Our Instructional Leaders:
William Cooke, Campus Director, 8th Grades William Cooke was born and raised in Northern New Jersey. He attended and graduated college at the University of Massachusetts. After college, he moved to Boston, MA to pursue a teaching career. He had been teaching math at City on a Hill Charter School in Boston for the past 4 years. While at City on a Hill, he developed and ran an athletic program that consisted of boys/girls basketball, track/field, cheerleading, and a baseball/softball team. William also coached the girls' basketball team to the Massachusetts Charter League Championship in 2006. William is thrilled to continue his work with the scholars of DPCS.
Lisa Friscia, Campus Director, 9th and 10th Grade Ms. Friscia was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating Stuyvesant High School, she decided to attend Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts. While majoring in American Studies and Economics, she also became a counselor, campus organizer, and (much to her mother's dismay) a rugby player. Upon her graduation, she returned to New York City to become a New York City Teaching Fellow. She completed her master's in Social Studies Education while teaching in Ozone Park, New York. She has been teaching in Ozone Park for the past five years, serving as a lead teacher, Senior Activities coordinator and chair for the School Leadership Team. Last summer, she just completed her Master's in Educational Leadership at Teacher's College. She is incredibly excited to be a part of the Democracy Prep community, and to help our scholars on their journey of learning and growing!
Elizabeth Raji, Campus Director, 6th and 7th Grade Ms. Raji was raised in Harlem and attended the Trinity School in New York City through Prep for Prep, before beginning her studies at Kenyon College and Oxford University. She has worked as a sixth grade Reading teacher in a Texas elementary school through Teach For America and has value-added Texas State test scores that are literally off the charts. Elizabeth is thrilled to lead the scholars of 2020 to an incredible future.
Our Math Team:
Max Bean, Math Support Specialist Mr. Bean grew up in New York City. After receiving his bachelors degree from Brown University, he taught mathematics and computers for two years, at Saint Ann's, a private school in Brooklyn Heights. He spent most of the past year traveling and studying Mandarin in mainland China. While living in Shanghai, he worked part-time, teaching English creative and expository writing to students from the Shanghai American School. Mr. Bean cannot wait to challenge DPCS scholars as they enjoy the wonders of math.
Max Milliken, 7th grade Mathematics Originally from Maine, Mr. Milliken graduated from Duke University where he received a B.A. in Public Policy and a Markets and Management Certificate. After graduating in 2007, he joined Teach for America and taught 6th grade math at the Metropolitan Learning Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Max joined the Dream Team in 2009 to teach 7th grade math. Max is currently pursuing his Masters at Hunter University. He is thrilled to be returning for his second year at Democracy Prep Charter School.
Margaret Marrer 7th Grade Math Ms. Marrer is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University where she studied International Political Economy and Russian. After college she decided to try her hand at teaching and began teaching in Washington Heights through the Teach For America program. During her time with Teach For America she earned a Masters in Teaching Secondary Mathematics from Pace University. Upon completion of her Teach For America commitment, Margaret joined the DREAM team. She is excited to return to Democracy Prep for another year of hard work with her 7th grade scholars.
Kristen Smith, 6th Grade Math Ms. Smith grew up in Charlottesville, VA where she stayed through college, graduating from the University of Virginia in 2007 with a B.A. in Mathematics and French Language and Literature. After graduating, she worked as a capital markets analyst at Citigroup Inc. in New York City for two years. In 2009 she was accepted as a Math for America fellow and enrolled in the Steinhardt School of Education at NYU where she completed a Master’s in Math Education in May 2010.
Blake Whealy, 9th Grade Math Mr. Whealy was born in Canada and moved to the United States when he was ten years old. He attended the University of Miami in Florida and earned a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Political Science with minors in Business and Spanish. In 2008, he joined Teach For America and moved to New York City, where he began teaching 6th grade Social Studies, 8th grade science, and an after school outdoor leadership program at MS 322. During his first two years teaching, he also served on MS 322’s School Leadership and Grant Implementation teams as well as earned a Master of Science in Education degree from CUNY (Lehman College). He is really excited to work with high school students in a new content area alongside an amazing team of DPPS High School teachers!
Our English Language Arts Team:
Aidin Carey, 6th Grade Writing
Noah Mackert, 7th Grade Writing Mr. Mackert was raised in central Minnesota and attended Carleton College, where he studied German and Spanish literature. After joining Teach For America in 2003, he taught special education in the Bronx, designed professional development programs for New York City public schools as a consultant with Teaching Matters, Inc., and earned an Ed.M in Language and Literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He joined the DREAM team in 2010.
Samatha Spaeth 6th Grade ELA Ms. Spaeth studied at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She received her BA in English and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. After graduating, she moved to Boston and served as a member of the MATCH Corps at the MATCH Charter Public High School. During her two years there, she worked as a full-time tutor and eventually went on to become a Teacher Resident. Born and raised in New Jersey, she is excited to be back in the city that feels like home and working in the Harlem community. She is looking forward to teaching Reading (one of her favorite things!) to the Democracy Prep scholars and to collaborating with the other members of the DREAM team.
Sarah Schranz 7th Grade ELA Ms. Schranz grew up in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park where she majored in History and minored in French, English Literature and Religion. After college, Ms. Schranz spent a year teaching English at a public high school in St. Brieuc, Brittany, France. She returned to the States to attend Teachers College, Columbia University where she received her Master of Arts in Education and sang alto in the Columbia University Glee Club. Besides singing, Ms. Schranz likes to play the violin, cook, play squash and read.
Casey Miller, 7th Grade Reading Ms. Miller was born and raised in Westchester, NY. After graduating from high school, where she played basketball and volleyball, she moved down South to Durham, North Carolina to attend Duke University. During the fall semester of her junior year, she lived in Paris, France where she developed a passion for the French culture and way of life (especially the food). With a renewed passion for sports (GO DUKE!), Ms. Miller graduated from Duke with a BA in Psychology and a certificate in Markets and Management and joined Teach For America. She is excited to be a part of the inspiring group of teachers at DPCS and impart on her students the love for learning that has played such a powerful role in her life.
Tanya Nunez, 7th Grade Chair, 7th Grade Reading Tanya Nunez is a native Californian, where she lived from the age of 4 until she went off to college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. After her four years at Williams, she became part of the third cohort of Teach for America and has been involved with education ever since. Tanya taught a total of six years in the Fordham section of the Bronx (teaching grades 1-5), and one year at her very own elementary school in California. While working in the Bronx, Tanya earned her MA at Teachers College, Colombia University where she majored in Sociology of Education and minored in Education Policy. She recently completed working 4 years at one of the highest performing charter schools in the city, Harlem Village Academy. There she served as a 6th grade Reading Teacher for two years, the Academic Dean for one year, a Spanish and 8th grade Reading Test Prep teacher for one year, and most recently, a 5th grade Reading teacher. She also served as a mentor-teacher for 3 years at HVA. Tanya has two beautiful children, Lilah, age 7, and Pedro, age 9 and is married to a wonderful New Yorker, Pedro De Leon, for 11 years now. She is extremely excited for the new year and looks forward to working with the students and their families at DP.
Zeke Phillips, 9th Grade Writing A graduate of Amherst College, Zeke Phillips joined the DREAM Team after teaching ninth grade English for three years at BLA II, a small public high school in the Bronx. A Boston native, he received a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2006 before moving to New York. Zeke is thrilled to be part of the DPCS community and to be working with this year's ninth grade class, helping them further develop the skills and habits necessary for outstanding success in high school, college, and beyond.
Jeanine Shea, 7th Grade Writing Ms. Shea was raised in the Philadelphia area and received her B.S. in English Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Since graduating, she has worked as a 6th, 7th and 8th grade English teacher encompassing all aspects of language arts from reading comprehension to analytical writing. Throughout her experience, she was critical in implementing research projects, developing a curriculum to obtain higher tests scores, and creating a cheerleading team for young women. Ms. Shea is excited to return to the DREAM team and continue teaching the fabulous scholars of the class of 2019.
Evan Burns, 9th Grade Writing Mr. Burns is a 2008 graduate of Bucknell University, located in the rural town of Lewisburg, PA where he earned his B.A. in English and Spanish while serving as the captain of their Division 1 Lacrosse team. As part of his study, he lived with a Spanish family in Granada, Spain in 2006 and worked to rebuild a community in Nicaragua which was devastated by natural disaster in 2008. After graduation, Mr. Burns moved to Memphis, TN where he taught Spanish at Wooddale High School and completed his Masters in Teaching at Christian Brothers University during the course of his 2 year commitment with Teach For America. Mr. Burns is thrilled to be a rookie on the DREAM Team and hopes to bring a unique perspective to his Writing students and continue the onward and upward growth that DPCS has set as a precedent.
Nat Hawks, 9th Grade Reading Mr. Hawks grew up in Syracuse where he eventually went to college, getting his B.A. in English at Syracuse University with a minor in Religious Studies. After moving to Brooklyn ten years ago, and failing to become a rock star, he entered the Teaching Fellows program, receiving his Masters at Pace and teaching middle school English at MS267 in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He then taught for two years at Explore Charter School in Flatbush Brooklyn where he continued to hone his English teaching skills on the middle school level. Now, excited to apply his knowledge to the high school level while staying at a high expectation charter school, Mr. Hawks is pumped to be teaching 9th Grade Reading at DPCS this year!
Nicole Charette, 10th Grade Reading Ms. Charette is originally from New York and was born on the south shore of Long Island. She attended Loyola University in Maryland where she majored in English and minored in Business. At Loyola, she enjoyed spending her time participating in civic engagement- tutoring in Baltimore City, working in food pantries, and helping to organize daily activities in a retirement home. After college, Ms. Charette began her teaching career as a 2007 Teach for America corps member. She has experience teaching 7th, 8th, and 10th grade English; in addition to working as a Team Leader and Teacher Mentor. Last year, Ms. Charette successfully completed her MAT from Johns Hopkins University and hopes to one day return to school in order to pursue a Masters in Art History. Ms. Charette is extremely excited to be part of DPCS and looks forward to achieving with her students!
Elizabeth Hatcher, 6th Grade Global Literacy Ms. Hatcher graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in Political Science. Upon graduation, she spent two years teaching middle school in Charlotte, North Carolina as a member of Teach for America. Ms. Hatcher decided to explore her passion for government and politics by attending law school at the University of Virginia School of Law, from which she earned her J.D. Soon after beginning practice with a law firm in Washington, D.C., Ms. Hatcher realized how much she missed the classroom and decided to return to teaching. She is very excited to be studying geography, history, and civics with the 6th grade scholars at DPCS this year!
Our Instructional Support Team:
Erick Roa, Student Affairs Coordinator Mr. Roa was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Mr. Roa is a third year educator, and first year DREAM Team member. As a 2008 Teach for America Corps Member, Mr. Roa taught high school ELA in Brooklyn, NY for two years. He received his BA in English from Stony Brook University and his MS in Teaching from Pace University. Mr. Roa is dedicated to help maintain the well-being of all of the high school scholars at DPCS. He also hopes to provide the scholars with numerous opportunities to grow socially and academically through community service and college exploration.
Milowa Rodriguez, 7th Grade Office Manager Ms. Rodriguez earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising from APEC University in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and a Postgraduate studies Degree in Advertising and Below-the-Line Production from Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Spain. She recently joined the DREAM team, prior to that she worked at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), managing the Faculty recruitment process and overseeing the student evaluations of Faculty. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic and very excited to welcome the new scholars!
Ramona Mathis-Smith, 6th Grade Office Manager Ms. Mathis-Smith has over 10 years teaching experience. She has worked with age groups from middle school to high school. She has taught a variety of subjects, including English, Social Studies and Drama. It is her mission to provide a quality education for urban children, while aiding in their academic, cultural and civic development. Ms. Mathis-Smith has a B.S. in Communication Arts from St. John's University and recently earned an MA in History from Lehman College.
Our Science Team:
Melissa Sowin, 6th Grade Science Ms. Sowin is a proud alumna of University of Maryland, where she received a B.A in Psychology and citations in the Advocates for Children College Park Scholars and Beyond the Classroom Living & Learning programs. She also earned her Masters of Science in Teaching with a dual certification in Special Education and Middle Childhood Generalist from Pace University. Prior to joining the DREAM Team, Ms. Sowin was the Science Chair at a public school in the Bronx. She is excited to continue her teaching career at DPCS!
Sarah Eberle, 7th Grade Science Ms. Eberle grew up in Rhode Island and later moved to New York to attend Columbia University. At Columbia, she studied history of science, completed the pre-medical curriculum, and worked as a research assistant in a behavioral genetics laboratory. She recently returned from Beijing, China, where she spent a year teaching middle and high school science at an international school. In her free time, Ms. Eberle enjoys skiing, hiking, running, and traveling. She is excited to continue her teaching career as part of the Democracy Prep community.
Michele Sprague, 9th Grade Science Ms. Sprague hails from Virginia where she attended the University of Mary Washington and received a BS in Biology. After graduation she joined the New York City Teaching Fellows Program and taught Living Environment at Frederick Douglass Academy II for 3 years while simultaneously earning a MA in Science Education from the City College of New York. She then had the pleasure of teaching Science overseas for one year at Biddenham Upper School in England. She is excited to share her love of Biology with the DPCS scholars.
Our History Team:
Nicholas Chapman, 8th Grade History Mr. Chapman attended University of New England and received a BS in History and secondary education. He taught high school at the Landmark school in Beverly MA, which focuses on high level intellect students with language based learning disabilities. Additionally, Mr. Chapman was assistant coach for the men's basketball team at Endicott College from 2006-2009 and the co-founder of East Coast Academic Center, which assisted individuals with language based learning disabled students achieve their academic potential.
Kiah Hufane, 7th Grade History Ms. Hufane is a native of Milton, Massachusetts. After graduating from high school, Ms. Hufane moved to Philadelphia to attend Temple University where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Geography and Urban Studies. During her time at Temple University, Ms. Hufane lived abroad in Italy where she studied Italian politics. After graduating from Temple University, Ms. Hufane joined Teach for America where she taught 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts and History in South Philadelphia for several years. While in the Teach for America corps, Ms. Hufane earned her Master’s Degree in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Hufane is extremely excited to work with her 7th grade scholars this year!
Deborah Woods, 7th Grade History Ms. Woods was born and raised in Mount Vernon, NY and attended Mount Vernon High School. While in high school, she played volleyball (her favorite activity), soccer, and swam. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a B.A. in Economics with a dual minor in African Studies and Urban Studies. After graduating, Ms. Woods joined Teach for America and taught in the Bronx at MS 390 for 3 years. During that time, she earned my MS in teaching from Pace University.
Meghan Daly, 8th Grade Science Ms. Daly is a proud graduate of Manhattan College where she obtained at B.S. in Biology. At Manhattan College, she was a member of the Division 1 Women’s Swim Team, specializing in distance free style. In 2007, she joined the NYC Teaching Fellows and taught at Eximius College Preparatory Academy for three years. In May 2009, she received a M.S. in Science Education. In addition to her love of working in schools, Ms. Daly created and instructed a course focused on the “Lizards and Snakes Alive!” exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.
Jack Soltysik 10th Grade Global History, Geography, Advanced Placement European History Mr. Soltysik graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Missouri with BAs in Economics, History & Political Science & minors in Philosohy & English. He was born in Poland, immigrated to the States when he was five, and is the first person in his family to graduate from college. In high school, he set state and national records in debate; in college, he taught a section of microeconomics as a sophomore and spent a summer researching at a think tank in Washington. After graduating in 2007, he joined Teach For America & taught at Morris Academy in the South Bronx for three years before moving to his current role.
Our Specialist Team:
Milan Jilka, Fine Arts Mr. Jilka was born in Switzerland, raised in Canada, and has spent the last eight years in the United States. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Windsor in Canada, Mr. Jilka moved to Arkansas to pursue his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and was even able to teach Art to college level students. After graduating, Mr. Jilka was hired by the University of Arkansas to teach art for the next two years. In 2003, Mr. Jilka received his education license and began teaching art to middle school students. As well as being a strong advocate for Art education in our schools, Mr. Jilka is a practicing artist. He has paintings displayed in both private and public collections throughout the United States and Canada.
Lisa Kowalski, Theatre Ms. Kowalski is an honored graduate of both Muhlenberg College and the University of Phoenix. While at Muhlenberg College, Ms. Kowalski completed her Bachelor’s degree in both Theatre (Performance Studies, Acting) and Spanish. During the spring semester in her junior year, Ms. Kowalski studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and lived with a wonderful Señora and her family. After her undergraduate work, she went on to complete her Masters in the Art of Education with the University of Phoenix through her Teach for America program in Phoenix, Arizona. Having worked with students to create theatre since her undergraduate years, Ms. Kowalski is ecstatic to be sharing her love of this vibrant field with our DPCS scholars and families!
Jung-Jin Lee, Korean Ms. Jungjin Lee is a proud graduate of a prestigious performing arts school, Seoul Institute of the Arts in Seoul, Korea. She received her Bachelor in Fine Arts degree, majoring in Theater Production Design from C.W. Post / Long Island University; and completed her professional internship program at the Julliard School as a stage manager. She turned her interests into her second favorite interest, books, and received her Master in Library Science degree from Queens College, CUNY. She is very excited to join such devoted and amazing teachers at DPCS and can't wait to expand our scholars' cultural and linguistic boundaries to the global level.
Michelle Im, Korean Ms. Im’s family moved frequently growing up which allowed her to experience school in a variety of education systems including that of traditional public schools in South Korea. She graduated high school from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Studio Art from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She’s had the wonderful experience of teaching evolutionary biology to college students in Buffalo, NY as well as teaching general science to middle school students in the Bronx. Ms.Im is excited to teach Korean this year and further expand the cultural horizon of scholars at DPCS!
Dennis Wolfe, Physical Education Mr. Wolfe graduated from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, with a degree Physical Education with a concentration in Teacher Certification and Health. He is currently working on his master degree in Athletic Administration at Concordia University at Irvine. He is excited to present the scholars of DPCS new and engaging ways to enhance their health and physical fitness, as well as building a championship quality athletic program.
Our Academic Collaboration Team:
Alexei Greig, ACT Administrator Mr. Greig is a passionate educator who aims to effect positive life changes in the lives of as many people as he can touch. He started his tertiary education path by majoring in English at Williams College. Alexei's desire to educate then led him to begin his working career as a teacher at the Landmark School in Beverly, Massachusetts. While working at Landmark he completed his Masters in Education at Simmons College in Boston. Throughout his time in education Alexei has worn many hats from Math and Language Arts teacher, to developing Computer Science courses and directing Technical Theater. His constantly expanding group of interests includes traveling, dance, culinary exploits and speaking with his nephews Jordan and Nikolas whenever he can. He enjoys interacting with parents and students as he learns from the wealth of young scholars who will be present at the school this year. Mr. Greig is thrilled to continue working with the progressive-thinking team at Democracy Prep as the school develops into one of the best schools in the world.
Sarah Benko, Academic Collaboration Teacher Ms. Benko graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in English and Psychology. While studying there, she worked in a mentoring program for high risk youth in the Mt. Vernon community. After moving to New York, Sarah worked at YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities. She supported adults with developmental disabilities as an Employment Training Specialist by running classes focused on employment skills and provided job site support for her clients. Sarah is particularly excited to be working with children once again as she pursues her Master's degree in Education through Teach for America.
Amier Carmel, School Social Worker Mr. Carmel grew up in Northern NJ and attended Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, MA where he earned his BA in Philosophy. After moving to "The Big Apple" he pursued a Master's in Social Work at New York University. During his clinical social work education he became interested in Modern Psychoanalysis and is a Psychoanalytic Candidate at The Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in Manhattan. He is also an advanced Doctoral student at the Vermont Graduate School for Psychoanalysis. Mr. Carmel enjoys taking long walks in Central Park and thinking about the secret to the universe.
Steve Popper, 9th and 10th grade Academic Collaboration TeacherA 2010 Teach For America corps member, Mr. Popper is excited to join the high school team at Democracy Prep Charter School. He is from northern New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in Politics and a minor in French. Mr. Popper is also pursuing a Masters in Special Education at Hunter College in NYC. His focus this year will be on math, reading, and writing in 9th and 10th grade, and he predicts that the Yankees will win the World Series, again, this year.
Ellie Grose, Academic Collaboration Teacher Ms. Grose grew up on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts before attending Syracuse University for her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Anthropology. Her experiences at ‘Cuse gave her the opportunity to travel abroad, and she was able to explore the world via SU’s London, England campus. She returned to move on to a Master’s degree in Education at Simmons College of Boston, MA, whilst teaching at a private school near her hometown. From there she moved to NYC to begin work with some of her favorite scholars in the world. She is so happy to return to DPCS for another highly successful and rigorous year!
Abena Mackall, Academic Collaboration Teacher Ms. Mackall is proud to be a native New Yorker. Born and raised in New York City, Ms. Mackall graduated from Princeton University, where she concentrated in American Politics and earned a certificate in African American Studies. Ms. Mackall also spent the spring of her junior year studying at the University of Cape Town and researching South African prison reform. As a member of the DREAM team Ms. Mackall has committed to working relentlessly to ensure that DPCS is a school that meets the needs of all its students.