Varghese<br />
says research shows CBI is a best<br />
practice that should begin in elementary<br />
school.<br />
Later they break into smaller groups.<br />
Varghese works with one group on clap-<br />
ping and counting the number of syllables<br />
in different words and documenting their<br />
progress. Two students work on computers<br />
completing sample job applications.<br />
The aide, Ms. Fox, takes a group of five to<br />
a side room to review flashcards of community<br />
signs such as walk, exit, danger,<br />
in case of fire use stairs, push, and pull.<br />
“I think there can be huge gains<br />
made,” Varghese says, but she acknowledges<br />
that progress for her students<br />
looks different from what her fellow<br />
corps members are striving for. “High<br />
expectations isn’t setting a bar that<br />
80 percent of my students pass a test,<br />
or demanding a set number of my students<br />
get to college,” she says. “It’s a<br />
daily thing for my students, not making<br />
too many allowances for them, pushing<br />
them to do things for themselves even<br />
when it’s hard.”<br />
Varghese’s toughest challenge is a<br />
13-year-old boy named Dionta (dee-ONtay)<br />
Rucker. Dionta knows 22 of the 26<br />
letters of the alphabet and attempts to<br />
articulate about 100 words. He has excellent<br />
phonemic awareness and can identify<br />
the starting consonant of most words.<br />
Because of a sensory perception issue,<br />
Dionta is prone to collapsing or falling<br />
off his chair when he hears a loud noise.<br />
Time is not a concept he understands.<br />
Dionta has a significant developmental<br />
delay. He didn’t speak at all until<br />
the third grade and now receives speech<br />
language therapy and physical therapy<br />
for gross motor skills. Varghese is<br />
teaching him sign language to help<br />
him communicate.<br />
She believes that with the right supports,<br />
Dionta will someday be able to live<br />
in a group home and hold a part-time<br />
job. (Some of her other students will<br />
be able to work full-time, live independently,<br />
and manage their finances with<br />
some assistance.) But getting there will<br />
require sustained, consistent, and highly<br />
individualized instruction that accounts<br />
for Dionta’s unique needs.<br />
Dionta “is very loving,” Varghese<br />
says. But with certain triggers, his behavior<br />
can escalate to unmanageable<br />
levels. “I’ve asked for nonviolent resistance<br />
training because I sometimes have<br />
to restrain him. He’ll punch other students<br />
in the face. He’ll kick you and bite<br />
you. He’s slapped me in the face.”<br />
“I’ve learned to engage with him<br />
when I know it’s right. Individual accommodations<br />
sometimes mean that he gets<br />
different treatment—he can do things<br />
some other kids can’t. It’s not lowering<br />
expectations but understanding who he<br />
is and how he is able to learn.”<br />
Varghese channels a lot of effort into<br />
convincing parents that independence is<br />
a worthwhile goal. Many of them expect<br />
their child to live with them indefinitely.<br />
“What you don’t want is them living<br />
at their parents’ houses for the<br />
rest of their lives,” Varghese says. “Because<br />
when their parents pass away<br />
and there’s no one willing to take care<br />
of them, they’ll go to a government-run<br />
institution,” where, she says, they can be<br />
susceptible to abuse or neglect. “That’s a<br />
big wake-up call for parents, but also a<br />
really hard conversation to have.”<br />
She also trains parents on how to become<br />
more effective advocates for their<br />
children. “If teachers aren’t teaching<br />
our parents in poverty, who have been<br />
stripped of so much voice in education, no<br />
one is going to teach it to them,” she says.<br />
“There’s a lot of finesse to getting what<br />
you want in special education. If you<br />
have legal representation, if you cite law<br />
in writing, you’re going to use far fewer<br />
words and make far fewer attempts to<br />
get what you want for your child.”<br />
That said, it grates on Varghese that<br />
special education teachers and parents<br />
have to fight so hard just to have their<br />
children valued in basic ways. During<br />
her first year teaching, Varghese<br />
says her principal never set foot in her<br />
room. The teacher she replaced used<br />
to watch soap operas during the day.<br />
“The jobs are hard to fill, so when you<br />
have someone in the job who is being<br />
kind to the students, that’s [considered]<br />
good enough.”<br />
“I’m trying to help my kids to want to live independently,” says Varghese (practicing life skills with Dionta<br />
during a trip to Walmart in March). “I’m trying to show them it’s okay to fail—you just have to keep trying.”<br />
Varghese says even in some of the<br />
integrated classes at her school, teachers<br />
write off students with disabilities. “I<br />
hear all the time, ‘I can’t teach that kid,’<br />
or ‘Take your kids over there,’ ” she says.<br />
“I’ve heard a teacher call a kid retarded<br />
in front of a whole class. How do you recover<br />
from that as a 12-year-old?”<br />
Beyond minimum compliance with<br />
the IEP process, Varghese says the district<br />
shows little interest in her students’<br />
progress. Her kids participate in the<br />
Georgia Alternate Assessment, a portfolio<br />
evaluation that Varghese says is less<br />
about her students than “about my ability<br />
to keep up with the paperwork and<br />
the hundreds of pages of documentation<br />
that I turn in in March.”<br />
Her desires are simple. “I want the<br />
state to recognize that these students<br />
are important enough to write a curriculum<br />
for them,” Varghese says. “That<br />
says something. You don’t even have a<br />
curriculum for them? You treat them<br />
disposably. They just push them along<br />
until they get institutionalized. You<br />
need a standardized expectation of what<br />
should be done in these classrooms and<br />
what can be accomplished. A lot of it<br />
is the mindset of what people actually<br />
think these kids can do.”<br />
That includes helping her students<br />
to see that what they can do is defined<br />
by their efforts, not their disability. “It’s<br />
about understanding that special education<br />
is a service—it’s not a label,” Varghese<br />
says. “My kids feel so much shame<br />
from the term special education. I tell<br />
them all the time: All this means is that<br />
you learn differently, and you need different<br />
things. When it’s approached like<br />
that, it can be very empowering.” <br />
Greenville, Mississippi<br />
Roads less traveled<br />
In the United States, 1.5 million students<br />
with disabilities live in rural areas, where<br />
geographic isolation and scarce resources<br />
can put extra pressure on already strained<br />
special education programs.<br />
Attracting special educators to rural<br />
regions and keeping them is difficult.<br />
“Often you’ll find general education<br />
teachers who were put into a special<br />
education room because [the school] had<br />
nobody else,” says Belva Collins, the chair<br />
of the Department of Special Education at<br />
the University of Kentucky.<br />
Such teachers may also have to teach<br />
students with a greater diversity of needs—<br />
from more common disabilities to the most<br />
severe ones. Therapists and specialists<br />
often are contracted to cover large<br />
geographic areas. And accessing services<br />
can be a real hardship for families. Collins<br />
knows a mother who grappled with sending<br />
her son on a three-hour bus ride to get<br />
services or keeping him home on the farm.<br />
Technology will play a vital role in the<br />
solution. The 2014 Farm Bill has earmarked<br />
$50 million over the next five years for<br />
the development of rural broadband,<br />
and some districts have begun providing<br />
supplementary services, such as speech<br />
pathology, via Skype. A handful of graduate<br />
programs are also pioneering virtual<br />
professional development for special<br />
educators. West Virginia University offers<br />
free online classes for teachers who agree<br />
to continue teaching special education for<br />
at least two years after completing the<br />
program. “Every year more people are<br />
connected,” says WVU’s Barbara Ludlow.<br />
And that “allows more rural areas to<br />
have access to specialized services.”<br />
Tim Kennedy (delta ’11)<br />
Photo by Elizabeth Lewis<br />
36 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 37
Before joining ReNEW, Liz Marcell’s (R.G.V. ’99) dissertation research focused on students with disabilities in charter schools. “Overwhelmingly, kids with<br />
disabilities are in inclusive settings [at charters],” she says. “That’s associated with positive outcomes for a lot of kids, but terrible outcomes for others.”<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01) photographs by ted jackson<br />
A New Orleans charter school network is<br />
bucking charters’ bad rap for neglecting<br />
students with special needs<br />
Last summer, Liz Marcell (R.G.V. ’99) was notified that two students, both<br />
of whom used wheelchairs, had enrolled at ReNEW Cultural Arts Academy<br />
in New Orleans—one of five ReNEW charter schools in the city. The threestory<br />
school is slated for renovations this summer, but until then, it has<br />
no elevator. “Some schools would say, ‘We’re not taking them—we’re not<br />
handicapped accessible,’” says Marcell, the network’s executive director of<br />
intervention services—elsewhere called special education. “We say, ‘Okay,<br />
we’re buying a stair climber.’”<br />
The decision was simple, she says,<br />
because it fit perfectly within one of the<br />
network’s foundational values: that every<br />
student, regardless of ability, deserves<br />
an excellent education tailored to his or<br />
her unique needs. “At the end of the day,<br />
there is a real commitment here truly to<br />
serving all kids. That mindset has to be<br />
there,” Marcell says. In 2010, she was<br />
the first person hired by ReNEW’s cofounders—before<br />
they had even received<br />
their charter.<br />
Nationwide, the charter movement<br />
has earned a poor reputation for serving<br />
kids with disabilities—for some schools,<br />
a “no excuses” approach hasn’t applied<br />
equally to all students. In fact, a couple<br />
of excuses are cited consistently, neither<br />
of which fully explain the problem: First,<br />
that charters can’t afford kids with special<br />
needs—they don’t have the economy<br />
of scale compared to traditional districts<br />
to provide adequate resources and services.<br />
Secondly, that charters, which tend<br />
to be relatively new and staffed by young<br />
teachers, lack the institutional knowledge<br />
and expertise to run quality special education<br />
programs.<br />
The reality nationwide is that charters<br />
do serve a lower percentage of students<br />
with disabilities. A 2012 report by<br />
the U.S. Government Accountability Office<br />
found that students with disabilities<br />
make up about 8 percent of charter school<br />
enrollment, compared with 11 percent of<br />
traditional public schools—though in<br />
a handful of states, including Nevada<br />
and Pennsylvania, charters serve a<br />
greater percentage.<br />
The report, which recommended more<br />
federal attention to the issue, suggested<br />
several factors contributing to the gap,<br />
including a lack of adequate resources<br />
for charters in some states, and parental<br />
choice. For example, some parents<br />
may find that a charter’s unique mission<br />
doesn’t align with their child’s special<br />
needs, or that the charter’s capacity to<br />
serve their child pales compared to the<br />
district’s resources.<br />
The GAO report also found anecdotal<br />
evidence—though no comprehensive<br />
data—of charter operators illegally discouraging<br />
children with disabilities from<br />
attending their schools—a common criticism<br />
leveled at the charter movement.<br />
Even charters that do serve students<br />
with disabilities often lack the resources<br />
to implement comprehensive specialneeds<br />
programming. Whereas ideally<br />
schools have in-house specialists who<br />
work regularly and closely with students<br />
to provide therapy or services to students,<br />
charters often hire outside contractors to<br />
come in and provide speech and occupational<br />
therapy, and perform students’ annual<br />
Individualized Education Program<br />
(IEP) evaluations. The result is a more<br />
piecemeal approach to providing for students’<br />
needs than well-functioning districts<br />
can provide.<br />
n New Orleans, post-Katrina<br />
school reform fueled an unprecedented<br />
expansion of charter<br />
schools. Today, nearly 90 percent<br />
of the city’s students attend a<br />
charter—and on average, charters serve<br />
a higher percentage of students with special<br />
needs than the few remaining traditional<br />
district schools. For many students,<br />
New Orleans’ reforms have proved to be a<br />
great thing—citywide academic outcomes<br />
have improved steadily since 2006. But<br />
for students with special needs, the reforms<br />
too often left them flailing.<br />
Kathy Kilgore is a 40-year special<br />
educator and founder of New Orleans’<br />
SUNS Center, which provides schools<br />
with special education support services.<br />
In the first years after Katrina, she says,<br />
charters had little support from the state<br />
when it came to setting up quality programs<br />
for students with disabilities. “On<br />
the one hand, the schools were trying to<br />
be innovative and meet the needs of kids,<br />
but often because of untrained or inexperienced<br />
staff, their interventions were<br />
one-size-fits-all,” she says.<br />
The results were dismal. In 2008, the<br />
graduation rate for students with disabilities<br />
in the Recovery School District—a<br />
group of 101 schools overseen by the state,<br />
66 of which are in New Orleans—was less<br />
than half the rate for their peers without<br />
disabilities. The same year, nearly 95 percent<br />
of the district’s eighth graders with<br />
disabilities failed the state assessments.<br />
In 2010, the Southern Poverty Law Center<br />
filed an ongoing civil rights lawsuit<br />
against the Louisiana State Department<br />
of Education, arguing that New Orleans<br />
students with disabilities fail to receive<br />
services required under federal law.<br />
“Every time I hear about charters not<br />
doing this work well, it fuels me,” Marcell<br />
says. “Our outcomes are abysmal, and<br />
the services provided are abysmal, and<br />
there’s no greater need than for a focus on<br />
really quality services and support. The<br />
research shows that 85 to 90 percent of<br />
kids with disabilities are able to perform<br />
on grade level. That’s not happening.”<br />
Still, she is heartened by improvements—in<br />
2012, 39 percent of New Orleans<br />
students with special needs scored<br />
“basic or above” on state assessments, up<br />
from about 11 percent in 2005.<br />
38 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 39
Andrea Smith Bailey (G.N.O. ’99) has spent most of her career teaching students with severe emotional disabilities, balancing patience and compassion with an<br />
unwavering focus on academics. “I could validate their behaviors till the cows come home,” she says. “But that wouldn’t change the fact that we have a job to do.”<br />
Marcell and others admit that charters<br />
are at a financial disadvantage when<br />
it comes to serving kids with special<br />
needs. “One of the biggest limitations of<br />
[the Recovery School District’s] current<br />
funding formula is that it does not provide<br />
adequate resources to cover the average<br />
per-pupil cost of the highest-need<br />
students,” says Josh McCarty, a spokesman<br />
for the nonprofit New Schools for<br />
New Orleans. “Currently, dollars are distributed<br />
based on the disability diagnosis<br />
alone, and not based on the total care<br />
provided to a child.” McCarty provided<br />
an example: Under the current formula,<br />
a high-functioning autistic child is funded<br />
at the same level as a severely autistic<br />
child—though as individuals, the former<br />
may be fully mainstreamed, while the latter<br />
may require several costly therapists<br />
and a full-time aide.<br />
ReNEW counters the charter movement’s<br />
poor reputation for enrolling kids<br />
with disabilities—about 14 percent of the<br />
network’s 3,390 students have IEPs, compared<br />
with a 10 percent citywide average.<br />
State test data specific to students with<br />
disabilities has not been made available<br />
since 2010-11, ReNEW’s first year. But<br />
standardized assessments are a small<br />
piece of students’ overall achievement,<br />
Marcell says. So ReNEW has become<br />
focused on IEP goal mastery, measured<br />
by a tracker launched this year where<br />
teachers enter detailed academic and<br />
behavioral outcomes. “Our goal is 100<br />
percent mastery of IEP goals,” she says,<br />
“and it looks like we may fall short of<br />
this in year one, but we’ll continue to<br />
refine our approach to tracking and<br />
attaining it.”<br />
To meet students’ needs, Marcell<br />
hustles for grant and private funding.<br />
Even so, she’s constrained. “We’re<br />
meeting expectations, but we’re not<br />
able to do what you’d see in a really<br />
affluent community for, say, an autism<br />
classroom,” she says. “You’d have<br />
applied behavioral analysis, you’d<br />
have sensory stimulation. So, we can<br />
know that’s what we’re shooting for,<br />
but without private funding we can’t<br />
get there.”<br />
ReNEW manages the funds it does receive<br />
to operate five programs tailored for<br />
kids with special needs. The five-school<br />
network has a classroom of 3-year-olds—<br />
half with disabilities, half developing typi-<br />
cally—two classrooms for students with<br />
severe autism spectrum disorders, one<br />
“community skills” classroom for middle<br />
school students with moderate cognitive<br />
impairments, a high school for students<br />
up to 22 years old who are missing credits,<br />
and two “therapeutic classrooms” for<br />
students with serious psychiatric disabilities.<br />
Each program relies on intense differentiation<br />
and student schedules flexible<br />
enough to include small-group settings,<br />
mainstream settings, early start times,<br />
late start times, and counseling sessions.<br />
Through the Recovery School District,<br />
ReNEW students with the most severe<br />
disabilities generate for their school an additional<br />
$15,000 on top of their per-pupil<br />
funding. The therapeutic program, for<br />
example, costs about $600,000 per year—<br />
which goes to two teachers, three paraprofessionals,<br />
one full-time counselor, a psychiatrist,<br />
and supports frequent field trips<br />
and professional development, like crisisprevention<br />
training. Per-pupil funding for<br />
the program’s 14 students brings in about<br />
$350,000, leaving the school on its own<br />
to find the additional dollars each year<br />
through state and private grants. New<br />
Schools for New Orleans, which serves in<br />
part as a clearinghouse of philanthropic<br />
dollars, recommended the program for expansion<br />
in 2014-15.<br />
Andrea Smith Bailey (G.N.O. ’99)<br />
teaches the third-through-fifth-grade<br />
therapeutic classroom; she also has a master’s<br />
in counseling. Many of her students<br />
perform on or even above grade level but<br />
suffer from behavioral disabilities stemming<br />
in part from traumatic life experiences—family<br />
members murdered or incarcerated,<br />
physical and emotional abuse,<br />
chronic neglect, a lifetime of bouncing<br />
between homes and guardians. “We only<br />
hear the tip of the iceberg,” Bailey says.<br />
After more than 10 years working with<br />
students with behavioral disabilities, Bailey<br />
has learned to focus her attention inside<br />
the classroom, and not on their lives<br />
outside. “I want us to be in tune with kids’<br />
lives, but I don’t want us to match that<br />
tune,” she says. “Our job in a lot of ways<br />
is to create four walls that feel different,<br />
where kids have an experience to latch on<br />
to and to say: ‘I knew how to control things<br />
in there. My decisions are what mattered,<br />
my efforts are what mattered, I knew how<br />
to get what I needed.’ And then to translate<br />
that experience elsewhere.”<br />
She reminds them daily that success<br />
opens doors for them, and that unfair as<br />
it may seem, the world doesn’t stop for<br />
their problems. The goal is a successful<br />
transition back to general education<br />
classrooms—something that all but two of<br />
them do for at least part of the day. “They<br />
may have challenges along the way, but it<br />
doesn’t change the fact that I want them to<br />
know what they need to do to get to where<br />
they want to be.”<br />
Results have been promising. Suspensions<br />
have dropped dramatically—prior<br />
to the program, each student had received<br />
the maximum 10 days; this year, only<br />
one student has been suspended, once,<br />
for two days. Academically, students in<br />
the program have grown, on average, 1.5<br />
reading levels each year. Three students<br />
have exited the program fully—they’re<br />
still receiving special services, but in an<br />
inclusive setting.<br />
Half a mile away at ReNEW Accelerated<br />
High School, students between<br />
16 and 22 years old work in computer<br />
labs at their own pace to earn credits<br />
toward a high school diploma. They<br />
attend school for four hours a day—either<br />
a morning or an afternoon shift—<br />
and they study only two core subjects<br />
at a time. Many have their own kids,<br />
many have jobs, some have been incarcerated.<br />
The computer labs are divided<br />
by subject area (math, science,<br />
English, and social studies) and each<br />
is staffed with three teachers. Each<br />
lab has a small adjacent room for<br />
pull-out direct instruction based on<br />
computer assessments.<br />
“This is about rethinking the high<br />
school classroom—for all kids, not just<br />
those with IEPs,” says Emily Perhamus<br />
(G.N.O. ’09), who oversees the high<br />
school’s intervention services. “We have<br />
a whole lot of kids who’ve been identified<br />
with a disability, and a whole lot<br />
more who never have,” she says, explaining<br />
that some weren’t in one place long<br />
enough to be evaluated, and some fell behind<br />
for reasons other than a disability.<br />
From her shared office, Perhamus<br />
describes a former student, Shadrica,<br />
who despite cognitive delays persisted<br />
until she earned a diploma. “I’ve never<br />
seen anyone work so hard to retain information.<br />
But in June, she was able to<br />
graduate, and now she’s enrolled at a<br />
local community college. She’s someone<br />
who wouldn’t have had a school to go to if<br />
this school didn’t exist,” she says.<br />
Shadrica is one of 129 graduates in<br />
the school’s 2 ½-year history. In 2012,<br />
18 students earned a diploma, followed<br />
by 90 more in 2013. This year, up to<br />
100 graduates are expected by June.<br />
In addition, the attendance rate has increased<br />
to 81 percent, up from 68 percent<br />
in 2011-12.<br />
The successes keep Marcell motivated,<br />
despite a constant thirst for more<br />
and better information about how to<br />
serve kids with such tremendous obstacles<br />
to overcome. But if successful strategies<br />
are to be found, she’s hopeful that<br />
ReNEW can serve as an inspiration to<br />
other charters to redouble their efforts.<br />
“Charters are supposed to be places<br />
where innovation and flexibility result<br />
in cool things happening for students,<br />
and increased outcomes,” Marcell says.<br />
“I’m excited about the possibility that<br />
charters can be the place where there’s<br />
room for that level of innovation and<br />
experimentation to think about how we<br />
serve students with special needs. That’s<br />
invigorating.” <br />
Jennifer Boyce (Delta ’03) leads ReNEW’s community skills class for students with moderate intellectual disabilities.<br />
“To be able to teach skills like how to shop, or to be toilet-trained—that changes a kid’s life,” Boyce says.<br />
40 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 41
1893<br />
BROWN V. BOARD<br />
OF EDUCATION<br />
1954 U.S. Supreme Court strikes<br />
down “separate but equal” laws.<br />
1852<br />
Massachusetts becomes first state to<br />
pass a compulsory education law requir-<br />
The constitutional guarantee of<br />
ing students aged 8-14 to attend school. 1922<br />
Massachusetts case Watson v. City of<br />
1927<br />
equal protection—so paramount<br />
1961<br />
Columbia professor Elizabeth Farrell<br />
Cambridge upholds the exclusion of a<br />
In Buck v. Bell, the U.S. Supreme Court<br />
to the civil rights movement—becomes<br />
the foundation of the ability<br />
founds the Council for Exceptional Children,<br />
“mentally retarded” child from public<br />
validates the right of states to forcibly<br />
the first American intellectual disability<br />
school for being too “weak-minded” to<br />
sterilize “the unfit,” including people<br />
rights organization.<br />
rights movement.<br />
benefit from instruction.<br />
with disabilities.<br />
Findings from a panel appointed by<br />
President Kennedy prompt new legislation<br />
funding university research and community<br />
facilities for people with disabilities.<br />
1900s<br />
1800s<br />
1966<br />
The Bureau of Education for the Handicapped<br />
is created within the U.S. Department<br />
of Education.<br />
1973<br />
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of<br />
1973 is the first federal civil rights law that<br />
guarantees the rights of individuals with<br />
disabilities, prohibiting discrimination<br />
by any federally funded programs<br />
or services.<br />
1967<br />
The number of Americans with<br />
disabilities living in state-run institutions<br />
peaks at 194,650.<br />
EAHCA<br />
1975 The Education for All<br />
Handicapped Children Act<br />
(EAHCA) guarantees—for the<br />
first time—the right to a “free,<br />
appropriate, public education”<br />
for all children with disabilities.<br />
1970<br />
Congress’ Education of the Handicapped Act<br />
(EHA) establishes a legislative definition of<br />
learning disabilities and authorizes funding<br />
for “model centers” for the education<br />
of children with disabilities.<br />
1982<br />
The Supreme Court rules in Hendrick<br />
Hudson District Board of Education v.<br />
Rowley that Individualized Education<br />
Programs for students with disabilities<br />
are not required to “maximize the potential<br />
of handicapped children,” only to<br />
guarantee a “basic floor of opportunity.”<br />
JANUARY 6, 1972<br />
A Peabody Award-winning television<br />
exposé sparks a national furor over<br />
the horrifying conditions and abuse at<br />
Willowbrook State School for people with<br />
disabilities, New York’s largest state-run<br />
institution. The school is closed in 1987.<br />
1990<br />
The EAHCA is reauthorized as the<br />
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,<br />
expanding the categories of disabilities<br />
eligible for services, among other improvements.<br />
The Americans with Disabilities<br />
Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination<br />
based on disability in employment and<br />
most other sectors.<br />
May 5, 1972<br />
After the landmark lawsuit Pennsylvania<br />
Association for Retarded Children v.<br />
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the state<br />
agrees to provide a free public education<br />
for children with mental retardation,<br />
reversing previous legislation.<br />
1997<br />
IDEA is reauthorized, strengthening the<br />
disability evaluation process and requiring<br />
most students with disabilities to<br />
participate in state- and district-wide<br />
assessments.<br />
Mills v. board<br />
of education<br />
august 1, 1972 Mills v. Board of<br />
Education of District of Columbia<br />
decrees that lack of funding<br />
cannot be used as a reason to<br />
deny educational services to<br />
children with disabilities.<br />
2000s<br />
2002<br />
The Elementary and Secondary Education<br />
Act is reauthorized as the No Child Left<br />
Behind Act. With few exceptions, the test<br />
scores of students with disabilities are<br />
included in measures of whether schools<br />
are making “adequate yearly progress.”<br />
the ability rights<br />
movement<br />
through the years<br />
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is less than 40 years old. For<br />
the majority of U.S. history, public schools had no legal obligation to educate<br />
or accommodate students with disabilities. The cultural shifts that made IDEA<br />
possible were the culmination of a century’s worth of advocacy and struggle<br />
that ran parallel to the civil rights movement. By Tim Kennedy (Delta ’11)<br />
2004<br />
IDEA is reauthorized with stricter<br />
standards for documenting “response to<br />
intervention” treatment for students with<br />
disabilities, including the presence of<br />
“highly qualified” teachers, researchbased<br />
instruction, and repeated<br />
assessments at “reasonable” intervals.<br />
2012<br />
According to an awareness survey<br />
conducted by the National Center for<br />
Learning Disabilities, 90 percent of<br />
respondents know that terminating<br />
an employee over a learning disability<br />
is illegal, and 84 percent agree that<br />
students with disabilities deserve extra<br />
classroom time and attention.<br />
MARCH<br />
24, 2014<br />
Thanks to new rules from the<br />
Department of Labor, federal contractors<br />
will be encouraged to meet a goal<br />
of having 7 percent of their employees<br />
be people with disabilities—potentially<br />
creating 600,000 jobs for individuals<br />
with disabilities.<br />
Photo sources: MadMarlin (Flickr, CC BY 2.0); chbrenchley (Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0);<br />
Steve Rhodes (Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0); Shutterstock.<br />
42 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 43
Becoming<br />
Sammie<br />
By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01) photographs by sara rubinstein<br />
For this story, I set out to find a high school student with a fairly<br />
typical learning disability—one of the millions of students who<br />
struggle daily, often unnoticed, with tasks most people find effortless—<br />
like reading or basic computation. I sought the kind of kid who sits in<br />
every classroom in the country—the kind who works twice as hard as his<br />
classmates, usually to land in the middle of the pack. I wanted to spend<br />
enough time with him, his teachers, and his family to begin to see life as<br />
he sees it. Sammie Watkins, Jr.’s story asks us to reconsider our notions of<br />
academic success—to see that accomplishments are sometimes relative,<br />
but not the work put into them, nor the pride at their completion.<br />
44 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 45
ammie Watkins, Jr., flops his backpack on a<br />
table at Brooklyn Center High School, just north<br />
S<br />
of Minneapolis, and pulls out his homework—an<br />
essay for sociology class about his family.<br />
“My family is from Mississippi we moved to Minnesota<br />
in 2001,” he writes. “My mom is a single parent, I have 3<br />
brothers and two of them lives with me and 1 lives with my<br />
dad in Mississippi.”<br />
As a senior, the act of writing finally comes easily, he<br />
says. But even now, once the words are on paper, Sammie’s<br />
brain plays a trick. When he goes back to read the essay<br />
he just wrote, he squints his eyes, scratches his head. The<br />
words are a puzzle, demanding focus and patience to decipher<br />
and comprehend.<br />
“Reading is not my subject,” he says. At the end of period,<br />
he stuffs the sociology draft in his backpack and stretches as<br />
he stands, revealing the 6 ½-foot wingspan that on the basketball<br />
court makes him the Centaurs’ best defender.<br />
Sammie has a reading disability—the catch-all term is<br />
dyslexia. “It’s a headache,” he says. And he means it literally:<br />
His brain hurts from trying to do something it was never<br />
designed to do. In fact, recent neuroscience shows that even<br />
the best readers weren’t born with a brain designed to read.<br />
Reading happens because our brains rearrange circuits designed<br />
for other purposes entirely—purposes like hearing,<br />
seeing, and remembering. But for about 15 percent of English<br />
speakers, reading circuits don’t form efficiently or at all—<br />
words in a dyslexic brain get caught in neural detours and<br />
traffic jams, making understanding painfully difficult.<br />
Signs of trouble showed up early for Sammie. “It kinda hit<br />
me when he was 5,” says his mom, Tracy Hoskins, recalling<br />
her son darting around their home in the small Delta<br />
town of Hollandale, Miss. He was a natural athlete but slow<br />
to pronounce even simple words. “Wasn’t till 7 or so that he<br />
could really communicate,” she says. In ways she couldn’t<br />
quite define, Sammie reminded Tracy of her husband, his father—and<br />
she worried, because she had watched Sammie Sr.<br />
struggle to read as long as she had known him.<br />
She observed what researchers have begun to prove: Many<br />
learning disabilities are rooted in genetics, and a child’s early<br />
speech patterns can indicate later struggles with reading. A<br />
young child may hear a word perfectly, but within his brain,<br />
the storage of the sounds is so imprecise that when he uses<br />
the word, it comes out garbled—ba might become pa. Years<br />
later, when it comes time to assign letters to sounds, a b may<br />
as well be a p, and on the scale of the entire alphabet, each<br />
word on the page becomes a puzzle.<br />
In 2001, Tracy moved to Minnesota with Sammie and his<br />
two brothers. Throughout elementary school, she knew her<br />
son was trailing his peers. But his teachers blamed his age,<br />
she says. “I was listening to them say, ‘He’s the youngest in<br />
his grade, takes time for him to catch up.’ But by the end of<br />
fifth grade, I said something’s gotta give.”<br />
During the summers, Sammie spent carefree hours in Hollandale<br />
with his dad and his brothers, playing basketball<br />
night and day. Sammie Sr. taught his sons everything he<br />
knew—not just to shoot well, but to understand the whole<br />
court, to know his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses,<br />
and to strategize as if basketball were a chess game played<br />
at full speed. Sammie Sr. had been a great basketball player,<br />
too, but left scholarships on the table when he couldn’t hack<br />
college academics.<br />
When Sammie returned to Minnesota in the fall of 2007,<br />
a sixth grade reading assessment placed him at a secondgrade<br />
level—he could read words like “please” and “town,”<br />
but missed ones like “quietly” and “frightened.” Finally, at<br />
the close of seventh grade, after years of falling further and<br />
further behind, he received his first formal evaluation for<br />
special needs.<br />
Sammie “would be predicted to have a great deal of difficulty<br />
in processing verbal information considered typical<br />
for his age,” it said. It recommended academic material<br />
presented in small chunks, with colorful pictures.<br />
The evaluation called out his strengths, too—a good shortterm<br />
memory, tested by exercises like repeating back a string<br />
of words or sounds—and nonverbal processing, like moving a<br />
game piece strategically across a board.<br />
But then there was his behavior: “Mom reports that he<br />
has anger issues,” the report said. He had been referred for<br />
therapy, but no one followed through. “Mom feels as though<br />
Sammie shuts down when he doesn’t know how to do school,”<br />
it said.<br />
In eighth grade, Sammie received mostly Cs, but he was<br />
stuck at a second-grade reading level. Teachers noted his<br />
apathy in class and a failure to complete his homework. He<br />
skipped school when he felt like it, started fights when he felt<br />
like it, and talked back to his teachers.<br />
Holly Andersen (Twin Cities ’09) was a first-year corps<br />
member at Brooklyn Center, a combined middle and high<br />
school, when she became Sammie’s special education case<br />
Holly Andersen (Twin Cities ’09) has been Sammie’s case manager since 2009. “His kindness has come out. He has such a good heart, but for a long time<br />
there were barriers to seeing that. I think as he’s figured himself out more, and as school has fallen into place, Sammie is more able to be that person.”<br />
reading happens because our brains rearrange<br />
circuits designed for other purposes entirely ...<br />
but For about 15 percent of english speakers,<br />
reading circuits don’t form efficiently or at all.<br />
46 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 47
“right now, if sammie were a book, i finally got into<br />
chapter one,” says basketball coach lamii zarlee.<br />
Sammie is applying to colleges in Mississippi and Minnesota. “I am worried about how college will be,” he says. “I don’t know if I’ll be getting the same help<br />
I get now.” But there’s a critical difference between Sammie earlier in high school and Sammie on the verge of graduating: “Now, I know how to ask for it.”<br />
manager—a role she holds today as well as being the district’s<br />
lead secondary special education teacher. She is energetic and<br />
animated, throwing her hands out as she describes countless<br />
times when eighth grade Sammie would rip up papers or tests<br />
in silent protest. “He’d just come into my room and say he<br />
wasn’t going to do it, and that was it,” she says.<br />
Holly recalls the first time Sammie read to her: “He read<br />
me a paragraph—I’ll guess it was at about a fourth grade level.<br />
I remember it was an African folklore book, and the only<br />
word he needed help with was ‘hippopotamus.’ When he was<br />
done, he wouldn’t talk to me, and he just put his head down<br />
and cried—silent tears, and he wouldn’t talk to me anymore.<br />
I said, ‘Sammie, you did really well! You missed one word—<br />
you did really well!’ And he put his head down and cried.”<br />
Holly spent long hours figuring out what would work best<br />
for him. “He’d come down and say, ‘I’m not gonna do this test.’<br />
And I’d pretend I didn’t hear him correctly. I’d go over there<br />
and say, ‘Okay, let’s figure out how to do this,’” she says.<br />
They spent much of ninth and tenth grade working on<br />
writing—hours spent over papers, color-coding each sentence<br />
by topic, and then rearranging the sentences, by color, into<br />
paragraphs. Holly worked with the school librarian to secure<br />
more audio books, which have proved critical to Sammie’s access<br />
to reading. She would read aloud with him, too—books<br />
like The Outsiders and Of Mice and Men. Slowly, as Sammie<br />
became more comfortable, he would read aloud to Holly, and<br />
they would discuss the themes that had been locked behind<br />
the words: friendship, loss, growing up.<br />
By 10th grade, teachers noted an improvement in his writing<br />
skills, and his reading had notched up to a fifth grade level.<br />
His behavior was still inconsistent, but better than it had<br />
been in middle school. By 11th grade, he had become more<br />
willing to ask for help when he needed it—a critical skill for<br />
an often taciturn student. He no longer tore up tests, and he<br />
more often turned in his homework.<br />
But like any kid, Sammie was contending with more than<br />
his schoolwork. There was basketball, a social life, family.<br />
His dad, in many ways his idol, still lived in Hollandale—<br />
home to Sammie’s happiest memories, but one of his saddest,<br />
too: In 2007, Sammie Sr. was sent to prison on a drug<br />
conviction. He served two years, mostly while Sammie was<br />
in middle school.<br />
When his dad was in prison, “it took a whole lot outta<br />
Sammie—because he was used to going down there, seeing<br />
him every summer, every holiday,” Tracy says. He became<br />
more withdrawn, more temperamental. “As he got older, I<br />
saw a lot of stuff changing about him, but the anger just kept<br />
on coming out, kept on coming out.”<br />
In the winter of his junior year, just as he was making<br />
progress in the classroom, Sammie quit Brooklyn Center’s<br />
basketball team one game before the regional championship<br />
that could’ve sent them to the state tournament. It was<br />
a matter of pride—he didn’t feel he was getting the playing<br />
time he deserved, and he blamed his coach. “I didn’t think at<br />
the time,” he says. “I just wanted to quit.”<br />
His last school summer came. He spent August in<br />
Mississippi, playing basketball till midnight under an alleyway<br />
streetlamp with his brothers and his dad. They knew well<br />
enough not to press him about quitting the team—if Sammie<br />
expresses one thing, it’s that he doesn’t like to say much, and<br />
basketball is the time when no one expects him to say anything<br />
at all. His mind clears, he can be perfect. But somewhere in<br />
his thoughts, he says, he considered his dreams—graduating<br />
from college, playing basketball as long as he could. “I just<br />
thought to myself, I want to be better,” he says.<br />
No one around Sammie can quite explain what happened<br />
next, but to call it by what it’s always been: “He grew up,”<br />
Tracy says—no one more astonished than she. “He said his<br />
senior year was gonna be different—he just changed.”<br />
Sammie’s basketball coach, Lamii Zarlee, is also the middle<br />
school dean. He has known Sammie since seventh grade,<br />
when Sammie would sit with him and sulk after being sent<br />
out of class. “I deal with kids during these wonder years, and<br />
normally by ninth or tenth grade, that maturity kicks in,”<br />
he says. “It just took Sammie a little longer. And he’s still<br />
opening up. Right now, if he were a book, I finally got into<br />
chapter one.”<br />
Sammie earned a B average his first senior semester. He<br />
read The Road, Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning<br />
survival tale of a boy and his father—he even skipped open<br />
gym one afternoon to continue reading it. He’s back on the<br />
basketball team, one of three captains, averaging 16 points<br />
and 7 rebounds per game. He’s deciding between colleges<br />
in Mississippi and Minnesota. “I’m just focusing more,”<br />
he says.<br />
O<br />
n a winter evening following practice, Sammie<br />
sits beside his little brother and across from<br />
Holly, in a corner booth at a Chinese restaurant<br />
near the high school. His gray T-shirt reveals tattoos on his<br />
wiry biceps—one in memory of his grandmother and one of<br />
a basketball hoop with a cross.<br />
“I’m average,” Sammie says. “I feel I’m average at<br />
all subjects.”<br />
Holly cocks her head, as if trying to recognize the young<br />
man who once refused even to begin his schoolwork. “Do you<br />
think you always felt like you were average?”<br />
Sammie laughs quietly, and then looks to the side. “I felt<br />
like giving up. I thought I was going to be at the ALC”—the<br />
district’s alternative school—“by 12th grade.”<br />
Holly is quiet for a moment. The exchange is, in a way,<br />
her exit cue, she says later—not because average is the end<br />
goal, but because it’s the place where she can begin to bow<br />
out, where her daily supports are no longer a necessity.<br />
Average doesn’t reflect Sammie’s potential—far from it. But<br />
it reflects how far he’s come.<br />
“Look at you,” she says. “Are you proud you stayed?”<br />
He raises his eyebrows; a shy smile escapes. “Yeah,”<br />
he says. <br />
48 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 49
Perspectives<br />
on Ability<br />
Faith<br />
Taniesha Garrison (Metro Atlanta ’03) doesn’t complain<br />
about having to advocate constantly for her daughter’s<br />
education. “Faith was born at 24 weeks. She was a pound and<br />
six ounces,” says Garrison, who runs the team that designs<br />
professional development for Atlanta corps members. “She’d be<br />
pulling at all the tubes and wires, and I thought, this kid has<br />
worked so hard just to be here. So, it doesn’t matter how much<br />
I fight, I can never fight that hard.”<br />
Faith began showing symptoms of autism when she was 2.<br />
At 4, she began pre-K and Garrison met a teacher who would<br />
fundamentally shape the way she approaches Faith’s education.<br />
Ms. Williams sent home a daily log of Faith’s activities<br />
and progress. “She was interested in what I wanted for Faith,<br />
not just what she saw of Faith.” And she encouraged Garrison<br />
to plan backward from her aspirations for Faith, not only<br />
what she saw in the day to day. Ms. Williams held Faith to a<br />
high standard, teaching her numbers and letters, and worked<br />
with Garrison to find learning strategies that worked for<br />
her daughter.<br />
“All the pushing I did after that was based on the fact that<br />
I saw my child, at the very beginning of her academic career,<br />
making so much growth,” Garrison says.<br />
Since then, things have been harder. Two years ago, Garrison,<br />
a single mother, had to hire an attorney during a protracted<br />
dispute with Faith’s school over behavioral support. She<br />
estimates her daughter lost about 18 months of learning time.<br />
Today Faith is 12 and being taught in a self-contained sixth<br />
grade classroom. Garrison says she wants her daughter to be<br />
ready to pass the GED by the time she’s 22, and then “she and I<br />
will work toward getting ready for community college.”<br />
But partnering with Faith’s school to meet this goal remains<br />
a challenge. She recounts a recent frustration when<br />
she saw that Faith’s report card had grade percentages with<br />
no data behind them. “I said, ‘This is so disempowering to<br />
me as a parent. I can’t make decisions or give you good input<br />
on what her goals need to be because you haven’t given<br />
me any data on her performance or progress.’ It’s so hard to<br />
say that. I have a degree from Harvard, but I still walk into<br />
those meetings and my pulse is racing. It’s the most intimidating<br />
thing ever. Because they don’t know who Faith is and<br />
they’re not as invested in her future as I am. And hearing<br />
people say things like, ‘This would be too advanced for your<br />
child’—that hurts. It doesn’t make me angry. It just hurts.<br />
This is my child. I think they do care, but I need you to put<br />
up the periscope and see that this isn’t just one year. This<br />
is her life. The stuff we do right now has an impact on her<br />
life forever.”<br />
Garrison holds to the optimism she feels every day with<br />
her daughter. “She’s a great kid. She just makes me hopeful.<br />
I think a lot times people look at kids with disabilities, especially<br />
those with severe ones, and they’ll see the disability<br />
but not the person. I see the person. So it’s my job to get Faith<br />
to a place where everyone can see who she is and all the talents<br />
she brings to this world.”<br />
Brent Bushey, Madeleine, Charlotte, and Kirsten Wright<br />
Madeleine<br />
by Ting yu (N.Y. ’03) Faith with her mom, Taniesha Garrison<br />
by Brent bushey (g.n.o. ’99)<br />
I vividly remember the moment the doctor entered our<br />
hospital room. She introduced herself as a geneticist and said<br />
matter-of-factly, “Your daughter has trisomy-21, more commonly<br />
known as Down syndrome.” The news came three days after<br />
the emergency birth of our daughter, Madeleine, two months<br />
before her due date. She weighed just 2 pounds, 9 ounces.<br />
My wife Kirsten and I had met nine years earlier as Teach<br />
For America corps members teaching special education in New<br />
Orleans. While my mind was racing with the doctor’s words, I<br />
remember looking at Kirsten and thinking that if any couple is<br />
equipped to handle this, it’s the two of us. The doctor answered<br />
a few of our questions, handed us a book about raising a child<br />
with Down syndrome and walked out.<br />
When we first introduced Madeleine to the world, we<br />
made a conscious decision about how we would raise her. In<br />
an email to family and friends, we announced the birth of<br />
our daughter who, by the way, had Down syndrome. From<br />
that very first moment, we set the tone that Madeleine was a<br />
person and not a diagnosis. We were open and honest to<br />
anyone who we spoke to that while her birth was neither<br />
what we expected nor what we had hoped for, we were<br />
thrilled nonetheless.<br />
Now, as the parents of two daughters, that same mindset<br />
drives our parenting philosophy—and it helps us create<br />
equity in our home. Madeleine’s younger sister Charlotte was<br />
born two years later, and she’s the typically developing child<br />
that we always expected.<br />
“From that first moment, we set the tone that<br />
Madeleine was a person and not a diagnosis.<br />
While her birth was neither what we expected<br />
nor hoped for, we were thrilled nonethless.”<br />
When Madeleine was 4, we decided to split her schooling<br />
between a self-contained school and the Center for Young<br />
Children, a private preschool run by the University of Maryland,<br />
where she would be taught in a classroom with typically<br />
developing children. It had taken us 2½ years of meetings<br />
and waiting to get her into CYC—Madeleine was the first<br />
child with Down syndrome to be enrolled in the program in<br />
24 years—but once there, she thrived. Madeleine enjoyed rotating<br />
between activities of her choosing, and engaging with<br />
her peers gave her opportunities to learn by observing classmates<br />
and responding appropriately.<br />
Her classmates benefited, too. One girl initially looked at<br />
Madeleine like she was an alien, but after spending a year in<br />
class together, I saw the same girl play with and include our<br />
daughter in all the activities at a Fourth of July party. It was<br />
another reminder that inclusive education is important for all<br />
students, not just those with disabilities.<br />
Today, Madeleine, 5, attends kindergarten in an inclusion<br />
school in Edmond, Okla., and she continues to thrive. Our<br />
guidance to her teachers is simple: We want them to hold high<br />
expectations for our daughter. We know that it can be hard for<br />
educators to hold high expectations for children with special<br />
needs—especially one as loving and cute as Madeleine—but<br />
excusing her from difficult tasks will only hold her back as<br />
she develops. We also share our belief in developing a “growth<br />
mindset” and stress that praising effort is a critical component<br />
to Madeleine overcoming challenges in life.<br />
At the end of the day, we aren’t naïve and we know that<br />
Madeleine’s diagnosis of Down syndrome will present challenges<br />
and limitations that Charlotte won’t have to face. We<br />
know our expectations and desires for Madeleine may differ<br />
from her own goals. Still, we want the same thing for both our<br />
daughters: to live happy, enriching lives that enable them to<br />
use their talents to the fullest in whatever path they choose.<br />
And we’re thankful for the two wonderful girls we’re raising,<br />
one of whom just happens to have Down syndrome.<br />
Brent Bushey and his wife Kirsten Wright met as special education<br />
corps members in New Orleans in 1999. Brent heads the<br />
Oklahoma Public School Resource Center and Kirsten works<br />
for Teach For America’s school leadership initiative. They hope<br />
more alumni will join them in the fight for Oklahoma’s kids.<br />
50 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 51
Adele<br />
It was a sunny day and our kitchen was warm and<br />
bright when my world changed. Voice shaking and eyes watering,<br />
my mom sat me on her lap and told me I would be<br />
leaving first grade and returning to kindergarten. She rocked<br />
me on her lap as I started to cry. The school had informed my<br />
mother that I was “progressing poorly.” Even now, I remember<br />
my heart sinking as I began to understand that there<br />
was something “wrong” with me, but nobody, least of all me,<br />
knew what it was.<br />
I don’t remember what sparked the multitude of tests I<br />
underwent during my first failed attempt as a first grader;<br />
I have more memories of being tested than learning during<br />
this time. I passed school hearing tests, but the school’s<br />
psychological testing indicated I had no visual or auditory<br />
memory. My parents disagreed with the results—and my<br />
first grade teacher’s assessment of my academic ability—<br />
and sought additional private testing, which revealed I had<br />
learning differences related to articulation, writing (dysgraphia),<br />
and word memory (dysnomia). They recommended<br />
my hearing be retested.<br />
At first the transition back to kindergarten was fine. For a<br />
time, I was permitted to go back to my first grade classroom a<br />
few times a week to read with my group because I was a “good<br />
reader.” I loved going back and feeling “normal” for a moment.<br />
After getting my hearing aids, I stopped going back to my<br />
reading group. My life in special education had begun.<br />
With the hearing aids, my world went from ordinary to<br />
loud. My new world was hazy and accompanied by headaches.<br />
I protested the new devices by throwing them down the stairs<br />
and screaming.<br />
It took about five months after going back to kindergarten<br />
until we learned I was hard-of-hearing. I have a<br />
moderately severe sensory hearing loss—meaning I hear about<br />
60 percent less than the average person. My parents fought<br />
for services which included speech therapy and a hearing<br />
itinerate. With their advocacy I met some of the world’s best<br />
special educators.<br />
Still, school was difficult. Teachers told my parents I would<br />
never go to college. Doctors discouraged my parents from paying<br />
for independent evaluations, saying their expectations<br />
were too high and to trust the school’s initial tests. The messages<br />
I got as a student echoed my parents’ experience: I was<br />
not allowed to enroll in AP classes and teachers often told me<br />
to find “someone smart” with whom to study. These experi-<br />
ences led me to check “special education” as my teaching preference<br />
on my Teach For America corps member application.<br />
By now I have been involved with special education<br />
for more than two decades, the last 11 years as a special<br />
educator. As a teacher, I’ve met some of the most amazing<br />
students, but I almost didn’t join TFA because of my insecurities.<br />
I questioned how my difficulties with articulation and<br />
spelling would impact my ability to teach. I wanted the best<br />
for my students. I stressed over classroom management, fearing<br />
that I wouldn’t hear problems in my classroom. But I knew<br />
that I couldn’t expect my students to grow and reach for their<br />
dreams if I didn’t overcome similar challenges.<br />
To date, I have taught math, English, history, and reading<br />
to middle school students in both special and co-taught general<br />
education settings. I know firsthand the importance of having<br />
individualized high expectations for each student. I strive<br />
to define students by their abilities, not their disabilities.<br />
I have made, for now, the choice to stop wearing hearing<br />
aids, and I embrace my “hearing loss” as one of my core ingredients.<br />
I would not change my experiences for the world;<br />
they have made me a better teacher, alumna, and hopefully,<br />
a better parent.<br />
When I was invited to write this essay, I hesitated because<br />
I was frustrated by the lack of response to requests I<br />
had made for accommodations during TFA’s 20th anniversary<br />
summit in 2011. Without a sign language interpreter or closed<br />
captioning on the screens, I ended up missing much of the programming.<br />
By writing this, I hope to help TFA re-evaluate its<br />
definition of diversity to include ability. When a program for<br />
educators models advocacy for all students by accommodating<br />
its teachers and alumna, it creates a world of empathy and<br />
high expectations for all students.<br />
As TFA identifies ways to make its program more<br />
diverse—and, in turn, more inclusive to teachers who can<br />
relate to our students—the program should recruit corps<br />
members who come from a variety of learning backgrounds.<br />
TFA might also develop a more diverse application system<br />
so that potential corps members would be able to highlight<br />
their strengths.<br />
Ultimately, this benefits the students TFA serves, and it<br />
strengthens our movement.<br />
Adele Jackson (S. Louisiana ’03) is a veteran special education<br />
math teacher in Washington, D.C. <br />
LEAD<br />
transformational<br />
schools<br />
The most important work in Washington, D.C. isn’t happening on Capitol Hill.<br />
It’s happening in our schools. Will you join us?<br />
reach new heights as a leader<br />
develop new strengths in your team<br />
build a school that defies expectations<br />
For more information, visit joinDCpublicschools.com.<br />
JOINDCPUBLICSCHOOLS.COM<br />
52 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 53
innovator<br />
Brooke Charter Schools Network is founded on one core belief:<br />
Great teaching closes the achievement gap.<br />
The #1 predictor of whether a student will<br />
attend college is the rigor of the math classes<br />
they take in middle and high school.<br />
As an Atlanta ‘09 corps member, Danielle Blair knew unlocking her students’ potential in math<br />
and science would build the foundation for college readiness.<br />
Brooke’s dual teaching model and focus on professional development led Danielle to join the<br />
founding team of the second Brooke campus. There she leads her students to achieve at the<br />
highest levels across the state of Massachusetts.<br />
3 Schools | 40% Teach For America | 1 Network<br />
Take the next step in your teaching career by<br />
joining the Brooke team. Visit our website at:<br />
www.ebrooke.org<br />
Dan Cogan-Drew (Georgia ’94), left, and Matthew Gross (N.Y. ’94) founded Newsela in 2013 and are thrilled by its growth. “It has spread like wildfire,” Gross says.<br />
News Makers<br />
Looking to provide teachers with leveled, high-interest nonfiction materials, two alums turned to current events<br />
by Calvin Hennick (N.Y. ’04)<br />
f Matthew Gross (N.Y. ’94) and<br />
I<br />
Dan Cogan-Drew (Georgia ’94)<br />
had their way, this story would<br />
be written at a third grade level.<br />
And a fifth grade level.<br />
And a 10th grade level, too.<br />
That’s the innovation behind Newsela,<br />
a website the two launched last summer<br />
that allows kids to change the reading<br />
level of news articles with the click of a<br />
button; it also tracks students’ topics<br />
of interest and results on short quizzes,<br />
then recommends more news stories—<br />
each of them automatically leveled to suit<br />
the students’ reading ability.<br />
“Teachers are really desperate for nonfiction<br />
content,” says Gross, the company’s<br />
CEO. “Finding something that’s in-<br />
teresting for kids is really hard. Finding<br />
something that’s on the right level for every<br />
kid in the class is next to impossible.”<br />
The site started in a free beta mode<br />
and quickly gained thousands of new<br />
users, Gross says—though he wouldn’t<br />
specify an exact number. Newsela is still<br />
free for students, but in February the<br />
company launched a paid-subscription<br />
version for schools, offering features<br />
like access to student quiz data and the<br />
ability to assign articles electronically to<br />
students. Schools can access the service<br />
for $18 per student per year, or flat rates<br />
of $2,000 per grade or $6,000 per school.<br />
The scramble for nonfiction reading<br />
materials is due in large part to Common<br />
Core literacy standards, which emphasize<br />
“authentic texts” that students<br />
might encounter in daily life, like magazines<br />
and newspapers. Gross—who before<br />
starting Newsela helped New York<br />
educators implement the standards as<br />
executive director of the Regents Research<br />
Fund—says there was a panic<br />
around the Common Core when it was<br />
first adopted, and that Newsela was<br />
built specifically “from the Common<br />
Core up” to help address the need for<br />
high-interest nonfiction.<br />
“High-interest” and “news” don’t always<br />
go together for kids, who aren’t<br />
typically keen followers of filibuster<br />
threats, profit projections, or Iran’s nuclear<br />
ambitions. But many of the stories<br />
on Newsela are relevant to kids’ daily<br />
54 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 55
lives, touching on subjects like childhood<br />
obesity, bullying, and zero-tolerance discipline<br />
policies in schools. And, Gross<br />
says, the mere fact that students have<br />
the freedom to choose from multiple topics<br />
helps to boost engagement.<br />
In addition to giving teachers access<br />
to good content, the company wanted<br />
to upend the stereotype of clunky educational<br />
technology by making Newsela<br />
“instantly understandable” for kids and<br />
teachers, says Cogan-Drew, the company’s<br />
chief product officer.<br />
“As a teacher, if you turn to it and<br />
ask, ‘How are my kids doing?’ the<br />
software can’t come to you speaking<br />
Greek,” Cogan-Drew says. “It’s got to be<br />
super simple.”<br />
Newsela’s writers take cues from a<br />
computer program that helps them match<br />
their vocabulary and sentence complexity<br />
to a range of Lexile levels, and then<br />
the writers make their own judgments<br />
about how to present the chronology of<br />
an event, as well as how to incorporate<br />
the prior knowledge that students need<br />
to make sense of some stories.<br />
So, the original version of a Stateline<br />
article about Amazon’s proposed drone<br />
delivery service starts with, “Not so fast,<br />
Jeff Bezos”—taking for granted that<br />
readers are familiar with the e-commerce<br />
giant, its chief executive, and his<br />
plans to deliver packages via unmanned<br />
aircraft. The story explains how “the<br />
economic temptation of aerospace jobs”<br />
led Virginia to “all but gut the moratorium”<br />
on drones that the state had<br />
passed with the help of “tea partiers and<br />
civil libertarians.”<br />
At a lower reading level, the article<br />
starts with two short paragraphs defining<br />
what drones are, in basic terms. “No<br />
pilot flies inside,” the story explains.<br />
“Some are as small as a remote-controlled<br />
toy. Others are as big as a regular<br />
plane.” The “moratorium” from the more<br />
difficult version becomes a “ban” here,<br />
and the “economic temptation” turns into<br />
a “chance for new jobs.” The “tea partyers<br />
and civil libertarians” vanish entirely.<br />
Erica Welch, a fifth grade teacher at<br />
the Boston Teachers Union School, uses<br />
Newsela in her classroom for close-reading<br />
exercises, and says her students are<br />
drawn to articles about animals, science,<br />
and controversial legal issues.<br />
Welch says her students were particularly<br />
jazzed reading an article about—of<br />
all things—a decline in the sardine population<br />
off the West Coast. “As we were<br />
reading, they immediately made the<br />
connection to their ecosystems unit,” she<br />
explains. “We really had to think about<br />
the food web, and what that means for<br />
the sea lions that eat sardines, and what<br />
that means for the plankton that get<br />
eaten by the sardines.”<br />
“They love these strange topics that<br />
they don’t get to hear about in their everyday<br />
books,” Welch says—“something new<br />
and exotic that they’ve never heard of.” <br />
Alma means soul.<br />
TEACH<br />
your heart out.<br />
1<br />
3<br />
2<br />
Need help getting<br />
started? Our Teach<br />
For America Grant<br />
Program helps new<br />
programs get off<br />
their feet! Visit our<br />
website to apply.<br />
The National Speech & Debate<br />
Association is proud to partner<br />
with Teach For America!<br />
Our free resources and professional<br />
development sessions are designed<br />
to help Teach For America corps<br />
members and alumni in meeting<br />
Common Core State Standards as<br />
well as building successful speech and<br />
debate programs at your school.<br />
MA ’12<br />
Atlanta ’11<br />
Delta ’09<br />
Delta ’05<br />
MA ’13<br />
MA ‘12<br />
New Mexico ’12<br />
4<br />
Visit www.speechanddebate.org/TeachForAmerica or<br />
email info@speechanddebate.org for more information.<br />
Join us:<br />
www.almadelmar.org<br />
One Day • SPRING 2014 57
post-its<br />
Nine Teach For America alumni featured in<br />
Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” in education<br />
Katie Beck (G.N.O. ’08), 27, chief operating officer, 4.0<br />
Schools—an education incubator designed to bring educators,<br />
entrepreneurs, and technologists together.<br />
Dan Carroll (Bay Area ’09), 26, cofounder, Clever—an<br />
information-management system that makes student data transferrable<br />
across dozens of programs.<br />
Alejandro Gac-Artigas (Greater Philadelphia ’09), 25,<br />
founder, Springboard Collaborative—a Philadelphia-based summer<br />
program targeting the literacy gap.<br />
Elliot Sanchez (G.N.O. ’08), 27, founder, mSchool—a startup<br />
that supplies adaptive educational hardware and software to<br />
after-school programs in Louisiana.<br />
Beth Schmidt (Bay Area ’07), 29, founder, Wishbone—a web<br />
platform that helps at-risk high school students participate in<br />
extracurricular activities through the support of online donors.<br />
Mandela Schumacher-Hodge (Bay Area ’08), 28, director,<br />
Startup Weekend Education—a recurring event that brings educational<br />
visionaries together to create start-ups—in one 54-hour<br />
marathon session.<br />
EVAN STONE (N.Y. ’07) and SYDNEY MORRIS (N.Y. ’07), 29 and<br />
28 respectively, cofounders, Educators 4 Excellence— an online<br />
community that connects teachers who want to make their voices<br />
heard in the education reform debate.<br />
Caryn Voskull (Bay Area ’09), 27, manager, School Model<br />
Innovation, Rocketship Education—one of the fastest-growing<br />
charter networks in the country, with an emphasis on instructional<br />
technology and blended learning.<br />
WOULDN’T<br />
YOU LIKE …<br />
A MOMENT TO RECHARGE?<br />
AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN?<br />
THE CHANCE TO CONNECT?<br />
!<br />
Considering a<br />
career transition<br />
or looking to build<br />
your professional<br />
network? Visit<br />
Teach For America’s<br />
new job board!<br />
The mobile-friendly Teach For America Job<br />
Board & Talent Community is up and running.<br />
Thousands of opportunities are already<br />
posted, and we will be holding several resume<br />
collections this spring with employers seeking<br />
Teach For America alumni.<br />
Log in at www.tfanet.org/job to get started.<br />
If you have questions or want to post roles as<br />
a hiring manager, contact us at jobboard@<br />
teachforamerica.org.<br />
Business school scholarship available to Teach For America alumni<br />
The University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business is offering a scholarship package, including<br />
full tuition, to interested corps members and alumni. More information on the scholarship can be<br />
found at http://tippie.uiowa.edu/fulltimemba/admissions/scholarships.cfm, under<br />
the section “AmeriCorps Service Distinction Award.”<br />
J U LY 17-18<br />
2014<br />
Find It All At The<br />
Teach For America<br />
Educators Conference<br />
LAS VEGAS<br />
Nevada<br />
Connect with educators from across the country<br />
Learn in sessions on a broad range of topics including Latino issues in education<br />
Recharge and let us celebrate you<br />
LEARN MORE AT www.teachforamerica.org/educatorsconference<br />
58 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 59
alumni contacts<br />
National Alumni Affairs<br />
Executive vice president,<br />
Alumni Affairs<br />
Andrea Stouder Pursley (Phoenix ’02)<br />
andrea.pursley@teachforamerica.org<br />
EDUCATIONAL leadership<br />
Ann Best (Houston ’96)<br />
ann.best@teachforamerica.org<br />
School systems<br />
leadership institute<br />
Ellen Winn<br />
ellen.winn@teachforamerica.org<br />
Alumni diversity and<br />
Regional support<br />
Melinda Wright (N.Y. ’94)<br />
melinda.wright@teachforamerica.org<br />
alumni engagement<br />
Myra Palmero<br />
myra.palmero@teachforamerica.org<br />
Talent Matching<br />
Seth Saavedra (Connecticut ’07)<br />
seth.saavedra@teachforamerica.org<br />
career Leadership<br />
Kate Williams Coppola<br />
(Greater Newark ’02)<br />
kate.williams@teachforamerica.org<br />
School Leadership<br />
Hilary Lewis (G.N.O. ’01)<br />
hilary.lewis@teachforamerica.org<br />
Social Entrepreneurship<br />
Naya Bloom (D.C. Region ’94)<br />
naya.bloom@teachforamerica.org<br />
Teacher Leadership<br />
Shannon Wheatley (R.G.V. ’04)<br />
shannon.wheatley@teachforamerica.org<br />
private sector careers<br />
Christina Chinnici<br />
christina.chinnici@teachforamerica.org<br />
Regional Alumni Contacts<br />
alabama<br />
Khadijah Abdullah (S. Louisiana ’06)<br />
khadijah.abdullah@teachforamerica.org<br />
APPALACHIA<br />
Will Nash (S. Louisiana ’06)<br />
will.nash@teachforamerica.org<br />
ARKANSAS<br />
Kara Smith (N.Y. ’08)<br />
kara.smith@teachforamerica.org<br />
Austin<br />
Lindsay Fitzpatrick (N.Y. ’04)<br />
lindsay.fitzpatrick@teachforamerica.org<br />
BALTIMORE<br />
Jane Lindenfelser (S. Louisiana ’05)<br />
jane.lindenfelser@teachforamerica.org<br />
BAY AREA - OAKLAND<br />
Charles Cole<br />
charles.cole@teachforamerica.org<br />
BAY AREA - RICHMOND<br />
Piper Pehrson<br />
piper.pehrson@teachforamerica.org<br />
BAY AREA - SAN FRANCISCO<br />
Cris Garza (Mid-Atlantic ’03)<br />
cris.garza@teachforamerica.org<br />
BAY AREA - SAN JOSE<br />
Percilla Ortega (Bay Area ’08)<br />
percilla.ortega@teachforamerica.org<br />
CHARLOTTE<br />
Lisa Guckian (N.Y. ’06)<br />
lisa.guckian@teachforamerica.org<br />
CHICAGO<br />
Jessica Zander (St. Louis ’06)<br />
jessica.zander@teachforamerica.org<br />
COlorado<br />
Rachel Kelley (Baltimore ’00)<br />
rachel.kelley@teachforamerica.org<br />
CONNECTICUT<br />
Alexys Heffernan (L.A. ’02)<br />
alexys.heffernan@teachforamerica.org<br />
D.C. REGION<br />
Zenash Tamerat<br />
zenash.tamerat@teachforamerica.org<br />
DAllas–Fort worth<br />
Lacey Pittman (G.N.O ’08)<br />
lacey.pittman@teachforamerica.org<br />
delaware<br />
Catherine Lindroth<br />
catherine.lindroth@teachforamerica.org<br />
DETROIT<br />
Amy Lybolt<br />
amy.lybolt@teachforamerica.org<br />
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA<br />
Sara Price<br />
sara.price@teachforamerica.org<br />
GREATER NASHVILLE<br />
Brian Gilson (Memphis ’07)<br />
brian.gilson@teachforamerica.org<br />
GREATER NEW ORLEANS<br />
- LOUISIANA DELTA<br />
Jeffrey Fingerman (G.N.O. ’03)<br />
jeffrey.fingerman@teachforamerica.org<br />
GREATER PHILADELPHIA<br />
Claiborne Taylor (Houston ’02)<br />
claiborne.taylor@teachforamerica.org<br />
HAWAI‘i<br />
Jacob Karasik (New Mexico ’09)<br />
jacob.karasik@teachforamerica.org<br />
HOUSTON<br />
Shundra Cannon (Houston ’95)<br />
shundra.cannon@teachforamerica.org<br />
INDIANAPOLIS<br />
Jason Simons (E.N.C. ’08)<br />
jason.simons@teachforamerica.org<br />
jacksonville<br />
Darryl Willie (Delta ’02)<br />
darryl.willie@teachforamerica.org<br />
kansas city<br />
Ann Wiley (Charlotte ’05)<br />
ann.wiley@teachforamerica.org<br />
las vegas valley<br />
Amanda Keller<br />
amanda.keller@teachforamerica.org<br />
Los Angeles<br />
Nicole Delaney (L.A. ’98)<br />
nicole.delaney@teachforamerica.org<br />
massachusetts<br />
Deirdre Duckett (Baltimore ’93)<br />
deirdre.duckett@teachforamerica.org<br />
Memphis<br />
Nefertiti Orrin<br />
nefertiti.orrin@teachforamerica.org<br />
Metro Atlanta<br />
Ariela Freedman (Chicago ’00)<br />
ariela.freedman@teachforamerica.org<br />
miami-dade<br />
Kiesha Moodie (Houston ’08)<br />
kiesha.moodie@teachforamerica.org<br />
milwaukee<br />
Amal Muna<br />
amal.muna@teachforamerica.org<br />
Mississippi<br />
Elizabeth Harris (Delta ’05)<br />
elizabeth.harris@teachforamerica.org<br />
NEW jersey<br />
Michele Mason<br />
michele.mason@teachforamerica.org<br />
new mexico<br />
Nate Morrison (New Mexico ’08)<br />
nate.morrison@teachforamerica.org<br />
New York<br />
Craig Weiner<br />
craig.weiner@teachforamerica.org<br />
NORTHEAST ohio<br />
Holly Trifiro (Baltimore ’07)<br />
holly.trifiro@teachforamerica.org<br />
SOUTHWEST ohio<br />
Jaime Kent (D.C. Region ’08)<br />
jaime.kent@teachforamerica.org<br />
oklahoma<br />
Mary Jean “MJ” O’Malley (Oklahoma ’09)<br />
mj.omalley@teachforamerica.org<br />
Phoenix<br />
Lauren Forrester (N.Y. ’10)<br />
lauren.forrester@teachforamerica.org<br />
rhode island<br />
Rachel Greenman (Greater Newark ’06)<br />
rachel.greenman@teachforamerica.org<br />
Rio Grande Valley<br />
Militza Martinez<br />
militza.martinez@teachforamerica.org<br />
sacramento<br />
Nik Howard (Greater Philadelphia ’03)<br />
nik.howard@teachforamerica.org<br />
san antonio<br />
Anna Trigg (Metro Atlanta ’11)<br />
anna.trigg@teachforamerica.org<br />
San Diego<br />
David Lopez (Houston ’10)<br />
david.lopez@teachforamerica.org<br />
South carolina<br />
Josh Bell (Charlotte ’08)<br />
josh.bell@teachforamerica.org<br />
South DAKOTA<br />
Marion Katz (South Dakota ’07)<br />
marion.katz@teachforamerica.org<br />
South Louisiana<br />
Laura Vinsant (S. Louisiana ’07)<br />
laura.vinsant@teachforamerica.org<br />
st. louis<br />
Mallory Rusch<br />
mallory.rusch@teachforamerica.org<br />
TWIN CITIES<br />
Kyrra Rankine (N.Y. ’99)<br />
kyrra.rankine@teachforamerica.org<br />
washington<br />
Angela Burgess (Phoenix ’04)<br />
angela.burgess@teachforamerica.org<br />
Don’t see your region listed here?<br />
Contact jillian.rodde@teachforamerica.org<br />
2,398 scholars<br />
276 teachers<br />
1 mission:<br />
www.DemocracyPrep.org<br />
60 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 61
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
alumni notes<br />
Katie and Matthew Hooten (Phoenix ’02 and ’04) tied the knot at Orcas Island, Wash., on Aug. 3, 2013. They met at a Phoenix all-corps event in 2005.<br />
Katie writes: “While it wasn’t love at first sight, Teach For America events continued to bring us together year after year until we did actually fall in love.”<br />
1990<br />
Claire Bellin (N.Y.): I submit<br />
this note in loving memory<br />
of charter corps member<br />
Carleen Moreno Mora<br />
(N.Y. ’90), whose daughter<br />
continues to blossom in the<br />
New York City public school<br />
system. Carleen serves as<br />
an inspiration, especially<br />
to those in traditional<br />
public schools and those<br />
serving bilingual/bicultural<br />
populations. Sadly, she also<br />
taught us about the difficulty<br />
of diagnosing and treating<br />
rare autoimmune syndromes.<br />
Martha Galvez (L.A.): I joined<br />
TFA in 1990, and 22 years<br />
later, and I am still in the<br />
education field! Currently, I<br />
am an instructional coach in<br />
a small school in Los Angeles<br />
Unified. Though things have<br />
changed in the education<br />
field, I am still excited to<br />
come to work every day and<br />
do my part for our kids.<br />
Paul Hopkins (E.N.C.): I am<br />
in my seventh year as the<br />
science teacher for grades<br />
six through eight at The<br />
Grammar School in Putney,<br />
Vt. My two daughters come<br />
to work with me each day.<br />
After more than 23 years in<br />
the classroom, I feel more<br />
excited than ever to teach!<br />
Faye Lewis (G.N.O.): I<br />
recently earned a doctorate<br />
in educational leadership<br />
from Rowan University and<br />
am living in Somerset, N.J.,<br />
with my husband, Darren,<br />
and our daughters, Maya (8)<br />
and Alexa (7). I am looking for<br />
other educators to co-write<br />
articles on the achievement<br />
gap and the AP racial gap. If<br />
you’re interested, contact me<br />
at fayelewis01@aol.com.<br />
Ermita Metoyer (L.A.): I’m<br />
encouraged to continue the<br />
fight for academic equality<br />
every time I read an issue<br />
of One Day. Thanks to all<br />
TFA alums who are in the<br />
trenches every day. Your<br />
continued success is a<br />
constant reminder of why we<br />
do what we do. Thanks to the<br />
organization for giving me<br />
the opportunity to partner<br />
with you!<br />
Beverly Neufeld (L.A.): I am<br />
an original corps member<br />
(“OC”). I taught in Compton<br />
and Inglewood before<br />
teaching Orthodox Jews. I<br />
wrote a screenplay based<br />
on my experiences and now<br />
consult and develop films.<br />
Tom Rinaldi (N.Y.): Twenty<br />
years after leaving teaching,<br />
I’m now a correspondent for<br />
ESPN. My experience as part<br />
of TFA’s charter class was<br />
invaluable.<br />
Hayne Shumate (N.Y.):<br />
I celebrated 20 years of<br />
marriage with Katie this<br />
year. Duncan is an eighth<br />
grader (the grade I taught).<br />
TFA has thankfully made it to<br />
Fort Worth, Texas, where we<br />
reside.<br />
Nathaniel Smith (L.A.):<br />
I am living in Western<br />
Washington, where my wife<br />
Maria Jarusinsky (L.A.),<br />
and I are still teaching 23<br />
years after our charter year.<br />
I teach in an alternative<br />
middle school, and Maria<br />
teaches a dual-language<br />
kindergarten class. We have<br />
three kids, one each in high<br />
school, middle school, and<br />
elementary school.<br />
Claire Walsh (N.Y.): I have<br />
been teaching in the same<br />
New York City school since<br />
1990. I’ve gotten used to<br />
hearing students say, “You<br />
taught my Mom/Dad.” How<br />
time flies!<br />
1991<br />
Gabriel Brodbar (Houston):<br />
I continue to serve as the<br />
executive director of the NYU<br />
Reynolds Program in Social<br />
Entrepreneurship, a crossuniversity<br />
program I began<br />
in 2006.<br />
Natasha Diephuis (Houston):<br />
I am an ELD teacher at<br />
Clifton Middle School in<br />
Monrovia, Calif. I work with<br />
students who have recently<br />
immigrated from Jordan, the<br />
Phillipines, Vietnam, China,<br />
Guatemala, and Mexico. I am<br />
in my 23rd year of teaching in<br />
62 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 63
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
match.corps<br />
smooth moves By Leah Fabel (Chicago ’01)<br />
Photo by Jenny Auerbach<br />
redefine possible<br />
emily ries<br />
Practiced Teacher<br />
AP Psychology Teacher<br />
Course Leader<br />
yes prep north central<br />
Left Naima Beckles and Sam Rosaldo (both L.A. ’99) setting sail on life and love in 2001. Right The Beckles-Rosaldo clan at their Harlem home, with sons Micah<br />
(left), 2, and Gabriel, 5. “We’re conscious of not being helicopter parents, but right now, we feel like it’s the right time to spend a lot of time with our kids,” Sam says.<br />
I<br />
t was late summer of 2000, and R&B singer D’Angelo<br />
was on a wildly popular world tour. Sam Rosaldo (L.A.<br />
’99) and his buddy bought tickets for the show at the<br />
Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Two guys, four tickets. It was<br />
Sam’s job to find dates.<br />
“Naima was who I wanted to ask,” Sam says, talking about<br />
Naima Beckles (L.A. ’99). He had admired her from afar,<br />
entranced by her smile and her dance moves. “But it was gonna<br />
be hard, because I didn’t really know her, and I was interested in<br />
her.” So he asked almost every other woman he knew, with no<br />
takers. Then, he and Naima had a chance meeting at a Teach For<br />
America event, and he felt a surge of confidence.<br />
He called that evening, she said yes. “It was so Gidget! And I was<br />
a big Gidget fan,” Naima says, referring to the 1960s sitcom about<br />
a boy-crazy teen whose suitors always asked her out by phone.<br />
By the fall, they were dating and—it being L.A.—starring in a<br />
movie together. Naima’s friend was a student at the University<br />
of Southern California’s film school working on a short film<br />
about a black woman and a white man at a crossroads in their<br />
relationship. Naima and Sam got the casting call.<br />
“It was a little cheesy,” Sam admits. Naima clarifies: “It was<br />
a lot cheesy.” But both on-screen and off, the couple stuck<br />
together. (The film, unfortunately, never hit the box office.)<br />
After three years teaching in L.A.—Sam at an elementary<br />
school in Long Beach, and Naima at a high school in Watts—the<br />
couple moved to Washington, D.C. where Naima taught at a<br />
middle school for court-involved juveniles and Sam worked for<br />
D.C.’s state office of education.<br />
Taking a cue from Hollywood, the relationship saw its share of<br />
D.C. drama. Naima’s teaching job was stressful and exhausting,<br />
and Sam suffered bouts of commitment-phobia. But it was in<br />
D.C. that a mentor gave Sam advice the couple still honors: “He<br />
said, ‘When my wife and I get into an argument, we say something<br />
good is about to happen.’ That really resonated—knowing<br />
that those times when it feels hopeless, and you can’t imagine<br />
coming to a resolution—that once you do, your relationship will<br />
be stronger.”<br />
In 2004, they moved to Harlem, where Naima took a job at<br />
a middle school on the Upper West Side, and Sam earned his<br />
master’s before taking a position as a middle school teacher<br />
in the South Bronx. “We spent a lot of time on the weekends<br />
working together, planning together, and we both understood<br />
the need to go to bed early,” Naima says.<br />
They married in New York City in 2006. Today, Sam is a director<br />
for the city’s alternative schools and programs, working to<br />
transition students from jail or treatment to neighborhood<br />
schools or adult programs. Naima is a doula and childbirth<br />
educator, working partially with Harlem organizations to provide<br />
doulas for low-income women. Since 2008, she has also been an<br />
at-home mom to sons Micah, 2, and Gabriel, 5, who attends a<br />
public school four blocks from their Harlem home.<br />
D’Angelo, the R&B mega-talent who started it all, has had<br />
a tough decade. And neither Sam’s nor Naima’s acting career<br />
ever really took off. But careers spent serving kids and schools<br />
have created a happy home: “It’s been nice to have a partner<br />
more or less in step career-wise, in work that’s related, that<br />
we both understand,” Naima says. “That’s been really helpful—<br />
and fun.” <br />
WHERE GREAT TEACHERS<br />
COME TO BE EXCELLENT<br />
learn more about how yes prep is redefining possible<br />
in teacher development. visit yesprep.org/careers.<br />
64 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 65
Educating for College, Preparing for Life<br />
Show Gratitude is one of the 26 principles of A Disciplined Life®.<br />
Thank you to the Teach For America corps members and<br />
alumni who teach and transform lives at Perspectives.<br />
Become an A Disciplined Life Ambassador at Perspectives<br />
and help students develop positive self-perception,<br />
healthy relationships, and the tools for productivity.<br />
Learn more and join our team at www.pcsedu.org<br />
public, non-charter schools,<br />
and my husband and I are<br />
having fun raising our kids,<br />
Nicolas (7) and Daniella (4).<br />
Cheryline Hewitt (G.N.O.): I<br />
have a TFA mentee who was<br />
born in 1991, my first year as<br />
a teacher! I am pursuing a<br />
Ph.D. in education at Walden<br />
University.<br />
Kimberly Jacobson (L.A.): It<br />
is fun to be back at Stanford<br />
d.school as an Edu Fellow. I’m<br />
working on building creative<br />
confidence in educators so<br />
we can co-design the school<br />
system we want for the 21st<br />
century. I am prototyping this<br />
in partnership with San Mateo<br />
County School Districts and<br />
Mitzi Johnson (N.Y.): I am<br />
attending Duke Divinity<br />
School and seeking<br />
ordination as an elder in the<br />
North Carolina Conference of<br />
the United Methodist Church.<br />
Jill Joplin (Houston): I am<br />
entering my 13th year of<br />
working hard and being nice<br />
within the KIPP Team and<br />
Family.<br />
Mark Levine (N.Y.): On<br />
Sept. 10, 2013, I won the<br />
Democratic nomination<br />
for New York City Council,<br />
Seventh District.<br />
Kristina Montague (S.<br />
Louisiana): Shoutout to all<br />
of the Corps ’91 “pioneers.”<br />
Tom and I have been together<br />
for over 22 years and have<br />
two beautiful children.<br />
He has opened a butcher<br />
shop, and I am launching<br />
an angel fund supporting<br />
female-led growth ventures<br />
in the Southeast (www.<br />
thejumpfund.com). We are<br />
working with local alumni to<br />
build support to bring TFA to<br />
Chattanooga.<br />
Harry Olmstead (S.<br />
Louisiana): I was reappointed<br />
as a commissioner for the<br />
Iowa City Human Rights<br />
Commission and serve as<br />
vice chairperson. I also<br />
serve on the Johnson County<br />
Paratransit Advisory Board<br />
where I am vice chairperson.<br />
I also received the Chuck<br />
Wood Memorial Award from<br />
the Iowa Rehabilitation<br />
Association for “achieving a<br />
high level of independence,<br />
self reliance, and self<br />
sufficiency in the community.”<br />
Mark Rubin-Toles (Bay Area):<br />
One of the changes I’m most<br />
proud about at my current<br />
school is the development<br />
of a procedure that places<br />
students in advanced<br />
coursework by default,<br />
rather than erecting barriers<br />
to participation in rigorous<br />
work.<br />
Elizabeth Smith Rousselle<br />
(G.N.O.): I just celebrated<br />
my 15th year teaching<br />
Spanish and French language<br />
and literature at Xavier<br />
University of Louisiana. My<br />
husband and I are in our<br />
fifth year of a mega-longdistance<br />
marriage—I am<br />
in New Orleans, and he is<br />
at the Georgetown School<br />
of Foreign Service in Doha,<br />
Qatar.<br />
Joyce Ycasas (Houston): Still<br />
in the Bay Area!<br />
1992<br />
Tom Buffett (L.A.): I<br />
am working with state<br />
policymakers to help design<br />
supports to help leaders in<br />
low-performing, high-poverty<br />
schools in Michigan improve<br />
instruction and increase<br />
student achievement.<br />
Michael Farabaugh (R.G.V.):<br />
My wife, Kate Bancroft, and<br />
I welcomed our daughter<br />
Maeve on July 9, 2013. Big<br />
brother Silas is already<br />
teaching Dad about the<br />
adjustment.<br />
Kristen Guzman (L.A.):<br />
My husband and I officially<br />
adopted our son in July 2013,<br />
even though we’d already<br />
been a family since 2010.<br />
I’m battling lymphoma after<br />
getting the diagnosis in<br />
June 2013. I’m confident I’ll<br />
beat this!<br />
Martina Hone (Bay Area):<br />
Although no longer on<br />
Fairfax School Board, I<br />
remain committed through<br />
Coalition of The Silence to<br />
ensuring poor kids hidden in<br />
the shadows of affluence of<br />
Fairfax still have a voice and a<br />
fair chance to reach their full<br />
potential.<br />
Dennis Lee (Houston): To<br />
all the ’92 corps, especially<br />
Houston, I hope that your<br />
lives are exactly as you<br />
wish them to be. I’m living<br />
in Southern California, so<br />
contact me if you’re in<br />
the area.<br />
Todd O’Bryan (L.A.): I<br />
continue to teach computer<br />
science at my alma mater and<br />
welcome project ideas for my<br />
advanced students that would<br />
benefit other schools.<br />
Caleb Perkins (Delta):<br />
Newark Public Schools is a<br />
great place for TFA alumni<br />
to develop their talents<br />
while making a significant<br />
contribution. I hope you will<br />
consider joining the many<br />
TFA alums already engaged<br />
in our efforts to dramatically<br />
improve outcomes for this<br />
district’s students.<br />
Deepa Purohit (Baltimore):<br />
I love my job as director of<br />
voice and speech coaching<br />
at TFA. I run one-on-one<br />
coaching sessions and group<br />
workshops based on my<br />
belief that the voice is the<br />
seat of leadership. I also<br />
contract privately through<br />
my own company (Finding<br />
Your Authentic Voice) to coach<br />
education leaders to speak<br />
from their true voice about<br />
their work.<br />
V. Andres Sasson (Houston):<br />
I am a married father of<br />
two great kids, ER doctor<br />
and medical director,<br />
entrepreneur, and CrossFit<br />
junkie living in South Florida.<br />
Jennifer Swender (Houston):<br />
My newest children’s book,<br />
Count on the Subway (Knopf),<br />
will come out in spring 2014,<br />
with illustrations by Dan<br />
Yaccarino.<br />
1993<br />
Stephanie Addison-Fontaine<br />
(New Jersey): I have<br />
remained a tireless advocate<br />
for children and educational<br />
equity. I have served as a<br />
consultant, raised money,<br />
assisted new school<br />
development, and furthered<br />
my passion for learning. I’m<br />
also a mom of two bright<br />
students, married to a TFA<br />
alum, and looking to pursue<br />
my Ed.D.<br />
Laura Alluin (L.A.): After<br />
10 years teaching in Los<br />
Angeles, then 10 years as<br />
vice principal in San Diego,<br />
I am now excited to be an<br />
elementary principal with<br />
SDUSD. So far, it is going very<br />
well. I have one daughter in<br />
second grade at a Spanish<br />
immersion magnet school<br />
here in the district.<br />
Marian Bradshaw (N.Y.): I’m<br />
still teaching and working<br />
in China in a private school.<br />
I love living overseas<br />
and appreciate the travel<br />
opportunities it affords me.<br />
Sonja Cao-Garcia (L.A.): I am<br />
a mother of three beautiful<br />
children, a wife, and a<br />
principal. I am so fortunate to<br />
have this very busy, full, and<br />
wonderful life!<br />
Sarah Fain (E.N.C.): I had a<br />
baby! She’s pure bliss.<br />
Robert Hannon (D.C.<br />
Region): I serve on the<br />
board of Valor Collegiate<br />
Academies in Nashville,<br />
Tenn., as secretary. In 2013,<br />
we received a charter for a<br />
5-12 school and will open with<br />
a single fifth grade in August<br />
2014. We are in the process of<br />
building out our management<br />
team and recruiting students.<br />
Very excited about our future<br />
here in Nashville.<br />
Bryant Howard (Bay Area):<br />
I am working as a contract<br />
coach for endurance athletes<br />
in Portland, Ore. This past<br />
year we launched a new<br />
training facility and have<br />
developed multiple national<br />
champions and world<br />
championships qualifiers.<br />
Visit www.o2endurance.com<br />
for more information.<br />
Erika Lomax (D.C. Region): I<br />
was appointed as a personnel<br />
officer on Baltimore County<br />
Public Schools’ talent<br />
acquisition team.<br />
Paige Panzner-Kozek<br />
(N.Y.): I am the co-founder<br />
of smallTALLmedia.com, a<br />
creative venture that provides<br />
custom graphic design,<br />
illustration, and short films<br />
to make events unique and<br />
memorable. Our clients<br />
include private companies,<br />
nonprofits, and schools. We<br />
welcome the opportunity<br />
to work with the TFA<br />
community!<br />
Suzanne Ritter (S.<br />
Louisiana): Chris and I own<br />
a small strategy consulting<br />
firm in Bethesda, Md. As a<br />
consultant, I use visual tools<br />
and graphical facilitation<br />
practices to help groups<br />
achieve difficult conversation<br />
goals. As a coach, I help<br />
clients create an inspiring<br />
vision for themselves as<br />
leaders and help them act on<br />
being the kind of parent or<br />
leader they want to be.<br />
Joel Romero (Bay Area):<br />
Last fall, my wife and I were<br />
fortunate enough to start<br />
San Francisco Expeditionary<br />
School, a small alternative<br />
private school that hopes<br />
to balance rigorous<br />
individualized academic<br />
instruction and a strong<br />
hands-on project-based<br />
component to educating our<br />
children.<br />
Dustin Stuhr (Houston): I<br />
continue to teach special<br />
education in upstate New<br />
York, where my wife, Michelle<br />
(Houston ’94), and I are<br />
raising three children.<br />
Rita Wright (L.A.): I am<br />
currently living in West<br />
Covina, Calif., and I have<br />
worked as a literacy<br />
specialist in juvenile court<br />
schools since 2009.<br />
1994<br />
Neil Dorosin (N.Y.): I work<br />
with three economists, one<br />
of whom is the 2012 Nobel<br />
laureate, helping districts<br />
and charter partners all<br />
over the country to create<br />
universal enrollment<br />
systems.<br />
Ruth McCoy (Houston): I<br />
have started a graduate<br />
program in special education<br />
leadership.<br />
Elizabeth Patterson<br />
(R.G.V.): I currently serve<br />
as treasurer of the Houston<br />
Bar Association Labor and<br />
Employment Section and<br />
volunteer as the approved<br />
and waiting coordinator for<br />
the Houston Gladney Family<br />
Association for adoptive<br />
families.<br />
LaMarr Darnell Shields<br />
(Baltimore): Educate!<br />
Organize! Mobilize! Give back!<br />
1995<br />
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Leslie Abrew (N.Y.): I was<br />
appointed principal of Bryant<br />
School in Teaneck, N.J.<br />
This unique school serves<br />
400 regular and specialeducation<br />
students in a pre-<br />
K/K setting. I am excited to<br />
work with this adorable group<br />
of children and lead this<br />
thriving learning community.<br />
Aaron Brenner (R.G.V.): This<br />
past summer, I transitioned<br />
from KIPP Houston to<br />
co-found and lead a new<br />
organization, The One World<br />
Network of Schools, which<br />
focuses on building a global<br />
network of transformational,<br />
breakthrough schools. As<br />
of last fall, we had partner<br />
schools operating in Mexico,<br />
India, and Israel. In the near<br />
future, partner schools will<br />
open in Chile and South Africa.<br />
66 One Day • SPRING 2014<br />
Chicago<br />
One Day • SPRING 2014 67
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Elizabeth Cuevas (L.A.): I had<br />
my baby boy, William Gabriel,<br />
on Feb. 22, 2013. He joins big<br />
brothers Christian (10) and<br />
Nathaniel (8). My oldest son<br />
is a special education student<br />
with autism and is very<br />
smart, and my middle son<br />
has tested gifted and is also<br />
very smart! I would like TFA<br />
to work on creating strong<br />
special- education programs<br />
for children with disabilities.<br />
Erin Grace (S. Louisiana): I<br />
am the lucky, happy, sleepdeprived<br />
mother of three<br />
beautiful children, ages 7,<br />
5, and 3. I’m also a full-time<br />
newspaper columnist.<br />
Kettisha Jones (Houston): I<br />
recently relocated to Tulsa,<br />
Okla., where I oversee 11<br />
schools as an instructional<br />
superintendent. I am also<br />
a member of the inaugural<br />
cohort for TFA’s School<br />
Systems Leadership<br />
Fellowship.<br />
Kimberly Lewis (D.C.<br />
Region): I was asked to<br />
make a huge jump from<br />
kindergarten to third grade<br />
honors. My school is piloting<br />
an honors program this year.<br />
Javier Ortega (Bay<br />
Area): After working as<br />
an assistant principal at<br />
a middle school for five<br />
years, I have returned to<br />
the classroom to teach<br />
computer applications and<br />
web design classes. I love<br />
the extra time that I now<br />
enjoy with my two young<br />
children as a result of this<br />
move.<br />
Christopher Shaffer<br />
(E.N.C.): I am a school<br />
improvement coordinator<br />
for the Corry Area School<br />
District outside of Erie, Pa.<br />
I am finishing my Letter of<br />
Eligibility (superintendent/<br />
assistant superintendent<br />
certification) in Pennsylvania<br />
through Edinboro University.<br />
Jennifer Steinberger Pease<br />
(L.A.): My husband Scott<br />
and I welcomed a son, Rhys<br />
Carson Pease, on April 1,<br />
2013. Rhys joins his older<br />
brother Hayes, who is 3.<br />
1996<br />
Lesley Balta (R.G.V.): I have<br />
been a teacher for 18 years<br />
and am a mentor to a brand<br />
new teacher. I have been<br />
married for seven years and<br />
am a mother of a 4-year-old<br />
named Lucas.<br />
Jada Best (N.Y.): I am the<br />
teacher leader for science at<br />
Clearwater Middle School in<br />
the Bermuda Public School<br />
System. My daughter Aiyara<br />
also attends a public primary<br />
school. I believe that I am<br />
making a difference every day<br />
in the lives of students, and I<br />
will continue to do this work<br />
while living abroad.<br />
Jill Cohen (L.A.): I<br />
completed my doctorate in<br />
administration, planning, and<br />
social policy from the Harvard<br />
Graduate School of Education<br />
in March 2013.<br />
Patricia Dippel (Houston):<br />
I founded and run Families<br />
Empowered, which works to<br />
ensure that Houston families<br />
are empowered to engage<br />
in a marketplace of schools.<br />
We inform parents to make<br />
informed choices for their<br />
children.<br />
Sarah Fang (Phoenix): 1996<br />
alums: We’re still missing<br />
our dear friend James Foley<br />
(Phoenix ’96), who was<br />
kidnapped by an unknown,<br />
armed group while reporting<br />
from Syria. For more<br />
information, please visit<br />
www.findjamesfoley.org.<br />
Matthew Koch (Bay Area):<br />
While I do not work directly<br />
in the field of education,<br />
through my efforts as a<br />
licensed psychotherapist, I<br />
hope to offer the individuals<br />
and families with whom I<br />
work more opportunities<br />
to strengthen their<br />
own understandings of<br />
themselves, reaffirming<br />
their identities and clarifying<br />
paths they find more fitting for<br />
themselves.<br />
Vonda Orders (Houston): I<br />
am an affordable housing<br />
attorney and the general<br />
counsel for the D.C.<br />
Department of Housing and<br />
Community Development. I<br />
live in the District of Columbia<br />
with my husband and two<br />
sons, ages 9 and 8. My sons<br />
attend public school in the<br />
District of Columbia.<br />
Anna Peterson (N.<br />
Louisiana): I am the manager<br />
of data and training at Achieve<br />
Minneapolis for the STEP-<br />
UP program. STEP-UP is a<br />
job training and internship<br />
placement program for<br />
thousands of Minneapolis<br />
low-income youth.<br />
Cynthia Skinner (D.C.<br />
Region): I am just wrapping<br />
up a year as the co-chair of<br />
a design team of community<br />
volunteers developing a<br />
youth master plan for the city<br />
of Alexandria, Va., which is<br />
designed to be a framework<br />
for aligning services and<br />
efforts across the city to<br />
effectively serve the needs of<br />
children and their families.<br />
Kalin Tobler (D.C. Region): I<br />
welcomed my first child, Ruby<br />
Moon Tobler, on May 5, 2012.<br />
She is a treasure, and from<br />
her love of Post-It notes, quite<br />
probably a future teacher!<br />
I am also completing my<br />
master’s of science teaching<br />
at the Center for Science<br />
Education in Portland, Ore.<br />
1997<br />
Michael Beiersdorf (L.A.):<br />
I was selected as one of<br />
Los Angeles Unified School<br />
District’s 2013 Teachers of<br />
the Year.<br />
David Crumbine (Houston):<br />
So much of what I felt when<br />
I started teaching was the<br />
isolation on the island of<br />
education. I would love to<br />
help TFA teachers, veteran<br />
and new. Feel free to reach<br />
out—I’d be glad to help<br />
with management, lesson<br />
planning, unit planning, and<br />
introducing your passions<br />
into the classroom.<br />
Gina Desai (Phoenix): In<br />
2011, I left my position as<br />
assistant principal at Estrella<br />
Middle School and started<br />
teaching full time at Glendale<br />
Community College. From<br />
2011-2013, I continued<br />
working in schools as an<br />
aspiring principal through<br />
the Rodel organization. I<br />
also became certified in<br />
developmental education<br />
through the Maricopa<br />
Summer Institute, and I am<br />
currently on the leadership<br />
board of the Phoenix<br />
Collective.<br />
Abigail Glassenberg (Delta):<br />
I recently published my<br />
second craft book, Stuffed<br />
Animals: From Concept<br />
to Construction. I live in<br />
Wellesley, Mass., with my<br />
husband, Charlie, and our<br />
three daughters, Roxanne,<br />
Stella, and Josephine.<br />
Margaret Leaf (G.N.O.): I<br />
have the privilege of serving<br />
as assistant principal at Edna<br />
Karr High in New Orleans<br />
when I am not collaborating<br />
with my husband of seven<br />
years, super-teacher Charles<br />
68 One Day • SPRING 2014
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
WHERE WILL<br />
YOU TAKE US?<br />
JOSEPH EDELIN » HOUSTON ‘02<br />
10 TH GRADE DEAN » KIPP ATLANTA COLLEGIATE<br />
Joseph created a culturally relevant social studies curriculum<br />
that inspired his 7th grade class to engage deeply with their<br />
own African American heritage.<br />
Now he’s widening his impact as a founding leader at a new<br />
KIPP high school, building a school-wide culture that will<br />
spark a love of learning in even more students.<br />
Elissa Aten (Baltimore ’92), husband Elliott, and daughter Lindsey, 9, raced Running with Ed on<br />
May 18, 2013—a 38-mile team run and fundraiser for Park City, Utah, public schools. Elissa is<br />
also the race’s fundraising chair, and didn’t do too shabby of a job: The event pulled in $157,000.<br />
Greiner, to raise a daughter<br />
and son in Algiers, La.!<br />
Having been hard at work<br />
educating the students of<br />
my hometown for 16 blessed<br />
years now, I can tell you that<br />
the future of New Orleans<br />
looks bright indeed. Go Karr<br />
Cougars—second to none!<br />
Jill McLaughlin (L.A.): My<br />
husband and I welcomed a<br />
baby girl, Maggie Beth, in<br />
January of 2013. I recently<br />
became a school principal.<br />
Nora Olsen (Houston): My<br />
husband and I welcomed<br />
our son Benjamin Alexander<br />
Dorado Olsen last October.<br />
He will soon be a year old, and<br />
boy, has he changed our lives!<br />
I am grateful to be a stay-athome<br />
parent and to have time<br />
to reflect on what teaching<br />
and TFA has taught me about<br />
children and education.<br />
Alex Sienkiewicz (L.A.):<br />
I work for the U.S. Forest<br />
Service in the Greater<br />
Yellowstone Ecosystem, and<br />
live with my wife and three<br />
children in Livingston, Mont.<br />
Come visit!<br />
70 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 71<br />
1998<br />
Gillian Bazelon (N.Y.): I live in<br />
Philadelphia with my husband<br />
Joel and two children, Harper<br />
(8) and Trevor (6). My nonprofit<br />
organization, Investing in<br />
Ourselves, inspires positive<br />
lifestyle behavior change in<br />
underserved communities.<br />
Yuisa Davila (N.Y.): For<br />
the past three years, I am<br />
very proud to have worked<br />
with New York city and<br />
state initiatives that aim at<br />
supporting growth and raising<br />
the standards for teacher and<br />
curriculum development, as<br />
well as language learning for<br />
“new and native” students.<br />
Kelly Harris Perin (Delta):<br />
Last year I started Little<br />
Bites Coaching (www.<br />
littlebitescoaching.com). We<br />
partner with organizations,<br />
schools, and individuals (and<br />
lots of TFA alumni!) to help<br />
them work more efficiently<br />
and sustainably. Zach Perin<br />
and I also welcomed kid No.<br />
3—Millie Scout—in January<br />
2013!<br />
Stephanie Ives (N.Y.): Since<br />
leaving the position of<br />
director of education and<br />
community engagement<br />
at American Jewish World<br />
Service, I have been<br />
consulting to Repair the<br />
World and helping launch a<br />
service-learning/communityorganizing<br />
fellowship for<br />
recent college graduates.<br />
Michael Leahy (Bay Area):<br />
In the last 14 months, my<br />
wife and I were married, our<br />
son was born, and I lost my<br />
mother.<br />
MenSa Maa (D.C. Region):<br />
I am leading William Hall<br />
Academy, a pre-K-8 public<br />
school in Capitol Heights,<br />
Md. I’m still figuring out what<br />
I will be when I grow up.<br />
Shoutout to D.C. Region ’98.<br />
Erin Mathes (L.A.): I am<br />
teaching in the medical<br />
school at UCSF. Our 5-yearold<br />
just started kindergarten<br />
at the SFUSD school across<br />
the street. We are loving the<br />
community at school.<br />
Allison Ohle (N.Y.): I am<br />
living in San Diego and<br />
helping to start the first new<br />
graduate school of education<br />
in California to open in 20<br />
years. My husband and I have<br />
two awesome kids: Jackson<br />
and Anika (rhymes with<br />
Hanukkah).<br />
Kimberlee Sia (Greater<br />
Newark): My husband, 3-year<br />
old daughter, and I moved to<br />
Denver this June and couldn’t<br />
be happier! I love my new role<br />
as the executive director for<br />
KIPP Colorado. My wonderful<br />
team of leaders and teachers,<br />
many of them TFA corps<br />
members/alums, are doing<br />
great things for the students<br />
of Denver.<br />
1999<br />
Sharon Collins (N.Y.): I<br />
became a mom once again!<br />
My husband and I welcomed<br />
our second son, Mateo<br />
Joaquin, into the world on<br />
Feb. 1, 2013. We continue<br />
to reside in New York City, I<br />
teach at Bronx Prep Charter<br />
School and my older son Alexi<br />
just started kindergarten<br />
at a public school in our<br />
neighborhood.<br />
Stephanie Dean (Delta): My<br />
husband, Nathan; daughter<br />
Evelyn; and I welcomed our<br />
second child, Julian Michael<br />
Cicero, to the family in July,<br />
2013.<br />
Adele Fabrikant (N.Y.):<br />
My husband Shane and I<br />
welcomed a son named Owen<br />
on Aug. 2, 2013. His 3-yearold<br />
sister Anna and dog Riley<br />
are thrilled!<br />
Alisha Graves (D.C. Region): I<br />
co-founded and launched the<br />
OASIS Initiative, a project of<br />
the University of California,<br />
Berkeley. OASIS aims to<br />
help prevent a humanitarian<br />
catastrophe in the Sahel<br />
within our children’s lifetime<br />
through education of<br />
adolescent girls, improved<br />
access to family planning,<br />
and adapting agriculture to<br />
climate change. My husband<br />
and I have two beautiful little<br />
children.<br />
Stephanie Klupinski (L.A.):<br />
I recently changed jobs<br />
and states! I moved from<br />
Columbus, Ohio, to Honolulu.<br />
After working for three years<br />
as vice president of legal<br />
and legislative affairs for<br />
the Ohio Alliance for Public<br />
Charter Schools, I am now the<br />
organizational performance<br />
manager for the newly<br />
created State Public Charter<br />
School Commission.<br />
Mark Meier (G.N.O.): I taught<br />
elementary and high school<br />
in New Orleans with TFA, and<br />
I just wanted to let the world<br />
know that my debut novel,<br />
Wisecrack, is now out. I’m<br />
donating part of the profits to<br />
charities.<br />
Pablo Mejia (R.G.V.): I am<br />
leading the personalized<br />
learning initiatives at IDEA<br />
Public Schools, including the<br />
$31 million Race to the Top<br />
District Grant. Sylvia and I are<br />
celebrating our 10th wedding<br />
anniversary, and Daniel<br />
started middle school this<br />
year. Alejandro and Diego are<br />
both proud IDEA students.<br />
Nicole Nielson (Bay Area):<br />
I just got appointed to a<br />
three-year term on the New<br />
York City Bar Association<br />
- Education & the Law<br />
Committee—and was thrilled<br />
to find that there are three<br />
other TFA alums on the<br />
committee!<br />
Wanda Roberson (Houston):<br />
I celebrated 10 years of<br />
marriage on Nov. 22, 2013!<br />
Matthew Schmitt (G.N.O.):<br />
I’ve landed a spot in Deana<br />
Carter’s band! I play piano/<br />
keys on her new album,<br />
Southern Way of Life, which<br />
came out Thanksgiving 2013.<br />
Megan Sustar (G.N.O.):<br />
After teaching in Greater
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
New Orleans and Colorado, I<br />
returned to the St. Louis area<br />
to pursue a degree in nursing<br />
and am now a busy stay-athome<br />
mom for our three<br />
little girls. I have many fond<br />
memories of our ’99 training<br />
days in lovely Moody Towers!<br />
Hi to Aki, Joan, Mr. Powers,<br />
and the rest of our amazing<br />
summer training group.<br />
Jessica Vasan (Houston): I<br />
serve as a part-time project<br />
director at TNTP on its<br />
partnership with my original<br />
placement district, Houston<br />
ISD. I’m also fortunate to have<br />
a couple days a week with<br />
my sons (Kieran, 4, and Kyle,<br />
3) and daughter (Priya, 10<br />
months).<br />
Gregory Wong (Delta): I am<br />
still a practicing attorney<br />
in Seattle, with a focus on<br />
education, constitutional,<br />
public policy and election law,<br />
public entity, and nonprofit<br />
issues. Louise Wong (N.Y.) and<br />
I have three great kids who<br />
are now in second, fourth, and<br />
sixth grades. Life is good!<br />
2000<br />
Cheyenne Batista Sao<br />
Roque (N.Y.): We recently<br />
opened the doors to our<br />
second school, East Harlem<br />
Scholars Academy II! I’m<br />
extremely proud to broaden<br />
EHTP’s reach and build upon<br />
our legacy in the El Barrio<br />
community. Come visit!<br />
Tommy Brewer (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I was selected to<br />
co-chair one of four statewide<br />
strategic initiative teams,<br />
helping to establish the<br />
comprehensive strategic<br />
direction for the newly<br />
reconfigured After School<br />
Division of the California<br />
Department of Education.<br />
California’s After School<br />
Division administers the<br />
largest statewide allocation<br />
of out-of-school time grant<br />
dollars in the country, as<br />
well as federal 21st Century<br />
dollars.<br />
Melissa Casey (New Jersey):<br />
Xiomara Padamsee (N.Y. ’97)<br />
and I welcomed our daughter<br />
Alexandra Grace Padamsee<br />
Casey on Aug. 24, 2012. We<br />
couldn’t be more thrilled!<br />
Matthew Delfino (G.N.O.):<br />
Lizzy Holt and I relocated to<br />
Greenville, S.C., with our boys<br />
Max (3) and Clay (1). We are all<br />
enjoying the outdoors, peach<br />
season, and time with family!<br />
Nicole Dorn (Baltimore): I<br />
am excited to announce the<br />
birth of my son, Peter Dorn,<br />
and can’t believe he will be<br />
turning 1 this November! He<br />
and big sister Elinor (who will<br />
turn 4 in April) are enjoying<br />
our new house in Belmont,<br />
Mass. Please drop us a line<br />
if you’re ever in the Boston<br />
area!<br />
Amber Field (N.Y.): I am<br />
enjoying my work with<br />
KIPP NYC teachers and<br />
instructional coaches as<br />
the director of professional<br />
development opportunities.<br />
I’m also loving family time<br />
with my husband and two<br />
daughters.<br />
Ariela Freedman (Chicago):<br />
I left a faculty position at<br />
Emory University and am<br />
working for TFA as the<br />
managing director of alumni<br />
affairs in Atlanta.<br />
Anna Mae Grams-<br />
Pullappally (Chicago): I am<br />
so proud to be entering my<br />
10th year as a team leader at<br />
Chicago International Charter<br />
School-Bucktown! Last<br />
year my graduating eighth<br />
graders were the first group<br />
of kindergarteners that I<br />
worked with in 2004. My own<br />
daughter, now a third grader<br />
at CICS-Bucktown, tells me<br />
every day how lucky she is to<br />
have the best teachers in the<br />
world.<br />
Michael Herring (Bay Area):<br />
I lead efforts to improve<br />
teacher evaluation in Chicago<br />
Public Schools as director of<br />
educator effectiveness.<br />
Melissa Jones (N.Y.): I’m<br />
currently working at Adobe,<br />
building scalable systems<br />
to train teachers on creative<br />
ed-tech integration.<br />
Maya Khanna (Bay Area):<br />
My husband and I welcomed<br />
triplets into our lives on Aug.<br />
20, 2012. Our three beautiful<br />
girls are Matilda, Marietta,<br />
and Camila.<br />
Bill Kottenstette (R.G.V.):<br />
I recently took a position<br />
as executive director of a<br />
fully articulated P-12 public<br />
Montessori charter school<br />
and am constantly looking<br />
for great teachers who would<br />
love to further their impact<br />
by teaching using Montessori<br />
methods. I recently moved<br />
to Arvada with my wife Diane<br />
and our three kids, Charlotte<br />
(8), Kathleen (5), and James<br />
(5 months).<br />
Heidi Leintz (Bay Area): My<br />
husband and I welcomed our<br />
second son, Dante, in the<br />
summer of 2013.<br />
Terri Nostrand (D.C. Region):<br />
My husband and I welcomed<br />
out third son, Finn McHenry<br />
Nostrand, to the family in<br />
February 2013. When not<br />
outdoing each other for the<br />
role of baby comedians of the<br />
year, my older boys attend a<br />
Washington, D.C., Chinese<br />
immersion public charter<br />
school where several of their<br />
teachers and the assistant<br />
principal are/were TFA.<br />
Crystal Perry (Metro<br />
Atlanta): As pilot program<br />
director, I serve as the lead<br />
implementer of the summer<br />
pilot partnership between<br />
BELL, Y-USA, each local Y<br />
association and the school.<br />
At each site, teachers<br />
use methods that engage<br />
scholars, and the learning<br />
is evident in the rooms<br />
through “artifacts” on the<br />
walls, the scholar work and<br />
the excellent teacher lesson<br />
plans.<br />
Sheri Pierce (Chicago): On<br />
Oct. 10, 2013, we welcomed<br />
our second child, Trace, to<br />
our family.<br />
Carolyn Reed (D.C.<br />
Region): In February 2013,<br />
we welcomed home our<br />
daughter, Grace (1), who<br />
joined her brother Ashton (3).<br />
Cornelia Ryan (Metro<br />
Atlanta): My husband, John,<br />
and I celebrated our fouryear<br />
wedding anniversary<br />
this past October. I also got<br />
the opportunity to dance at<br />
Augusta’s Arts in the Heart<br />
Festival and in the Molate’<br />
Productions stage play When<br />
the Church Doors Close. Great<br />
things are happening with the<br />
Ryan family!<br />
Simona Supekar (L.A.): I just<br />
received my MFA in creative<br />
writing from UC Riverside<br />
and will be teaching English<br />
at Pasadena Community<br />
College in the fall. I miss a<br />
lot of my fellow ’00 corps<br />
members and hope y’all are<br />
well!<br />
Kelly Vaughan (N.Y.): I<br />
married Ivan Willig in<br />
Brooklyn, N.Y., this summer!<br />
Leslie Wang (Houston):<br />
For the last several years, I<br />
have been a program officer<br />
at Houston Endowment, a<br />
regional foundation, where<br />
my portfolio is focused on<br />
early childhood and youth<br />
development opportunities.<br />
My husband, Brian, and I are<br />
busy with work and our two<br />
girls, Olivia (4) and Evelyn (2).<br />
2001<br />
Ayana Allen (Houston): In<br />
June 2012, I was appointed<br />
post-doctoral fellow of<br />
The Urban Education<br />
Collaborative at UNC<br />
Charlotte.<br />
Diego Avila (Houston): I have<br />
started my own solo law<br />
practice after three years<br />
of law firm life. I recently<br />
successfully represented<br />
a low-income client in a<br />
potential life sentence<br />
defense trial.<br />
Brian Blacklow (Delta): I<br />
accepted a job as a master<br />
educator with District of<br />
Columbia Public Schools<br />
last year. I now have two<br />
children, Maggie (4) and Leo<br />
(1). Both are devoted Red<br />
Sox fans.<br />
Barry Brinkley (L.A.): I<br />
recently transitioned to<br />
the director of community<br />
development role at<br />
Rocketship Education.<br />
I’m excited to support<br />
the expansion efforts<br />
of Rocketship here in<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Fatimah Burnam-Watkins<br />
(Baltimore): I continue<br />
to work for TFA as the<br />
executive director of New<br />
Jersey! We are celebrating<br />
20 years as a region in 2014,<br />
and I’m excited for everyone<br />
to join us as we set the<br />
stage for the next five years.<br />
I continue to live in New<br />
Jersey with my husband of<br />
nine years and my 6-yearold<br />
triplets.<br />
Cassandra Duprey (Delta): I<br />
gave birth to my second son,<br />
Malcolm, in January 2013.<br />
He joins big brother Quill,<br />
born in April 2010.<br />
Joanne Forster-Coffin<br />
(L.A.): My husband and I<br />
became parents to baby Levi<br />
in April 2013.<br />
Sarah Godlove (D.C.<br />
Region): I got married<br />
about two years ago, and<br />
my husband and I welcomed<br />
our first child into the world<br />
in January 2013. After<br />
maternity leave, I returned<br />
to a new role at NWEA as<br />
the product manager of<br />
assessment. In this role,<br />
I’ll be setting the strategic<br />
vision and creating multiyear<br />
roadmaps for NWEA’s<br />
assessment portfolio.<br />
Balancing family and work<br />
is a challenge, but we’re<br />
enjoying it so far!<br />
Marianne Herrmann<br />
(Houston): Since teaching for<br />
four years at my placement<br />
school in Houston, I worked<br />
for three years on TFA’s<br />
Houston regional team,<br />
got married, joined TFA’s<br />
admissions team, and<br />
had three kiddos (Noah,<br />
Micah, and Ava). I’m really<br />
enjoying researching how<br />
to best identify qualities of<br />
highly effective teachers for<br />
students in the communities<br />
we partner with.<br />
Fatima Jibril (Baltimore):<br />
I am a proud founder and<br />
board member of Creative<br />
City Public Charter School,<br />
a progressive elementary<br />
school that focuses on the<br />
arts and project-based<br />
learning.<br />
David Kloker (New Mexico):<br />
I am working as a literacy<br />
coach in San Francisco<br />
Unified at Sanchez<br />
Elementary, still passionate<br />
about universal literacy.<br />
Julie MacFetters (G.N.O.):<br />
After five years in temporary<br />
trailers on a campus that<br />
still included the flooded<br />
former school building,<br />
my school, Akili Academy,<br />
just moved into the historic<br />
William Frantz building in<br />
New Orleans—the school<br />
Ruby Bridges helped to<br />
integrate in 1960!<br />
Heather Michel (Houston):<br />
Hello Teach For America<br />
alumni! I am happily married<br />
with two kids and living in<br />
San Diego. I just received my<br />
doctorate in education from<br />
UCSD.<br />
Elizabeth Mulligan<br />
(Chicago): My husband,<br />
Marty, daughter Maeve (12<br />
months), and I relocated<br />
to the Washington, D.C./<br />
Baltimore area this past year<br />
for Marty’s work. I am proud<br />
to be a stay-at-home mom...<br />
for now!<br />
Naomi Nunez (L.A.): I just<br />
moved to Memphis, Tenn.,<br />
from Los Angeles so my<br />
husband, Matt Seigel<br />
(L.A.), can help start some<br />
Aspire schools in the new<br />
Achievement School District.<br />
72 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 73
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Shannen Coleman Siciliano (Baltimore ’03) and her husband, Marc, welcomed baby Korina Helene Siciliano on Sept. 22, 2013. Shannen, a community<br />
organizer on behalf of Baltimore schools, was a co-finalist with Yasmene Mumby (Baltimore ’08) for the 2013 Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership.<br />
I just gave birth to a set of<br />
twins and will be home with<br />
the babies for a year! It’s<br />
been a busy year.<br />
Sean Ottmer (New Mexico):<br />
I, along with two other TFA<br />
alums, Katie Hulskamp<br />
(New Mexico ’05) and Tom<br />
Ponce (New Mexico ’09),<br />
have opened South Valley<br />
Academy Middle School.<br />
Ellen Sale (Delta): I am<br />
working hard and being nice<br />
every day as the founding<br />
principal of KIPP Bloom<br />
College Prep, our newest<br />
middle school in Chicago.<br />
I am very grateful to lead<br />
our incredible team. Come<br />
visit us!<br />
Margery Yeager (D.C.<br />
Region): I was thrilled to<br />
welcome a son, Jonah Henry<br />
Sriqui, on May 30, 2013. He’s<br />
looking forward to attending<br />
public school in D.C. in just a<br />
few years!<br />
2002<br />
Evan Anderson (Bay Area):<br />
In addition to leading my<br />
school through a successful<br />
accreditation process, my<br />
wife and children have also<br />
moved into a new home,<br />
which we built with Habitat<br />
for Humanity Greater San<br />
Francisco.<br />
Rosalie Asia (N.Y.): On June<br />
29, 2013, I married my best<br />
friend, Tim Stocker, in front<br />
of friends and family on the<br />
beach in Puerto Rico. We are<br />
pleased to announce that we<br />
are expecting twins in April<br />
2014!<br />
Lisa Barrett (Bay Area): I<br />
recently graduated from<br />
INSEAD Business School in<br />
Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and<br />
France. I’ve been able to do a<br />
number of engagements with<br />
small-to-medium enterprises<br />
looking to scale, as well as<br />
companies and investors<br />
entering new markets in<br />
the United Kingdom, United<br />
Arab Emirates, and United<br />
States. It’s been an incredible<br />
experience to build this global<br />
perspective and network.<br />
Elaine Berndes (Chicago):<br />
After teaching for three years<br />
in my placement school, I<br />
went on to head up recruiting<br />
at New Leaders in Chicago<br />
before being tapped to cofound<br />
what is now The Ryan<br />
Fellowship. Last year, we<br />
happily recruited TFA alumni,<br />
constituting 50 percent of our<br />
2014 Ryan Fellowship class.<br />
Full-circle moment.<br />
Nicole Bissonnette (R.G.V.):<br />
I just finished law school<br />
and, inspired by my TFA<br />
experience, will be working<br />
to promote and protect the<br />
interests of immigrants and<br />
children in a poor community<br />
in my home state.<br />
Matthew Bowman (N.Y.):<br />
After my two years, I taught<br />
at KIPP Bayview Academy<br />
with an amazing team. In<br />
2011, I cofounded EdSurge,<br />
now composed of an inspiring<br />
group of edupreneurs, and<br />
helped launch the Phaedrus<br />
Initiative, a blended, innercity<br />
Catholic school network<br />
run by some of the most<br />
dedicated people on the<br />
planet.<br />
Lindsay Butler (L.A.): I<br />
started working for New<br />
Leaders last summer as the<br />
director of the Emerging<br />
Leaders Program for<br />
Rocketship Education. I’m<br />
working with 18 assistant<br />
principals, helping to grow<br />
their leadership skills and<br />
prepare them for the next<br />
step in their careers. They<br />
are great, New Leaders<br />
is fantastic, and I’m really<br />
enjoying the work.<br />
Sarah Cole (Phoenix): My<br />
husband and I welcomed our<br />
first child, Miriam, in August<br />
2012.<br />
Peter Cook (G.N.O.): I<br />
recently led a reorganization<br />
of the Jefferson Parish Public<br />
School System outside New<br />
Orleans. I am currently<br />
working with the district<br />
to improve their lowestperforming<br />
schools and to<br />
increase the participation of<br />
low-income students in<br />
AP courses.<br />
Hillary Dark (L.A.): After<br />
12 years at my placement<br />
school, I decided to transfer<br />
to another school site. I am<br />
www.jobs-charterexcellence.org<br />
CALLING ALL<br />
ALLIES & RELATIVES<br />
We believe our students and their families are the<br />
leaders of the movement for educational equity.<br />
Teach For America-South Dakota is calling all aspiring<br />
allies and relatives to help fuel this community-driven<br />
movement. Together we can cultivate leadership<br />
among Lakota students - as they are the future leaders<br />
of their communities, tribes, and our nation. Join us.<br />
Contact Marion Katz at marion.katz@teachforamerica.org<br />
or (646) 265-4613 for more information.<br />
74 One Day • SPRING 2014
HONOR<br />
EXCELLENCE<br />
ALWAYS TRY<br />
RESPONSIBILITY<br />
TEAM<br />
Be the change.<br />
Teach.<br />
www.hiawathaacademies.org<br />
Minneapolis, MN<br />
Growing to 5 schools to close one of the<br />
largest achievement gaps in the country<br />
still proud to be a Compton<br />
Unified School District<br />
employee, but I now have<br />
less of a commute and get to<br />
see my own children more<br />
waking hours of the day! My<br />
new school has been very<br />
welcoming.<br />
Paige Dommerich Newhouse<br />
(N.Y.): My husband, Jack<br />
Newhouse, and I had our<br />
second child together, a boy<br />
named James Dommerich<br />
(J.D.).<br />
Rachel Fortune (E.N.C.): I am<br />
currently teaching online for<br />
Florida Virtual School and<br />
have seen firsthand the huge<br />
impact online learning can<br />
have for at-risk students.<br />
Roberto Garza (R.G.V.): I am<br />
seeing some amazing work<br />
being done in the Rio Grande<br />
Valley to help education<br />
become a pivotal issue for<br />
the region.<br />
Mira Goodman (Bay Area):<br />
I married Judd Goodman on<br />
July 3, 2011, in my hometown<br />
of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.<br />
Katie Brown and Joan<br />
Ferng (both Bay Area) were<br />
in attendance. I recently<br />
completed my master of<br />
science in occupational<br />
therapy, and I currently work<br />
with adults in a hospital<br />
setting and kids in an<br />
outpatient setting.<br />
Vanessa Gutierrez-Pozen<br />
(L.A.): I love my life. I am a<br />
stay-at-home mama of two<br />
beautiful spirits and am<br />
guiding them through this<br />
thing we call life. It is not<br />
glamorous, but important.<br />
I plan on ruling the world<br />
someday, but for now I am<br />
happy to support my rockstar<br />
educator of a husband,<br />
darling divas 1 and 2, Bosco<br />
and Mr. Noodles, five hens<br />
and two cocks.<br />
Kerry Hurd (Detroit): I am<br />
currently a reading and ESL<br />
teacher at Groveport Madison<br />
High School in the Columbus,<br />
Ohio area. My husband, Paul;<br />
son Nolan; and I welcomed<br />
our daughter Avery in May<br />
2013.<br />
Jenese Jones (St. Louis):<br />
I was elected to the role of<br />
commissioner for Single<br />
Member District 5B05 in<br />
Washington, D.C. I chair the<br />
governmental accountability<br />
and education committees<br />
for my commission. I beat my<br />
incumbent by 55 percent in<br />
the November 2012 election.<br />
I continue to serve my<br />
community as an educational<br />
advocate.<br />
Bejanae Kareem (Metro<br />
Atlanta): As an urban educator<br />
of 10-plus years and TFA alum,<br />
I have launched a STEM and<br />
grant education consultancy.<br />
Check out my Facebook<br />
page and receive updates on<br />
grants and STEM resources:<br />
facebook.com/bkconsultancy.<br />
Joel Latorre (Baltimore):<br />
After 11 years in the<br />
classroom serving lowincome<br />
and underprivileged<br />
students, I have attained my<br />
administrator endorsement<br />
and hope to influence my<br />
students with greater impact<br />
in the near future.<br />
Brad Leon (G.N.O.): I just took<br />
a new role as Shelby County<br />
Schools’ (formerly Memphis<br />
City Schools) chief innovation<br />
officer. I am working with<br />
schools in our district that<br />
perform in the bottom 5<br />
percent, with charter schools,<br />
and with virtual schools.<br />
Sarah Lubow (Houston): My<br />
husband, Adam Lubow, and I<br />
welcomed Emily Julia Lubow<br />
on July 30, 2013. We are all<br />
enjoying life in Brooklyn, N.Y.,<br />
and would love to hear from<br />
old friends!<br />
Emily Marques (Phoenix):<br />
My husband, Francisco, and I<br />
welcomed our first son, Mateo,<br />
on New Year’s Eve 2012.<br />
Rochelle McConico (G.N.O.): I<br />
graduated with my MBA from<br />
Hult International Business<br />
School, and now I’m the<br />
human capital manager for the<br />
Recovery School District. I’m<br />
excited about the future!<br />
Candice McKinley (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I would like to<br />
applaud my courageous TFA<br />
colleagues who are running<br />
for the Atlanta School Board:<br />
Jason Esteves (Houston<br />
’05), Matt Westmoreland<br />
(Metro Atlanta ’10), Eshé<br />
Collins (Metro Atlanta), and<br />
Courtney English (Metro<br />
Atlanta ’07), gladiators that<br />
are going to do whatever it<br />
takes to improve our system<br />
for our children.<br />
Emily Molloy (Delta): I’m<br />
thrilled to announce that I’ve<br />
just welcomed my first baby,<br />
Declan Robert Molloy.<br />
Dione Moultrie King (S.<br />
Louisiana): I received my<br />
Ph.D. in Social Work from<br />
the University of Georgia and<br />
am currently an assistant<br />
professor at the University<br />
of West Florida Department<br />
of Social Work. My husband,<br />
Steven, and I welcomed a set<br />
of twins (Langston Carter and<br />
Lauren Camille) on August<br />
29, 2011.<br />
Joey Murphy (St. Louis): I have<br />
just begun my ninth year of<br />
teaching, and I cannot imagine<br />
pursuing any other profession.<br />
Thanks, TFA!<br />
Ambe Olinga (Metro Atlanta):<br />
I am the coordinator of STEM<br />
for 27 schools in South Fulton<br />
County.<br />
Kelley Pomis (E.N.C.): In the<br />
past four years, I married my<br />
TFA sweetheart Aaron Pomis<br />
(E.N.C.), bought a home in<br />
Charlotte, N.C., and we now<br />
have had two beautiful boys,<br />
Nicholas (almost 2 years) and<br />
Alexander (3 months).<br />
Michael Ripski (G.N.O.): My<br />
wife, Morgan, and I had our<br />
first child, Clyde Michael<br />
Ripski, on July 8, 2013.<br />
Nathaniel Schwartz (Delta):<br />
Seneca Rosenberg (Bay Area<br />
’01) and I just welcomed our<br />
second child to our family. We<br />
live in Nashville, Tenn., where<br />
I work for the Tennessee<br />
Department of Education.<br />
Alison Smith (L.A.): We were<br />
thrilled to welcome our son<br />
Matalino on Jan. 3, 2012!<br />
Adie Tate (Metro Atlanta): My<br />
husband, Ian, and I welcomed<br />
our second child, Owen<br />
Michael, on Oct 26, 2013.<br />
Big brother Henry is thrilled<br />
with the new addition to the<br />
family. Ian is working as an<br />
emergency medicine physician<br />
at North Colorado Medical<br />
Center, and I left TFA staff<br />
after five years to stay home<br />
with the boys. We are living in<br />
Denver and loving it!<br />
Justin Vernon (E.N.C.):<br />
My wife, Amy, and I have<br />
two children (Jackson and<br />
Stella) and currently reside<br />
in Salem, Mass. I am the<br />
founding principal of the Roger<br />
Clap Innovation School in<br />
Dorchester, opened in 2011.<br />
Lena-Prudence Wiegand<br />
(L.A.): I love getting the<br />
magazine — it helps me stay<br />
in touch with issues regarding<br />
education.<br />
Rebecca Williams (Metro<br />
Atlanta): We recently<br />
Public Schools<br />
76 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 77
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Candy Crush? Angry Birds? LOLCats? Whatever it is, these kids are thrilled. When Kathrin Petzold (Phoenix ’01) isn’t busy wowing youngsters with her<br />
iPhone, she’s a pediatric nurse supervisor with Doctors Without Borders. Petzold is currently working in the Democratic Republic of Congo.<br />
welcomed a daughter to our<br />
family!<br />
Jodi Yoser (E.N.C.): My<br />
husband Jon and I welcomed<br />
our second child, Andrew, on<br />
April 29, 2013.<br />
2003<br />
Ramiro Arceo (Baltimore):<br />
I am currently the director<br />
of family and community<br />
engagement for the<br />
California Charter Schools<br />
Association. My role is<br />
to organize and mobilize<br />
parents to support their<br />
charter schools.<br />
Patricia Baney (Metro<br />
Atlanta): My husband, Greg;<br />
son William; and I welcomed<br />
James Daniel to our family on<br />
Oct. 7, 2013.<br />
Ben Bhatti (Metro Atlanta):<br />
I am the producer of<br />
eduCAUTION, a documentary<br />
on college, debt, and<br />
the American dream.<br />
eduCAUTION has almost<br />
150,000 views on YouTube<br />
and 7,000 Facebook followers<br />
and will debut at SXSWedu in<br />
Austin, Texas.<br />
Joseph Bielecki (Bay Area):<br />
In August of 2013 I opened<br />
Summit Public School:<br />
Denali, a next-generation<br />
grades 6-12 school serving<br />
students in the Bay Area<br />
as part of the network of<br />
Summit Public Schools.<br />
Denali opened with a<br />
founding class of 134 sixth<br />
graders, and we’re excited<br />
about our growth to come.<br />
Peter Buis (Delta): I have two<br />
sons (3 and 2). I am a better<br />
parent because of teaching.<br />
Also, I feel that I am a better<br />
teacher because of being a<br />
parent.<br />
Andrew Calcutt (N.Y.):<br />
You do not have to be the<br />
smartest person in the room<br />
to become extraordinarily<br />
successful. But you do have<br />
to work extraordinarily hard.<br />
And if you can find a passion<br />
for learning, that work will<br />
not feel that hard.<br />
Tanya Cornely (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): My husband,<br />
Kieran, and I welcomed twin<br />
boys on April 30, 2013. Sean<br />
and Grady join their sister<br />
Olivia and brother Quinn in<br />
our love.<br />
Tina DeLaFe (Miami-Dade):<br />
I am a literacy coach at<br />
SouthTech Academy in<br />
Palm Beach County and<br />
an instructor/training<br />
facilitator at FAU for SAT,<br />
GMAT, and GRE test prep<br />
courses in math, verbal,<br />
and writing. I am leading the<br />
transition to Common Core<br />
in all subject areas at my<br />
school site.<br />
Maria Dunlap (Metro Atlanta):<br />
My husband and I welcomed a<br />
daughter in October 2011.<br />
Tamilla Eldridge-Mason<br />
(N.Y.): I am excited to share<br />
that I recently finished<br />
my second master’s in<br />
educational leadership and<br />
I am looking forward to new<br />
adminstrative opportunities.<br />
As a wife and mother of two,<br />
this was quite a challenge,<br />
but I enjoyed the journey. The<br />
learning process never ends,<br />
and this is also what we want<br />
for our students.<br />
Christine Fowler (N.Y.): We<br />
are in Costa Rica, and I’m still<br />
working in education, just on<br />
the publishing side of things.<br />
Still, with four kids at home,<br />
my classroom management<br />
experience is coming in handy!<br />
Vanessa Garza (L.A.): My<br />
husband, Pablo Garza (N.Y.<br />
’02), and I proudly send<br />
our oldest, Vida, to our<br />
neighborhood public school<br />
for kindergarten. Julian,<br />
her little brother, is eager to<br />
join her.<br />
Megan Gibbs (Houston):<br />
Ben Gibbs (Houston) and<br />
I are living in Houston and<br />
are proud parents to our<br />
2-year-old twins, Abby<br />
and Henry. I am dean of<br />
instruction at YES Prep East<br />
End and just finished my<br />
fifth year with this amazing<br />
organization.<br />
Susannah Gordon-Messer<br />
(E.N.C.): My team at MIT<br />
just released The Radix<br />
Endeavor, a massively<br />
multiplayer online game<br />
to help teach biology and<br />
math. Sign up to play at<br />
radixendeavor.org!<br />
78 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 79
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Developing Leaders<br />
in Public Service<br />
John Glenn School<br />
of Public Affairs<br />
Gain practical, professional experience that will help kick-start your<br />
career in public service by earning an M.P.A., M.A. or Ph.D. from the<br />
John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.<br />
For more information about the Glenn School’s partnership with<br />
Teach For America visit glenn.osu.edu or call 614-292-8696.<br />
JOHN GLENN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS<br />
Daniel Grissom (E.N.C. ’08), in glasses, spent the 2012-13 academic year teaching language arts at Heritage International School in Kampala, Uganda.<br />
thE Educational rEvolution has<br />
comE to dEtroit<br />
You want to grow, lead,<br />
change the world.<br />
Alexander Guevara (L.A.):<br />
I was recently engaged to<br />
Rachel Kerr (L.A. ’04). I<br />
recently accepted a position<br />
as talent recruiter for TEAM<br />
Schools, focusing on our<br />
expansion into Camden, N.J.<br />
Jennifer Hembrick-Roberts<br />
(Chicago): I gave birth to my<br />
daughter, Nia, in June 2012.<br />
My article, “Leadership for<br />
More Equitable Schools<br />
through Service Integration,”<br />
was recently published in the<br />
Handbook of Research on<br />
Educational Leadership for<br />
Equity and Diversity.<br />
William Heuisler (L.A.): I<br />
got married to Dr. Latoya<br />
Green-Smith in March 2013.<br />
I teach in South Los Angeles,<br />
and my wife is a pediatrician<br />
in Wilmington, Calif.<br />
Carrie Holmes (Baltimore):<br />
2012-2013 brought me<br />
80 One Day • SPRING 2014<br />
two kindergarteners of<br />
my own who force me to<br />
sit on the other side of the<br />
teacher’s desk and trust<br />
the educational wisdom and<br />
knowledge of someone else to<br />
challenge and inspire my kids.<br />
It has been humbling and<br />
excruciating. Looking forward<br />
to first grade this year.<br />
Marcus Hughes (Metro<br />
Atlanta): So why do I Teach<br />
For America? I teach because<br />
poverty, educational inequity,<br />
racial, sexual and physical<br />
discrimination are all too<br />
prevalent. I teach because I<br />
have two beautiful boys who<br />
look like Trayvon Martin.<br />
I teach because I was that<br />
black kid from the inner city<br />
who utilized the pathway of<br />
education to open doors of<br />
opportunity. As an alum, I still<br />
Teach For America because<br />
I can’t stop fighting for our<br />
children.<br />
Stuart Johnston (Baltimore):<br />
I was accepted to the North<br />
Carolina Principal Fellows<br />
Program, and I am working<br />
toward my master’s degree in<br />
school administration at UNC<br />
Greensboro.<br />
Elizabeth King (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): After 71/2<br />
wonderful years working for<br />
my kids’ representative in<br />
Congress, I am now working<br />
for the Children’s Defense<br />
Fund—new location, same<br />
mission. I have had the<br />
chance to reconnect with<br />
some of my awesome longago<br />
middle schoolers. Blown<br />
away by all that they’re doing<br />
now as adults!<br />
Kate Lipper-Garabedian<br />
(Metro Atlanta): My husband<br />
and I moved back to the<br />
Boston area last fall after<br />
three years in D.C.—with two<br />
new members (5-month-old<br />
Harrison and our cockapoo<br />
Baryn) in tow. I’m continuing<br />
to work in education law and<br />
policy with EducationCounsel<br />
LLC.<br />
Maile Martinez (Phoenix):<br />
In September, I started<br />
a new job as YouthSpark<br />
engagement manager<br />
at Microsoft. I will be<br />
traveling around the country<br />
connecting educators and<br />
education influencers to<br />
YouthSpark programs. I hope<br />
to connect with lots of TFA<br />
alumni, corps members, and<br />
staff! Check out microsoft.<br />
com/youthspark to learn<br />
more.<br />
Kathleen Masterson<br />
(Phoenix): Since my TFA<br />
days, I’ve become a public<br />
radio journalist, telling<br />
people’s stories, mostly<br />
about science, environment,<br />
and social justice issues. I<br />
work hard to stay involved<br />
in classrooms, teaching<br />
occasional workshops with<br />
826 in D.C. and at several<br />
universities.<br />
Anna McCartney-Melstad<br />
(New Mexico): I’m based in<br />
Johannesburg, working on<br />
malaria control throughout<br />
Africa.<br />
Stacey Mitchell (E.N.C.):<br />
Joining her brothers Solomon<br />
(4) and Mason (2), Theresa<br />
Saige made her debut in our<br />
family on May 19, 2013!<br />
Marlin Padilla (N.Y.): This<br />
year my son turned 1 and it<br />
has been an absolute thrill to<br />
watch him grow and develop<br />
his very own personality!<br />
Jimmy Pascascio (L.A.):<br />
I recently took a leave of<br />
absence from the classroom<br />
to focus on Music Notes, an<br />
wanted:<br />
Strongly committed<br />
school leaders and<br />
teachers for elementary<br />
and high school teams<br />
Visit the EmploymEnt opportunitiEs<br />
page on our website at<br />
americanpromiseschools.org<br />
Making Urban Schools Great<br />
We make it possible.<br />
• Individualized coaching, ongoing professional<br />
development, Aspiring Leaders program<br />
• Joyful environment, intellectually rigorous curriculum<br />
• Opportunities at seven, K-8 college-preparatory<br />
charter schools<br />
• Beautiful, privately-leased facilities in Brooklyn, NY<br />
Learn more at ascendlearning.org<br />
asc e nd
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Maggie [Pettit] Kizer (Colorado ’09) married Lyle Kizer on Aug. 24, 2013, in Seattle. The<br />
wedding followed a turbulent week marked by the loss of Maggie’s father to cancer.<br />
education music company<br />
that I founded with a<br />
colleague. We use music to<br />
make students love math<br />
by creating songs and<br />
music videos aligned to the<br />
Common Core.<br />
Rebecca Purtell (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): Ten years<br />
ago, two corps members<br />
and I found ourselves lost<br />
in the Kensington area of<br />
Philadelphia trying to find our<br />
placement school. Today, my<br />
husband and I own a house<br />
and proudly call Kensington<br />
home.<br />
Diane Reis (S. Louisiana):<br />
I am enjoying a year as<br />
chief resident in Dallas and<br />
recently married the love of<br />
my life. I was honored to have<br />
fellow S. Louisiana corps<br />
members Marisa Wolf (’02)<br />
and Bo Hilty at our wedding.<br />
Erica Rounsefell (D.C.<br />
Region): I am a foreign<br />
service officer for the U.S.<br />
Agency for International<br />
Development, currently<br />
serving a yearlong tour in<br />
Kabul, Afghanistan, where<br />
I am working on technical<br />
education development for<br />
Afghan youth.<br />
Allison Scheff (G.N.O.): I<br />
joined the Massachusetts<br />
Department of Higher<br />
Education to lead the<br />
Commonwealth’s statewide<br />
interagency STEM initiative<br />
as the executive director of<br />
STEM and of the Governor’s<br />
STEM Advisory Council.<br />
Leslie Shaw-McGee (New<br />
Jersey): This year I stepped<br />
into the instructional<br />
specialist role after teaching<br />
third and fourth grade for<br />
nine years. This is my first<br />
step into an administrative<br />
role that I hope will segue<br />
into an assistant principal<br />
role once I complete my<br />
administration program in<br />
January.<br />
Carrie Spaulding (Phoenix):<br />
After nine years in the<br />
classroom, I now help<br />
parents and educators with<br />
communication, building<br />
a positive and inclusive<br />
home or school culture,<br />
and helping children build<br />
resilience. Known as The<br />
Thirtysomething Coach, I<br />
also specialize in helping<br />
thirtysomethings who aren’t<br />
who or where they want to<br />
be with their relationships,<br />
careers, and lives (www.<br />
carriespaulding.com).<br />
Cara Volpe (Houston): At the<br />
end of 2012 I left New York<br />
City and the world of fulltime<br />
employment to live in<br />
Brazil for an extended period<br />
of time and to travel the<br />
world—something I’ve been<br />
talking about for years! What<br />
a learning experience, in so<br />
many ways.<br />
Bernard Weber (Delta):<br />
Kelly and I married in 2008<br />
and have two boys, Teddy<br />
(4) and Luke (2). I became<br />
the assistant principal at<br />
Williamston Middle School<br />
this fall.<br />
2004<br />
Mahesh Alur (Chicago): My<br />
wife and I had our son, Toby,<br />
in January 2013! He is such<br />
a joy!<br />
Steve Bartha (S. Louisiana):<br />
Elena Forzani (S. Louisiana)<br />
and I, of New Hartford, Conn.,<br />
are happy to announce the<br />
birth of our daughter, Giuliana<br />
Karen Bartha, at 12:33 a.m.<br />
on November 3, 2013. The<br />
little bundle of joy weighed<br />
6 lbs 7 oz. and measured 19<br />
inches long. Guiliana is our<br />
first child.<br />
Lori Baxter (R.G.V.): In<br />
August I began my new<br />
position as rehabilitation<br />
director for Hillside Health<br />
Care International in<br />
Southern Belize. Besides<br />
treating patients in the clinic,<br />
villages, and homes, I will be<br />
leading disability awareness<br />
presentations in elementary<br />
schools throughout the<br />
district. I recently led a<br />
workshop for preschool<br />
teachers on how to effectively<br />
instruct children with special<br />
needs.<br />
Alex Breland (Chicago): On<br />
June 23, 2013, my beautiful<br />
wife, Elizabeth Todd-Breland,<br />
gave birth to my beautiful<br />
daughter, Natalie Juanita<br />
Breland.<br />
Kelly Cassaro (N.Y.): My<br />
husband, Michael, and I<br />
welcomed James Porter<br />
Cassaro on Feb. 25, 2013,<br />
with love and gratitude in<br />
Brooklyn, N.Y.<br />
Lisa Coleman (Charlotte):<br />
My husband, Donald Curtis,<br />
and I are happy to announce<br />
the birth of our first child,<br />
Langston Isaiah Curtis, on<br />
Sept. 2, 2013.<br />
Jonathan Cosner (Houston): I<br />
am a mental health counselor<br />
serving low-income clients<br />
throughout the Columbus,<br />
Ohio area. My wife, Helen<br />
McClaugherty Cosner<br />
(R.G.V.), is currently happily<br />
teaching sixth grade reading/<br />
language arts at Gahanna<br />
Middle School South.<br />
Laura Cummings (Chicago):<br />
I was recently named<br />
the managing director of<br />
program for the Chicago<br />
region of OneGoal.<br />
Rina Deshpande (N.Y.): In<br />
2012, I finally self-published<br />
my first children’s book,<br />
inspired by my former<br />
students who were boldly<br />
learning English while<br />
mastering third grade<br />
concepts, by my beautiful<br />
Indian-American family and<br />
by my loving dog, Sasha. It’s<br />
called Cupcake. More<br />
to come!<br />
Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca<br />
(Houston): I graduated<br />
with my M.A. in socialorganizational<br />
psychology<br />
from Columbia in May 2013<br />
and assumed a new role<br />
as senior implementation<br />
researcher at K12 Inc.<br />
Maria Garner (Houston): In<br />
early October 2013, Greeni<br />
Recycling, the Houston-based<br />
event recycling company I<br />
co-own with my husband,<br />
diverted 8 tons of recycling<br />
from the landfill at Original<br />
Greek Festival.<br />
Michael Green (N.Y.):<br />
Opportunity continues to<br />
peek its head around the<br />
corner. I was promoted to a<br />
supervising attorney at my<br />
company and am anticipating<br />
more growth to come!<br />
Elliott Hood (Las Vegas):<br />
Beginning in April 2014, I<br />
will serve a one-year legal<br />
clerkship for Judge Robert<br />
Bacharach on the Tenth<br />
Circuit Court of Appeals<br />
in Oklahoma City. My wife,<br />
Caroline Hult (Las Vegas),<br />
a vice president on TFA’s<br />
admissions team, and I will<br />
relocate to Oklahoma City<br />
from our current home in<br />
Colorado.<br />
William Jenkins (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I finally found the<br />
time to go back to school<br />
myself. I’m currently<br />
82 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 83
getting my MBA from the<br />
Wharton School of Business<br />
through their program<br />
for executives while also<br />
continuing my work as White<br />
House liaison for the Obama<br />
Administration.<br />
Meghan Kelly (Baltimore):<br />
I work as an engineer to<br />
help “Keep Tahoe Blue,”<br />
as a regional coordinator<br />
for SheJumps.org getting<br />
more women outside, and<br />
as a semi-professional skier<br />
appearing in the Pretty Faces<br />
movie in 2014!<br />
Meg Lally (G.N.O.): G.N.O.<br />
2004: We are having a 10-year<br />
reunion in June for our corps<br />
in New Orleans. Save the<br />
date!<br />
Saniya LeBlanc (D.C. Region):<br />
I finally got my Ph.D. in<br />
mechanical engineering<br />
and am returning to D.C.<br />
as an assistant professor<br />
at The George Washington<br />
University.<br />
Benjamin Lev (N.Y.): I am<br />
currently serving as a New<br />
Leaders resident principal in<br />
Corona, Queens, and looking<br />
forward to opening a new<br />
school next year. If anyone<br />
would like to be part of the<br />
founding team, please contact<br />
me at BenjaminGLev@gmail.<br />
com. Thank you!<br />
Anna Maldonaldo (Houston):<br />
Since I left teaching, I had<br />
a second child—a boy. And<br />
because of the age difference<br />
with my first child, I spent<br />
last year juggling having a<br />
kindergartener and a high<br />
school senior ... whew! This<br />
past August, I proudly (and<br />
sadly) sent my first child to<br />
UT in El Paso, Texas, while my<br />
son is proudly in first grade,<br />
where he doesn’t have to take<br />
naps.<br />
Emma McCandless<br />
(R.G.V.): I am back in the<br />
classroom after relocating<br />
to Connecticut and am<br />
loving teaching eighth grade<br />
composition at Achievement<br />
First in Hartford!<br />
Eva Miles (L.A.): 2013 was a<br />
year of checking off goals. I<br />
completed my doctorate in<br />
May (teacher education in<br />
multicultural societies) and<br />
got promoted as an assistant<br />
principal in August. I packed<br />
and purged many teachingrelated<br />
files. It has been a<br />
challenging and thrilling<br />
journey so far. Next goal:<br />
finding balance.<br />
Tolulope Noah (L.A.): I<br />
earned my doctorate in<br />
education from USC last year<br />
and completed my ninth year<br />
as a classroom teacher (fifth<br />
and sixth grade). I am now a<br />
full-time college professor<br />
at Azusa Pacific University,<br />
where I teach and prepare<br />
future teachers. I also started<br />
a personal blog called “Office<br />
Hours,” where fashion,<br />
faith, and education meet:<br />
officehoursblog.tumblr.com.<br />
Efe Osagie-Odeleye<br />
(Houston): Since my days<br />
in Houston back in 2004, I<br />
have developed my career in<br />
global philanthropy. I am now<br />
a happily married mother of<br />
one living in Lagos, Nigeria,<br />
and working to enhance<br />
educational opportunities for<br />
the nation’s youth.<br />
Akshai J. Patel (Phoenix):<br />
Alumni-founded Phoenix<br />
Collegiate Academy, the<br />
first “no excuses” charter<br />
school in Arizona, has grown<br />
since 2009 and is now on the<br />
verge of realizing its vision to<br />
provide disadvantaged South<br />
Phoenix students a K-tocollege<br />
pathway.<br />
Tianay Perrault (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I am currently in<br />
my final course working<br />
toward my doctor of<br />
education leadership with<br />
a concentration in teacher<br />
leadership. My future<br />
aspirations are to work<br />
on teacher professional<br />
development and curriculum<br />
development with a focus on<br />
instructional technology at<br />
the district office level.<br />
Samantha Pownall (E.N.C.):<br />
I am now an adjunct<br />
professor of law at New<br />
York Law School, where I<br />
teach an education law and<br />
policy clinic with a focus on<br />
representing students who<br />
have been suspended and<br />
arrested from public schools<br />
in New York City.<br />
Jesse B. Rauch (D.C.<br />
Region): I completed my<br />
first year as the executive<br />
director of the D.C. State<br />
Board of Education in<br />
November 2013. I expect to<br />
continue working on issues<br />
affecting all students in the<br />
District of Columbia.<br />
Marissa Rowley (Charlotte):<br />
My husband, Travis Rowley<br />
(Charlotte), and I happily<br />
welcomed our first baby,<br />
Layla Charlotte, on Aug. 6,<br />
2013.<br />
Colin Seale (D.C. Region): I<br />
am now an associate attorney<br />
at the Las Vegas office of<br />
Greenberg Traurig, LLP. My<br />
practice focuses on litigation,<br />
intellectual property, and<br />
charter school public bond<br />
finance.<br />
David Small (L.A.): I had a<br />
baby girl this year with my<br />
wife, Liz!<br />
Laura Swartz (Delta): My<br />
husband and I now live in<br />
Portland, Ore., and we have<br />
a baby boy named Jack. I<br />
am a licensed attorney in<br />
Oregon, and I’m working as<br />
a mediator, facilitator, and<br />
the primary caregiver for<br />
our baby. We live just down<br />
the street from Lucy Amory<br />
(Delta ’04), her husband,<br />
Robby, and their little baby<br />
girl!<br />
Lauren Taiclet (N.Y.): I<br />
married Raymond Canada<br />
(N.Y. ’02) on July 7, 2012.<br />
We met while teaching in<br />
Washington Heights.<br />
Kelly Weatherby (Houston):<br />
The college version of<br />
myself would be bemused to<br />
know that, as of December,<br />
I am officially an army<br />
wife. I recently relocated<br />
to Fayetteville, N.C., to live<br />
with my fiancé, Adam, who<br />
is stationed at Fort Bragg.<br />
I spent the last five years in<br />
Brooklyn, N.Y., working at<br />
different points for TNTP, the<br />
New York City Department of<br />
Education, and TFA.<br />
Shannon Wheatley (R.G.V.):<br />
My wife, Lara, and I welcomed<br />
Caroline Sofia Wheatley into<br />
our family last May. We love<br />
her very much!<br />
Kristen Zenobia (R.G.V.):<br />
I married the man of my<br />
dreams on Oct. 27, 2012!<br />
2005<br />
Joseph Almeida (N.Y.): I<br />
became an advisory board<br />
member for the America<br />
Achieves Fellowship for<br />
Teachers and Principals, a<br />
national fellowship of about<br />
100 effective teachers and<br />
principals.<br />
Jeffrey Becker (Houston): My<br />
wife Kate and I welcomed our<br />
first child, Augustus, into the<br />
world last summer.<br />
Matthew Bragman (L.A.): On<br />
Sept. 17, 2013, my wife and I<br />
welcomed a beautiful baby<br />
girl. We could not be happier<br />
to have little Molly Elizabeth<br />
Bragman in our lives.<br />
Hunter Brown (S. Louisiana):<br />
I recently married Tiffany<br />
Compagno (S. Louisiana<br />
’10), and we have both<br />
started pursuing master’s<br />
of educational leadership<br />
degrees at LSU.<br />
Isaac Cardona (Houston): I<br />
had the opportunity to work<br />
and graduate with some<br />
amazing Teach For America<br />
alumni in my Summer<br />
Principal’s Academy cohort at<br />
Columbia. (Aja Settles [New<br />
Jersey ’04], Lander Arrieta<br />
[Miami-Dade ’08], Amanda<br />
Hageman [Houston], Juliana<br />
Worrell [New Jersey ’04],<br />
Paul Chin [L.A. ’06], Kevyn<br />
Bowles [N.Y. ’09], Annette<br />
de la Llana [D.C. Region ’02],<br />
Jessica Azani [N.Y. ’09], and<br />
Jess Deimel [Mid-Atlantic<br />
’08], to name a few).<br />
Caitlin Coe (N.Y.): I married<br />
Peter Coe (N.Y.) on Aug. 17,<br />
2013.<br />
Susan Crandall (N.Y.): I<br />
moved to State College,<br />
Penn., to pursue a Ph.D. in<br />
School Psychology at Penn<br />
State University. I also gave<br />
birth to a baby boy, Noah, last<br />
August!<br />
Elizabeth Dooley (R.G.V.): I’m<br />
working at an environmental<br />
think tank in Berlin,<br />
Germany, on agricultural,<br />
environmental and climate<br />
change policy issues in the<br />
European Union.<br />
Laura Draper (R.G.V.): My<br />
son, Atticus William Draper,<br />
was born July 5, 2013.<br />
Lauren Evans (D.C. Region):<br />
I am a foster parent to three<br />
kids.<br />
Jessica Forman (Houston):<br />
After eight years in the field<br />
of education, I am excited to<br />
report that I have returned to<br />
school. I am looking forward<br />
to expanding my skills,<br />
knowledge and network in<br />
my Leadership at Education<br />
Performance program at<br />
Vanderbilt University.<br />
Tanya Franklin (L.A.): In<br />
May I graduated from UCLA<br />
School of Law, and I currently<br />
serve as the inaugural<br />
education law public service<br />
fellow. My placement is with<br />
Mental Health Advocacy<br />
Services, where I represent<br />
kids in special education<br />
and discipline matters. I<br />
also support and monitor<br />
the implementation of<br />
restorative justice (RJ) at a<br />
few schools in LAUSD, as our<br />
district moves to RJ in all<br />
schools by 2020.<br />
Jennifer Freeman (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I recently received<br />
the Harriet Ball for<br />
Excellence in Teaching Award<br />
at KIPP National Summit in<br />
Las Vegas.<br />
Whitney Gibbs (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I have been<br />
practicing criminal defense<br />
for a few years now. I<br />
recently accepted a position<br />
with the Flint Circuit<br />
Public Defender’s Office<br />
in McDonough, Ga. I am<br />
married and have a 7-month<br />
old daughter.<br />
Kathryn Hansen (Phoenix): I<br />
am currently working on my<br />
Ph.D. in anthropology with a<br />
focus on education’s impact<br />
on the identity of language<br />
minority students.<br />
Brenda Hatley (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I married my<br />
love of three years, Justin<br />
Hatley, in November 2012<br />
and joined him in Seattle,<br />
where I am now teaching<br />
kindergarten!<br />
Jared Hove (Delta): I’m<br />
excited to be serving as<br />
senior director of partner<br />
engagement at Teach For All,<br />
working with organizations<br />
in the Middle East, South<br />
Asia, and Africa. My wife,<br />
Anna Mims (Delta ’04), and I<br />
welcomed our daughter Celia<br />
to our family this past May.<br />
Elaine Hume (G.N.O.): After<br />
12 years in New Orleans, I<br />
moved back to my hometown<br />
of Charleston, S.C., in June<br />
and got engaged in August.<br />
I’m looking forward to new<br />
career opportunities and a<br />
Charleston wedding!<br />
Philonda Johnson<br />
(Houston): I am excited to<br />
celebrate my fifth year as a<br />
Founding Principal at KIPP<br />
DC: Discover Academy.<br />
Last August, I earned my<br />
M.S. in leadership from<br />
Northeastern University CPS.<br />
In January 2014, I began my<br />
Ed.D. work in organizational<br />
leadership at Northeastern<br />
University CPS.<br />
Kristen Kell (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I got married<br />
to Matthew Hittenmark, who<br />
I met teaching, on Aug. 24,<br />
2013.<br />
Colin Kikuchi (Phoenix): I got<br />
married in March 2013, and<br />
life is great! Working hard to<br />
finish my Ph.D. dissertation.<br />
Jessica Kresevic (Charlotte):<br />
In June 2013, I accepted<br />
a full-time role as an<br />
effectiveness coach at TEACH<br />
Charlotte. Recently, I was<br />
able to coach an eighth grade<br />
teacher who teaches some<br />
of the same students from<br />
my third grade class in 2007.<br />
It is great to know that I’m<br />
still working to provide my<br />
previous students with an<br />
excellent education!<br />
Nate Lischwe (St. Louis): I got<br />
married to Rebekah Reimer<br />
(St. Louis ’10) on July 5, 2012.<br />
We were joined by joined<br />
by many family members,<br />
friends and loved ones,<br />
including a large number of<br />
people from the Teach For<br />
America community.<br />
Tyler Malotte (L.A.): I still<br />
love Sara Te (L.A.) and<br />
assume the feeling is still<br />
mutual.<br />
Julia Massey (N.Y.): My band<br />
released its third record this<br />
year and logged over 8,000<br />
miles on tour so far!<br />
Charles McClelland (S.<br />
Louisiana): In September<br />
2013 I received my master’s<br />
degree in mechanical<br />
engineering from UMass<br />
Amherst.<br />
Holly Meyer (D.C. Region):<br />
My husband, Eric, and big<br />
brother Matt welcomed Henry<br />
into our family last summer.<br />
Shari Moseley (L.A.): Hi class<br />
of 2005! I am so happy to say<br />
hello. Shoutout to all future<br />
TFAers! I’m doing well and<br />
would love to hear from you<br />
sometime.<br />
Crischelle Navalta (R.G.V.):<br />
Congratulations to my dear<br />
friend Jenny Corroy (R.G.V.<br />
’04) on her TFA Teaching<br />
Excellence Award and<br />
winning the Fishman Prize in<br />
2013. Thank you for inspiring<br />
me in our work.<br />
Ruth O’Gara (N.Y.): I received<br />
a faculty merit scholarship<br />
and a Teach For America<br />
scholarship to attend the<br />
master’s in social work<br />
program at the University<br />
of Denver. I am currently<br />
interning at a local Denver<br />
school and am interested<br />
in pursuing certification in<br />
school-based social work.<br />
Rachel Pakzadeh (Las<br />
Vegas): On May 12, 2012, my<br />
husband and I welcomed<br />
our first child, Ruby. Ruby<br />
was baptized in July, and her<br />
godfather is another TFA<br />
alum, Eric Rosecrants (N.Y.<br />
’06).<br />
Sarah Purcell (Phoenix):<br />
Throughout the first half of<br />
2013, I wrote and lobbied a<br />
bill at the Arizona Legislature<br />
with five friends that waives<br />
tuition fees for community<br />
college and universities in<br />
Arizona for kids exiting the<br />
foster care system. Gov. Jan<br />
Brewer signed it into law in<br />
mid-June 2013.<br />
Jessica Reineke (Phoenix):<br />
I live in Oklahoma City with<br />
my husband, Daniel, and our<br />
2½-year-old son Braver.<br />
Besides chasing Braver<br />
around and learning about<br />
the world through the eyes<br />
of a toddler, I co-teach eighth<br />
grade English at a wonderful<br />
school, Westminster School.<br />
Julia Roberts (St. Louis):<br />
Each year of dedicated efforts<br />
makes the difference for the<br />
children we teach.<br />
Leela Sarathy (N.Y.): Since<br />
graduating from medical<br />
school, I have begun my<br />
residency in pediatrics at<br />
Rhode Island Hospital/Brown<br />
University. It is my hope that<br />
as a health care provider to<br />
some of the nation’s poorest<br />
children, I am contributing<br />
to the movement to ensure<br />
educational opportunity for<br />
all.<br />
Rachel Seward (St. Louis):<br />
Between March and May<br />
of 2013, my husband and I<br />
bought a house, welcomed<br />
our first child—a daughter<br />
named Avery—and I began a<br />
role as deputy superintendent<br />
in St. Louis Public Schools!<br />
Erin Smith (Baltimore): I<br />
recently earned my Ph.D. in<br />
human nutrition, foods, and<br />
exercise with an emphasis<br />
in behavioral nutrition and<br />
physical activity and public<br />
school wellness policy<br />
analysis from Virginia Tech.<br />
Jesse Spevack (N.Y.): I got<br />
engaged to Jess Goldberg<br />
(N.Y.). Pretty lucky.<br />
Sarah Strom (D.C. Region):<br />
John Petersen (D.C. Region<br />
’06) and I were married<br />
on May 25, 2013, making a<br />
relationship that blossomed<br />
as corps members at Powell<br />
E.S. official. The wedding<br />
took place under umbrellas<br />
on the prairie on a cold,<br />
rainy Memorial Day in my<br />
hometown of Dixon, Ill. Anna<br />
Gregory (D.C. Region) was a<br />
bridesmaid.<br />
Heather Synold (Las Vegas):<br />
My husband, J.J. Synold (Las<br />
Vegas ’04), and I moved into<br />
our first home in March 2013.<br />
A week later, we welcomed<br />
our second daughter, Piper<br />
Ann! Piper joins big sister<br />
Grace Elena, who turned 2<br />
in May.<br />
Joshua VanderJagt<br />
(Chicago): In a time of such<br />
significant change and action<br />
within education reform, I am<br />
proud to be part of the TFA<br />
movement that has positively<br />
contributed to these efforts.<br />
While the efficacy and<br />
intentions of every player<br />
in this movement has been<br />
questioned, I feel strongly<br />
that TFA’s altruistic view has<br />
had a tremendous impact on<br />
the educational landscape of<br />
our nation.<br />
Erica Warren (S. Louisiana):<br />
I was married on April 29,<br />
2012, to Richard Warren of<br />
Lithonia, Ga. I also graduated<br />
with an MBA in marketing<br />
from Georgia State University<br />
in December 2011.<br />
Roxana Wells (Phoenix):<br />
My husband, Stewart, and I<br />
welcomed our baby boy, Ryan<br />
Rocco, on Nov. 7, 2012.<br />
2006<br />
Chike Aguh (N.Y.): I just<br />
graduated from the Harvard<br />
Kennedy School and the<br />
Wharton School, moved<br />
to Maryland and just got<br />
engaged. I am working to<br />
advance the use of education<br />
technology to help every<br />
student succeed.<br />
Russell Armstrong (Miami-<br />
Dade): Last August, I left<br />
my position as education<br />
policy advisor for Louisiana<br />
to become the chief growth<br />
officer at mSchool, winner of<br />
Teach For America’s National<br />
Social Innovation Award, with<br />
Elliot Sanchez (G.N.O. ’08).<br />
Michael Barnes (R.G.V.): I<br />
have relocated to Austin to<br />
pursue a Ph.D. in education<br />
policy at the University of<br />
Texas, and am maintaining<br />
my support for students and<br />
families as a P/T teacher<br />
providing reading intervention<br />
for a public charter school.<br />
84 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 85
Seeking the best of the best<br />
Excellent Teachers for Excellent Schools<br />
The Excellent Schools Network connects<br />
passionate, results-driven teachers to<br />
job openings at the highest performing<br />
Building Excellent Schools charter schools.<br />
Amy Benedetti (N.Y.): After<br />
teaching in New York City<br />
for five years, I moved to<br />
Hong Kong in 2011 to teach<br />
at an international school.<br />
It is amazing, even across<br />
the globe, how many Teach<br />
For America and Teach For<br />
All alumni and supporters I<br />
encounter on a regular basis.<br />
Teach For America’s strength<br />
as an organization is truly<br />
recognized worldwide.<br />
Stephen Bloom (Miami-<br />
Dade): I married Emily Elliott<br />
(L.A. ’05) on June 1, 2013, in<br />
Sandy Spring, Md. We recently<br />
moved to Baltimore, where I<br />
am attending graduate school<br />
for public health and business<br />
and Emily is working for an<br />
international-youth-focused<br />
NGO.<br />
Colleen Bonaccorso (N.Y.): I<br />
am a certified yoga instructor.<br />
Rachel Byron-Law (N.Y.): I<br />
released an indie-folk album<br />
last year, and have had a<br />
wonderful time seeing some<br />
of you on tour! www.arbielle.<br />
com.<br />
Sarah Chi (E.N.C.): I am<br />
currently a North Carolina<br />
Principal Fellow enrolled<br />
in the master’s of school<br />
administration program at the<br />
University of North Carolina<br />
at Chapel Hill.<br />
Jonthon Coulson (N.Y.): I<br />
am teaching the group of<br />
students I taught as seventh<br />
and eighth graders before<br />
I left to Indonesia for two<br />
years. This year, I’ll see them<br />
graduate!<br />
Taylor Delhagen (N.Y.): I am<br />
heading to Mysore, India,<br />
in 2014 with Fulbright to<br />
study how history teachers<br />
are instructed to facilitate<br />
lessons on the Indian<br />
Nationalist Movement and,<br />
in turn, how this impacts<br />
feelings of national belonging<br />
in and out of the classroom.<br />
Colleen Doyle (N.Y.): I am<br />
currently working in Early<br />
Intervention as a speechlanguage<br />
pathologist. I<br />
serve families of diverse<br />
cultures and socioeconomic<br />
backgrounds. I am able to<br />
ensure young children (3 and<br />
under) and their families<br />
are on the right path from<br />
the beginning. My TFA<br />
experience certainly shapes<br />
my work with my families and<br />
I am grateful for that!<br />
Jonathan Elkin (N.Y.): Nice<br />
seeing so many people at the<br />
TFA-NYC reunion. For those I<br />
missed: After teaching math<br />
in the Bronx, I went to D.C.,<br />
and now I’m doing ed policy<br />
for Senator Hirono of Hawai‘i.<br />
Meanwhile, I met my wife in<br />
’08 while volunteering on the<br />
Obama campaign...it worked<br />
out! Come visit if you ever find<br />
yourself in D.C.<br />
Cole Entress (Chicago): I am<br />
now working with the Relay<br />
Graduate School of Education<br />
to avenge the subpar<br />
experience of corps members<br />
in education grad schools<br />
nationwide. Holla at me!<br />
Kevin Floyd (Charlotte):<br />
I have accepted a role as<br />
project manager and media<br />
specialist with NP Strategy in<br />
Columbia, S.C. This is a newly<br />
launched subsidiary of the<br />
Nexsen Pruet law firm, for<br />
which I am also employed.<br />
Ulises Garcia (L.A.): I<br />
recently became the ELD<br />
Advisor for Villa Park High<br />
School.<br />
Michelle Gieg (S.<br />
Louisiana): My partner<br />
and I, Meghan Thompson<br />
(Charlotte ’08), got<br />
engaged this year after<br />
meeting on staff at the<br />
Delta institute. We’ve also<br />
recently relocated back to<br />
Baton Rouge, La., where<br />
she recently joined the S.<br />
Louisiana regional team.<br />
Megan Godfrey (L.A.): I<br />
returned to Los Angeles in<br />
June 2013 with my husband<br />
and infant daughter to visit<br />
my former students and<br />
celebrate their high school<br />
graduation—a promise I<br />
made to them my first year<br />
in TFA when they were sixth<br />
graders!<br />
Gretchen Greenawalt<br />
(Greater Philadelphia):<br />
Danny Greenawalt and I had<br />
our first baby girl in January<br />
2013, named Perry Hannah!<br />
Holly Guzman (N.Y.): I<br />
graduated from University<br />
of Chicago Booth School of<br />
Business and Harris School<br />
of Public Policy with an<br />
MBA/MPP degree. I recently<br />
started a marketing role at<br />
Procter & Gamble.<br />
Michelle Hassler (Delta):<br />
Michael Hassler (Delta ’05)<br />
and I just had our first child,<br />
a boy named Heath. He was<br />
born on April 29.<br />
Tori Hines (L.A.): I<br />
graduated from Columbia<br />
with an MS in neuroscience<br />
and education with a focus<br />
on literacy acquisition<br />
and the development of<br />
creativity. A few months<br />
later, my husband and I<br />
welcomed our first child,<br />
Hunter Hines!<br />
Sadra Isaacs (N.Y.): Joshua<br />
Isaacs (N.Y.) and I were<br />
married on Aug. 4, 2012.<br />
Shani Jackson Dowell<br />
(Houston): Team Dowell now<br />
has four members. Randy<br />
(a fellow educator who<br />
launched KIPP Nashville)<br />
and I welcomed our son Joah<br />
to the family. He joins his big<br />
sister Selah.<br />
Kristen Jones (N.Y.): I<br />
published a book for young<br />
adults in 2013, entitled<br />
Nothing Like Me. It attempts<br />
to chronicle some of the<br />
pressures of the students I<br />
teach in a fictional format.<br />
Apply Today!<br />
buildingexcellentschools.org/ESNapply<br />
1. Review teacher job openings.<br />
2. Search job openings by keyword, city or school name.<br />
3. Complete online application and submit directly to schools.<br />
4. Schools will contact you if there is a good fit.<br />
Questions? Contact recruiting@buildingexcellentschools.org<br />
The Excellent Schools Network is a select group of the<br />
highest-performing schools founded by Building Excellent Schools<br />
Fellows. These schools work with BES—and one another—to<br />
sustain high levels of student achievement and grow to serve<br />
more students in urban centers around the country.<br />
Let us make the world your classroom...<br />
Master of Public Affairs (MPA)<br />
• Ranked #2 in the country by U.S. News and World Report<br />
• Exciting concentrations include:<br />
Nonprofit Management<br />
International Development<br />
Energy<br />
• Teach For America benefits that result in tuition savings:<br />
Waiver of Experiential Requirement<br />
Credit Hour Reductions<br />
www.spea.indiana.edu<br />
Emily Gorenz, MPA '10<br />
Teach For America Alum, ‘10<br />
Concentration: Nonprofit Management<br />
Current Position: Director of School Support<br />
at the Achievement Newwork, New Orleans, LA<br />
86 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 87
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
CAN YOU<br />
BRING IT?<br />
TEAMWORK PASSION DEDICATION HUMOR<br />
COMMITMENT OWNERSHIP EXCELLENCE<br />
ELLENC E<br />
Grant Stegner’s and Elizabeth Carmichael’s (both N.Y. ’08) journey began in the same CMA group at summer institute. Five years and countless lesson<br />
plans later (both are still teachers in New York City), they married in Erie, Pa., on July 13, 2013. Alumni present included (from left) Kayla Poole, Michael<br />
Keough, Lauren Cheak, Michael Duque, Claire Blide (all N.Y. ’08), Shyam Kannan, Osvaldo Mendez (both N.Y. ’09), and Belen Ramirez (N.Y. ’07).<br />
Mary Kearns (Connecticut):<br />
I am currently working at<br />
Baker College Prep as dean<br />
of students. Baker is one<br />
of two new campuses of<br />
Chicago’s Noble Network of<br />
charter schools that opened<br />
on Chicago’s South Side in<br />
August 2013. We are proud to<br />
be serving our 2021 college<br />
graduates!<br />
Michael Klein (N.Y.): On July 14,<br />
2013, my beautiful wife, Rachel<br />
Kantrowitz, and I were married<br />
at the Central Park Boathouse<br />
in the company of many TFA<br />
NYC alums, including Noah<br />
Green, Chike Aguh, Andrew<br />
Parsons, Jonthon Coulson,<br />
Lizzy Vogel (’07), Sam Ronfard,<br />
and Dan Wise (’04).<br />
Marguerite Lembo (N.Y.):<br />
My husband, John, and I<br />
welcomed our first child,<br />
Liliana Theresa, on April 29,<br />
2013!<br />
Adriana MacGregor (N.Y.):<br />
One year ago last fall, my<br />
husband and I welcomed<br />
a beautiful baby boy into<br />
our family. Becoming a<br />
parent has strengthened<br />
my commitment to creating<br />
equitable educational<br />
opportunities for all students.<br />
Siiri Marquardt (N.Y.): In<br />
May 2013, I graduated from<br />
Loyola University Chicago<br />
with my Ed.S/M.Ed in school<br />
psychology.<br />
Jennifer McEachern (N.Y.):<br />
I completed my MBA at<br />
Yale in May 2013, and in<br />
February 2014 I began as a<br />
senior consultant at Deloitte<br />
in Atlanta. In the interim, I<br />
taught a business planning/<br />
entrepreneurship course to<br />
high school students in Prep<br />
for Prep and left to travel<br />
through Australia and Europe<br />
last October.<br />
Laura McSorley (D.C.<br />
Region): My husband, Tom<br />
Dallas McSorley (D.C.<br />
Region), and I are still loving<br />
living in D.C., where Tom<br />
is now a lawyer. I work to<br />
expand Teach For America’s<br />
impact in early childhood—<br />
reach out if we should<br />
connect.<br />
Rebecca Miller<br />
(Connecticut): On May 25,<br />
2013, I got married to Ben<br />
Rottman, and my collab<br />
members Eva Colen (Greater<br />
Philadelphia), Maggie<br />
Hughes (Baltimore), and<br />
Lindsey Rohwer (Chicago),<br />
as well as my Institute LS,<br />
Matt Radigan (G.N.O. ’98),<br />
were in attendance! I moved<br />
to Pittsburgh to start a triple<br />
boards (pediatrics, adult<br />
psychiatry, child psychiatry)<br />
residency at UPMC after<br />
graduating from medical<br />
school in June 2013.<br />
Erasmo Montalvan (D.C.<br />
Region): As a school<br />
director/principal on the<br />
southwest side of Chicago,<br />
I am working arduously<br />
to improve the social<br />
and academic outcomes<br />
of all students in urban<br />
education.<br />
Larry Neal (Delta): Whitney<br />
[Long] Neal (Delta) and I<br />
welcomed Audrey Claire<br />
Neal to our family on June<br />
24, 2013. We live in Atlanta.<br />
Susan Oba (N.Y.): I am<br />
currently teaching math and<br />
coaching teachers at KIPP<br />
Heartwood in San Jose,<br />
Calif.<br />
Kyle Palmer (Houston):<br />
I am working as an 11th<br />
grade AP Language and<br />
Composition teacher at<br />
Summit Prep charter high in<br />
Redwood City, Calif.<br />
Jessica Perez (N.Y.): I married<br />
David Fink, a fellow teacher I<br />
met at my placement school,<br />
on July 28th, 2013, in Lake<br />
View Terrace, Calif. We<br />
continue to work together at<br />
the Celia Cruz Bronx High<br />
School of Music.<br />
Kimberly Price (Miami-Dade):<br />
I won my first trial, preventing<br />
a client from spending 10<br />
years in prison without parole<br />
for a nonviolent drug offense.<br />
The jury took 13 minutes to<br />
acquit my client.<br />
Ajeenah Rasheed-Carroll<br />
(Metro Atlanta): I am living a<br />
blessed life as a mom to five, a<br />
wife of 13 years to an amazing<br />
husband, and a fourth-year<br />
MTLD on an incredible team in<br />
Metro Atlanta.<br />
Jenson Reiser (N.Y.): I am a<br />
third-year doctoral student in<br />
counseling psychology at UT<br />
Make more than a difference. Make your mark.<br />
Join Success Academy because you want to challenge yourself and<br />
scholars across New York City to achieve at a ground-breaking, history<br />
making level every day. With 22 schools serving grades K-8 and a high<br />
school opening in 2014, we seek individuals ready to become leaders,<br />
mentors, and role models to thousands of young people in grades K-12<br />
who are eager to learn—and deserve a world-class public education.<br />
Are you ready to transform education — for good? Learn more and<br />
apply today at SuccessCareers.org<br />
88 One Day • SPRING 2014<br />
SuccessCareers.org<br />
©<br />
2014 Success Academy. EOE.
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Austin. My research centers<br />
upon stress in educational<br />
settings. Clinically, I work<br />
with children and adolescents<br />
in an inpatient psychiatric<br />
facility.<br />
Sara Rubin (Las Vegas): I am<br />
enrolled in my final year of a<br />
school psychology graduate<br />
program at Illinois State<br />
University, and am serving<br />
as a full-time psychology<br />
intern at Evanston Township<br />
High School. I look forward<br />
to learning how to best meet<br />
the academic and socialemotional<br />
needs of students<br />
and applying this knowledge<br />
to my future practice as a<br />
school psychologist.<br />
Elizabeth Simpson<br />
(Memphis): Tim Flowers<br />
(Memphis) and I were<br />
married in Memphis, Tenn.,<br />
on Nov. 2, 2013.<br />
Wrede Smith (St. Louis): Beth<br />
Kuhnhein (St. Louis) and I<br />
were married in Cincinnati<br />
on Dec. 8, 2012! Two fellow<br />
corps members were in the<br />
wedding party, and others<br />
were in attendance.<br />
John Stoneburner (L.A.):<br />
I recently became the<br />
chairman of the board for<br />
a charter school in Los<br />
Angeles.<br />
Andrea Swanson (Baltimore):<br />
Hello to the Baltimore Corps<br />
’06! Shawn and I wish a happy<br />
first birthday to Penelope,<br />
our daughter! We are living in<br />
Portland, Ore., and loving life!<br />
Kimron Thomas (N.Y.): I<br />
am currently working with<br />
the NY Collective of Radical<br />
Educators and the movement<br />
of rank-and-file educators<br />
to fight the privatization<br />
and corporate takeover of<br />
American public schools. Join<br />
me! kimronthomas@gmail.<br />
com.<br />
Lisa Thornton (Charlotte):<br />
Seven years after Shelby<br />
Rohrer and I were in the same<br />
collaborative CMA group in<br />
Atlanta institute, 2006, we<br />
reunited again as colleagues<br />
working for a leading charter<br />
school in South Minneapolis<br />
called Hiawatha Leadership<br />
Academy. I continued teaching<br />
at my placement school<br />
Our scholars are growing...<br />
Blackstone Valley Prep<br />
Mayoral Academy,<br />
a network of high performing<br />
charter schools in Rhode Island,<br />
will serve 7 schools<br />
and over 2,000 scholars,<br />
grades K-12, by the year 2017.<br />
and so is our team.<br />
2009<br />
in Charlotte, N.C., for four<br />
years before moving back to<br />
Minnesota. The TFA network<br />
came full cycle.<br />
Akay Tuncak (N.Y.): I have<br />
started business school at the<br />
University of Chicago Booth<br />
School of Business.<br />
Chelsea Vines (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I continue to teach<br />
in my placement school.<br />
Every year is a challenge<br />
because my students’ needs<br />
are different. No two classes<br />
are the same, and that is the<br />
beauty of teaching. I work<br />
hard, but I can truly say that I<br />
still enjoy it!<br />
Angela Washington (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I just got married<br />
on July 7, 2013! So I’m getting<br />
used to my students calling<br />
me a new last name after<br />
seven years.<br />
Abbey Weispfenning (E.N.C.):<br />
My husband Aaron and I<br />
welcomed a baby girl, Emma<br />
Fay, on Dec. 12, 2012. I also<br />
accepted a new role as an<br />
assistant principal in my<br />
placement district.<br />
Vincent Zabala (Hawai‘i): I’ve<br />
made a big move in the past<br />
two years to Southeast Asia,<br />
spending a year teaching<br />
in Thailand and currently<br />
working as a trainer and<br />
coach for Teach For Malaysia.<br />
2007<br />
Pamela (Swanson) Simaga<br />
(R.G.V.): I graduated law<br />
school in May 2012 and am<br />
working as an attorney at<br />
a school law firm. I also<br />
married Eric, the love of my<br />
life, in May 2013.<br />
Kristin Algier (Houston): I am<br />
excited to have moved back to<br />
Dallas to serve as the primary<br />
director at Uplift’s Heights<br />
Preparatory. This amazing<br />
school in West Dallas is<br />
creating the next generation<br />
of college graduates. It is not<br />
if they will go to college, but<br />
where!<br />
Nathan Arrowsmith<br />
(Phoenix): In May, I graduated<br />
magna cum laude from the<br />
Sandra Day O’Connor College<br />
of Law at Arizona State<br />
University and started work<br />
Make an impact: join us!<br />
2013<br />
in the fall as a law clerk for<br />
Judge David Campbell of the<br />
United States District Court<br />
for the District of Arizona.<br />
Erin Barksdale (Metro<br />
Atlanta): As of June 2013,<br />
I became the high school<br />
principal/director of a charter<br />
school, Hampton Preparatory,<br />
in Dallas.<br />
Ashley Bencan (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): Zach Bencan<br />
(Greater Philadelphia) and I<br />
have a 10-month-old baby boy<br />
named Jackson!<br />
Michael Billups (G.N.O.):<br />
Despite moving from the<br />
classroom into the cockpits<br />
of America’s Air Force, I am<br />
as resolved as ever that our<br />
nation’s biggest challenge and<br />
opportunity lies in the reform<br />
of our education system and its<br />
ability to provide all children<br />
with an excellent education.<br />
Charles Braman (N.Y.): I am<br />
currently the coordinator<br />
of special projects and<br />
extracurricular activities at<br />
Rise Academy, a KIPP school,<br />
in Newark, N.J.<br />
MASTERY CHARTER SCHOOLS<br />
THE NATIONAL TURNAROUND LEADER<br />
“<br />
After Teach For America, I knew I wanted to<br />
continue making a difference in urban education<br />
and work somewhere with leadership opportunities.<br />
If you are committed to public education reform,<br />
then Mastery is the place for you.<br />
Matthew Troha, Greater Philadelphia ’03 and current Mastery Executive Principal<br />
”<br />
TRANSFORMING EDUCATION IN<br />
PHILADELPHIA SINCE 2001<br />
18 Mastery Campuses<br />
125 School Leaders<br />
47 Teach For America<br />
Alums Serving in School<br />
Leadership Roles<br />
Proudly Serving<br />
9,500 Families<br />
Join us today.<br />
Our team is home to a 2013<br />
National Milken Educator Award recipient*<br />
*a 2006 Teach For America alum!<br />
www.blackstonevalleyprep.org<br />
Click the “Careers” tab<br />
Teachers and leaders wanted in grades K-9<br />
To learn more and apply:<br />
www.masterycharter.org<br />
One Day • SPRING 2014 91
BE NOBLE.<br />
1 in 10 high school<br />
seniors in Chicago<br />
attends a Noble<br />
campus.<br />
Over 90% of<br />
Noble seniors<br />
choose to pursue a<br />
college degree.<br />
242<br />
Teach For America<br />
alumni are helping<br />
them get there.<br />
A critical mass is<br />
forming that will<br />
close Chicago’s<br />
opportunity gap.<br />
noblenetwork.org<br />
92 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 93
Calling All<br />
Role Models<br />
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is<br />
looking for great teachers and is committed<br />
to providing a high quality education to<br />
every student. We are earning a national<br />
reputation for urban school reform and want<br />
the best educators to help us reach our goal<br />
of becoming the nation’s top performing<br />
urban school system by 2018. Join us.<br />
High Demand Opportunities:<br />
Math<br />
Chemistry<br />
Biology<br />
Spanish<br />
ELL\K-6<br />
ELL\7-12<br />
SERVE • INSPIRE • ACHIEVE<br />
www.mnps.org<br />
Exceptional<br />
Education<br />
The Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) does not discriminate<br />
on the basis of race, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, sexual<br />
orientation, national origin, color, age, and/or disability in admission to,<br />
access to, or operation of its programs, services, or activities. MNPS does not<br />
discriminate in its hiring or employment practices.<br />
Tina Brunson (N.Y.): Stephen<br />
Green (N.Y.) and I met as<br />
corps members and recently<br />
became engaged while<br />
vacationing in Tanzania in<br />
2013.<br />
Alissa Byrne (L.A.): My<br />
husband and I welcomed our<br />
second daughter into the<br />
world last spring. Savannah<br />
Byrne was born on May 11!<br />
Her older sister Mckinley<br />
(2½) is a proud big sister!<br />
Trisha Carlson (Baltimore):<br />
I’ve had two children of my<br />
own who make me appreciate<br />
and value elementary school<br />
teachers even more! I now<br />
teach at an alternative high<br />
school in Montana where I<br />
have the privilege of helping<br />
students earn high school<br />
diplomas on a schedule that<br />
works for each one.<br />
Rochelle Comeaux (Chicago):<br />
After Teach For America, I<br />
moved to Colorado, earned<br />
my Wilderness First<br />
Responder, then moved to<br />
Portland, Ore., to work as<br />
a guide for a wilderness<br />
therapy program. I later<br />
began working at a local<br />
gear shop and am now<br />
packing up to move to South<br />
America, where I will work<br />
on my Spanish, volunteer,<br />
and eventually come back to<br />
the States to work with youth<br />
once again.<br />
Stephanie Covill (Charlotte):<br />
Hey Charlotte ’07! I recently<br />
graduated from UNC Chapel<br />
Hill’s Master of School<br />
Administration program as<br />
a North Carolina Principal<br />
Fellow, and I am now serving<br />
as an assistant principal at<br />
Githens Middle School in<br />
Durham, N.C.<br />
Barbara Hope Crocker (N.Y.):<br />
I got married this fall and<br />
am still living and working in<br />
New York City with so many<br />
amazing TFA alums.<br />
Jared Dawson (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I am married to<br />
Dominique Dawson and<br />
together we have one child<br />
named Josiah. My family<br />
currently lives in Atlanta and<br />
works for Campus Crusade<br />
for Christ. We are working<br />
to see every student in<br />
Atlanta have an opportunity<br />
to respond to the message<br />
of Jesus. I also do a little<br />
photography and furniture<br />
restoration.<br />
Keith Dell’Aquila (L.A.): I<br />
married Kate Dove (L.A. ’10)<br />
and began work engaging<br />
charter school teachers in<br />
advocacy work as the director<br />
of teacher engagement<br />
with the California Charter<br />
Schools Association.<br />
William Dirickson (Houston):<br />
I have just been accepted to<br />
Officer Candidate School for<br />
the United States Navy!<br />
William (Sam) Duell (Bay<br />
Area): Laura (Bay Area<br />
’10), Robin (Corps ’23), and I<br />
recently moved to Oklahoma<br />
City to join the momentous<br />
education reform movement<br />
in Oklahoma. Drawn by family<br />
and a happenin’ place, I<br />
recently accepted a position<br />
in the State Department of<br />
Education, where I work with<br />
all of the charter schools in<br />
the state to ensure quality<br />
school choice for kids.<br />
Charles Erker (Chicago):<br />
I graduated from Harvard<br />
Business School in May 2013<br />
and started as a consultant<br />
with The Boston Consulting<br />
Group in Chicago last July. I<br />
recently started volunteering<br />
with METROsquash and look<br />
forward to reacquainting<br />
myself with the Chicago<br />
winter.<br />
Casey Farmer (Bay Area):<br />
Galen Wilson (Bay Area ’08)<br />
and I, college sweethearts<br />
from University of San<br />
Francisco, were married<br />
on Sept. 1, 2013, in West<br />
Sonoma County, Calif. Over<br />
a dozen alums were there<br />
to celebrate! I am a policy<br />
analyst for an Oakland City<br />
Council member whose<br />
campaign I managed, and<br />
Galen works in public<br />
infrastructure financing at<br />
Goldman Sachs.<br />
Maria Formico (Bay Area):<br />
I’m working on my National<br />
Board Certification and<br />
planning my wedding for July<br />
2014. Life is great!<br />
Beth Freitas Clark (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): Last fall I had<br />
the great joy of marrying<br />
my craziest, smartest,<br />
most generous, and most<br />
handsome friend, Justin.<br />
We were elated to celebrate<br />
with our community, which<br />
included several Philly ’07<br />
alums.<br />
Darryl Glover (New Jersey):<br />
I am currently working<br />
hard to launch a creative<br />
company that will allow me to<br />
highlight the role of the arts<br />
in education. Our mission is<br />
simple: Expose all aspects<br />
of the creative industry to<br />
students in grades K-12 as<br />
a future career option. With<br />
proper guidance, the arts and<br />
entertainment industry can<br />
be more than “hobby worthy.”<br />
Stephen Green (N.Y.): Tina<br />
Brunson and I are engaged.<br />
Our love first blossomed at<br />
Pace University.<br />
Meredith Hartman (E.N.C.):<br />
I started my new role as a<br />
talent associate with KIPP<br />
Philadelphia Schools in July<br />
2013. This is my first year<br />
out of the classroom and I<br />
am enjoying learning how to<br />
recruit and select the best<br />
teachers for KIPP Philly’s<br />
students.<br />
Joanna Hefty (N.Y.): I’m<br />
so excited to join the<br />
academics team at Summit<br />
Public Schools. We’re doing<br />
amazing work through<br />
technology to support selfdirected<br />
learning!<br />
Gwen Hodges (Baltimore): In<br />
February 2013, my husband<br />
and I welcomed Benton<br />
Michael Shevlin Hodges to<br />
the family.<br />
Sarah Hunko Baker (N.Y.): I<br />
am principal and co-founder<br />
of Foundations College Prep,<br />
a new 6-12 charter school<br />
opening on Chicago’s South<br />
Side in 2014. I am co-founder<br />
with Executive Director Micki<br />
O’Neil (former TFA staff) and<br />
Dean of School Culture Emily<br />
Quiroz (D.C. Region).<br />
David Jordan (N.Y.): After<br />
completing my corps<br />
commitment, I have been<br />
thrilled to apply the rigor and<br />
data-driven analysis Teach<br />
For America has taught me in<br />
the Chinese context through<br />
Teach For China. I am more<br />
confident than ever that<br />
educational equity can be<br />
solved, both here and abroad.<br />
Marvis Kilgore (Houston):<br />
I have been named as a<br />
level coordinator at the<br />
Community College of Qatar<br />
in the English Language<br />
Center.<br />
Jordan Kutcher (N.Y.): I<br />
recently moved to Chicago<br />
with my fiancé. The wedding<br />
will be in May in Washington,<br />
D.C.!<br />
Adrian Larbi-Cherif (St.<br />
Louis): I am currently<br />
working on how to design<br />
schools to ensure that all<br />
students receive a quality<br />
math education.<br />
Whitney LeFevre<br />
(Baltimore): After graduating<br />
from medical school and<br />
getting married within<br />
two weeks of each other, I<br />
recently ventured back east<br />
to start my family medicine<br />
residency at Greater<br />
Lawrence Family Health<br />
Center in Lawrence, Mass.<br />
I work predominantly with<br />
a Latino population in an<br />
underserved community,<br />
working to end educational<br />
inequality by bettering the<br />
health of the neighborhood<br />
I live in.<br />
Meredith Levine (N.Y.): Still<br />
teaching, and still loving it!<br />
Allison Liby-Schoonover<br />
(Greater Philadelphia): I<br />
currently direct education<br />
policy for the president and<br />
majority leader of the Florida<br />
Senate.<br />
Axel Lucca (Bay Area):<br />
I am currently attending<br />
the George Washington<br />
University Physician<br />
Assistant program. I am<br />
also the House of Delegates<br />
representative for the<br />
Student Association of<br />
the American Academy of<br />
Physician Assistants. Can’t<br />
wait to start clinical rotations<br />
in May!<br />
Alexander Macaulay<br />
(Charlotte): After a year of<br />
waiting, the all-new LIFT<br />
Academy of West Charlotte<br />
high school is finally open!<br />
Each day we work to serve 60<br />
off-track seniors by helping<br />
them get all of the credits<br />
they need to graduate on time<br />
in June.<br />
Juan Pablo Martinez<br />
(Houston): I have been<br />
working for the past two<br />
years supporting the launch<br />
of Enseña por Colombia’s<br />
(my home country) first two<br />
cohorts. I am now splitting<br />
my time between the<br />
programs in Colombia and<br />
Argentina, two of five Latin<br />
American programs that<br />
are part of the Teach For All<br />
network.<br />
Jayda McGough (G.N.O.):<br />
After having twins during my<br />
second year, I got married<br />
to their father, a software<br />
engineer I met while in New<br />
Orleans. After moving to<br />
Seattle, we had another<br />
baby—boy No. 3! I recently<br />
founded an educational<br />
advocacy group, Friends<br />
of Arthur, named after<br />
one of my former students<br />
who passed away. I’m so<br />
excited to continue my work<br />
with students and families<br />
navigating the special<br />
education world.<br />
Daniel Meyers (New Jersey):<br />
I graduated from Yale Divinity<br />
School and was ordained in<br />
the United Church of Christ.<br />
I’m now working in higher<br />
education to help ensure all<br />
our students have access to<br />
faith-based communities and<br />
practices.<br />
Jonathan Moore (Phoenix):<br />
I have been named the<br />
principal of Dr. Bernard Black<br />
Elementary School in the<br />
Roosevelt School District.<br />
This is the school where I<br />
was first placed as a corps<br />
member teaching seventh<br />
grade social studies. It feels<br />
great to be back home in the<br />
community I love!<br />
Kathleen Nanney (Houston):<br />
After graduating from law<br />
school at the University of<br />
Texas, I am currently clerking<br />
for the Honorable Edward C.<br />
Prado of the United States<br />
Court of Appeals for the Fifth<br />
Circuit.<br />
Laura Nikiel (Memphis):<br />
Moving back home to Chicago<br />
was the best move I could<br />
make! I work for Noble<br />
Street Charter Schools as<br />
an environmental science<br />
teacher. I love every day that<br />
I have with the students,<br />
teaching them how to make<br />
the world a better place by<br />
protecting our environment.<br />
We also take students<br />
camping and to preserves to<br />
study how to preserve these<br />
places in the future. I couldn’t<br />
be more lucky.<br />
John O’Hara (L.A.): I married<br />
my beautiful wife, fellow Los<br />
Angeles corps member Dena<br />
Veth O’Hara, on Aug. 18, 2012.<br />
Jesse Palencia (Houston):<br />
I led my school’s (Juarez<br />
Community Academy in<br />
Chicago) senior class in<br />
attaining over $9 million in<br />
scholarship funds — highest<br />
in school history and secondhighest<br />
in the school area<br />
network.<br />
Erin Peacock (N.Y.): I recently<br />
received my master’s of<br />
social work from NYU. I<br />
am currently working for a<br />
nonprofit agency in the field<br />
of child welfare.<br />
Jarred Pfeiffer (Charlotte): I<br />
received my master’s of fine<br />
arts in ceramics from Kansas<br />
State University in May 2013<br />
and am currently the new<br />
ceramics professor at Cuesta<br />
College in San Luis Obispo,<br />
Calif. Last February, I won the<br />
Midwestern Association of<br />
School Councils Excellence in<br />
Teaching Award for graduate<br />
student teaching.<br />
Laura Powers (N.Y.):<br />
As a Leader U Fellow at<br />
Democracy Prep, I am<br />
working toward the mission<br />
each day of “work hard,<br />
go to college, change the<br />
world.” Through professional<br />
development with Democracy<br />
Prep and Building Excellent<br />
Schools, I look forward<br />
to helping expand the<br />
Democracy Prep Network in<br />
the next year.<br />
Kelly Quinney (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I married<br />
Sam Quinney (Greater<br />
Philadelphia) on June 22,<br />
2013, in Charlotte, Vt.<br />
Alisha Ragan (L.A.): I am<br />
currently in my seventh year<br />
of teaching, with Uncommon<br />
Schools in Brooklyn, N.Y.<br />
I am an instructional lead<br />
teacher and also serve as<br />
an adjunct instructor at the<br />
Relay Graduate School of<br />
Education.<br />
Desiree Raught (D.C.<br />
Region): After Teach For<br />
America, I stayed in the<br />
classroom and found a<br />
variety of leadership roles<br />
within D.C. Public Schools.<br />
I currently write Common<br />
Core curriculum for all<br />
ELA teachers. I serve as an<br />
LGBT liaison for my school<br />
to ensure that all students<br />
have a safe, welcoming place<br />
to learn. DCPS is an exciting<br />
place to work, and TFA gave<br />
me the skills I needed to be a<br />
part of the reform.<br />
Catarina Rivera (N.Y.): I was<br />
a speaker for the second year<br />
at the national Latinos in Tech<br />
Innovation and Social Media<br />
(LATISM) conference on Sept.<br />
21, 2013. I was part of a panel<br />
on Latinos and obesity.<br />
Adriana Rosales (Houston):<br />
I am now a dean of students<br />
at my school, Coney Island<br />
Prep.<br />
Tammy Ruth (L.A.): I married<br />
Kacy Ruth (L.A.) in St. Louis<br />
on April 6, 2013. We both<br />
graduated from medical<br />
school and are now working<br />
Kristol Roberts (St. Louis ’07) writes: “I am proud and excited<br />
to welcome my first child, Kameron,” born in October 2013.<br />
at Naval Medical Center<br />
San Diego. I will go into<br />
pediatrics, and Kacy into<br />
urology.<br />
Bryan Sandala (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I am currently<br />
serving as an instructional<br />
specialist for secondary<br />
literacy within the Palm<br />
Beach County School<br />
District, working with all<br />
teachers of grades 6-12.<br />
Stephen Sanders (N.Y.): I<br />
recently began serving as an<br />
assistant district attorney<br />
in the New Orleans area.<br />
This year I also married my<br />
wonderful wife, Karen.<br />
Melanie Schoeppe (Bay<br />
Area): I’m so excited to<br />
be a school leader at my<br />
placement school, Greenleaf.<br />
We’re expanding from a K-5<br />
to a K-8!<br />
Nithya Senra (L.A.): On Sept.<br />
28, 2013, Sergio Chinos (L.A.)<br />
and I got married in Newport<br />
Beach, Calif. We recently<br />
moved to the Washington,<br />
D.C., area, where Sergio<br />
is attending law school<br />
and I will be working as an<br />
attorney with the federal<br />
government.<br />
Toby Shepherd (N.Y.): I<br />
have taken a new position<br />
as the director of policy<br />
for Providence, R.I., Mayor<br />
Angel Taveras, where I<br />
helped win the $5 million<br />
grand prize in the Bloomberg<br />
Philanthropies Mayors<br />
Challenge! My wife, Kristina,<br />
and I also recently welcomed<br />
baby Judah, who joins big<br />
brother Elijah.<br />
Margaret Siller (Hawai‘i):<br />
I recently graduated from<br />
Northwestern University<br />
School of Law in May of 2013.<br />
After studying for the bar<br />
exam, I moved to Manhattan<br />
and recently began a job at<br />
Quinn Emanuel, a litigation<br />
firm.<br />
Brian Smith (New Mexico):<br />
I have returned to teaching<br />
yet again, this time as a<br />
math teacher at Santa Fe<br />
High School. This year, I am<br />
starting a Team America<br />
Rocketry Challenge team in<br />
addition to teaching.<br />
Jennifer Spalding (N.Y.): I<br />
was appointed principal of<br />
M.S. 821, a public school<br />
in Sunset Park, Brooklyn,<br />
N.Y. I am excited to continue<br />
working with the incredible<br />
students and staff in our<br />
school community, where I<br />
have taught for many years<br />
and was originally placed as<br />
a corps member.<br />
94 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 95
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
ALUMNI NOTES<br />
Travis Starkey (Delta): I<br />
just moved to Eastern North<br />
Carolina and rejoined Teach<br />
For America staff, and I now<br />
support corps members<br />
in the far eastern part of<br />
the state and am helping<br />
the region initiate a social<br />
entrepreneurship initiative.<br />
I also started a blog about<br />
the small-town South at<br />
greenfieldse.org.<br />
Taylor Stewart (Baltimore):<br />
I am now serving as the<br />
regional organizing director<br />
for LEE in Baltimore. I’m<br />
looking forward to working<br />
in the region I taught to<br />
advocate with our corps<br />
members and alumni to<br />
make our city a great place of<br />
opportunity for kids!<br />
Jaclyn Suffel (Memphis): I<br />
am working as the manager<br />
of curriculum and training<br />
with Stand for Children<br />
Memphis. Every day, I aid<br />
our community organizers<br />
in their work, train our<br />
amazing parent and teacher<br />
volunteers and empower<br />
them to take action on behalf<br />
of the children in our district.<br />
Currently, we are working<br />
with our members to gain<br />
funding to provide pre-K to<br />
every Memphis child that<br />
needs it.<br />
Sarah Tierney (N.Y.):<br />
Rebekah Nelson (N.Y.) and<br />
I ran the Triple Threat Half<br />
Marathon in August 2013 and<br />
have our sights set on many<br />
more halves and fulls!<br />
Sebastian Turner (N.Y.): I am<br />
proud to find so many fellow<br />
TFA alumni from multiple<br />
regions studying alongside<br />
me in business school.<br />
Jennifer Tyrell (E.N.C.):<br />
My husband, Shawn, and I<br />
welcomed a beautiful baby<br />
boy named Caleb Michael in<br />
July 2013!<br />
Daniel Velasco (Bay Area):<br />
I lead the Diplomas Now<br />
initiative in Boston and<br />
recently joined the charter<br />
cohort of part-time, online<br />
Ed.D candidates at Johns<br />
Hopkins University.<br />
Natalie Wagner<br />
(Philadelphia): My husband<br />
and I co-founded a nonprofit,<br />
The Institute for Student<br />
Health, which connects<br />
students to resources that<br />
help them live a healthy,<br />
active lifestyle. We teach<br />
cooking, gardening and<br />
fitness in schools, afterschool<br />
programs, and<br />
summer programs. We love<br />
seeing kids get excited about<br />
healthy living!<br />
Shaneeqwa Watson<br />
(Memphis): I am a newly<br />
barred New York attorney.<br />
I recently moved to the Big<br />
Apple to seek a position in<br />
public interest law.<br />
Wade Wilgus (Bay Area):<br />
I’ve been creating projectbased<br />
learning opportunities<br />
at Instructables.com, a DIY<br />
project-sharing website.<br />
Denise Woodward (L.A.):<br />
Our Science Olympiad team<br />
is gaining momentum in our<br />
third year with seven coaches<br />
and nearly 50 kids. We<br />
brought home the school’s<br />
first academic medals last<br />
February!<br />
Lauren Zabicki (New Mexico):<br />
My husband, Timothy Zabicki<br />
(New Mexico), and I had our<br />
third child, Mavrik Thomas<br />
Zabicki, last year.<br />
2008<br />
Ashley Adams (Greater<br />
Newark): I have just<br />
accomplished my second<br />
master’s degree and recently<br />
completed the New Leaders<br />
program. I am currently the<br />
assistant principal at my TFA<br />
placement school, University<br />
Heights Charter School. It is<br />
my sixth year at this school.<br />
Miriam Altman (N.Y.): I left<br />
the classroom to pursue<br />
an MPA at NYU Wagner in<br />
2011. I graduated from that<br />
program in May 2013, and<br />
while in school, co-founded<br />
Kinvolved, a social venture<br />
that offers schools/teachers<br />
technology to engage families<br />
to improve K-12 attendance.<br />
Their product launched in<br />
open beta on Sept. 13, 2013.<br />
Email miriam@kinvolved.com<br />
for more info.<br />
Blair Ashley (Bay Area): I am<br />
in my fourth year of medical<br />
school at the University<br />
of Pittsburgh School of<br />
Medicine, and I am currently<br />
applying to orthopaedic<br />
surgery residencies. My<br />
daughter, Lyla, just turned 4!<br />
Brittney Beck (E.N.C.): I<br />
am currently a doctoral<br />
fellow with the University of<br />
Florida School of Teaching<br />
and Learning, studying<br />
curriculum, teaching, and<br />
teacher education. My<br />
research focuses on the<br />
intersections of educational<br />
equity, culturally responsive<br />
pedagogy, social justice,<br />
and teacher education. I<br />
also serve as the graduate<br />
assistant for the Center for<br />
Leadership and Service.<br />
Andrew Bernier (Phoenix):<br />
I’m working to develop and<br />
teach the first full-scale,<br />
comprehensive sustainability<br />
program and curriculum in<br />
the nation for public high<br />
school students (www.<br />
crestsustainability.net). All<br />
the while I am working on<br />
my Ph.D in sustainability<br />
education and serving on the<br />
editorial staff of the Journal<br />
of Sustainability Education.<br />
Cassiopia Blausey (Las<br />
Vegas): In spring 2013 I was<br />
Good teachers<br />
can be great.<br />
That’s why we’ve designed a new online<br />
master’s degree program specifically<br />
for Teach For America corps members<br />
and alumni that is aligned with Teach For<br />
America’s Teaching as Leadership model<br />
and provides the knowledge and skills<br />
necessary to make a lasting impact in the<br />
classroom.<br />
To find out how you can become<br />
transformational in your teaching, visit<br />
education.jhu.edu/tfa or speak to our<br />
admissions team at 1-877-JHU-SOE1.<br />
named the editor-in-chief<br />
for the Journal of Law and<br />
Education at the University<br />
of Louisville Brandeis School<br />
of Law. On Oct. 13, 2012,<br />
I married Kris Blausey in<br />
Louisville, Ky.<br />
Reginald Bolding (Phoenix):<br />
I have returned to Teach<br />
For America, which felt like<br />
a fresh breath of air. It is<br />
great to be working hand<br />
in hand with people are are<br />
committed to closing the gap<br />
every day.<br />
Carina Box (Phoenix): Last<br />
year I moved to Seattle and<br />
am enjoying living in an area<br />
full of outdoor activity. I have<br />
also enjoyed volunteering<br />
with TFA in the Puget<br />
Sound region.<br />
Devin Branson (L.A.): I<br />
am back home in Western<br />
Washington after years in Los<br />
Angeles, but still continuing<br />
the fight for excellent<br />
education for all children.<br />
Casetta Brown-Gunn<br />
(Houston): I am currently a<br />
founding staff member at<br />
a school where I know that<br />
I’m making a difference. My<br />
move from Detroit to Houston<br />
through Teach For America<br />
made this possible! Thanks,<br />
TFA.<br />
Samuel Buchbinder (N.Y.):<br />
I got married this past July<br />
to Kimberly De Lorme (N.Y.)<br />
who I met on the cheese bus<br />
from St. Johns to M.S. 391 at<br />
institute. At our wedding we<br />
had a table full of friends from<br />
TFA. We are happily starting<br />
our married life together, both<br />
still as teachers in NYC.<br />
Jessica Burney (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I’m truly enjoying my<br />
role as an elementary math<br />
instructor for TFA! Working<br />
with first-year teachers<br />
to make sure they are<br />
successful in the classroom is<br />
very rewarding!<br />
Alexandra Caldwell<br />
(G.N.O.): I’ve just begun my<br />
last semester as an MPH<br />
graduate student at the<br />
Columbia University School<br />
of Public Health, studying<br />
health policy and outcomes<br />
research. This past summer<br />
I worked in the finance and<br />
strategy department of The<br />
Global Fund to Fight AIDS,<br />
TB, and Malaria in Geneva,<br />
Switzerland, which was<br />
a blast. Looking forward<br />
to what comes next after<br />
graduation in December!<br />
Jennie Carr (Houston): After<br />
moving to Texas six years<br />
ago to teach pre-K, I am now<br />
happily staying home full time<br />
to teach my two little Texan<br />
sons. When they’re sleeping,<br />
I have time to work on the<br />
completion of my master’s in<br />
educational leadership.<br />
Wendy Chan (N.Y.): I will<br />
soon start my third year as<br />
a Ph.D. student in statistics<br />
at Northwestern University.<br />
I am excited to begin the<br />
research stage of my<br />
program. I am especially<br />
excited to participate in<br />
upcoming educational<br />
conferences and symposiums<br />
that will give me some<br />
direction in my research<br />
interests.<br />
Sarah Cole (Metro Atlanta):<br />
I’m working in Springdale,<br />
Ark., teaching ESL and<br />
regular classes to eighth<br />
grade students in English.<br />
Our school is Title I and we<br />
serve a primarily Hispanic<br />
and Marshallese community.<br />
Mark Congdon (E.N.C.):<br />
I graduated with my M.A.<br />
in communication studies<br />
from the University of North<br />
Carolina Greensboro in<br />
May 2013 while completing<br />
original research on the<br />
importance of a social justice<br />
education for at-risk students<br />
utilizing a culturally relevant<br />
pedagogy and servicelearning<br />
projects to help<br />
close the achievement gap.<br />
Kevin Cournoyer (Baltimore):<br />
In my sixth year of teaching,<br />
and yesterday I planned and<br />
taught an entirely new lesson.<br />
The learning never stops...<br />
Isabel Cueva (N.Y.): I am<br />
returning to Madrid, where I<br />
studied abroad, and teaching<br />
English at Madrid public<br />
schools.<br />
Jennifer Denny (D.C. Region):<br />
I graduated law school from<br />
Loyola Chicago in May 2013<br />
and took a job with the U.S.<br />
Department of Education in<br />
D.C. in September through<br />
the Presidential Management<br />
Fellows program. In my role,<br />
I ensure that our nation’s<br />
youngest learners have<br />
adequate special education<br />
support by working with<br />
states to improve their<br />
early intervention policies<br />
and procedures.<br />
Kenneth Dikas<br />
(Jacksonville): I am now<br />
a second-year student<br />
at Penn Law. I plan on<br />
practicing corporate law in<br />
Atlanta and serving on the<br />
boards of education-reform<br />
organizations and/or charter<br />
schools. I want to leverage<br />
my professional connections<br />
to better advocate for<br />
better schools.<br />
David Donaldson<br />
(Baltimore): I returned home<br />
to Detroit to become principal<br />
of the Detroit Institute of<br />
Technology at Cody with<br />
Detroit Public Schools.<br />
Herneshia Dukes (Metro<br />
Atlanta): This is my first year<br />
in the role of upper school<br />
assistant principal at KIPP<br />
New Orleans Schools. I’m<br />
thrilled to work with the most<br />
incredible students in our city<br />
and am honored to be in this<br />
movement.<br />
John Eshelman (Charlotte):<br />
After my two years teaching<br />
in Charlotte, I decided to<br />
move into the private sector.<br />
I am currently working as an<br />
account strategist at Google<br />
in Ann Arbor, Mich. I really<br />
enjoy working with clients<br />
and using data to bring them<br />
meaningful insights.<br />
Jillian Farland (Phoenix):<br />
Travis Farland and I married<br />
on July 6, 2013, at Maravilla<br />
Gardens in Camarillo,<br />
Calif. We bought a home in<br />
Ahwatukee, Ariz., and plan to<br />
stay in the valley indefinitely.<br />
Florence Fehlner (R.G.V.):<br />
I am working to continue a<br />
field trip to Washington, D.C.<br />
for our Alamo Middle School<br />
eighth graders. This will be<br />
the third year of Alamo to<br />
D.C., and we will be in D.C.<br />
June 1-5, 2014. If you’re in<br />
D.C. and would like to meet<br />
us, let me know. florence.<br />
fehlner@psjaisd.us<br />
Zoe Fonseca (N.Y.): I’m very<br />
privileged to be teaching<br />
fourth grade at Success<br />
Academy Bronx 1. I work<br />
with an extraordinary group<br />
of teachers, leaders, and<br />
families. Please come visit<br />
our school and join our team!<br />
Alicia Fremling (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I am the<br />
director of a pet resort<br />
that offers overnight<br />
accommodations, doggie<br />
day care, and grooming. I<br />
manage a team of 30-plus<br />
employees and host 100-plus<br />
pets nightly. We also work<br />
with a number of rescues and<br />
board several rescue pets on<br />
a short- or long-term basis,<br />
as needed.<br />
Liliana Funes (N.Y.): After<br />
finishing the corps in New<br />
York, I moved to Los Angeles<br />
and became a teacher at<br />
KIPP Comienza Community<br />
Prep in Huntington Park. This<br />
past summer, I worked as a<br />
facilitator with Teach For All<br />
in Mexico, with alumni from<br />
Chile, Germany, England,<br />
and Italy, and many from the<br />
U.S. I’m excited to see how<br />
much more TFA and Teach<br />
For All will continue to impact<br />
education.<br />
Laura Garrison (Houston):<br />
If every day feels like a<br />
struggle, I understand you.<br />
But know even on your worst<br />
day, you are doing something<br />
that will impact someone’s<br />
life. YOU are the difference<br />
that a child desperately<br />
needs.<br />
Gillian Giannetti (G.N.O.): Hi<br />
all! I am in my last year of law<br />
school at the University of<br />
Virginia and recently married<br />
my college sweetheart. We<br />
are excited for my graduation<br />
and our next great adventure!<br />
Angela Gorney (E.N.C.):<br />
I am in my first semester<br />
of veterinary school at<br />
NCSU College of Veterinary<br />
Medicine. While my school<br />
load is heavy, TFA prepared<br />
me well for the stresses I<br />
face. However, I definitely<br />
took a time-out from my<br />
studies to help celebrate the<br />
marriage of Jenna Heitchue<br />
(E.N.C.) and Brian Boyle<br />
(E.N.C. ’07) in December<br />
2013!<br />
Derrick Green (St. Louis):<br />
Here’s a note in Haiku form.<br />
13-hour days/Maybe more.<br />
Maybe way more/Kids make<br />
it worth it.<br />
Fiona Gruver (N.Y.): I married<br />
Dylan Gruver (N.Y.)! We met<br />
at the TFA holiday party five<br />
years ago.<br />
Brody Hale (G.N.O.): I<br />
completed a Fulbright<br />
English Teaching<br />
Assistantship Grant in South<br />
Korea from 2011-2012, and I<br />
am now in my second year of<br />
law school at Boston College.<br />
Chanel Hampton (St.<br />
Louis): I recently took<br />
on the role of director,<br />
diversity recruitment and<br />
partnerships on our national<br />
recruitment team. This<br />
is a role we’ve never had<br />
before—uncharted water,<br />
infinite possibilities. I am<br />
awe-inspired when I think<br />
about the impact a diverse<br />
body of educators can mean<br />
in partnering with our<br />
communities and students.<br />
Here’s to the 2014 corps!<br />
Brian Hemsworth (Las<br />
Vegas): I piloted an SAT<br />
tutoring program at my<br />
local CrossFit gym to pair<br />
functional fitness with<br />
college preparedness.<br />
Ross Hogan (N.Y.): I am<br />
currently taking classes in<br />
educational administration<br />
in hopes of one day becoming<br />
an assistant principal or<br />
principal in a high-need<br />
urban school. My life mission<br />
is to effect change in our<br />
schools, and I try to work<br />
tirelessly every day to do<br />
that!<br />
Cory Hylton (Indianapolis):<br />
After teaching for three<br />
years, I am thrilled to have<br />
the opportunity to continue<br />
work with a number of<br />
amazing charter schools,<br />
though in a slightly different<br />
capacity. I now work to<br />
ensure the provisioning and<br />
maintenance of technology at<br />
most of my company’s many<br />
charter school clients!<br />
Kendra Johnson (Charlotte):<br />
I was a pioneer in my family<br />
by being a first-generation<br />
college graduate, and now I<br />
have set an example for what<br />
is possible for my students<br />
as well by becoming a firstgeneration<br />
professional<br />
student to receive an<br />
advanced degree!<br />
Tyson Jurgens (Kansas<br />
City): I recently relocated<br />
back to Kansas City, Mo.,<br />
to assume the role of<br />
client success manager at<br />
Netchemia, national leader<br />
in human resource software<br />
exclusively for K-12 districts.<br />
In this role, I am training and<br />
coaching district personnel<br />
to leverage the innovative,<br />
cloud-based TalentEd suite of<br />
products into success in the<br />
classroom.<br />
Kevyn Klein (N.Y.): I live<br />
in San Francisco and<br />
lead a team at Edmodo<br />
called Teacher Support<br />
and Advocacy. Our online<br />
social-learning network<br />
gives students and teachers<br />
the tools to reach their full<br />
potential. I love being the<br />
bridge between educators<br />
and engineers.<br />
Ranked #2 by U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools of Education<br />
One Day • SPRING 2014 97
“We must remember that<br />
intelligence is not enough.<br />
Intelligence plus character –<br />
that is the goal of true education.”<br />
Martin Luther King, Jr.<br />
Classical Charter Schools prepare K-8th grade scholars in the South Bronx<br />
to excel in college preparatory high schools. Through a classical curriculum<br />
and highly structured setting, students become liberated scholars and<br />
citizens of impeccable character who achieve proficiency in and<br />
advanced mastery of New York State Performance Standards.<br />
SouthBronxClaSSiCal.org<br />
Marguerite Koelbl (D.C.<br />
Region): I married Sam<br />
Koelbl in Massachusetts<br />
on June 15, 2013. Mark<br />
Osborne (D.C. Region ’07)<br />
served as a groomsman.<br />
Also in attendance were Ryan<br />
Creighan (D.C. Region ’07),<br />
Abbie Wheeler (D.C. Region),<br />
and Camille Crary (D.C.<br />
Region).<br />
Callie Kozlak (D.C. Region):<br />
I am working in Chicago as<br />
the director of public funding<br />
strategy for a national<br />
education nonprofit called<br />
Citizen Schools.<br />
Megan Rose La Roche<br />
(Houston): I can’t believe I<br />
am entering my sixth year<br />
in the classroom! I’m at the<br />
amazing KIPP Sharp College<br />
Prep, which has a fine arts<br />
focus and an unparalleled<br />
culture. I’m excited to say I<br />
bought my first house. Now<br />
it’s time for me to consider<br />
my next steps...grad school?<br />
Social entrepreneurship?<br />
Family?<br />
Andrew Laurens (Metro<br />
Atlanta): Dana Ganapath<br />
(G.N.O. ’10) and I met at KIPP<br />
NOLA and have moved to<br />
Charleston, S.C., as of July<br />
2012. Dana is now manager<br />
of education initiatives<br />
at Charleston Promise<br />
Neighborhood, while I’m<br />
managing Historic Charleston<br />
Foundation’s development<br />
and outreach to new and<br />
existing constituencies in<br />
Lowcountry, S.C.<br />
Brandon Lichtinger<br />
(Chicago): After teaching<br />
for three years as a member<br />
of the 2008 Chicago corps,<br />
I accepted a position at<br />
Chardon High School in<br />
my home state of Ohio. In<br />
addition to teaching English,<br />
I also direct the fall plays.<br />
This year, we will stage<br />
a production of Thornton<br />
Wilder’s The Skin Of Our<br />
Teeth.<br />
Krizia Liquido (N.Y.): I moved<br />
to Barcelona, Spain, one year<br />
ago, just a few months after I<br />
got married in New York City<br />
(where I was placed by TFA<br />
and met my husband!), and<br />
we now have a 9-month-old<br />
baby girl. I serve as founding<br />
editor of Verily Magazine,<br />
where I’m committed to<br />
educating all women through<br />
strong lifestyle journalism.<br />
Jordan Loring (Chicago): In<br />
the two years since I have<br />
come on board at Arizona<br />
Charter Academy, the third<br />
grade percent passing AIMS<br />
math has improved from 35<br />
percent to 87 percent. This is<br />
due to the hard work that my<br />
colleagues and I have put in<br />
with the support from admin.<br />
Next year? 100 percent!<br />
Matias Manzano (Miami-<br />
Dade): It was a wonderful five<br />
years of service that I gave to<br />
the Miami-Dade community.<br />
I can say with pride that<br />
last year, 97 percent of my<br />
students passed the seventh<br />
grade mathematics FCAT<br />
with 78 percent scoring a 4 or<br />
better. I am back home in New<br />
York City now in law school.<br />
Anne McGuirk (Memphis):<br />
I returned to my placement<br />
region after a year away and<br />
am currently serving as an<br />
assistant principal in a school<br />
founded by one of my fellow<br />
’08 Memphis corps members.<br />
Jesse Metruk (E.N.C.): I<br />
married Stephanie Peirce on<br />
Aug. 10, 2013. Jeff Edwards<br />
(’07), Meg Eberle (’09), Megan<br />
Roberts (’07), and Meredith<br />
(Camby) Hartman (’07), all<br />
TFA E.N.C. alumni, attended.<br />
Lynsay Mills (G.N.O.): I’m<br />
teaching English I at Sci<br />
Academy. Love to G.N.O. ’08,<br />
especially those still in New<br />
Orleans—cannot believe<br />
we’ve been at this for six<br />
years!<br />
Mariel Montoney (E.N.C.): I<br />
have recently taken on a new<br />
role as regional manager<br />
with Envision. In this role, I<br />
educate, motivate, and inspire<br />
over 10,000 high school<br />
students a year from all over<br />
the nation that are interested<br />
in the field of medicine.<br />
Aubrey Nelson (Memphis):<br />
Lars Nelson (Memphis ’09)<br />
and I were proud to welcome<br />
our baby boy Henry Donald<br />
into the world in March 2013.<br />
Henry is a healthy baby boy<br />
and proud of his dad as Lars<br />
returns to his placement<br />
school, Freedom Preparatory<br />
Academy, after two years as<br />
an MTLD, to found their high<br />
school with the ninth grade<br />
class. #meanttobememphis<br />
Patrick O’Shea (E.N.C.):<br />
Sarah O’Shea (E.N.C.) and<br />
I welcomed our son, Henry<br />
James O’Shea, to our family in<br />
February 2013.<br />
Elizabeth Oviedo (Phoenix):<br />
As part of my role as<br />
marketing manager at<br />
Symmetry Software, I run<br />
Calculators For Kids. We<br />
provide class sets of graphing<br />
calculators to low-income<br />
classrooms in Phoenix to<br />
boost math and science<br />
achievement. Find me in the<br />
alumni directory if you’re<br />
interested in getting involved!<br />
Mandy Paquette (Memphis):<br />
I’m working with adults in<br />
my community who, for one<br />
reason or another, function<br />
on a low literacy level.<br />
It’s given me a whole new<br />
awareness of adult illiteracy.<br />
Take a look yourself some<br />
time, and appreciate the<br />
difficulties the people around<br />
you may be facing.<br />
David Pedra (Houston): I<br />
believe in the promise of One<br />
Day so that the students we<br />
teach will see success as<br />
having the option to choose<br />
what they want to do with<br />
their lives.<br />
Jessica Pietrowicz (Hawai‘i):<br />
Since leaving Oahu, Hawaii,<br />
and my placement school<br />
in 2011, I have had the<br />
opportunity to found the<br />
visual arts program at UP<br />
Academy Charter School<br />
of Boston. In addition to<br />
teaching art, I am co-teaching<br />
special education inclusion<br />
music and gym. I’ve also<br />
started an after-school dance<br />
program and am loving it!<br />
Luigi Racanelli (Phoenix): I<br />
graduated from law school<br />
and am clerking for a judge<br />
in the New Jersey Tax Court.<br />
Next year, I will be working at<br />
KPMG in New York City.<br />
Kelly Reinker (G.N.O.):<br />
Before graduating from LSU<br />
Law in May 2013, I started a<br />
program called Street Law.<br />
Street Law engages law<br />
students with Baton Rouge<br />
public high school students<br />
to talk about legal issues<br />
relevant to their lives. It<br />
provides them with positive<br />
interactions with the legal<br />
system and fosters critical<br />
thinking about how the law<br />
affects their lives.<br />
Anthony Reynoso (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): My father<br />
recently passed away in a<br />
tragic motorcycle accident.<br />
My TFA family, although<br />
hundreds of miles away, have<br />
helped my family a great<br />
deal in making it through this<br />
tragedy. Much love to Philly.<br />
John Rodrigues (Bay Area):<br />
My wife and I celebrated our<br />
daughter’s first birthday on<br />
Sept. 22, 2013.<br />
Robert Sanborn (South<br />
Dakota): I recently became<br />
the founding business<br />
operations manager for<br />
Rocketship Education<br />
in Nashville, Tenn. The<br />
first Rocketship school in<br />
Tennessee will open its doors<br />
in August 2014.<br />
Renee Schuppener (Chicago):<br />
I work for a healthcare<br />
software company that has<br />
many of the same beliefs<br />
as TFA and indirectly<br />
helps some of the same<br />
underserved populations.<br />
Miysha Shaw (Metro Atlanta):<br />
Hi Teach For America! Right<br />
now, I’m stuck in the library<br />
on 69th and York. I just<br />
started medical school, and<br />
I’ve been super busy studying.<br />
Jennifer Shields (Metro<br />
Atlanta): My daughter Audrey<br />
will be 2 this month!<br />
Antonia Simao (N.Y.): I<br />
am going into my second<br />
year working as a school<br />
psychologist at Success<br />
Academy Bronx 1. Our school<br />
and our sister school, Bronx<br />
2, were among the top scores<br />
in the statewide tests. In<br />
addition to serving this<br />
incredible population, I got<br />
married in June 2013.<br />
Ashley Snowden<br />
(Indianapolis): Facilitating for<br />
a homeschool organization<br />
was one of the best things<br />
that happened to me. I was<br />
able to couple my public<br />
education experience with<br />
my newfound knowledge<br />
for a powerful reward!<br />
Now, I’m confident I know<br />
the (educational) road I will<br />
travel!<br />
Erika Starr (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I married the<br />
amazing man who has been<br />
helping me grade since my<br />
first year in the corps, John<br />
Celley, on Oct. 19, 2013!<br />
David Swank (South Dakota):<br />
My wife, Katey Lee Swank<br />
(South Dakota ’06), and I<br />
are expecting our second<br />
child. We continue to teach in<br />
the region.<br />
Alex Teece (Hawai‘i): Aloha to<br />
all my ’08’s from Hawai‘i!!<br />
Jasmin Torres (Connecticut):<br />
I’ve moved to Chicago to be<br />
an MTLD and am loving the<br />
windy city!<br />
Jerry Tsai (Las Vegas): I am<br />
vice president of Acceptd,<br />
the world’s largest arts<br />
admissions and recruiting<br />
network. We are passionate<br />
about providing students an<br />
easy and streamlined way<br />
to connect and apply to arts<br />
opportunities.<br />
Kathryn Ulrich (Metro<br />
Atlanta): “I am teaching<br />
kindergarten?” I thought<br />
to myself the night before<br />
teachers came back to school<br />
this fall. While excited, I was<br />
also nervous about my own<br />
ability to work with students<br />
that are so young. Reflecting<br />
now, I am reminded about<br />
how much we continue to<br />
learn and grow our practice,<br />
no matter how long we have<br />
been in the classroom.<br />
Melania Valverde (N.Y.): I am<br />
excited to still be working in<br />
New York City after having<br />
been a corps member here.<br />
As a program coordinator of<br />
college admissions at SEO<br />
Scholars, I get to work with<br />
highly motivated, low-income<br />
high school students. I can’t<br />
think of a better way to build<br />
on all the knowledge and<br />
skills I acquired through TFA.<br />
Nayda Verier-Taylor (L.A.):<br />
I am a second-year law<br />
student at the University of<br />
Michigan Law School. I spent<br />
last summer working for the<br />
Child Advocacy Law Clinic in<br />
Ann Arbor, Mich., advocating<br />
for youth involved in neglect<br />
and abuse proceedings.<br />
Tony Walker (St. Louis):<br />
I am proud to have cofounded<br />
a new initiative<br />
within Uplift Education.<br />
Each of our schools is now<br />
equipped with a licensed<br />
mental health professional<br />
to address student concerns<br />
and provide counseling and<br />
intervention. In addition, I am<br />
keeping busy with a small<br />
private counseling practice<br />
specializing in LGBT youth<br />
and adolescent issues,<br />
and am also a full-time<br />
Ph.D. student at Texas Tech<br />
University.<br />
Thurmeka Ward (N.Y.): I<br />
am serving as a learning<br />
specialist at the Girls Prep<br />
Lower East Side Middle<br />
School. I am on the board of<br />
a nonprofit organization, Far<br />
More Precious, that promotes<br />
self-worth and self-esteem<br />
in young girls. I am forming<br />
an organization that will<br />
empower women to pursue<br />
their dreams! I am currently<br />
98 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 99<br />
One Day FP Ad_04-08-13.indd 3<br />
4/8/2013 1:45:37 PM
writing a play, and I sing in<br />
the off-Broadway play Sing<br />
Harlem Sing.<br />
Katherine White (Houston):<br />
I finished my master’s in<br />
public administration and got<br />
married to my husband, Greg,<br />
who supported me through<br />
my years in the corps.<br />
Alison Wilson (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I graduated from the<br />
full-time MBA program at the<br />
University of North Carolina<br />
Kenan-Flagler Business<br />
School in May 2013, and I am<br />
now working at a job I love as<br />
an associate brand manager<br />
of ketchup at Heinz.<br />
Ryan Worley (G.N.O.): I<br />
recently started working for<br />
Afton Partners LLC, which<br />
provides financial consulting<br />
and related operational<br />
advisory services to public<br />
school districts, CMOs,<br />
foundations and private<br />
investors who support<br />
education reform.<br />
Linda Yu (L.A.): I’ve just<br />
graduated from law school<br />
and can’t wait to be part<br />
of the TFA movement for<br />
equality and educational<br />
opportunities.<br />
2009<br />
Charla Agnoletti (Colorado):<br />
By creating a community<br />
advisor position at Bruce<br />
Randolph School in Denver,<br />
I am strengthening the<br />
district shift to change school<br />
discipline paradigms from<br />
punitive to restorative. Our<br />
unique model of preventative<br />
and responsive approaches<br />
deepens restorative practices<br />
schoolwide to create a<br />
transformative school culture<br />
and community.<br />
Elizabeth Allen (Colorado):<br />
I am at the University of<br />
Washington School of Law,<br />
volunteering with immigrant<br />
populations and working on<br />
child welfare policy. Come<br />
visit!<br />
Margarita Alway (Delta):<br />
After completing my master’s<br />
degree in music education,<br />
I’m starting my first year<br />
teaching K-6 music with<br />
Aspire Public Schools in<br />
Oakland, Calif. I miss the<br />
Delta, but love exploring the<br />
Bay Area!<br />
Tim Anderson (Colorado): I<br />
recently transferred within<br />
Google to a new role with the<br />
Play for Education team.<br />
Kyle Bailey (Oklahoma): I<br />
feel so lucky to have spent my<br />
time in Tulsa, Okla., with my<br />
wonderful kiddos and equally<br />
lucky to have an impact on<br />
thousands of pupils across<br />
the pond with Teach First-<br />
West Midlands! Really feel<br />
as though I’m part of a global<br />
movement.<br />
Adnan Barqawi (Delta): I<br />
started my executive MBA<br />
at Owen Graduate School of<br />
Management, and in addition<br />
to my role at Asurion, I am<br />
the director of the Teach for<br />
America/Asurion Strategic<br />
Partnership, which allocated<br />
$250,000 to our partnership<br />
effots.<br />
Jayda Batchelder (Dallas -<br />
Fort Worth): As founder of<br />
Education Opens Doors, Inc,<br />
my team and I are partnering<br />
with schools and teachers in<br />
Dallas to empower students to<br />
strategically navigate through<br />
high school to college. We do<br />
so by raising students’ college<br />
expectations, confidence,<br />
and understanding of college<br />
knowledge and skills.<br />
Jackie Bello (Baltimore): I am<br />
working with Quad Learning,<br />
a startup that collaborates<br />
with community colleges to<br />
offer honors programs. It’s<br />
a lower-cost, higher-quality<br />
pathway to a four-year<br />
degree. A lot of our model<br />
is built around our student<br />
services advising, which I’m<br />
directing.<br />
Georgina Blackett (Bay<br />
Area): I have just moved back<br />
to my hometown (New York<br />
City) after teaching at my<br />
placement school in Potrero<br />
Hill, San Francisco, for the<br />
last four years and am looking<br />
to connect with other TFA<br />
alums in New York City!<br />
Adam Bonnington (New<br />
Jersey): I am in my third year<br />
of medical school, working<br />
daily in the hospital and<br />
clinics. I am seeing the effect<br />
that a lack of resources and<br />
education has on the overall<br />
well-being of individuals in<br />
low-income communities.<br />
Morgan Bowling (Baltimore):<br />
I am currently a second-year<br />
medical student at the West<br />
Virginia School of Osteopathic<br />
Medicine. I hope to go into<br />
pediatrics and specialize in<br />
community-based medicine.<br />
Niketa Brar (D.C. Region): On<br />
Oct. 13, 2013, I married fellow<br />
math teacher Joe Kurstin in a<br />
small ceremony in Oakland,<br />
Calif.<br />
Chantalle Carles (E.N.C.):<br />
Stefan Schropp (Charlotte)<br />
and I are engaged. We met<br />
while interning on Capitol Hill<br />
five years ago.<br />
Rebecca Cassidy (New<br />
Jersey): This May I will have<br />
completed my master’s<br />
of public policy from the<br />
University of Michigan’s<br />
Gerald R. Ford School of<br />
Public Policy.<br />
David Chen (Bay Area): As<br />
a full-time MBA student at<br />
MIT Sloan, I am constantly<br />
thinking about ways in which<br />
the ingenuity of business<br />
can create opportunities<br />
to improve the quality of<br />
education for all students.<br />
It is an exciting time for the<br />
intersection of enterprise and<br />
education!<br />
Megan Clayburn (R.G.V.):<br />
After two years in South<br />
Korea, I moved back to Texas<br />
with my husband. We’re both<br />
loving El Paso’s culture and<br />
excellent hiking/climbing<br />
scene. While he’s stationed<br />
at Fort Bliss, I am pursuing a<br />
master’s in literacy, working<br />
with wonderful kids at an<br />
after-school program, and<br />
teaching adult ESL classes.<br />
Lauren Comber (Baltimore): I<br />
recently joined the missiondriven<br />
team at American<br />
Honors in D.C. after four<br />
years of living and teaching in<br />
Baltimore City. I got married<br />
on June 29, 2013 in Baltimore<br />
and am now settling into the<br />
wonderful married life in<br />
Columbia, Md.<br />
Michelle Crawford (L.A.):<br />
In 2012/2013, I successfully<br />
completed my K-12<br />
administrative credential<br />
and education administrative<br />
master’s degree. I am<br />
currently working as an<br />
outreach director for<br />
Educators4Excellence in Los<br />
Angeles.<br />
Charlie Cummings (St.<br />
Louis): I’ve been working<br />
as a matchmaker between<br />
outstanding educators and<br />
policymakers since joining<br />
America Achieves in May<br />
2013. It’s exciting to support<br />
decision-makers who want to<br />
hear from the real experts—<br />
teachers and principals—<br />
when they’re working on<br />
policies that affect systems,<br />
schools, classrooms and<br />
students.<br />
Juan Danzilo (Houston):<br />
I am working to graduate<br />
from Duke University Fuqua<br />
School of Business. Due to<br />
get married to fellow Houston<br />
’09 corps member Katherine<br />
Beck in May 2014! We met<br />
in TFA.<br />
Chris Deal (Kansas City):<br />
Tracy and I welcomed our<br />
first child, Aidan Jerald, on<br />
June 11, 2013. Tracy is going<br />
to be staying home with him<br />
but will continue coaching<br />
basketball in the winter. We<br />
also bought an acreage with<br />
some farmland around it, and<br />
I have started farming with<br />
my dad on the side in addition<br />
to my engineering position.<br />
Angela Dixon (Phoenix): I<br />
recently purchased my first<br />
home in the same area I grew<br />
up. I am substitute teaching<br />
in this area as well and enjoy<br />
being part of the community<br />
I serve. I am focusing on<br />
growing my family but<br />
am excited to get my own<br />
classroom again once my<br />
children are older.<br />
George Dong (Chicago): I am<br />
the founder and co-CEO of<br />
Education In Sight. Check out<br />
our website, www.educationin-sight.org,<br />
and help us<br />
ensure that all students<br />
around the world will be able<br />
to see the board clearly in the<br />
classroom!<br />
Meaghan Dowdle (Chicago):<br />
I am currently working in<br />
Lawrence, Mass., in a district<br />
turnaround school that is<br />
modeled after our charter<br />
management organization’s<br />
historically successful<br />
charter school. I am proud to<br />
be working alongside several<br />
TFA alumni and current corps<br />
members from around the<br />
country. We believe every<br />
child deserves the best<br />
education and are dedicating<br />
all we have to providing it!<br />
Jamila Dugan-Eloi (D.C.<br />
Region): I love the corps<br />
of D.C. ’09! It is always so<br />
inspiring to see how many of<br />
us are still in the classroom<br />
and in education as a whole!<br />
Much love to all the 2009<br />
corps members out there!<br />
Stephanie Evans (Bay Area):<br />
I taught for two years as<br />
an SDC-NSH teacher in my<br />
placement school and am<br />
now entering into my third<br />
year as an SDC-NSH teacher<br />
in a different school. This<br />
is the first time I’ve had the<br />
same students from sixth<br />
grade until eighth grade.<br />
Watching them grow and<br />
feeling the bond strengthen<br />
between us makes every day<br />
worthwhile.<br />
Kyle Fahsel (E.N.C.):<br />
Stacie Payne (E.N.C.) and I<br />
were married almost four<br />
years after meeting at our<br />
placement school, NCHS<br />
West!<br />
Cary Finnegan (Connecticut):<br />
I finished up the 2012-2013<br />
school year in New York<br />
City, where I was teaching<br />
third grade at Harlem Prep<br />
Elementary, a Democracy<br />
Prep school. Currently I<br />
am teaching third grade<br />
in Jamaica Plain, Mass.,<br />
at Match Community Day<br />
Charter School. I have loved<br />
being back in the classroom;<br />
third graders are the best!<br />
Lyric Flood (Houston): As<br />
a leader in the movement, I<br />
am a second-year assistant<br />
principal as well as an eighth<br />
grade math teacher and<br />
teacher coach. Every day, I<br />
work to make sure that every<br />
single KIPPster that walks<br />
through our doors has the<br />
opportunity to learn and<br />
grow at the rate of their more<br />
affluent peers.<br />
Jessica Francois (R.G.V.):<br />
I live in the Eastern Sierra<br />
of California. For the past<br />
two years, I have taught<br />
environmental education<br />
and have helped in the local<br />
school district.<br />
Maria Gandolfo (Charlotte):<br />
I am currently working at the<br />
best school in the country,<br />
the Milton Hershey School!<br />
Our students are wonderful,<br />
our campus is beautiful and<br />
our opportunities are what<br />
our children need to be<br />
successful! I am so proud to<br />
work for my school.<br />
Erin Gasparka (Hawai‘i): I<br />
have entered my second year<br />
of law school at the University<br />
of Wisconsin. I adore school,<br />
but certainly miss the<br />
students and community<br />
I had the honor to know in<br />
Kona, Hawaii.<br />
Rebecca Gieskes (Houston):<br />
I am currently working at<br />
the best charter school<br />
in the country, YES Prep<br />
(Northside!). I love what I do<br />
every day, and I love seeing<br />
our students learn and<br />
grow. Last year I married<br />
the best man in the world,<br />
Constantyn, and I love<br />
100 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 101
We believe in teachers who make a difference.<br />
Be a part of the Teach For America alumni<br />
network at FirstLine creating great schools in<br />
New Orleans.<br />
Join us today.<br />
sharing my life and passion for<br />
education with him.<br />
Hannah Gluckstein (R.G.V.):<br />
I am back in school, studying<br />
international education policy<br />
at Harvard Graduate School<br />
of Education. I am learning so<br />
much from my peers who have<br />
experience with educational<br />
inequity all around the world. It<br />
gives me hope to see so many<br />
people working toward the same<br />
goal on a global level!<br />
Amanda Gonzalez-Burton<br />
(Baltimore): Drew Burton<br />
(Baltimore) and I were married<br />
on May 18, 2013, in New Jersey.<br />
The ceremony was performed<br />
by Nick Artenstein (Baltimore).<br />
Our BSSC football team was<br />
present to celebrate.<br />
Ruchi Gupta (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I am coming<br />
off two years of traveling and<br />
working with Teach For All,<br />
renewing my commitment to<br />
education through learning<br />
international perspectives. I’m<br />
now more eager than ever to dive<br />
back into work here at home.<br />
Natalie Hanni (D.C. Region): After<br />
teaching for four years in D.C., I’m<br />
so thrilled with the new reports<br />
and data coming out showing the<br />
impressive student gains in the<br />
region! While it has been difficult<br />
to be away from DCPS and my<br />
Maury school community, I feel<br />
so fortunate to now be a part of<br />
the HGSE community.<br />
Laura Hawkes (S. Louisiana):<br />
I am currently a part of the<br />
founding staff of a brand new<br />
Bible college in the Baton Rouge,<br />
La., area. I am so excited for<br />
what the future holds for Bethany<br />
College!<br />
Amanda Hayek (Baltimore): I<br />
married Eric Hayek (Baltimore)<br />
in Baltimore on July 19,<br />
2013. There were more than<br />
20 teachers at the wedding<br />
reception, including more than<br />
10 fellow TFA-ers from the<br />
Baltimore and Kansas City corps.<br />
Kelly Heath (Metro Atlanta): I<br />
welcomed my first child, Isabelle<br />
Katie Heath, on July 23, 2013.<br />
Stephen Hill (Dallas - Fort<br />
Worth): I am in my fifth year as<br />
a TFA alum. I served as the head<br />
basketball coach at 4-A Spruce<br />
High School. This year I am not<br />
coaching and am co-department<br />
head of the math department.<br />
Heather Holland (Dallas - Fort<br />
Worth): Stepping into my new<br />
role as assistant principal and<br />
seeing my students from my first<br />
year coming to middle school and<br />
serving as their principal just<br />
drives my passion to ensure they<br />
attain an excellent education.<br />
Elspeth Iralu (New Mexico): I<br />
married Thomas Carson Wright<br />
on Sept. 29, 2012, in Harmony,<br />
Tenn. TFA alums Amber Regan,<br />
Ryan Magee, and Mark Murphy<br />
(all New Mexico) joined in the<br />
celebration.<br />
Norly Jean-Charles (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I am currently at<br />
Penn Law.<br />
Gaines Johnson (Houston): I am<br />
currently pursuing an MBA and<br />
M.ED. in innovation and reform at<br />
the University of Virginia.<br />
Jacob Jung (Houston): I am<br />
taking on the sixth grade lead<br />
at Bed Stuy Collegiate, a school<br />
in the Uncommon network in<br />
Brooklyn, N.Y., and am excited for<br />
my fifth year in the classroom!<br />
Mary Kee (D.C. Region): At the<br />
end of 2012, during my fourth<br />
year in the classroom, I married<br />
Capt. Brian J. Kee, U.S. Army.<br />
Pragati Khara (Houston): After<br />
eight years of living in my adopted<br />
home (the United States), four<br />
of which I spent working in<br />
American education, I will now<br />
be working for a TFA partner on<br />
the other side of the world—Teach<br />
For India in Mumbai, my original<br />
home!<br />
Heather Kinkade (Houston): This<br />
past year I moved to Celebration,<br />
Fla., which is just outside of<br />
Orlando. I am teaching seventh<br />
grade math, playing roller derby,<br />
visiting Walt Disney World too<br />
much and loving life!<br />
Kati Kremer (St. Louis): I recently<br />
got engaged and will be marrying<br />
the man of my dreams on April<br />
26, 2014!<br />
Alex Lebow (G.N.O.): It would<br />
have been nearly impossible to<br />
convince my high-school self that<br />
I would come to love Louisiana<br />
and maybe never leave.<br />
Damon Lemmons (Bay Area):<br />
Teach For America introduced<br />
me to the Bay Area, where I<br />
now live. My current role as an<br />
executive assistant at No Bully<br />
is extremely rewarding. We<br />
create yearlong partnerships<br />
with schools to implement an<br />
innovative, sustainable and highly<br />
effective solution to bullying and<br />
harassment.<br />
Shichao Liang (Massachusetts):<br />
Currently still teaching at Excel<br />
High School in Boston, and I<br />
am looking forward to another<br />
excellent year and debate season.<br />
Our debate team now has just<br />
about 10 percent of our school<br />
participating on the team.<br />
Carmen Little (Kansas City): I<br />
recently married my wonderful<br />
husband, Michael, and after a<br />
year of missing kindergarteners,<br />
I returned to the classroom this<br />
year from an administrator role.<br />
Remember, you can take a horse<br />
to water, but you can’t make it<br />
drink. However, as educators, it<br />
is our responsibility to create an<br />
environment of thirst.<br />
Charlene Mack (Houston): I am<br />
currently turning a nine-week<br />
summer program into a yearround<br />
nonprofit geared toward<br />
reaching the holistic needs of the<br />
family.<br />
Diana Marker (E.N.C.): We are<br />
working hard daily to close the<br />
achievement gap! Right now, we<br />
are excited to be learning survival<br />
skills in order to increase our<br />
investment in the book Hatchet.<br />
The more excited we are about<br />
the story, the more excited we are<br />
to read!<br />
Victoria Mathieu (Hawai‘i): I<br />
was just elected for my second<br />
term as a neighborhood board<br />
member! On the board, I was<br />
nominated for and won the vote<br />
for secretary. I’m so excited for<br />
the responsibility, and truly hope<br />
I will do an amazing job for my<br />
community.<br />
Codie McGeever (New Mexico):<br />
I married my best friend Ervin<br />
on the beach in July 2013. I am<br />
working on my M.Ed in special<br />
education. We plan to relocate to<br />
his home in Pine Ridge.<br />
Ian McIntire (Colorado): I<br />
recently got married to Allison<br />
Hamrick (now McIntire), and she<br />
is becoming a teacher in Denver!<br />
Just moved to our first house<br />
together. What a wonderful way<br />
to start our life together!<br />
Alanna Mednick (Colorado): I<br />
am a founding member of the<br />
transitional kindergarten team<br />
at Rocketship Spark and LOVING<br />
it! Bridging the gap this early will<br />
ensure success later in life.<br />
Cierra Mitchell (Houston): Even<br />
though I’m not currently serving<br />
in a direct role in a classroom,<br />
I am still deeply committed to<br />
educational equality for our<br />
students. It’s important that<br />
we all continue to push for<br />
Community-based.<br />
College-bound.<br />
ROAD TO COLLEGE<br />
EAST<br />
HARLEM<br />
SCHOLARS<br />
ACADEMIES<br />
EHTP Schools<br />
HELP PAVE THE<br />
East Harlem Scholars Academies are public charter schools that<br />
prepare students with the skills, strength of character, and<br />
emotional well-being to excel academically, lead in their<br />
communities, and realize their best possible selves. Scholars<br />
Academies are operated by East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP),<br />
a community-based educational organization founded in 1958.<br />
Visit us at WWW.EASTHARLEMSCHOLARS.ORG and WWW.EASTHARLEMSCHOLARSII.ORG<br />
www.firstlineschools.org/careers<br />
102 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 103
one of the best experiences of my life. I<br />
would never give it back. I miss all of my<br />
students and still talk to some of them<br />
about college prep today. Go Chiefs!<br />
Eric Sankey (L.A.): Enjoying the wards<br />
as a third-year medical student at Johns<br />
Hopkins and serving the Baltimore<br />
community through mentorship.<br />
Elizabeth Scheltens (Delta): I am in<br />
my second year as a graduate student<br />
at the Missouri School of Journalism.<br />
This summer, I worked as a reporter at<br />
the Wichita Eagle, where I wrote a story<br />
about the impact of state budget cuts on<br />
access to high-quality preschool. Two<br />
of the stories I wrote for the Columbia<br />
Missourian recently received awards from<br />
the Missouri Press Association in the Best<br />
Stories About Education category.<br />
AT DC PREP, LEARNING HAS NO LIMITS.<br />
This is true for students and adults alike, and is one of the reasons that the<br />
most talented and dedicated urban educators are attracted to our schools.<br />
Through regular classroom observations, individual coaching, and frequent<br />
opportunities for collaboration with peers, good teachers become great<br />
ones — and tomorrow’s school leaders.<br />
Katie Scott (Chicago): I married John<br />
McCrummen on Sept. 1, 2013, and started<br />
teaching at Noble the same week. It’s been<br />
a busy but wonderful beginning to the<br />
school year!<br />
Todd Sheets (R.G.V.): I had the opportunity<br />
to teach a Radio Drama summer camp at a<br />
local elementary school for a small class<br />
of third to fifth graders. The students were<br />
engaged, excited to learn and were able to<br />
show their talent and showcase what they<br />
had learned for their family and friends. It<br />
was an amazing experience.<br />
Vincent Cho (Houston ’00), is a professor of educational leadership at Boston College, studying leadership issues around technology, data-based decision<br />
making, and social media. He joined his wife, Kim, and daughter Anne, 3, in welcoming a very pinchable little Henry on Dec. 21, 2013.<br />
Marlana Sheridan (E.N.C.): I am<br />
currently enrolled in medical school, but<br />
often reflect on my time in the classroom<br />
and how it has shaped me into who I<br />
am and will be as a medical provider. I<br />
look forward to the day when my short<br />
career as a classroom teacher and my<br />
career as a physician will merge and I<br />
use education and medicine to impact<br />
communities!<br />
educational excellence<br />
in whatever capacity we<br />
currently serve.<br />
Andrew Molchany (D.C.<br />
Region): I got married this<br />
June to the love of my life,<br />
Holly!<br />
Jesus Mosqueda (L.A.): I<br />
am currently a third-year<br />
law student at UC Berkeley<br />
focusing on immigration<br />
and education issues. Upon<br />
graduation, I hope to return to<br />
my community in Los Angeles<br />
where I grew up and worked<br />
as a TFA corps member to<br />
provide free legal services to<br />
our students and parents.<br />
Kunal Namballa (D.C.<br />
Region): I am currently<br />
working in Harlem Village<br />
Academies Leadership<br />
Elementary, where we are in<br />
our second year. We had the<br />
privilege of teaching some<br />
amazing groups of kids who<br />
have done amazing things.<br />
Our choir even got a chance to<br />
sing at the Apollo. I am loving<br />
living in the greatest city in<br />
the world!<br />
Grace Nixon Peterson<br />
(G.N.O.): I just celebrated my<br />
first wedding anniversary<br />
to Bobby Nixon Peterson,<br />
and we are loving life in New<br />
Orleans!<br />
Conor O’Brien (Baltimore): I<br />
was married to Bobbi Green<br />
on July 21, 2013.<br />
Tamara Panowicz (Kansas<br />
City): I have just begun<br />
the clinical mental health<br />
master of science program<br />
at the University of Scranton.<br />
This program has a large<br />
focus on social justice<br />
issues, and I know that<br />
whatever field of counseling<br />
I ultimately pursue, I am<br />
going to work with social<br />
justice (and my students) in<br />
mind.<br />
Brandi Pearman (Chicago): I<br />
was able to fund curriculumbased<br />
workbooks for all<br />
third graders to use during<br />
the summer to prevent<br />
summer slide in 2013.<br />
Damaris Pereda (D.C.<br />
Region): Students with<br />
special needs are NOT being<br />
left behind!<br />
Taylor Polky (Houston):<br />
I married a fellow corps<br />
member, Sylvanus Polky<br />
(Houston), on Aug. 3, 2013.<br />
Another corps member, Liat<br />
Rome (Houston), officiated!<br />
Catherine Prefontaine<br />
(N.Y.): I began a new role<br />
as dean of instruction at<br />
Brooklyn Ascend Charter<br />
School after over four<br />
years working as a learning<br />
support specialist at<br />
Excellence Boys Charter<br />
School.<br />
Jacob Quinton (G.N.O.): As a<br />
second-year medical student<br />
at the best medical school<br />
in Louisiana (LSU-New<br />
Orleans), I’m busily training<br />
and preparing my classmates<br />
to teach CDC-aligned lessons<br />
to help scholars at Sci<br />
Academy learn how to make<br />
safer and more responsible<br />
reproductive health decisions<br />
as a New Orleans Schweitzer<br />
Fellow.<br />
Erin Reddy (Hawai‘i):<br />
Sending some Pittsburgh<br />
aloha out to the TFA Hawai‘i<br />
corps members and staff.<br />
Hali’a aloha and a hui hou.<br />
Christopher Reid (Houston):<br />
I’ve become an instructional<br />
coach for YES Prep Public<br />
schools, supporting and<br />
developing novice teachers.<br />
Darren Rivas (Charlotte):<br />
I just got married and have<br />
moved back to Atlanta to work<br />
with McKinsey & Company.<br />
Johan Rocha (Houston):<br />
Involved with Teach For China.<br />
Hope to develop Teach For<br />
Brazil!<br />
Katelyn Roedner (G.N.O.): I<br />
am very excited about my new<br />
position as the environmental<br />
justice program manager<br />
for Catholic Charities in the<br />
Diocese of Stockton. We are<br />
working to care for God’s<br />
creation through education<br />
and advocacy, especially in<br />
the vulnerable communities<br />
of California’s Central Valley.<br />
Megan Rourk (New Mexico):<br />
Working in New Mexico at<br />
Shiprock High School was<br />
Aigerim Shorman (L.A.): During the 2012<br />
elections I saw Twitter conversations<br />
between my students discussing the<br />
debate. One of them said: “I wish we had<br />
Miss D.’s class tomorrow to debate this.”<br />
It warmed my heart more than anything<br />
in a long time.<br />
Emilie Siverling (South Dakota): I<br />
recently started Purdue University’s<br />
engineering education Ph.D. program,<br />
where I hope to combine my past<br />
experience in both fields to find ways to<br />
use engineering to enhance K-12 STEM<br />
courses.<br />
Nina Smith (D.C. Region): Doug Smith<br />
and I welcomed Elsa Grace Burnum<br />
Smith into the world on June 6, 2013. I<br />
also support my 20 “other babies” as the<br />
preschool grade level lead for KIPP DC:<br />
Discover Academy.<br />
Victoria So (St. Louis): Let me know if<br />
you are ever in the Portland, Ore., area!<br />
I work for an education technology<br />
consulting firm, Rubicon International,<br />
and would love to share the work we do<br />
over a coffee, microbrew, food cart, or<br />
hike in this great city.<br />
Nicole Bryan (D.C. Region, ’00)<br />
2013–Present | Managing Director for Early Childhood, DC Prep Home Office<br />
2010–2013 | Principal, DC Prep Edgewood Elementary Campus<br />
2008–2010 | Director of Curriculum, DC Prep Edgewood Elementary Campus<br />
Preschool through 8th Grade | www.dcprep.org<br />
Join us and apply your passion.<br />
104 One Day • SPRING 2014<br />
DCP-TFA Ad M1 012714.indd 1<br />
1/27/14 8:58 PM
Lindsay Stewart (Colorado):<br />
After teaching in my<br />
placement school in Denver<br />
for four years and working<br />
for the district as an ESL<br />
instructional coach, I decided<br />
to fulfill a long-term goal of<br />
my own and move to Paris.<br />
I currently teach English to<br />
students who are preparing<br />
for “le bac” (similar to the<br />
SAT). I also volunteer for<br />
Upstairs at Duroc, a literary<br />
journal based in Paris.<br />
Ami Tain (Delta): I was<br />
passionate about equality<br />
in education during my time<br />
in the Delta. Since the birth<br />
of my son, working toward<br />
quality education is even<br />
more important to me.<br />
Justin Taylor (Connecticut):<br />
I recently co-founded a<br />
chapter of the Marshall-<br />
Brennan Constitutional<br />
Literacy Project at the<br />
University of Connecticut<br />
School of Law, which<br />
brings law students into my<br />
placement school in Hartford<br />
to teach a semester-long<br />
course on constitutional law.<br />
Students who participate<br />
also have the chance to<br />
compete in a national<br />
moot court competition in<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Jason Thomson (Houston):<br />
As a returning dean of<br />
students, this year has<br />
started off strong! Great<br />
things are happening<br />
because my students<br />
deserve it. I work to ensure<br />
my teachers make students<br />
feel connected, capable and<br />
cared for; the students do<br />
the rest. Go Apollos!<br />
Christine Trites (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I got married in<br />
March of 2013 and was lucky<br />
enough to have three other<br />
members of my ’09 Atlanta<br />
corps class as bridesmaids:<br />
MaryGrace Bell, Caitlin<br />
Hickey, and Eva Gullick.<br />
Edgar Turner (G.N.O.): I am<br />
in my last year of doctoral<br />
studies in higher education<br />
administration at the<br />
University of Virginia’s Curry<br />
School of Education and will<br />
be writing my thesis on the<br />
effectiveness of presidential<br />
leadership development<br />
programs across the<br />
country.<br />
Chelsea Vanacore-Becker<br />
(Oklahoma): My initial Teach<br />
for America placement was<br />
with the Tulsa charter corps<br />
in an East Tulsa classroom.<br />
Four years later, I am ecstatic<br />
to be working with Building<br />
Excellent Schools to propose<br />
Ethos Preparatory, a noexcuses<br />
K-5 charter school in<br />
East Tulsa.<br />
Lauren Varon (L.A.): I have<br />
always thought of myself as<br />
a kindergarten teacher. That<br />
is, until this year, when my<br />
principal asked me to loop<br />
with my class to first grade!<br />
Looping is such an amazing<br />
opportunity. We were able to<br />
hit the ground running this<br />
year!<br />
John Vuylsteke (St. Louis):<br />
After witnessing the power<br />
of student ambition in<br />
the classroom, I founded<br />
Memphis Rise Academy<br />
to serve grades 6-12 in<br />
Memphis, Tenn.<br />
Brent Walmsley (L.A.): I<br />
am thrilled to start a new<br />
position as a seventh grade<br />
humanities teacher at<br />
Gabriella Charter School!<br />
Elizabeth Weiss (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I am still<br />
teaching in my placement<br />
school, but have expanded<br />
my original role as a pull-out<br />
special education teacher<br />
to an inclusion co-teacher<br />
supportive role. I have also<br />
begun a new creative writing<br />
elective course. I am excited<br />
for the positive changes!<br />
Courtney Wilde (G.N.O.):<br />
Watching my students make<br />
connections because of new<br />
things we’ve learned together<br />
is a great joy. This past week,<br />
I was able to watch a student<br />
who came to me with weak<br />
number sense in an academic<br />
argument with another<br />
about how the equal sign can<br />
be used in different ways<br />
because it’s supposed to<br />
mean that both sides amount<br />
to the same thing.<br />
Adam Wolfe (New Jersey): In<br />
a world of high-stakes testing<br />
and increased accountability,<br />
always remember why you<br />
teach: the students. Keep<br />
them as your focus when<br />
making every difficult<br />
decision and you will ensure<br />
the best opportunities for<br />
“Fletcher’s extraordinary<br />
community paired with top<br />
rate academic standards is<br />
absolutely unparalleled.”<br />
-Sophia Dawkins, MALD ’11<br />
Program Officer, Governance<br />
and Peacebuilding: South<br />
Sudan; Conflict Dynamics<br />
International<br />
Immerse yourself in The Fletcher School’s diverse and<br />
collaborative learning community, and join an alumni network<br />
of international leaders who work across industries and sectors<br />
to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.<br />
Experience the world at Fletcher.<br />
Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD)<br />
Master of International Business (MIB)<br />
Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP)<br />
Master of Laws in International Law (LLM)<br />
your students are obtained.<br />
Cornell Woodson (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I earned my<br />
master’s in education from<br />
the University of Vermont<br />
and currently work in<br />
multicultural education<br />
at NYU. I am working on a<br />
nonprofit organization that<br />
helps our young men of color<br />
challenge the definition of<br />
male masculinity.<br />
Christine Yee (Houston): In<br />
the last year I got married<br />
and started my master’s in<br />
curriculum and instruction<br />
for early childhood education.<br />
Lots of excitement!<br />
2010<br />
Saira Ahmed (Connecticut):<br />
I finished up my Basic Officer<br />
Leadership Course for the<br />
Army last summer. Just<br />
started my second year of<br />
medical school at Drexel in<br />
Philly!<br />
Natasha Alford (D.C.<br />
Region): After spending a<br />
year working in education<br />
policy at StudentsFirst, I<br />
recently moved to Chicago<br />
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br />
Master of Arts (MA)<br />
Executive Education<br />
Visit fletcher.tufts.edu or email fletcheradmissions@tufts.edu<br />
for graduate school. I’m<br />
currently at Northwestern<br />
University’s Medill School of<br />
Journalism, where I cover the<br />
education beat in the areas of<br />
Evanston, Skokie, and West<br />
Ridge, Ill. Upon graduation,<br />
I look forward to pursuing<br />
a career in broadcast<br />
journalism.<br />
Drake Allsop (Las Vegas):<br />
Last summer I left my<br />
classroom in the Las Vegas<br />
Valley to join the TFA-<br />
Oklahoma team. While I<br />
miss teaching my kiddos,<br />
it’s exciting to meet a whole<br />
new group of people who are<br />
brilliant, capable and driven<br />
to do what is right for kids.<br />
#team<br />
Darlinda Anderson<br />
(Houston): In all the years I’ve<br />
been teaching, none of them<br />
have been the same. The role<br />
I play does not ever change;<br />
however, my approach does.<br />
Our future relies upon every<br />
educator being able to not<br />
only teach a child long-term,<br />
but to also be able to reach<br />
them where their present<br />
mind is, so that their future<br />
selves can remember, so<br />
that they can remember the<br />
experience and that it took<br />
another soul who really<br />
cared. In time each will give<br />
the experience back to the<br />
world in one form or another.<br />
Priscilla Army (Charlotte):<br />
From drama to swimming<br />
to math honor society, my<br />
students are being offered<br />
the opportunity to grow and<br />
learn as worldly individuals.<br />
Elyssa Auerbach<br />
(Baltimore): I looped with<br />
my kids last year, and<br />
watching them grow has<br />
been inspiring. My class is<br />
the family that we all need,<br />
myself included. We push<br />
and challenge each other<br />
and learn from one another<br />
every day. My students are<br />
living proof we all can make<br />
a difference.<br />
Ashley Ball (St. Louis):<br />
I just helped launch the<br />
Tennessee Department<br />
of Education’s first blog,<br />
solely designed to brag on<br />
teachers doing amazing<br />
things. It is an incredible<br />
gift to have a window into<br />
classrooms across the<br />
state. Please visit at www.<br />
tnclassroomchronicles.org.<br />
Jordan Barnhill (St. Louis):<br />
After teaching pre-K for<br />
two years as a St. Louis<br />
corps member, I moved to<br />
Memphis, Tenn., to join the<br />
regional team. Currently I<br />
serve as a DTLD working<br />
with another MTLD to<br />
support corps members<br />
here in Memphis!<br />
Kourtney Bauswell<br />
(Milwaukee): I just took on<br />
a new role as the dean of<br />
curriculum and instruction<br />
at Milwaukee Collegiate<br />
Academy! I love my team,<br />
families and, of course,<br />
students! #TeamMCA<br />
Nathan Bengtsson (San<br />
Antonio): I completed the<br />
Coro Fellowship last June<br />
and am looking for work<br />
in tech and public affairs,<br />
mostly so I can afford to<br />
visit my San Antonio charter<br />
corps buddies in Texas and<br />
New York!<br />
Alejandra Berlioz<br />
(Jacksonville): I’m starting<br />
my second year in law<br />
school at FSU after finishing<br />
my TFA commitment in<br />
Jacksonville, Fla.<br />
James Birch (S. Louisiana):<br />
I’m working with some<br />
fantastic students and<br />
families in Baton Rouge.<br />
Ellen Bransford (R.G.V.):<br />
I’m currently teaching<br />
English as a Fulbright<br />
English teaching assistant<br />
at a public secondary school<br />
in Mexico City.<br />
Margaret Bruce (N.Y.): I<br />
married Spencer Bruce<br />
(who survived institute as<br />
my boyfriend, and I figured<br />
he was “the one”) on July<br />
6th, 2013. I am a second<br />
grade teacher in upstate<br />
New York.<br />
Mary Catherine Burnette<br />
(E.N.C.): I currently work<br />
as a first grade teacher<br />
at Bugg Creative Arts and<br />
Science Magnet Elementary.<br />
I reside in Raleigh, N.C.,<br />
with my husband, George,<br />
who is a newly licensed<br />
attorney, and our dog Lola.<br />
Kristina Campa-Gruca<br />
(Detroit): I recently was<br />
married to Matthew<br />
Gruca, a Michigan native.<br />
Serving in my fourth year<br />
at my placement school in<br />
Southwest Detroit, I have<br />
transitioned to the role of<br />
instructional coach while<br />
also pursuing full-time<br />
graduate school at the<br />
Gerald Ford School of<br />
Public Policy. Go Blue!<br />
John-Michael Early (G.N.O. ’10) and his funk band, Flow Tribe, live in New Orleans but<br />
tour nationally. Early jams best on the harmonica (above) and washboard.<br />
Dane Carlson (Hawai‘i):<br />
As an alum, TFA has<br />
instilled in me a lifelong,<br />
insatiable desire to improve<br />
and level the educational<br />
landscape for all of<br />
America’s youth.<br />
Laura Chudnoff (New<br />
Mexico): I am currently<br />
teaching at PFC Omar E.<br />
Torres Charter School as<br />
a fifth grade nonfiction<br />
teacher. We are currently<br />
learning about 9/11 and<br />
community heroes.<br />
Amber Cole (E.N.C.): I<br />
am currently working as<br />
a lead teacher at Boston<br />
Renaissance Charter Public<br />
School. This is my fourth<br />
year of teaching and I am<br />
coincidentally teaching<br />
fourth grade. This is also<br />
my first year teaching<br />
at a charter school in an<br />
urban setting, and I am<br />
experiencing significant<br />
growth as an educator.<br />
Peter Connors (New<br />
Mexico): On July 7th, 2013,<br />
the love of my life, Kimber<br />
Cole (New Mexico), and I<br />
were married. A week later,<br />
we moved to Seattle to<br />
begin new jobs and for her<br />
to begin her educational<br />
policy degree at UW.<br />
Dana Cronyn (Charlotte):<br />
I currently live in D.C. and<br />
work as a recruitment<br />
manager for TFA in Virginia.<br />
I also live with two former<br />
corps members: Lindsay<br />
Miars (Baltimore), who<br />
currently works in higher<br />
education consulting, and<br />
Katie Hennig (Charlotte),<br />
who works as the<br />
recruitment manager for<br />
D.C./Maryland universities.<br />
Eric Darsow (Delta): I<br />
am working for a charter<br />
school with 100 percent of<br />
seniors being admitted to a<br />
competitive-admission fouryear<br />
school!<br />
Rascoe Dean (Memphis): I<br />
couldn’t be prouder to have<br />
spent two years working to<br />
close the achievement gap<br />
as a member of TFA. TFA is<br />
truly a unique organization<br />
that brings the best out of its<br />
teachers and employees.<br />
April Dillard (Oklahoma):<br />
I graduated in August 2013<br />
with a master of arts degree<br />
from the University of Tulsa’s<br />
School of Urban Education.<br />
Sarah Dlugolecki (Delta):<br />
I am a graduate student at<br />
Washington University in<br />
St. Louis studying social<br />
work. I work full-time as<br />
Photo by Zack Smith<br />
106 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 107
Three years after meeting at the Phoenix summer institute, Tara Harrington (Charlotte ’07) and Daniel Seibel (South Dakota ’08) married on July 27,<br />
2013, in the presence of 26 corps members, alumni, and staffers. Both the bride and groom work in education in South Dakota. Front row (left to right):<br />
Brandon Hubbard-Heitz (South Dakota ’09), Andy Maggio (South Dakota ’09), Vicki Foss (South Dakota ’08), Polly Breit (L.A. ’05), Maylien Herm-<br />
Borcherding (Colorado ’07), Harrington, Seibel, Julene Smith (Phoenix ’06), John Marty (South Dakota ’09), Amal Karim (South Dakota ’11), Bobby<br />
Sanborn (South Dakota ’08), Britney Yount (South Dakota ’11); middle row (left to right): Sam Pearcy (Charlotte ’07), Janelle Styons (Charlotte ’07), Celia<br />
Shanahan (Colorado ’07), Lauren Fine (St. Louis ’05), Wyatt Shimeall (South Dakota ’09), Kate Haswell (South Dakota ’07), Marion Katz (South Dakota<br />
’07); back row (left to right): Eric Borcherding (Colorado ’08), Dylan Gallacher (South Dakota ’11), Scott Faris (South Dakota ’08), Jay Quarantello (South<br />
Dakota ’11), Dennis Robillard (South Dakota ’08), Bryan Boyce (South Dakota ’09), Josh Menke (South Dakota ’11).<br />
a resident assistant at the<br />
Thomas Jefferson School,<br />
intern at KIPP Inspire<br />
Academy, and am president<br />
of the Urban Education<br />
Initiative. I am applying for a<br />
Fulbright English Teaching<br />
Assistantship in Madrid for<br />
2014.<br />
Jennifer Drucker (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I moved back to<br />
Boston and am now working<br />
on my MS in medical sciences<br />
at Boston University.<br />
Thomas Edwards (Delta):<br />
After working on staff at<br />
Delta institute this summer, I<br />
am back at Tulane University<br />
School of Medicine for my<br />
second year of medical<br />
school.<br />
Valeria Escobedo (San<br />
Antonio): In a very recent<br />
conversation with a best<br />
friend, we reflected on our<br />
fourth year in the classroom.<br />
One of the best realizations<br />
I made was that I honestly<br />
felt like it was my turn to<br />
help students find their true<br />
potential and leadership<br />
styles. Although I’ve known<br />
this since the moment I joined<br />
the corps, I think the words<br />
truly resonated with me in<br />
a different, and poetic way.<br />
Now more than ever I realize<br />
the impact I make with my<br />
students each day, but more<br />
importantly, the way in which<br />
they help me become a better<br />
person with each of their<br />
thoughts of kindness and<br />
hope.<br />
Kayla Federline (Hawai‘i):<br />
I got engaged in December<br />
2013 and am planning<br />
our wedding! We moved<br />
to California, where I<br />
work as a consultant for a<br />
contemporary art gallery<br />
(yes—kind of like Charlotte<br />
York). We also acquired a<br />
new family member: a sweet<br />
puppy named Bowser (yes—<br />
as in Super Mario).<br />
Raymond Feuga (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I’ve just<br />
started medical school at<br />
Temple in Philadelphia, where<br />
I still live with a roommate I<br />
met in TFA.<br />
Sarah Fischer (G.N.O.):<br />
Although I am no longer in<br />
the classroom, I find joy and<br />
brightness in my day when I<br />
receive messages from my<br />
former students, particularly<br />
when they are studying after<br />
practice. Extracurriculars<br />
can help be a key lever in<br />
gaining students’ passion,<br />
tenacity, focus and work ethic!<br />
Laura Fong (Houston): I’ve<br />
been working as a researcher<br />
for the CNN documentary<br />
television series Inside Man,<br />
hosted by Morgan Spurlock<br />
(Super Size Me and 30 Days).<br />
Ashley Foxx (Memphis): I<br />
just published a book last<br />
year, Keisha Cane and Her Very<br />
Sweet Tooth. It is an amazing<br />
experience to write books<br />
that feature African American<br />
characters.<br />
Christine French (South<br />
Dakota): I took 16 students<br />
to IncluCity, a camp that<br />
trains students in antibullying,<br />
human relation and<br />
leadership.<br />
Hector Galindo (R.G.V.): I<br />
was recently accepted as<br />
a National DOW Fellow for<br />
the New Science Teacher<br />
Academy, which is overseen<br />
by the National Science<br />
Teacher Association.<br />
Daniel Garrison (Dallas -<br />
Fort Worth): As part of my<br />
most important work as a dad<br />
to four amazing kids, I moved<br />
to New York to join the team<br />
at Harlem Village Academy<br />
High and help create the best<br />
high school in the world’s<br />
greatest city by loving and<br />
leading kids as I teach<br />
physics.<br />
George Gianakakos<br />
(Connecticut): I will be<br />
teaching English in the<br />
south of France just outside<br />
Marseille during the 2013-<br />
2014 school year. I hope to<br />
bring a little yoga to my small<br />
town, just as I did as a corps<br />
member in Bridgeport, Conn.!<br />
Alison Giovanelli<br />
(Oklahoma): I am currently<br />
in a developmental/clinical<br />
psychology Ph.D. program at<br />
the University of Minnesota-<br />
Twin Cities. My research<br />
interests include the<br />
protective socio-emotional<br />
and cognitive benefits of<br />
high quality early childhood<br />
education for at-risk<br />
populations, as well as<br />
effective interventions for<br />
emotional and behavioral<br />
disorders.<br />
Hunter Gros (Phoenix):<br />
I recently returned from<br />
teaching English to over<br />
600 students as a Fulbright<br />
Scholar in Kolkata, India.<br />
Damaris Gutierrez (R.G.V.):<br />
I am excited to be working<br />
back within the public school<br />
system and serving students<br />
that deserve to be held to<br />
high expectations and taught<br />
with love. Go Sul Ross Rebels!<br />
Jacqueline Hamm (Chicago):<br />
I am currently in my fourth<br />
year at my placement school!<br />
I have never been prouder to<br />
be a part of this movement.<br />
My students teach me more<br />
and more each day.<br />
Julian Hayes (Colorado): I am<br />
in love with my fourth year of<br />
teaching! What a joy to shape<br />
the lives of children!<br />
Amanda Henderly (Chicago):<br />
I had my first baby, Wyatt<br />
Jackson Henderly, on Aug. 31,<br />
2013. At birth, he weighed 7<br />
pounds and 2 ounces and was<br />
20 inches long.<br />
Eddy Hernandez Perez<br />
(San Antonio): Following<br />
my corps experience in<br />
San Antonio, I helped found<br />
Leadership SAISD, a small<br />
nonprofit aimed at building<br />
citizen leaders within the San<br />
Antonio Independent School<br />
District. I am currently an<br />
Urban Scholars Fellow at the<br />
Harvard Graduate School of<br />
Education.<br />
LeAnn Holland (South<br />
Dakota): I married the man<br />
who would drive 16 hours on<br />
desolate roads in rain, snow<br />
and ice to support me through<br />
my darkest and brightest<br />
teaching moments! William<br />
Holland and I tied the knot<br />
Sept. 29, 2012, in a beautiful<br />
field of prairie grass. We’re<br />
relieved to have finally closed<br />
in the miles between us: at<br />
home now in New York City.<br />
Briana Huggins (Miami-<br />
Dade): I am a dual-degree<br />
student at American<br />
University: MBA and MA in<br />
international affairs.<br />
Scott Jelinek (Colorado): This<br />
past July I got legally married<br />
to fellow teacher Luis<br />
Gallego! I graduated from<br />
the University of Colorado<br />
at Denver with my master’s<br />
in health education. I am<br />
currently at the Icahn School<br />
of Medicine at Mount Sinai<br />
in New York City, where I am<br />
pursuing my MD/master’s of<br />
public health dual degree and<br />
am part of the Human Rights<br />
and Social Justice Scholars<br />
Program.<br />
Joshua Johnson (D.C.<br />
Region): I am currently<br />
participating in the D.C.<br />
Emerging Leaders program<br />
through New Leaders for<br />
New Schools, along with<br />
fellow 2010 corps members<br />
Kelly Gleischman and Sasha<br />
Otero.<br />
Jordan Jones (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): My wife and I<br />
welcomed our third child and<br />
our second son, Cruz Bennett<br />
Jones, into the world this<br />
past year.<br />
Melissa Kallas (Houston): I<br />
recently relocated to Atlanta<br />
to work as a continuous<br />
improvement engineer with<br />
Lockheed Martin.<br />
Sukhdeep Kaur (Houston): I<br />
am now on the administrative<br />
team at the YWCPA in HISD.<br />
I am loving my new role and<br />
am grateful to have been<br />
given the opportunity to make<br />
an impact in the lives of these<br />
547 girls.<br />
Tiffany Kinney (Las Vegas):<br />
I am a Ph.D. student in<br />
rhetoric and composition<br />
at the University of Utah;<br />
instructor of composition,<br />
advanced argumentation and<br />
introduction to university<br />
thinking; and assistant<br />
coordinator of intermediate<br />
writing at the university.<br />
Miron Klimkowski (Dallas<br />
- Fort Worth): I got married<br />
in July of 2012 to fellow TFA<br />
corps member Hillary Dodd<br />
(Houston)!<br />
Annette Konoske-Graf<br />
(Miami-Dade): As a graduate<br />
student at Columbia’s School<br />
of Journalism, I have been<br />
working on a five-week piece<br />
on a school in Brooklyn that<br />
serves 40 autistic children.<br />
My goal is to convey the<br />
challenges of communicating<br />
with children for whom<br />
communication is inherently<br />
difficult.<br />
Brittany Kruger (Oklahoma):<br />
I married Eric Kruger<br />
(Oklahoma ’09) in Derby,<br />
Kan., on July 13, 2013. Phil<br />
Smoke and Ben Phillips<br />
(both Oklahoma ’09) were<br />
groomsmen. Several more<br />
alumni attended.<br />
Chloe LaFrance (Dallas -<br />
Fort Worth): I had a baby boy<br />
in January 2013. His name is<br />
Everson and he loves coming<br />
to school to see the scholars<br />
and help out with Saturday<br />
school on the weekends!<br />
Kimberly Lawton (Greater<br />
Nashville): I am in my second<br />
year of graduate school<br />
to become a school social<br />
worker. Teach For America<br />
has provided me with so<br />
many opportunities and has<br />
shown me how important it is<br />
to have a strong community<br />
of professionals that work<br />
together to ensure that one<br />
day all children will receive<br />
quality education.<br />
Margaret Leiby (Las Vegas): I<br />
am grade-level chair for PK4<br />
at KIPP Explore in Houston.<br />
PK so one day.<br />
Matthew Levy (L.A.):<br />
Through my position as a<br />
doctoral student and senior<br />
research assistant in the<br />
department of epidemiology<br />
and biostatistics at George<br />
Washington University, I am<br />
coordinating the launch of an<br />
National Institutes of Healthfunded<br />
mixed-methods study<br />
to assess structural barriers<br />
to HIV prevention services<br />
among black men who have<br />
sex with men (BMSM) in the<br />
D.C. metropolitan area, with<br />
the guidance of my mentor.<br />
Rebekah Lischwe (St. Louis):<br />
Nathaniel Lischwe (St. Louis<br />
’05) and I were married last<br />
July. I am teaching middle<br />
school math in the city of St.<br />
Louis. Nate is an instructional<br />
coach for math and science<br />
teachers at Clyde C. Miller<br />
Academy in St. Louis.<br />
Vanessa Lugo-Acevedo<br />
(Colorado): This year I<br />
embarked on a journey as<br />
a founding administrator at<br />
DCIS at Fairmont in Denver.<br />
Greeting an entire community<br />
on the first day of school was<br />
unlike anything I had ever<br />
experienced. Knowing that<br />
this year as an administrator<br />
I would have the opportunity<br />
to touch the lives of students<br />
and families outside of a<br />
single classroom was an<br />
extraordinary feeling.<br />
Jenny Ma (Detroit): The<br />
confident applicant on the<br />
Join Us and<br />
Make It Happen<br />
Rigorous Academics<br />
Social Development<br />
Arts Infusion<br />
College Acceptance<br />
Now hiring teachers<br />
and leaders in:<br />
Central AR • Chicago<br />
Detroit • Indianapolis<br />
Milwaukee • New York<br />
NW Indiana • OK City<br />
Tulsa • Washington D.C.<br />
Learn more and apply online at<br />
www.lighthouse-academies.org<br />
108 One Day • SPRING 2014
y<br />
B<br />
something<br />
great<br />
x<br />
applications & deadlines<br />
rsed.org/tfa<br />
San Jose • Milwaukee • Nashville<br />
We personalize learning. We<br />
engage parents. We support and<br />
reward excellent teachers and<br />
leaders. We will eliminate the<br />
achievement gap in our lifetime.<br />
Join us.<br />
other end of the line made me proud<br />
to know there are growing numbers of<br />
successful young citizens who are truly<br />
dedicated to reaching educational equity,<br />
and that one day we will have a quality<br />
education for all.<br />
Lenora Magee (Greater Philadelphia):<br />
Big ups to 2010 corps of Camden! We<br />
started small...and we did big things.<br />
Lauren Mallett (Bay Area): I am an<br />
MFA candidate in poetry and a graduate<br />
instructor at Purdue University.<br />
Thomas Markey (Greater Philadelphia):<br />
I just began my second year of law school<br />
at Boston University!<br />
Greisy Martinez (Miami-Dade): After<br />
teaching a third year at beautiful<br />
Morningside Elementary, I decided to go<br />
back to the classroom...as a student! I am<br />
currently completing a post-bac in Miami<br />
as well as working as a trainer for the<br />
Hawn Foundation on a fantastic program<br />
called Mind Up.<br />
Adriana Massara (Hawai‘i): I currently<br />
work as a third grade teacher at Ascend<br />
Charter School in Bushwick, Brooklyn,<br />
N.Y. I am the grade-level team lead.<br />
Abby McCartney (G.N.O.): I started a<br />
master’s in public affairs (public policy) at<br />
Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School this<br />
fall. I miss my New Orleans family but I’ll<br />
be back to visit often!<br />
Kevin McGrath (Houston): I am currently<br />
a second-year law student at the<br />
University of Villanova Law School. This<br />
past summer, I worked in the school’s<br />
pro bono Interdisciplinary Health Law<br />
Clinic, providing legal services to an<br />
underserved and indigent population.<br />
Christopher Meehan (L.A.): NiHao (hello)<br />
from all of my students in Beijing, China,<br />
to all of my former students, friends,<br />
and peers back in the states! Remember<br />
that change has to start somewhere<br />
and that, in our interconnected world,<br />
a local movement can become globally<br />
transformative. Go on and do great<br />
things...the world is watching!<br />
Amanda Mendiola (Houston): After<br />
concluding my two-year commitment<br />
in the classroom, I decided to pursue a<br />
master’s degree in counseling education<br />
so that I can support students in and out<br />
of the classroom.<br />
Lauren Milam (Oklahoma): Recently, I<br />
caught wind that my former students have<br />
been assigned to the classroom of Ms.<br />
Huynh (who was in the CMA group I led!).<br />
So cool how things come full circle. I feel<br />
more part of the movement now than ever<br />
before.<br />
Claire Miller (Phoenix): I received a<br />
phone call last week from one of my<br />
original sixth graders: “Ms. Miller, I know<br />
that you dreamed of the day we all started<br />
high school, so I thought I would call to<br />
tell you all about my first day and how<br />
well it went because of all you<br />
taught us. Then, one day, I<br />
will call you on my first day of<br />
college.” Yes, Jaleel, One Day.<br />
Alexandria Morgan (Dallas<br />
- Fort Worth): Currently a<br />
full-time graduate student<br />
and therapist trainee at a<br />
hospital helping children<br />
and families to strengthen<br />
their relationships with<br />
one another. Also, helping<br />
children who suffer from<br />
mental illness or stress,<br />
anxiety, or depression to<br />
function in school and at<br />
home.<br />
Elzy Munoz (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I may no<br />
longer be in the classroom,<br />
but I carry my kids and their<br />
stories in my heart forever.<br />
I’m currently back at school<br />
and simultaneously working<br />
as a research assistant at<br />
CHOP on a study surrounding<br />
the effects of poverty on<br />
neonatal development. I see<br />
myself working with underserved<br />
Latino and African<br />
American communities when<br />
I graduate from medical<br />
school.<br />
Joshua Nathan<br />
(Massachusetts): I spent<br />
a great year teaching in<br />
Cameroon. Now, I am excited<br />
to be back in Boston working<br />
for Bridge International<br />
Academies, a large-scale<br />
provider of low-cost private<br />
schooling in Kenya. If anyone<br />
is looking for a job in the field<br />
of international education<br />
management—or just wants<br />
to help with this very cool<br />
challenge—send me a<br />
message!<br />
Sadie Newell (Oklahoma): I<br />
have the enormous pleasure<br />
of teaching second grade at<br />
University Academy Charter<br />
school in Kansas City, Mo. I<br />
love UA, and I love how my<br />
students inspire me each day<br />
to face their struggles with<br />
confidence and swagger. I<br />
cannot wait to grow with them<br />
this year!<br />
Joseph Evan Nogay (S.<br />
Louisiana): Ole ole SLA! I<br />
am currently a second-year<br />
student at the University of<br />
Pittsburgh School of Law,<br />
and am loving being back<br />
in the Steel City. I will be<br />
working for a large, private<br />
law firm in Pittsburgh next<br />
summer, and for a federal<br />
judge in Wheeling, W. Va.,<br />
post-graduate. Please drop<br />
me a line if you are traveling<br />
through Pittsburgh!<br />
Thomas O’Connell (Houston):<br />
I proudly teach ninth grade<br />
physics at Uncommon<br />
Collegiate Charter High<br />
School in Bed-Stuy while<br />
volunteering with The<br />
Woods Project, Sierra Club’s<br />
Inner City Outings, and<br />
Camp Interactive whenever<br />
possible. Contact me to get<br />
more students outdoors!<br />
Emily Olson (D.C. Region):<br />
I have moved out of my<br />
placement school and into<br />
my new role as a sixth and<br />
seventh grade math teacher<br />
at the Capitol Hill Day School.<br />
I am continuing to enjoy my<br />
year-round work as a teacher<br />
effectiveness coach and<br />
practice instructor for The<br />
New Teacher Project. This<br />
summer I successfully helped<br />
eight new D.C. Teaching<br />
Fellows begin their path to<br />
closing the achievement gap<br />
through the classroom.<br />
Marcella Ovalle (San<br />
Antonio): Tafolla Middle<br />
School means home and<br />
family. I once walked the<br />
halls as a student, and now<br />
I’m entering my fourth year<br />
as a social studies teacher.<br />
For me, it’s important to<br />
extend lessons beyond<br />
the classroom walls.<br />
This mission includes<br />
performances, publications,<br />
bike mural tours and the<br />
National History Fair.<br />
#WestSidePride #ToroTough<br />
Grace Park (L.A.): I’ve just<br />
started my first year in grad<br />
school at Carnegie Mellon’s<br />
Heinz College. I’m excited<br />
to be part of the Master of<br />
Science in Public Policy and<br />
Management—D.C. Track<br />
program. I am committed to<br />
equipping myself with more<br />
quantitative approaches to<br />
tackle educational inequity.<br />
Brittany Perrotte (Chicago):<br />
I applied to public health<br />
grad programs so that I can<br />
learn about health issues<br />
that keep students out of the<br />
classroom.<br />
Teryn Phillips (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I married<br />
my best friend and Rise<br />
Academy’s best sixth grade<br />
LS math and science teacher!<br />
Cassandra Potler (D.C.<br />
Region): I am now the<br />
assistant director at<br />
Little Beginnings Child<br />
Development Center in<br />
Arlington, Va. My school has<br />
57 students, infants through<br />
pre-K.<br />
Allison Seger (South Dakota ’10) biked 3,000 miles from Canada to the Mexican border on a in<br />
memory of her classroom dog, Gus. The money raised will be used as a college scholarship for<br />
two of her students at South Elementary School on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.<br />
Harry Preston V (Baltimore):<br />
My wife and I had a baby, Harry<br />
F. Preston VI. He will be a part<br />
of the future we engineer!<br />
Racquel Quarless (Metro<br />
Atlanta): My chemists have<br />
started college! Late-night<br />
texts, emails, and phone calls<br />
of students saying that they<br />
feel prepared have made my<br />
week!<br />
Randolph Raine (Charlotte):<br />
After my commitment with<br />
TFA ended, I moved to D.C.<br />
and interned on the Hill. I am<br />
now a legislative assistant for<br />
the National Corn Growers<br />
Association trying to advance<br />
policies that will benefit those<br />
who help feed the world.<br />
Vanessa Reid (S. Louisiana):<br />
I am currently working in<br />
my hometown of Columbus,<br />
Ohio, at KIPP Journey<br />
Academy in the special<br />
education department. I am<br />
simultaneously in graduate<br />
school at Columbia University,<br />
Teachers College as part of<br />
the 2013 Cohort Summer<br />
Principals Academy.<br />
Cynthia Reza (Bay Area):<br />
As a fourth year, still in the<br />
classroom at my placement<br />
school, I feel motivated every<br />
day to prepare myself and<br />
be the best teacher I can be.<br />
I started at KIPP San Jose<br />
Collegiate with a group of 15<br />
freshmen who I am proud to<br />
say have all started applying to<br />
college this fall.<br />
Jazmine Romero (Alabama):<br />
I never thought I would have<br />
over 200 parents sign up for<br />
language classes.<br />
Brittany Ryan (L.A.): I<br />
recently transitioned from an<br />
elementary administrator to<br />
a programs coordinator for<br />
CollegeSpring—a nonprofit<br />
SAT prep company for lowincome<br />
students. I’m loving<br />
helping high school students<br />
get to college (although I do<br />
miss the little elementary<br />
school kiddos)!<br />
Ben Sanofsky (N.Y.): I’m<br />
running a mentoring program<br />
at my medical school for<br />
middle school students<br />
enrolled in a high-need<br />
school in a neighboring<br />
district.<br />
Andrew Senter (Bay Area):<br />
I have moved to New York<br />
and started law school at<br />
New York University School<br />
of Law.<br />
Chirag Sharma (Houston): I<br />
feel delighted to have started<br />
an aviation academy with<br />
my colleagues that provides<br />
skilled training to recent<br />
high school and college<br />
graduates who have shown<br />
keen interest in carving<br />
a future in the aviation<br />
Industry. The academy also<br />
runs free workshops for the<br />
underprivileged and helps<br />
create awareness about<br />
job opportunities within the<br />
travel and tourism world.<br />
Zachary Siebert (G.N.O.):<br />
Through love and consistency<br />
we have the opportunity to<br />
empower our students to go<br />
for happiness.<br />
Jessica Sims (Houston): I<br />
witnessed my best friend<br />
Chinenye Nkemere (Houston)<br />
get married to a man she<br />
met at her placement<br />
school. Another one of her<br />
bridesmaids was TFA St. Louis<br />
’10! Small, powerful world!<br />
Lindsey Smith (N.Y.): I am<br />
entering my fourth year of<br />
teaching at Success Academy.<br />
I am proud to be a part of a<br />
network that is growing each<br />
year and providing excellent<br />
instruction to scholars all over<br />
New York City!<br />
Aaron Sohaski (Baltimore):<br />
While in law school, I currently<br />
serve as the 6th Circuit<br />
Governor for the American<br />
Bar Association (Law Student<br />
Division).<br />
Emily Speer (Milwaukee):<br />
Although I am not still in<br />
the classroom, some of<br />
my favorite activities still<br />
revolve around mentoring<br />
former students and players<br />
from my volleyball team. It<br />
is so rewarding to see them<br />
continuing to improve their<br />
English and reading and<br />
growing into more global<br />
citizens.<br />
Charles Sprague (N.Y.): In<br />
September 2013, I started<br />
110 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 111
Justin Yan (Charlotte ’07) met Gracielle Loree (New Mexico ’06) at a Teach For America recruitment event he had planned. Suffice to say he found a<br />
recruit. They married in Bellingham, Wash., on July 20, 2013. Front row: the bride and groom, Gaby Barahona (Boston ’09), Tamara Urquhart (Atlanta<br />
’06), Tony Emerson (N.Y. ’07), Tracy St. Dic (N.Y. ’07). Back row: Celeste Diaz, Madeline Medina (L.A. ’08), David Omenn (Houston ’05), Katherine<br />
Kleitsch (G.N.O. ’09), Kristy Martin, officiant and matchmaker Nathan Fitzpatrick (Delta ’06), and Sara Merwin (Delta ’07).<br />
Stanford Law School. I love<br />
being back in California and<br />
the fact that so many of my<br />
classmates are TFA alums.<br />
Also, it’s funny to now be the<br />
one getting cold-called.<br />
Christiana Stevenson<br />
(Indianapolis): In May of<br />
2013, I married Rasmus<br />
Jorgensen and moved to<br />
Copenhagen, Denmark! I<br />
am excited to learn more<br />
about the Danish education<br />
system and how an<br />
international perspective<br />
on education may shed light<br />
on my views of closing the<br />
achievement gap back in the<br />
states.<br />
Michael Strom (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I was<br />
recently inducted into the<br />
2015 Fellowship Class of<br />
Leadership Newark.<br />
Ethan Tannen (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I am moving<br />
to France to become an<br />
English teaching assistant.<br />
Adina Teibloom (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I have chosen<br />
to live in Haifa, Israel, for the<br />
foreseeable future and also<br />
am engaged!<br />
Kathryn Bailey Thomson (Bay<br />
Area): I am currently serving<br />
as director of schools for the<br />
Spark Schools primary school<br />
network in Johannesburg,<br />
South Africa. We successfully<br />
opened our first school in<br />
January 2013, and we are<br />
opening our second school<br />
in January 2014! Visit www.<br />
sparkschools.co.za for more<br />
information.<br />
Brittany Turner (L.A.): I’m<br />
currently completing my<br />
second year at Michigan Law.<br />
I have continued to volunteer<br />
at a local juvenile detention<br />
center and am trying to start<br />
up a new project that involves<br />
getting MLaw students to<br />
volunteer at TFA schools in<br />
Detroit.<br />
Cindia Velasco (Chicago):<br />
Hey everyone! I’m back in<br />
California and I’m attending<br />
UCLA, working toward<br />
attaining my public policy<br />
degree! Still in education, but<br />
a different side of it. I love and<br />
miss you, Chicago!<br />
Trace Wallace (L.A.): I will<br />
be volunteering in Tanzania<br />
through a microfinance<br />
organization to help lift rural<br />
communities out of poverty.<br />
Anne Warshaw (Chicago): I<br />
am beyond excited to have<br />
started my own company,<br />
Smarty Pants Yoga Inc., with<br />
a fellow TFA alum. We provide<br />
girl power yoga and literacy<br />
programming to girls across<br />
Chicago and are growing each<br />
day. Visit us on the web for<br />
more info!<br />
Nora Wessel (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I’m excited by<br />
the opportunities to expand<br />
access to education through<br />
online learning platforms,<br />
and am working to grow these<br />
opportunities at an ed-tech<br />
startup.<br />
Alexandra Wiggins (Metro<br />
Atlanta): Although I am in my<br />
second year of law school, I<br />
am ensuring that all students,<br />
regardless of socioeconomic<br />
background, are going to<br />
receive an excellent and<br />
affordable education by<br />
working with U.S. Sen. Mary<br />
L. Landrieu (D-La.) on her<br />
national education-related<br />
issues as a legal intern.<br />
Additionally, I volunteer spare<br />
time to assisting current<br />
South Louisiana corps<br />
members in their classrooms.<br />
Catherine Williams (New<br />
Mexico): Just finished<br />
creating the Spanish guide for<br />
all of the curriculum students<br />
will be learning in both our<br />
foreign language and our<br />
native speakers program.<br />
Hooray!<br />
Kristopher Wright (Dallas<br />
- Fort Worth): I have 50<br />
students on my debate<br />
team, and after only three<br />
tournaments, 11 of my<br />
students have already<br />
earned points toward<br />
qualifying for the Texas State<br />
Championship. I also help run<br />
a nonprofit organization that<br />
I co-founded in 2009. In the<br />
past three summers alone,<br />
the Texas Debate Collective<br />
has awarded approximately<br />
$85,000 in need-based<br />
scholarships to low-income<br />
students.<br />
Charles Youn (Delaware):<br />
In an alternate universe,<br />
I’d be finishing law school<br />
and searching for jobs.<br />
Fortunately for me, I am<br />
teaching in my fourth year<br />
and couldn’t be more excited.<br />
Matthew Zecchin (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I’m working<br />
with Boys’ Latin of<br />
Philadelphia as a founding<br />
teacher in their new middle<br />
school.<br />
2011<br />
Naomi Adjei (Baltimore):<br />
I am currently a firstyear<br />
student at the Alpert<br />
Medical School of Brown<br />
University in Providence,<br />
R.I. I have been working with<br />
underserved communities<br />
within Providence, especially<br />
in ensuring that uninsured,<br />
underserved women receive<br />
routine gynecological care.<br />
Katherine Allamong (L.A.):<br />
I am currently the new<br />
special projects curriculum<br />
coordinator for the school I<br />
taught at (Opportunities for<br />
Learning). I get to travel and<br />
help open our school out of<br />
state to help reach thousands<br />
of students that are at risk<br />
of not completing high school.<br />
Frederick Anderson<br />
(Memphis): I am currently<br />
working at Freedom<br />
Preparatory Academy in<br />
Memphis, Tenn., where I<br />
serve as a sixth grade social<br />
studies teacher.<br />
Roxanne Archibald<br />
(Massachusetts): My<br />
seventh grade students’<br />
writing scores on the long<br />
composition portion of the<br />
MCAS were higher than the<br />
state average. In a district<br />
like Chelsea, where most of<br />
my students qualify for free/<br />
reduced lunch and many are<br />
children of non-Englishspeaking<br />
immigrants, this is<br />
quite the feat.<br />
Amy Austin (South Dakota): I<br />
accepted a Fulbright English<br />
Teaching Assistantship and<br />
moved to Berlin in July 2013.<br />
I teach third through sixth<br />
multi-grade English classes at<br />
the Pettenkofer Grundschule,<br />
a Montessori elementary<br />
school in the city. My students<br />
are helping me improve my<br />
German as they improve their<br />
English!<br />
Rebecca Barstein (Houston):<br />
Moving to a new grade level<br />
with my former students<br />
has allowed for the most<br />
incredible start to a year.<br />
Capitalizing on previously<br />
existing relationships<br />
has made me realize the<br />
importance of getting to know<br />
each student as an individual.<br />
Melissa Beck (Metro Atlanta):<br />
After teaching ninth and<br />
eleventh grade math in Metro<br />
Atlanta for two years, I had<br />
taught a number of students<br />
who had phenomenal GPAs<br />
but lacked the foundational<br />
knowledge necessary to<br />
perform well on the SAT/ACT.<br />
After this experience, I worked<br />
to create my high school’s<br />
first-ever ACT/SAT/College<br />
Prep class for seniors.<br />
Emily Benoit (Oklahoma): I<br />
moved back to Chicago the<br />
summer after my second year<br />
of teaching. I am now back<br />
at my alma mater, University<br />
of Chicago, working as an<br />
admissions counselor for<br />
undergraduate admissions. I<br />
am really enjoying being back<br />
on my campus and getting<br />
to talk with prospective high<br />
school students about the<br />
university.<br />
Prerana Bharadwaj (N.Y.):<br />
I am excited to be using the<br />
skills I learned teaching<br />
seventh grade in a highereducation<br />
setting. Working<br />
on my doctorate in social<br />
psychology, I hope to set<br />
an example to my former<br />
students about what a lifelong<br />
learner can look like.<br />
Hannah Bonville (D.C.<br />
Region): I’ve transitioned<br />
into the role of full-time grad<br />
student at the University<br />
of Michigan, studying<br />
epidemiology and international<br />
health. I plan to use everything<br />
I have learned from TFA and<br />
everything I learn here to help<br />
achieve equity of health and<br />
education on a global scale.<br />
Edverette Brewster<br />
(Massachusetts): I am<br />
enjoying my role as an<br />
educator. I am thankful for my<br />
experiences, because they<br />
have shaped what I believe<br />
to be my life’s purpose: to<br />
educate our youth.<br />
Michael Broschart (Rhode<br />
Island): My students are<br />
working harder than ever to<br />
close their own achievement<br />
gaps. Although my tenth<br />
grade students are on average<br />
reading at a sixth grade level,<br />
they are committed to reading<br />
their novels every night to<br />
raise their scores.<br />
Dorcea Brown (Memphis):<br />
Currently I am working as a<br />
third grade math, science,<br />
and social studies teacher<br />
in Cordova, Tenn. (a.k.a.<br />
Memphis, Tenn.). Right now,<br />
the school district is facing a<br />
huge education reform, and<br />
my mission is to continue to<br />
serve elementary students<br />
to empower them to see<br />
education as their voice and<br />
platform to change the world.<br />
Devaney Buffalo (South<br />
Dakota): My first year of<br />
teaching, I promised my<br />
freshmen students that I<br />
would stay for four years<br />
so that I could see them<br />
graduate. Coming back for<br />
my third year and seeing<br />
how they have grown and<br />
developed into young adults<br />
in just two years, I can’t<br />
imagine leaving.<br />
Elizabeth Bury (Houston):<br />
After teaching in a school for<br />
the past two years where I<br />
struggled to feel my impact, I<br />
am now in a place where I feel<br />
One Day is within our grasp.<br />
I am so proud to be working<br />
with the amazing staff,<br />
community, and students of<br />
YES Prep East End.<br />
Essence Caleb (N.Y.): I am<br />
serving our students who<br />
need additional love and<br />
support by leading the special<br />
education department and<br />
ensuring that with every state<br />
change, these students get<br />
what they need to excel.<br />
Paul Cameron (St. Louis):<br />
While serving as the<br />
communications director for<br />
the St. Louis-based nonprofit<br />
The Disruption Department,<br />
I’m also a current master’s<br />
of public service candidate<br />
at the University of Central<br />
Arkansas Clinton School.<br />
Jaime Cannon (E.N.C.): I<br />
teach because I know I make<br />
a difference every day. I also<br />
have a WHOLE lot of fun too.<br />
Joseph Carroll (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I moved to Chicago<br />
to build some practical<br />
business experience that I<br />
plan to eventually use toward<br />
the struggle for educational<br />
inequality.<br />
Brendan Chan (San Antonio):<br />
I just started working at<br />
Google and I’m eager to<br />
develop skills that will allow<br />
me to have a broad impact on<br />
education in this country!<br />
Megan Cheslock (Bay<br />
Area): As a special day<br />
class teacher, I’m working<br />
with doctors, therapists,<br />
counselors, families and<br />
advocates to ensure that my<br />
students with exceptionalities<br />
receive an excellent<br />
education.<br />
Isabel Clamons (South<br />
Dakota): I stayed within my<br />
placement district and now<br />
work at the most beautiful<br />
country school in America.<br />
Spring Creek School serves<br />
families that are dedicated to<br />
expanding opportunities for<br />
their children by attending<br />
after-school programs and<br />
Saturday school. Our staff is<br />
tenacious when it comes to<br />
student achievement. There<br />
is no better team out there.<br />
Damilola Coker (Houston):<br />
I am currently working as a<br />
sixth grade reading teacher<br />
at KIPP 3D, while also going<br />
to grad school full time at<br />
the University of St. Thomas<br />
in their master’s in school<br />
counseling program. I love<br />
every aspect of my job, and<br />
I am optimistic about the<br />
future.<br />
Nicole Collins (South<br />
Dakota): I’m in my third year<br />
as my school’s charter middle<br />
school science teacher. I also<br />
worked with the school board<br />
and local tribal leaders to<br />
implement my school’s firstever<br />
culturally responsive,<br />
comprehensive sex-ed<br />
curriculum.<br />
Desiree Cossyleon<br />
(Houston): I’m currently<br />
living in Chiang Mai, Thailand,<br />
where I’ve been hired to work<br />
as a substitute teacher at an<br />
international school.<br />
Samuel Crenshaw (Delta):<br />
Wow, from corps member to<br />
CMA to Ph.D. student all in<br />
one summer! I may not be in<br />
my old classroom anymore,<br />
but I am so grateful to serve<br />
the movement by staying<br />
in contact with new corps<br />
members and by acting as a<br />
tutor and a project advisor<br />
for local high school students<br />
who have a similar passion<br />
for the ancient world.<br />
Arielle Darden (E.N.C.): I<br />
recently attended a summer<br />
institute sponsored by the<br />
North Carolina Department<br />
of Public Instruction in<br />
Greenville, N.C. I was<br />
selected by my district as<br />
one of the lead teachers<br />
responsible for facilitating<br />
a districtwide professional<br />
development segment. I<br />
am very fortunate to have<br />
the opportunity to serve in<br />
various leadership-building<br />
activities within my school<br />
system!<br />
Caroline Decaire (D.C.<br />
Region): I recently got<br />
married and was accepted<br />
to the M.Ed. educational<br />
leadership and policy<br />
program through the TFA<br />
partnership with American<br />
University in D.C! Ready to<br />
put down roots and keep<br />
striving for equity in our<br />
nation’s capital.<br />
Jeb Dennis (Oklahoma): I am<br />
a first-year student at Duke<br />
University School of Law.<br />
Emily Desprez (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I moved from<br />
Atlanta (my hometown<br />
and placement region) to<br />
Brooklyn, N.Y., to be a part<br />
of founding Achievement<br />
First University Prep—a<br />
high school in Bed Stuy. Five<br />
weeks in and I am thrilled<br />
with this opportunity and<br />
decision I made to move here.<br />
Christopher DiMatteo<br />
(Houston): My students have<br />
been able to go on to get the<br />
highest common assessment<br />
scores in the district, and<br />
we are continuing to become<br />
better readers every day.<br />
Rachel Drozinski (Memphis):<br />
I moved from fifth grade<br />
to second grade. It sure<br />
has been an adjustment. I<br />
joined the Memphis Kickball<br />
League, and I saw Justin<br />
Timberlake in November.<br />
Whitney Dyer (Alabama): I<br />
am attending my first-choice<br />
law school!<br />
Ryan Erickson-Kulas<br />
(E.N.C.): I am currently<br />
serving as program manager<br />
for Best Buddies. I work<br />
throughout Virginia and<br />
D.C., working in schools<br />
to promote inclusion for<br />
individuals with intellectual<br />
and developmental<br />
disabilities through one-toone<br />
friendships.<br />
Aaron Farovitch (Oklahoma):<br />
I’m currently pursuing a J.D.<br />
at Georgetown University<br />
Law Center.<br />
Kaylene Fiala (Milwaukee):<br />
Since finishing my TFA<br />
experience in Milwaukee, I<br />
have started medical school<br />
at the University of Wisconsin<br />
School of Medicine and Public<br />
Health. I am volunteering with<br />
various programs that either<br />
provide health education<br />
to leaders in underserved<br />
112 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 113
communities or provide free<br />
health care to community<br />
individuals.<br />
Blake Fisher (Delta):<br />
Last summer I moved to<br />
Bridgeport, Conn., close to<br />
my alma mater in Hartford.<br />
I continue to work in<br />
education at Achievement<br />
First Bridgeport Academy. I<br />
currently teach seventh grade<br />
literature. This fall I will be<br />
the proud uncle of a second<br />
niece.<br />
Yasmin Fletcher (Houston):<br />
First semester of law school<br />
and already excited to see<br />
where it takes me!<br />
Marian Fukuyama (St. Louis):<br />
When I moved to St. Louis<br />
in 2011, I never expected<br />
to stay past my two-year<br />
commitment. However, I am<br />
so dedicated to our city that<br />
I can’t imagine leaving. I’m<br />
proud to continue in this work<br />
at KIPP Inspire Academy.<br />
John Funk (Dallas - Fort<br />
Worth): What’s new in my<br />
life? Branch Isaac Funk.<br />
He’s my currently 15-pound,<br />
2 month-old baby boy! He<br />
is the physical evidence of<br />
God’s invisible life, just like<br />
the branch is the physical<br />
expression of the life of the<br />
tree.<br />
Jester Galiza (Hawai‘i): I<br />
am currently working as a<br />
manager of Hawai‘i Island,<br />
which means I am not only<br />
working as an MTLD, but I<br />
am also working in other<br />
functional areas, primarily<br />
with development on Hawai‘i<br />
Island.<br />
Lorenzo Garza (Phoenix):<br />
I am still at my placement<br />
school in the same position. I<br />
firmly believe that long-term<br />
systemic change starts with<br />
corps members spending<br />
more time in the classroom.<br />
I am in it for the long haul, in<br />
the trenches.<br />
Megan Gjersvig (Colorado):<br />
I have moved from middle<br />
school to elementary special<br />
education. I love supporting<br />
my little learners. They’re so<br />
full of wonder!<br />
Maxie Gluckman (Delaware):<br />
Through all of my travels,<br />
I’ve realized that the same<br />
issues in education are being<br />
discussed worldwide, yet we<br />
are often not communicating<br />
and sharing what works.<br />
That’s why I created the forum<br />
www.worldedinformant.<br />
com—to build a community of<br />
stakeholders and help foster<br />
global systemic change.<br />
Rodrigus Graham (R.G.V.): I<br />
believe that education is a civil<br />
right that every child should<br />
have regardless of race,<br />
ethnicity, or socioeconomic<br />
status.<br />
Jasmine Greene (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I’m still<br />
teaching in my placement<br />
school—same grade and<br />
same subject! Working every<br />
day to help my students and<br />
more than humbled when I<br />
have my previous students<br />
come visit me!<br />
Beatriz Gutierrez (Dallas -<br />
Fort Worth): I am so proud<br />
to have been a part of Teach<br />
For America. This movement<br />
has not only changed my life<br />
course but the course of my<br />
students.<br />
Nausherwan Hafeez<br />
(Baltimore): I am happily<br />
enjoying married life in<br />
Gainesville, Fla., while also<br />
pursuing my doctorate<br />
in political science at the<br />
University of Florida.<br />
Asha Hannah (South<br />
Carolina): I am currently<br />
teaching in my same autism<br />
self-contained classroom<br />
and learning so much from<br />
my kids every day. Special<br />
education is such a unique<br />
challenge that I took on, and<br />
my nine amazing students<br />
surprise me every day with<br />
how much they can learn and<br />
love learning.<br />
Marquita Hardy (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): Hey everyone!<br />
I’m doing great! I’m still<br />
working at my placement<br />
school and working toward<br />
becoming a tutor and/or home<br />
instruction teacher in the<br />
upcoming months. After this<br />
year, I plan to attend school to<br />
become a guidance counselor<br />
and I’m looking to relocate<br />
from the Philadelphia area!<br />
Katy Harris (Milwaukee): I<br />
never imagined that I would<br />
call Milwaukee “home” when<br />
I moved here for my corps<br />
commitment, but I can’t<br />
imagine living anywhere else.<br />
I became an MTLD to make<br />
an even greater impact on the<br />
students and families living<br />
in this new city I proudly call<br />
home.<br />
Jamesha Hayes (Memphis):<br />
I am loving teaching and<br />
seeing my babies grow in<br />
their desire to take ownership<br />
of their learning!<br />
Mickey Hennessey (Miami-<br />
Dade): I am teaching the<br />
future movers and shakers<br />
of the poorest country in the<br />
Western Hemisphere—Haiti.<br />
If true change is to occur in<br />
this country, it must come<br />
from within. It starts in my<br />
classroom.<br />
Maryell Hernandez<br />
(Houston): Two years ago,<br />
I was the first person in<br />
my family to earn a college<br />
degree. Today, I am dedicated<br />
to empowering students<br />
and families like my own by<br />
providing intense collegereadiness<br />
support in HISD. I<br />
am grateful for the guidance<br />
I received years ago and am<br />
excited to pay it forward.<br />
Allison Hewitt (Phoenix):<br />
One day, my students will<br />
become leaders in their<br />
community and lead the<br />
next generation to fight<br />
educational inequity and<br />
social injustice.<br />
Sieglinde Hindrichs<br />
(Massachusetts): Upon<br />
finishing my commitment<br />
in Boston Publc schools,<br />
I worked as a research<br />
assistant at Harvard Law<br />
School and moved to Chicago<br />
to study law at the University<br />
of Chicago.<br />
Joseph Holberg (Chicago):<br />
Teach For America was<br />
long, tough, but ultimately<br />
rewarding. There is no doubt<br />
that we all need to remain<br />
committed to what is a<br />
lifelong cause. All the best.<br />
Jasmine Hope (Phoenix): I<br />
hope to use the wisdom and<br />
knowledge I’ve acquired<br />
teaching in Phoenix to my<br />
new endeavors in law school<br />
and eventually as a lawyer.<br />
I attend a public-interestfocused<br />
law school with<br />
several opportunities to<br />
get involved in education.<br />
We have a “Suspending<br />
Suspensions” clinic in which<br />
we serve as advocates on<br />
behalf of students wrongfully<br />
suspended in D.C.<br />
Jasmine Hyatt (Phoenix):<br />
Although the decision to<br />
leave my former students<br />
was one of the hardest I’ve<br />
yet encountered, I have<br />
relocated back to the Bay<br />
Area. I am currently working<br />
with a new group of students<br />
as the seventh and eighth<br />
grade math and science<br />
teacher at an Aspire charter<br />
school in Oakland, Calif.<br />
Maghan Jackson (Colorado):<br />
Watching our first pep<br />
assembly of 2013, I can’t<br />
believe how much things have<br />
changed in three years. When<br />
a group of people dedicated to<br />
making a difference don’t give<br />
up, the positive impact can be<br />
enormous!<br />
Reuschal Jackson (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I am currently<br />
a first-year law student<br />
at Howard University in<br />
Washington, D.C. I think<br />
about my experience in TFA<br />
daily. I am thankful for the<br />
experience and the lifelong<br />
friends I made.<br />
Chad Jens (Hawai‘i): I joined<br />
the Pearson Leadership<br />
Development Program!<br />
Charles Jones (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I continually strive<br />
for innovation and fight<br />
the monotony of lectures<br />
and test-score-driven<br />
instruction. This is a fight<br />
that I’ve committed myself<br />
to. This road isn’t paved<br />
with monetary gain or<br />
notoriety, but I live with the<br />
satisfaction of knowing that<br />
I am adding thinkers to the<br />
world.<br />
Juan Juarez (San Antonio):<br />
Every student, just like<br />
my own KIPPsters and<br />
me, deserves a quality<br />
education. Therefore, I<br />
opened up my classroom<br />
to KIPP teachers this<br />
past semester to coach<br />
them instructionally so<br />
that they too could create<br />
an environment oriented<br />
toward social justice.<br />
Through these coaching<br />
experiences, my leadership<br />
experiences within KIPP and<br />
my personal experience with<br />
the achievement gap, I have<br />
realized that I will become a<br />
school principal within KIPP:<br />
San Antonio.<br />
John Keane (Detroit): I hope<br />
you’ll teach more than the<br />
obligatory two years at your<br />
school. To build your skills<br />
takes time, as it does your<br />
credibility. Above the annual<br />
churn of staff rosters, you’ll<br />
be given the chance to affect<br />
not only the trajectories<br />
of young adults, but the<br />
trajectories of an institution.<br />
Kristie King (Chicago): I<br />
believe truly that One Day<br />
begins today, that every child<br />
will receive an excellent<br />
education. With Teach For<br />
America as a rising and<br />
certain organization to<br />
provide opportunities to<br />
the brightest students in<br />
the country, we truly are<br />
the change we must see! I<br />
challenge each educator to<br />
be a student one day as our<br />
children teach us, daily!<br />
Katie Kroell (New Jersey): I<br />
am loving life as a third-year<br />
teacher! Hindsight is 20/20.<br />
Richard Larcom<br />
(Baltimore): I just started<br />
my third year of teaching<br />
at Lakeland Elementary/<br />
Middle. I looped with my<br />
group from last year, and I<br />
am serving as the fifth grade<br />
language arts teacher and<br />
team lead.<br />
Patrick Legendre<br />
(Baltimore): I am currently<br />
pursuing my MBA and MS<br />
in information technology<br />
at George Washington<br />
University. I hope to own my<br />
own ed-tech company in the<br />
future.<br />
Alyse Lewis (Phoenix): I<br />
recently moved to Chicago<br />
and joined Lighthouse<br />
Academies as the talent<br />
recruiter. Lighthouse<br />
is a national network of<br />
charter schools dedicated<br />
to providing high-quality<br />
education in urban areas<br />
through rigorous, artsinfused<br />
academic programs.<br />
I am responsible for finding<br />
and cultivating strong<br />
teachers and leaders and<br />
motivating them to apply!<br />
Anthony Lucio (Delta): I am<br />
currently an admissions<br />
counselor for Hendrix<br />
College.<br />
Rupa Mahajan (D.C.<br />
Region): I am pursuing a<br />
Ph.D. in school psychology<br />
at the University of<br />
California-Berkeley, where<br />
I am focusing on socioemotional/mental<br />
health<br />
interventions and academic<br />
achievement in low-income<br />
schools.<br />
Kelsey Marlow (New<br />
Jersey): After successfully<br />
teaching for two years at<br />
my placement school, I was<br />
awarded the district-level<br />
role of math coach, with the<br />
opportunity to impact the<br />
mathematics education of<br />
over 1,400 children.<br />
Christopher Marsh (Delta):<br />
I joined the world-class<br />
education consulting firm<br />
The Parthenon Group.<br />
Enjoying the opportunity to<br />
make an impact on student<br />
outcomes through a privatesector<br />
lens!<br />
Rosario Martinez (San<br />
Antonio): I was 13 years<br />
old when I said, “One day I<br />
will come back to help my<br />
community.” One day is here.<br />
I am back home in Houston,<br />
teaching students who come<br />
from struggling families like<br />
my own.<br />
Mary Mattia (San Antonio):<br />
One of my players—my<br />
goalie prodigy—from the<br />
boys’ lacrosse program I<br />
started at our high school<br />
last year is officially in boot<br />
camp for the Air Force. His<br />
ultimate goal is to enter the<br />
CIA. I could not be more<br />
proud. We are pen pals and I<br />
intend to never lose touch!<br />
Alexander McCafferty<br />
(Baltimore): The completion<br />
of TFA has led me to my<br />
most recent role as the<br />
manager of network finance<br />
and operations for Excel<br />
Academy Charter Schools<br />
in Boston. In this new role, I<br />
will implement operational<br />
efficiencies sharpened<br />
in business school while<br />
maintaining the overall<br />
mission of providing a<br />
quality education to all<br />
students.<br />
David Mesham (Houston):<br />
I’m working in my amazing<br />
placement school as a<br />
grade-level chair and<br />
freshman seminar teacher,<br />
trying to instill the mindsets<br />
and skills necessary to get<br />
our students to and through<br />
college. What what!<br />
Nathaniel Miller (L.A.): I<br />
have just started law school<br />
at Berkeley Law. I am<br />
maintaining my connection<br />
with the youth by mentoring<br />
students at Berkeley High,<br />
finding alternatives to<br />
suspension when students<br />
have discipline issues.<br />
Evan Mirolla (Dallas - Fort<br />
Worth): I have left my<br />
classroom in Fort Worth,<br />
Texas, but remained in the<br />
DFW metroplex and now<br />
work as an MTLD with TFA-<br />
Dallas-Fort Worth. Quack<br />
on!<br />
Edward Montgomery (L.A.):<br />
Currently, I am working on<br />
my juris doctor at Loyola<br />
University Chicago. I have<br />
been selected as a Civitas<br />
ChildLaw Fellow and will<br />
be working in the future<br />
in educational policy and<br />
legislation.<br />
Austin Morris (Delta):<br />
I’m currently teaching<br />
in an all-boys school in<br />
Greenwood, Miss., where<br />
Christ and education are our<br />
No. 1 priority. The boys are<br />
reading books furiously!<br />
Trenton Murphey (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I didn’t think that<br />
I would be in the classroom<br />
after my commitment, but<br />
now that I’m here, I’m so<br />
glad I made the decision. My<br />
corps experience has helped<br />
me be successful and gives<br />
me the mindset to continue<br />
to grow.<br />
Taylor Nelson (Metro<br />
Atlanta): Currently I’m<br />
teaching English in France.<br />
This experience has provided<br />
me with an opportunity to<br />
learn more about the way<br />
the French educational<br />
system is structured and<br />
also to learn about student<br />
access to quality education.<br />
David Nguyen (Rhode Island):<br />
Teaching is an honorable<br />
career. Like any craft,<br />
it’s going to take years of<br />
deliberate practice. I’m still<br />
a newbie at this and it’s been<br />
three years.<br />
Emily Nordquist (E.N.C.): I<br />
have a great deal of faith that<br />
I am where I am meant to<br />
be: teaching fourth and fifth<br />
grade ELA and social studies<br />
in Warren County Schools.<br />
I plan to continue teaching<br />
when I move to Fayetteville<br />
after marrying my fiancé (Sgt.<br />
Trey Perry of the U.S. Army),<br />
and I am working toward<br />
my master’s of education in<br />
reading, to become a reading<br />
specialist/literacy coach.<br />
Eleonore O’Donnell (Dallas<br />
- Fort Worth): I’ve recently<br />
started working with the SMU<br />
Teaching Trust Education<br />
Policy Fellowship, and I’ve<br />
been amazed at the things<br />
that can happen when<br />
teachers learn how to really<br />
advocate for their students<br />
and make themselves heard.<br />
Carol Olate (Houston): I am<br />
excited to be a pre-K founding<br />
teacher at KIPP PEACE! I<br />
have a wonderful team that<br />
is reaching great heights in<br />
the early childhood world. I<br />
am very excited for what is<br />
to come!<br />
Bethany Pacheco<br />
(Oklahoma): I started TFA<br />
as a pre-K teacher at a duallanguage<br />
school and now I am<br />
a third-year teacher teaching<br />
first grade with many of my<br />
first-year little ones! What<br />
can I say? The classroom just<br />
feels like home.<br />
Katie Parvin (Colorado):<br />
I’m continuing to work at my<br />
placement school as a first<br />
grade teacher in Colorado<br />
Springs, Colo. I am lucky<br />
enough to live with three<br />
other 2011 corps members—<br />
Taylor Doe, Tim Quinn, and<br />
114 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 115
Alexandra Snyder—who are<br />
working in their placement<br />
schools and Teach For<br />
America, respectively.<br />
N’Jai-An Patters (Twin<br />
Cities): This is a busy year:<br />
new baby, new job, new<br />
house. Happily, I love all<br />
three. I am enjoying my<br />
time in the classroom,<br />
watching my students<br />
learn and grow each day.<br />
If anything, becoming a<br />
parent has strengthened my<br />
commitment to providing<br />
a quality education to my<br />
students.<br />
Phillip Philon (Metro<br />
Atlanta): Every day in room<br />
713, I redefined reality<br />
for my kids and helped<br />
them actualize their true<br />
potential. After helping<br />
my kids outperform the<br />
state and north end of the<br />
county, I decided to stay in<br />
the classroom and broaden<br />
my impact at KIPP. Best<br />
decision yet!<br />
Patrick Pijls (Miami-Dade):<br />
I’m grateful to the U.S<br />
Fulbright Commission for<br />
giving me the opportunity<br />
to teach in Buenos Aires<br />
this coming school year. I<br />
will serve as a language<br />
assistant for university<br />
students seeking to become<br />
English teachers.<br />
Brynn Plummer (Greater<br />
Nashville): I’m working<br />
with the Nashville TFAmily<br />
to further our commitment<br />
to diversity and building<br />
community.<br />
Katherine Poulos (Delta):<br />
I was selected to be part<br />
of the second cohort of the<br />
National Association of<br />
Charter School Authorizers’<br />
Fellows Program. I<br />
am serving a yearlong<br />
placement in the Arizona<br />
State Board for Charter<br />
Schools, one of the nation’s<br />
largest authorizers.<br />
Adrian Pruett (Houston):<br />
My third year of teaching<br />
has brought me an immense<br />
sense of peace. I find that as<br />
I become more practiced in<br />
the craft of teaching, I can<br />
more aggressively help build<br />
the pathway for my students<br />
to succeed.<br />
Karen Quan (New Mexico):<br />
New Mexico has a piece of<br />
my heart. The community,<br />
staff, and corps members<br />
will continue to stay in my<br />
life. I love you guys.<br />
Erin Racher (Oklahoma):<br />
Upon completing my twoyear<br />
commitment with Teach<br />
For America, I accepted<br />
a job in Southeast Asia to<br />
teach children in English.<br />
So far, I have taught 3- to<br />
5-year-olds for the past<br />
two months. I am excited to<br />
see education from a global<br />
standpoint and still connect<br />
with the American education<br />
system back home through<br />
networks such as Teach For<br />
America!<br />
Mohamed Salim Raouda<br />
Balah (D.C. Region):<br />
I have completed my<br />
two-year commitment<br />
with TFA in D.C. and have<br />
transitioned to graduate<br />
school, where I am studying<br />
conflict management and<br />
international economics at<br />
Johns Hopkins University’s<br />
School of Advanced<br />
International Studies.<br />
Jessica Reback (G.N.O.): I<br />
am currently teaching sixth<br />
grade ELA at Cohen College<br />
Prep MS in New Orleans.<br />
Outside of the classroom, I<br />
frequently perform karaoke<br />
with my roommates, fellow<br />
TFA-GNO alums Carli Raben<br />
and Adam Deming.<br />
Amanda Reid (Metro<br />
Atlanta): I’m currently<br />
pursuing my master’s of<br />
public health at Columbia<br />
University, and after, I hope<br />
to somehow incorporate<br />
both my TFA experience<br />
and new knowledge about<br />
socioeconomic inequality in<br />
both education and health.<br />
Lucille Rhoads (Memphis):<br />
I am the founding school<br />
operations manager at<br />
Nashville Classical Charter<br />
School in Nashville, Tenn.,<br />
which opened its doors to<br />
100 kindergarten scholars in<br />
August 2013.<br />
Paul Riskus (Chicago): This<br />
work has shown me that<br />
if America truly wanted<br />
the achievement gap in<br />
education to end, it could<br />
be fixed in 15 years. I have<br />
seen high school students<br />
coming in at the lowest<br />
levels and the most at-risk<br />
environments possible<br />
blossom into college-bound<br />
individuals. I have seen<br />
families and communities<br />
empowered from witnessing<br />
their loved ones attain a<br />
wonderful education. I have<br />
seen all of this in only twoand-a-half<br />
years of teaching.<br />
If more money was allocated<br />
to urban education, if more<br />
highly qualified individuals<br />
would choose education<br />
as a career, and if more<br />
respect was given to the<br />
students and teachers of<br />
this movement, this problem<br />
could be solved. No longer<br />
do we have to say that<br />
the disparities in urban<br />
education are a vicious<br />
cycle. Let’s just care enough<br />
to fix them.<br />
Mary Elizabeth Robbins<br />
(Alabama): I am currently<br />
serving as youth programs<br />
director at Project<br />
Horseshoe Farm, a nonprofit<br />
in the Black Belt of Alabama<br />
where I was a corps<br />
member!<br />
Courtney Rogers<br />
(Colorado): I am thrilled<br />
to be back in Nashville,<br />
Tenn., working for Teach For<br />
America as a development<br />
specialist. I am also<br />
pursuing my MFA in creative<br />
writing for children and<br />
young adults through<br />
Vermont College of Fine<br />
Arts.<br />
Tarshika Rosario (Chicago):<br />
I am the director of school<br />
culture at my placement<br />
school, and I have the<br />
opportunity to ensure that<br />
every child is learning in a<br />
school culture that strives<br />
for excellence 100 percent<br />
of the time for 100 percent of<br />
our student body.<br />
Evan Rothman (Baltimore):<br />
Teach For America has<br />
given me a true passion for<br />
education and has inspired<br />
my professional goal to one<br />
day be a school principal.<br />
Leonel Ruiz (Phoenix):<br />
After my Teach For America<br />
commitment, I am able<br />
to see the impact that<br />
we are helping to create!<br />
Not only does Teach For<br />
America do great work, but<br />
it creates conscience in our<br />
society about the needs in<br />
education.<br />
Monica Saina (Bay Area):<br />
I have had the privilege<br />
of serving a caseload<br />
of students who have<br />
transformed my life as much<br />
as they have redirected<br />
their own trajectories.<br />
I am inspired by their<br />
perseverance and resilience<br />
through unbelievably<br />
difficult challenges, and<br />
remembering this allows<br />
me to tackle hurdles in<br />
my own life with humbled<br />
confidence.<br />
Shawn Saumell (Dallas -<br />
Fort Worth): I have donated<br />
fine art to several nonprofit<br />
organization fundraisers to<br />
fund educational programs<br />
and assist children. One of<br />
the upcoming events is Art<br />
for Advocacy at Fashion<br />
Industry Gallery in Dallas.<br />
The proceeds from this fine<br />
art auction will provide hope<br />
and healing to the most<br />
severely abused children<br />
in Dallas County through<br />
Dallas Children’s Advocacy<br />
Center.<br />
Madison Schmakel<br />
(Oklahoma): Since finishing<br />
the corps, I have moved<br />
to New Orleans to work<br />
for KIPP New Orleans:<br />
Leadership Primary as a<br />
first grade teacher.<br />
Casey Sears (Indianapolis):<br />
I am working alongside Mark<br />
Johnston (D.C. Region),<br />
Erica Iantorno (Miami-<br />
Dade), and Jeremy Rogoff<br />
(Delta) at KIPP DC: College<br />
Prep.<br />
Shadi Seyedyousef (L.A.):<br />
I am so incredibly excited<br />
to be a part of the amazing<br />
founding team at KIPP<br />
Iluminar Academy. Can’t<br />
wait to see what the future<br />
has in store and what our<br />
amazing innovators will be<br />
able to accomplish!<br />
Amy Shelton (Oklahoma): I<br />
got married in May of 2013<br />
and then started a new job<br />
with a literacy nonprofit<br />
called Reading Partners. I<br />
train community volunteers<br />
to use our curriculum and<br />
tutor students at Kendall-<br />
Whittier ES who are one-half<br />
to two-and-a-half years<br />
behind in reading. K-W is our<br />
neighborhood school, and I<br />
love being able to address<br />
the achievement gap in my<br />
own neighborhood.<br />
Mallory Shore (Baltimore):<br />
I am currently teaching in<br />
my placement school and<br />
continue to be the only<br />
corps member. I am also<br />
pursing an advanced degree<br />
in school leadership and<br />
administration.<br />
Deborah Siegel (Delaware):<br />
I am now working in Newark,<br />
N.J., as a middle school<br />
special education teacher at<br />
North Star Academy.<br />
James Singer (G.N.O.): I am<br />
currently on a walkabout,<br />
traveling throughout South<br />
and Southeast Asia, visiting<br />
old friends and schools and<br />
seeing the sights.<br />
Wyatt Smith (Alabama): I<br />
am in my first year of the<br />
MBA program at Harvard<br />
Business School, where<br />
I am exploring ways in<br />
which technology will open<br />
broader access to education<br />
in the years ahead. Last<br />
summer, I led a group of my<br />
former students to China<br />
for the second iteration of<br />
the Birmingham to Beijing<br />
Project, an initiative to link<br />
hardworking youth with<br />
international study-abroad<br />
opportunities.<br />
Emily Smith (Dallas - Fort<br />
Worth): As I now have<br />
become an official alum, I<br />
would not choose to have<br />
it any other way. What a<br />
journey and transformation<br />
the experience provided<br />
me—to be surrounded<br />
by peers who share your<br />
struggles and greatest<br />
moments of joy, to grow as<br />
a leader and have such an<br />
enriching life experience. I<br />
continue to advocate for a<br />
phenomenal organization.<br />
Jamie Smith (Phoenix):<br />
Currently, I am searching<br />
for my new role in the<br />
educational equity<br />
movement. I have learned<br />
to reach out and network,<br />
revised my résumé many<br />
times, and have learned<br />
to write passionate and<br />
strategic cover letters. This<br />
process is very difficult, but<br />
has helped me grow as an<br />
individual and solidified my<br />
passion for finding my place<br />
in this movement.<br />
Brooke Souza (Connecticut):<br />
I started working for an<br />
amazing teacher-led<br />
education nonprofit that<br />
allows and encourages me<br />
to develop my knowledge<br />
and skills to lead others. I<br />
am so thankful I found a new<br />
home in our movement!<br />
Emily Spine (Milwaukee):<br />
I am part of Achievement<br />
First Aspire, a founding<br />
elementary school in East<br />
New York. Our staff is<br />
composed of 12 TFA corps<br />
members and alumni out<br />
of 26 people total! We are<br />
fearlessly working 12-plushour<br />
days to ensure our ENY<br />
scholars go to and through<br />
college.<br />
Michael Steel (Baltimore):<br />
My students produced<br />
the news broadcast in a<br />
revamped format to the<br />
entire school. Good morning,<br />
Owings Mills!<br />
Andrew Stevens (Delta):<br />
I’ve begun my work at the<br />
Sunflower County Freedom<br />
Project, and am continuing<br />
my work as the editor of Ink<br />
Stains. Few tasks in this<br />
world fill me with such pride<br />
and energy.<br />
David Struhs (Memphis): I<br />
will be teaching in Chiang<br />
Mai, Thailand, on a Fulbright<br />
Fellowship this coming year.<br />
Zoe Teague (St. Louis):<br />
I’m still teaching at my<br />
placement school in St.<br />
Louis Public Schools and<br />
love it!<br />
Alexis Thomas (Oklahoma):<br />
It has taken me three<br />
years of stress and anger<br />
to realize I have to work in<br />
education for the rest of my<br />
life. No matter what.<br />
Christine Todd (E.N.C.):<br />
After leaving beautiful<br />
Eastern North Carolina,<br />
I was a CMA at the 2013<br />
Chicago institute and then<br />
moved to Cleveland. I’m<br />
excited to find my niche<br />
here in the citywide effort<br />
to reform the education<br />
landscape and help breathe<br />
new life into a great place!<br />
MaryElise Topp (R.G.V.):<br />
James and I were married<br />
this summer (no name<br />
change!) in the presence<br />
of our good friends Caitlin<br />
Eley and Caroline Wood<br />
(both R.G.V.). We are all<br />
still enjoying teaching in the<br />
R.G.V.!<br />
Elora Turner (G.N.O.):<br />
Please be critical of the<br />
organization you are a part<br />
of so you can help change it<br />
for the better!<br />
Katherine Vega (L.A.):<br />
“The mediocre teacher<br />
tells. The good teacher<br />
explains. The superior<br />
teacher demonstrates. The<br />
great teacher inspires.”<br />
—William Arthur Ward. We<br />
join TFA to inspire and be<br />
transformational, because<br />
our students deserve<br />
nothing less.<br />
Jerrod Walker (Milwaukee):<br />
Being a third-year teacher is a<br />
whole different ball game. You<br />
are so much more prepared<br />
and confident in teaching.<br />
Don’t give up the fight!<br />
Austin Warren (Delta):<br />
After a transformative<br />
experience in the classroom, I<br />
am looking forward to sharing<br />
this rewarding and inspiring<br />
opportunity with another<br />
generation of corps members<br />
as a manager of recruitment<br />
for TFA!<br />
Na’Tasha Webb-Prather<br />
(Metro Atlanta): I am officially<br />
a Law Dawg! My 1L classes<br />
are in full swing at the<br />
University of Georgia, and I’m<br />
loving every minute of it.<br />
Elizabeth White (Greater<br />
Nashville): I am in my<br />
third year teaching at my<br />
placement school. I am so<br />
thankful to TFA for giving<br />
me the tools and skills I<br />
need to form deep, lasting<br />
relationships with students<br />
and their families. I love<br />
the families in my school<br />
community, and truly believe<br />
that educational equality<br />
can happen through strong<br />
relationships!<br />
v i s i t o u r n e w<br />
job board<br />
and<br />
talent community<br />
today!<br />
Adelia Wilder (Houston): I<br />
am super excited to announce<br />
that I am now on staff with<br />
Teach For America’s national<br />
alliances team. I recently<br />
transitioned from the corps in<br />
Houston, and I am continuing<br />
the fight for educational<br />
equity in Atlanta.<br />
Kelsey Williams (Memphis):<br />
I am currently back in school,<br />
but missing my students<br />
every day.<br />
Emily Wiseman (Greater<br />
Philadelphia): I’m teaching<br />
fourth grade at the KIPP DC<br />
WILL Academy and loving it!<br />
Katie Wolfram (Oklahoma):<br />
My experience in Tulsa, Okla.,<br />
changed me in every way<br />
possible for the better. Now<br />
being back in California and<br />
working in a school run by a<br />
TFA alum proves to me how<br />
widespread our work is and<br />
the ongoing need our kids<br />
have for committed teachers.<br />
Marlene Wyatt (Delta): I was<br />
lucky enough to attend the<br />
Alumni, please log in at www.tfanet.org/job<br />
If you are a hiring manager, contact us at jobboard@teachforamerica.org for an employer account.<br />
50th anniversary of the March<br />
on Washington in August<br />
2013. Out of the thousands<br />
in attendance, I ended up<br />
sitting next to a woman from<br />
Itta Bena, Miss. She couldn’t<br />
believe it when I told her I<br />
taught in Greenwood, Miss.<br />
I was glad to hear President<br />
Obama mention education in<br />
his speech.<br />
Kristina Youmaran<br />
(Houston): I am currently<br />
attending the University of<br />
Missouri-Columbia School<br />
of Law. I am also involved<br />
in a pro bono project that<br />
promotes financial literacy in<br />
schools for middle and high<br />
school students.<br />
Harshul Zaveri (Greater<br />
Nashville): I have started<br />
medical school in San Diego.<br />
It’s been a pleasure serving<br />
low-income communities to<br />
further their opportunities<br />
outside of the classroom.<br />
Annie Zonneveld (Miami-<br />
Dade): I am working with an<br />
amazing group of people at<br />
Achievement First Hartford<br />
High School as it opens for its<br />
second year!<br />
116 One Day • SPRING 2014
Bulletin board<br />
A fresh coat of paint and 30 new murals have lifted spirits at Thomas G. Morton<br />
Elementary School, says LeAndrea Baltimore-Hagan (Greater Philadephia ’03),<br />
who helped organize the school’s makeover. The mural below offers many students<br />
a powerful connection to their ancestry: “I am because you are.”<br />
Reimagining the urban school district.<br />
Empowering educators.<br />
Transforming opportunities for students.<br />
lawrence public schools<br />
Photo by Tony Smith<br />
The Philadelphia Public Schools have had a rough go of<br />
it: 23 schools closed in 2013 due to financial restraints,<br />
and budget cuts left the district more than $300 million<br />
short of expectations, leaving schools scraping for everything from<br />
new books and supplies to sports teams, art and music classes, and<br />
playground aides.<br />
Thomas G. Morton Elementary, where LeAndrea Baltimore-<br />
Hagan (Greater Philadelphia ’03) works as a teacher leader, lost<br />
out on a $500,000 library grant because of the cutbacks. So this<br />
fall, she was eager to take action. Baltimore-Hagan worked with<br />
the district and YouthBuild Charter School, a high school for former<br />
dropouts, on a nearly two-month campaign to give Morton<br />
a makeover. YouthBuild enlisted 300 community volunteers, and<br />
together the team spent Martin Luther King, Jr., Day applying<br />
fresh color to the hallways and painting inspiring murals throughout<br />
the school.<br />
“The impact has been huge,” Baltimore-Hagan says. “I see kids<br />
feeling more a part of the school—they’re walking through the<br />
halls reading ‘I am somebody, capable and lovable. I am teachable,<br />
therefore I can learn,’” she says. “We’re in a community where it’s<br />
tough to feel motivated, and now, all that people can talk about is<br />
our school. It’s amazing.” <br />
In this Greater Boston school<br />
district, we’re working hard<br />
to build a top-notch team of<br />
educators empowered to<br />
transform urban schools.<br />
Find out more about our Open<br />
Architecture model at<br />
www.educate-lawrence.com.<br />
118 One Day • SPRING 2014 One Day • SPRING 2014 119
TFA<br />
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120 One Day • SPRING 2014