Boston Cohort One

Blackstone Elementary Click here to read more about the teachers and coach at Blackstone.

Orchard Gardens Click here to read more about the teachers and coaches at Orchard Gardens.

Trotter Elementary Click here to read more about the teachers and coach at the Trotter.

Lisa Lineweaver

School: Blackstone Elementary

Lisa Lineweaver, Ed.M., currently serves as the Director of Accelerated Improvement for the Blackstone. A former 5th grade teacher and previous program director at the Boston Plan for Excellence, Ms. Lineweaver is a proven inquiry facilitator and data coach. She has worked in many BPS schools and taught four-semester series of graduate courses to teacher teams which contributed to substantial gains in student learning over a three-year period. In the 2010-11 school year, Ms. Lineweaver is responsible for training and coaching the T3 teacher-leaders to build their teams’ capacity to rapidly and systematically improve the quality of instruction through data-based inquiry and RTI.

Katie Hickey

School: Orchard Gardens & Roger Clap Innovation School Coach

Katie is a T3 coach at Orchard Gardens, leading the school’s teacher teams in implementing turnaround strategies. While working for T3 and Orchard Gardens, she is also completing her doctoral study at the Boston University Graduate School of Education, with a dgree expected in 2012. Katie’s past teaching experience includes fifth and sixth grade reading and writing at the Boston’s Epiphany School as well as middle and upper English at the SEED Public Charter School in Washington DC. Katie holds a Master’s degree in Education from the Boston University Graduate School of Education as well as a BA from Harvard.

Toby Romer

School: Orchard Gardens

Toby N. Romer has served in numerous roles in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) over the past 15 years. He is currently Director of Professional Development and Data Inquiry at Orchard Gardens K-8 School, where his role includes supporting the T3 teachers. Previously, he was a facilitator for the Accelerating Improvement through Inquiry (AI2), a grant from the Carnegie Foundation run by the BPS and the Boston Plan for Excellence, where he supported teachers’ and school leaders’ efforts to improve the achievement of struggling students. From 2004 to 2009, he served as headmaster of Brighton High School, a large, diverse urban high school. At Brighton High, he led the re-organization of the school’s small learning communities, created extended learning times, focused resources on struggling learners, fostered strong community partnerships, and actively developed teacher leadership structures. Under his tenure, the school was recognized by the Mass Insight Education and Research Institute as a Vanguard School, selected as a BPS Strategic Practice and Effective Practice School, and named as one of the top 1500 high schools in the nation by US News and World Report. He holds an A.B. in Social Studies and Education and an M.Ed. in School Administration from Harvard University.

 

Blackstone Elementary

Heather Bernstein

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 3rd Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 3rd Grade grade-level team leader

Heather Bernstein has returned to the Blackstone Elementary School for the fourth year, where she now teaches third grade in addition to serving as the third grade team leader. Heather earned her M.A.T from Northeastern University.

Bonnie Fahey

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: K2-G1 Multi-handicapped

Primary Leadership Role: K2 grade-level team leader

Bonnie returns to the Blackstone for her third year teaching multi-handicapped students in grades K-1. Her new leadership role is to head the K2 teacher team. Before coming to the Blackstone, Bonnie worked as a special education teacher in several schools, most recently the Lillian M Jacobs school in Hull, MA. Bonnie holds a MS in Education and Intensive Special Needs Education from Simmons College. She also holds a BA from Simmons College.

Lisa Goncalves

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 1st Grade

Primary Leadership Role: Vertical G1-2 team

Lisa Goncalves teaches 1st grade at the Blackstone Elementary School.  Her leadership roles are co-Literacy Facilitator for the Blackstone School as well as First/Second Grade Vertical Team leader. Prior to the Blackstone, she taught for several years in different school settings, including Sheltered English Immersion classrooms. Lisa is proficient in Portuguese and Spanish, has an M.A.T. from Tufts University and did her undergraduate work at The College of the Holy Cross.

Elizabeth Goncalves Wachman

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: Special Ed Resource

Primary Leadership Role: Special Education Team G1-5

Elizabeth Goncalves Wachman teaches at the Blackstone and leads a team of special educators.  She also is working with the school implementation of Boston's Academic Achievement Framework initiatives.  Her most recent experience is at the Ohrenberger in West Roxbury, with previous experience in Waltham, Cape Verde, Hingham and with the May Center.  Elizabeth hold a Master's degree from Northeastern in Special Education and a Bachelor's in Elementary and Special Education from SUNY Geneseo.

Heather Gorman

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 4th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 4th Grade grade-level team leader

Heather returns to the Blackstone as a fourth grade teacher. As a part of the school's T3 cohort, she serves as the 3rd-5th grade vertical team leader. Before coming to the Blackstone, where she has been teaching for the past 12 years, Heather worked at Our Lady of Victories School in Woonsocket, RI and at the Children's Discovery Center in Cumberland, RI. Heather holds an Ed. M in General Education Studies from Fitchburg State College and a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Rhode Island.

Lemuel Ivy

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: Science

Primary Leadership Role: Excellence, Equity & Engagement Team

Lem Ivy is teaching 5th grade at the Blackstone Elementary School this year and leads the Excellence, Equity & Engagement team. Lem joins T3 from Memphis City Schools, where he was a middle school language arts teacher. He served as a reading tutor as part of Americorps in his native Mississippi and taught English to adults in Memphis. Lem has an M.A.T. from Christian Brothers University and did his undergraduate work at Morehouse College.

Callie Liebmann

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 5th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 5th Grade grade-level team leader

Callie currently teaches 5th grade and is the 5th grade team leader at the Blackstone. She comes to T3 and to the Blackstone from the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School in Hyde Park, where she taught 6th grade reading and history. She is also a gradute of the NYC Teaching Fellows program. Callie holds an MS in Education from Brooklyn College and a BA in Multicultural Education and Art from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA.

Lisa Poltilove

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 2nd grade SEI

Primary Leadership Role: New Teacher Support

Lisa is working as the 2nd grade SEI teacher at the Blackstone. In her leadership role, Lisa supports teachers who are new to the Blackstone and new to the turnaround school environment. Before teaching at the Blackstone, Lisa served as a 2nd grade SEI teacher at the David A. Ellis Elementary School in Boston, and before that taught third grade at the Prospect Hill Academy in Somerville. Lisa holds a Master's in Elementary Education from Wheelock College, and a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland.

Molly Sangalang

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 4th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: Vertical G3-5 team

Molly Sangalang is teaching 4th grade at the Blackstone Elementary School and leads the 3-5 vertical alignment team.  Molly joins T3 from the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School where she taught 5th grade and also served in numerous leadership roles.  Molly has a Master's in Educational Leadership from Simmons College and an undergraduate degree from California State University.

Sterling Scott

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 2nd Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 2nd Grade grade-level team leader

Sterling is teaching second grade at the Blackstone and serves as the second grade team leader. Sterling comes to the Blackstone from the Emily A. Fifield Elementary School in Dorchester, where he taught first grade and served as coordinator for the school's supplemental education services. He has also worked as a BELL academic teacher for Roxbury College and served as a literacy coach, again at Emily A. Fifield Elementary. Sterling holds a MS in Education from Fitchburg State College and a BS in Education at Minot State University.

Ana Vaisenstein

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 5th Grade SEI

Primary Leadership Role: SEI team

Ana Vaisenstein is working as a 5th grade SEI teacher at the Blackstone Elementary School and serves as the SEI team leader and math co-facilitator. Ana has been working in education for over 30 years both in Argentina, her home country, and the United States. She joined the Boston Public Schools in 1998 and worked as a kindergarten and 1st grade teacher at the Two Way Bilingual Rafael Hernández School and as a math coach and SEI teacher at the Sumner Elementary School. Her articles about teaching and learning have appeared in various publications. Prior to her work in BPS Ana directed early childhood programs, among them Jamaica Plain Head Start where she developed and implemented a family literacy program. She has a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Doris Venditti

School: Blackstone Elementary

Teaching Position: 1st Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 1st Grade grade-level team leader

Doris Venditti is teaching 1st grade at the Blackstone Elementary School and serves as the 1st grade team leader. Doris joins T3 from Charleston County School District in South Carolina. Doris has taught first and fourth grades in Charleston County Schools and Boston Public Schools for 9 years. Doris is National Board Certified in Early Childhood, has a M.A.T. from Simmons College, and an undergraduate degree from Boston College.

Orchard Gardens

Kerri Ann Connelly

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: 1st Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 1st Grade grade-level team leader

Kerri Ann Connelly returned to her home state to teach first grade at Orchard Gardens. She is a Teach for America alumna who extended her stay at her placement school in North Carolina. Kerri Ann facilitates the first grade team meetings at Orchard Gardens. She has a degree from Babson College and earned her teaching credentials through coursework at East Carolina University.

Nicole Davis

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: Elementary Multi-handicapped

Primary Leadership Role: Severe Special Education Team K-5

Nicole Davis returns to Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, where she has been teaching special education for the last four years. She works with elementary-aged students with multiple and severe disabilities. She has also served as a tutor to regular education students through the Supplemental Educational Services program. Her leadership role is working with the severe special education team on curriculum development. Nicole is conversational in Spanish, has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Simmons College, a dual M.A. from Lesley University in Mental Health Counseling and Dance Therapy, and an undergraduate degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Brian Denitzio

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: 6th grade ELA

Primary Leadership Role: Middle School ELA

Brian Denitzio teaches 6th grade English/Language Arts at the Orchard Gardens K-8 School this year and leads the middle school ELA team. For the previous four years, Brian taught ELA and Social Studies at the William Barton Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park. Prior to beginning his career in education, Brian was a reporter and editor at the Dorchester Reporter. Brian holds a B.A. in English and a M.Ed. from Boston College.

Kelly DiGrazia

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: Music

Primary Leadership Role: Arts team

Kelly DiGrazia is teaching general music at Orchard Gardens K-8 School this year and serves as the arts leader. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, a Master's Degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and is currently in the process of obtaining her Administration Degree. Prior to teaching in Roxbury, Kelly taught in Patchogue, NY and Bloomfield, CT where her teaching served as an observation/model to guide administrators on how to describe the effective components in a lesson and to direct administrators in practicing effective post observation conferences with teachers. In addition, Kelly has written and been awarded literacy- music connection grants and has been an avid leader of many committees including the Alliance for Leadership and Learning, Character Education and Political Committee. Kelly spearheaded the music analysis/assessment data team for her entire district last year and is committed to strengthening assessment in the arts.

Erin Dukeshire

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: 6th & 7th grade Science

Primary Leadership Role: Science K-8

Erin now teaches 6th and 7th grade science at Orchard Gardens and serves as the K-8 science team leader. Before coming to Orchard Gardens, Erin previously taught middle school science at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School in Hyde Park, and served in the Miami-Dade Public School system as a member of Teach for America. Erin recently earned an MA in Teaching from Simmons College and holds a BA in Spanish and Biology from Bowdoin. In the fall of 2010, Erin was selected as an Education Champion for NBC’s Education Nation and took part in a summit for teachers, education advocates, and policy leaders at Rockefeller Center.

Courtney Johnson

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: ESL K-4

Primary Leadership Role: 3rd Grade grade-level team leader & SEI team

Courtney Johnson teaches English as a Second language at the Orchard Gardens Pilot School. Her leadership roles include leading the third grade team and co-chairing the ESL support team.  Before joining the OGPS staff, Courtney taught ESL at the Emerson Elementary School in Roxbury, second grade at the Samuel Adams School in East Boston and first grade at the Nanaikapono Elementary School in Nanakuli, HI.  Courtney is dually licensed in Elementary Education and ESL.  She has a MAT in Elementary Education from Simmons College and a BA in Spanish and Psychology from the College of the Holy Cross.

Lynni Nordheim

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: 4th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 4th Grade grade-level team leader

Lynni teaches 4th grade at Orchard Gardens, and serves as the 4th grade team leader there. Before coming to Orchard Gardens, Lynni taught at the Paul Culley Empowerment School and the Eileen B. Brookman Elementary School, both in Las Vegas. She is a Teach for America Alumna and has served as a teacher instructor at that organization's summer institute for the past 3 years. Lynni holds an MA in Teaching from National University, an Ed. M in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, and a BA in Sociology from Wesleyan University.

Lillian Pinet

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: K2 SEI

Primary Leadership Role: SEI team & K2 team

Lillian Pinet is teaching Kindergarten 2 at the Orchard Gardens Pilot K-8 School, and serves dual roles as the grade team Leader for Kindergarten 2 and co-leader of the English Language Learners Support Team.  She has taught Bilingual (Spanish) Education, Monolingual (English) Education, and Sheltered English Instruction to Kindergarten through Second grade students for 18 years in Boston.  Mrs. Pinet previously served as Literacy Coordinator at a Boston Public School for seven years and  provided professional development to teachers of grades K through second. Her teaching has been published in My Kids Can, Making Math Accessible to all Learners K-5, a professional development book for educators developed by researchers from the Technical Education Research Centers (TERC). Lillian is a Teacher Fellow at Boston College where she co-teaches a Language Arts graduate level course to students of the BC Lynch School of Education.

Adrian Smith

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: K1

Primary Leadership Role: K grade-level team leader

Adrian Smith received her Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and her Master's in Working with Children with Moderate Disabilites from Boston College.  She taught a K0/K1 inclusion class at an early learning center in the Boston Public Schools for three years before moving to Orchard Gardens.  At the time there was no K1 classroom at Orchard Gardens, so Adrian got to have the experience of beginning the K1 program at the school.  Adrian participates in a Making Learning Visible study group with other early childhood teachers and participated in the MELT program to receive her license to teach English Language Learners.  Adrian is in her 7th year teaching K1 and her 4th year at Orchard Gardens.  Adrian's leadership role is working the Kindergarten team as well as leading the NAEYC accreditation (National Association for the Education of Young Children), which Orchard Gardens hopes to apply for this year. 

Megan Struckel

School: Orchard Gardens

Teaching Position: 5th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 5th Grade grade-level team leader

Megan Struckel will be returning to the Orchard Gardens Pilot School this year for the third year in a row. Megan will be the 5th grade regular education math and social studies teacher. She will be serving as the 5th grade team leader, a mentor, and a facilitator for community building. Prior to Orchard Gardens, Megan worked at the Blackstone Elementary school as a 5th grade teacher. Megan earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education at the University of Rhode Island and her Masters' degree in Moderate Special Needs at Boston College.

Trotter Elementary

Keishana Barnes

School: Trotter Elementary

Teaching Position: 5th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 5th Grade Data/Differentiating Team Leader

Keishana Barnes teaches 5th grade at the Trotter Elementary School and serves as the 5th grade data team leader. She has worked as a special education teacher and as an Evaluation Team Facilitator in Boston Public Schools and in Metro Nashville Public Schools for seven years. She has presented at national conferences on inclusion and how to implement it successfully and has served in numerous teacher leader roles. Keishana has an Ed.M from Harvard Graduate School of Education and an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University.

Calla Freeman

School: Trotter Elementary

Teaching Position: K2

Primary Leadership Role: Kindergarten Data/Differentiating Team Leader

Calla returns to the William Monroe Trotter School for her second year as a K2 teacher. As a T3 teacher, she serves as the Kindergarten data team leader. Previously, Calla has worked as a Kindergarten teacher at the John Marshall School in Dorchester, and as a Preschool teacher for Bright Horizons Family Solutions in Boston. At Wheelock College, Calla earned her Master of Science and Bachelor of Human Development degrees, both with concentrations in Early Childhood Education.

Sylvaine Lestrade

School: Trotter Elementary

Teaching Position: 2nd Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 2nd Grade Data/Differentiating Team Leader

Sylvaine Lestrade returns to the Trotter Elementary School this year.  Before coming to the Trotter, Sylvaine taught at the Farragut Elementary School.  She has also previouisly served as an SEI  teacher in the Brockton Public Schools.  Sylvaine holds a Master's Degree in Bilingual Education from Lesley University and earned her undergraduate degree at Umass Boston.

Meryl Margolis

School: Trotter Elementary

Teaching Position: 1st Grade LAB

Primary Leadership Role: 1st Grade Data/Differentiating Team Leader

Meryl has been teaching Special Education for the past six years. Her first five years were spent in Brooklyn, New York as a New York City Teaching Fellow. While in Brooklyn, Meryl worked with children with autism, learning disablities, and emotional disabilities. Now in Boston, Meryl is working at the William M. Trotter School in a first grade LAB classroom. Her leadership posititon is to support the other first grade teachers at the Trotter in implementing data research which will guide their reteaching strategies. Meryl earned her BA from Loyola College in Maryland and her Master's degree from Queens College in New York. She has spent two summers in South America working in elementry schools, helping teachers implement differentiated instruction.

Diana Mayo

School: Trotter Elementary

Teaching Position: 3rd Grade

Primary Leadership Role: SST Coordinator

Diana Mayo teaches 3rd grade at the Trotter Elementary School and serves at the Student Support Team Facilitator. As the SST Facilitator, she coordinates meetings to help classroom teachers meet the social, emotional, academic, and/or medical needs of all students in the school. She has worked in the Boston Public Schools for five years teaching 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. Diana has a Master's in Special Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northeastern University.

Jonathan Reid

School: Trotter Elementary

Teaching Position: 4th Grade

Primary Leadership Role: 4th Grade Data/Differentiating Team Leader

Jonathan Reid is teaching fourth grade at the Trotter Elementary School and serves as the 4th grade team leader. This is his first year teaching in the Boston Public Schools. Prior to Boston, Jonathan taught five years in Lowell, MA. He received his undergraduate degree from Stonehill College and is working towards his Master's in Elementary Education from UMass Boston.