Jasmine is the fourth grade teacher and fifth grade science teacher. She holds a B.S. in childhood education from City College. She enjoys her free time by spending it with family and friends, reading, and DIY arts and crafts. Her favorite childhood book is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.
Alexandra (Alex) Amodei is the middle school math teacher and seventh grade advisor. She holds a B.S. in elementary education with a minor in business administration from Loyola University Chicago. In her free time, Alex enjoys traveling, watching sports, and spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite childhood book is "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss.
Emma is the school counselor at Harlem Academy. She holds a B.A. in social work from James Madison University, and an M.S.W from Silberman School of Social Work. As a licensed clinical social worker, her passion is working with children and families. In her spare time, Emma enjoys reading, running, listening to music, and watching Yankees games with her husband, two sons, and two cats. Her favorite childhood book is "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
Mariah Bell is a Harlem Academy alumna ('13) and a development and communications fellow. She is currently pursuing a B.A. at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, focusing on "Representation and Social Justice in Written and Visual Media". She loves writing, creating art, listening to music, and watching movies. Mariah’s favorite childhood books are “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and “Cupid” by Julius Lester.
Amelia is a senior development and communications associate at Harlem Academy. She helps Harlem Academy meet its annual fundraising goals, coordinates special events, manages social media and the mentoring program. Outside of work, she enjoys running, attending exercise classes, baking, and reading anything she can get her hands on. Amelia holds a B.A. in urban and environmental policy from Occidental College. Her favorite childhood book is "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis.
Tia is the fifth grade teacher. She earned a B.A. from Penn State - Harrisburg and plans to return for an M.A. in special education. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, studying astrology, watching crime investigation programs, spending time with her niece and nephew, and trying new restaurants. Her favorite childhood book is “Happy Birthday, Moon” by Frank Asch.
Nobel is the third grade teacher. He is currently pursuing a B.A. in mechanical engineering technology at City Tech. In his free time, Nobel enjoys playing baseball, weight training, watching sports, and reading. His favorite childhood book is "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton
LaShonda is the assistant head of school at Harlem Academy. She supervises curricular goals, planning in humanities, and works to strengthen school culture. LaShonda holds a B.S. in early childhood and elementary education from Temple University and an M.A. in literacy from Columbia University, Teachers College. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, reading, and watching documentaries. Her favorite children's book is "The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes, and she still has the copy her second grade teacher gave her.
Vinny is the founder of and head of school at Harlem Academy. He holds an M.A. in educational administration from Teachers College, Columbia University and a B.S. in psychology from Union College. He loves playing games and reading with his children and is still inspired by John Gunther's "Death Be Not Proud" and S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders," both of which he read in middle school.
Angela is the communications director. She develops and manages communications for the school. Angela graduated from New York University with a B.A. in journalism, and is the co-author of two books. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, browsing in bookstores, and spending time with friends. Her favorite childhood book is “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume.
Nataglia is the operations director and secondary school placement coordinator. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Binghamton University. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing and spending time with her puppy. Her favorite childhood book is "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.
Dave is responsible for the facility maintenance of Harlem Academy’s middle school space. He is a lifelong Harlem resident. Outside of work, he enjoys cycling, kickboxing, cooking, and pigeon racing.
April is the mindfulness and meditation specialist at Harlem Academy. She holds a B.A. in anti-racist education and community development from Mount Holyoke College, an M.A. from Fordham Graduate School of Education, and an M.A. in clinical psychology as a first year cohort of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Columbia University, Teachers College. Additionally, she holds certification in yoga, leadership training in trauma-informed practices and play therapy. In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, dancing, and boxing, and laughing at all opportunities. Her favorite books are "Mindful Monkey Happy Panda” by Lauren Alderfer and “The Moody Cow Meditates" by Kerry MacLean.
Maria Fuentes is the first grade teacher. She holds a B.A. in early childhood education from Almeda University. She loves spending time with her family, especially her mom and sons. Her favorite childhood book is "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor.
Krizia Garcia is the operations associate at Harlem Academy. She holds a B.A. in communications from University at Albany. Outside of work, she serves as a leader at her church plant in Central Harlem, likes to go shopping, discover new restaurants, and spend time with friends and family. Her favorite childhood book is "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister.
Eric is the middle school science teacher and seventh grade advisor. He holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brown University and completed postdoctoral training in neuroscience and science education. He holds a B.A. from St. John's University. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, exercising, and outdoor activities. Eric's favorite children's book is "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss.
Gwen is the middle school history teacher and eighth grade advisor. She holds a B.A. in English, a B.S. in communications, and an M.S. in public relations from Syracuse University. Outside of work, Gwen enjoys reading, dancing, and spending time with her daughter, Jalyn. One of her favorite books is "The Shack" by William P. Young.
Eunice Lee is the fourth grade teacher. She holds a B.S. in elementary education from the University of Texas and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Texas. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, volunteering, and eating chocolate. Her favorite childhood books are "Holes" by Louis Sachar and "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson.
Beth Lobasov is the first and second grade teacher. She holds a B.A. in English from Hunter College and plans to return for an M.A in early childhood education and early childhood special education. In her free time, Beth enjoys completing puzzles, decorating her home, watching documentaries, and spending time with her family, friends, and cat Oliver. Her favorite childhood book is "The Giver” by Lois Lowry.
Jennifer is the enrollment director at Harlem Academy. She manages the annual admissions process for prospective families and facilitates communication between the school and our community partners. Jennifer holds a B.A. in art history from Bryn Mawr College and an M.P.A. from Columbia University. She is a life-long Harlem resident and member of our local Community Board. Her favorite childhood book is the "The Jolly Postman" by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
Vanessa is the strategy director at Harlem Academy. She supports the school's strategic planning, evaluation, fundraising, and communications. Vanessa holds a B.A. in American studies from Cornell University and an M.P.P. from Harvard University. Vanessa loves hiking, chasing a frisbee, and listening to music -- especially if there's a banjo in the mix. One of Vanessa's favorite books to read to her children is "What Do You Do With An Idea?" by Kobi Yamada. Spoiler alert: You change the world!
Chanta is the second grade teacher. She holds a B.A. in psychology from The College of New Rochelle and an M.S. from Fordham University in teaching. She has dedicated her life to teaching and working in the Harlem community and has taught in Harlem since 1993. Her favorite childhood book is "Freckle Juice" by Judy Blume.
Paulette takes pride in ensuring the cleanliness of Harlem Academy’s lower school space and general facility maintenance. She grew up in Jamaica, but has lived throughout the Caribbean, until she eventually came to the U.S. Outside of work, Paulette enjoys cooking for friends and family, dancing, spending time with her son, and traveling back home to the Caribbean to visit her daughter and grandson.
Leonard is the finance director at Harlem Academy. He oversees financial responsibilities such as short and long term financial management, budgeting, and audit oversight. He also takes the lead with financial work specific to the school, such as working with families to determine appropriate tuition assessments on the school's sliding scale. Outside of work, Leonard enjoys the outdoors (especially skiing), spending time with his family and dog, cooking, and honing his Microsoft Excel skills. Leonard holds a B.A. in finance with a religion minor from the University of Iowa.
Katie is the development director. She helps meet the school's annual fundraising goals. Outside of work, she can be found baking, reading historical biographies, and running. Katie holds a B.A. in political science and Spanish from Hunter College. Her favorite childhood book is "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle.
Kia is the middle school English teacher and sixth grade advisor. She enjoys using her love of words and the English language to build strong, thoughtful, and confident readers and writers. Kia earned a B.A. in history and literature at Harvard University and an M.A. in the learning and teaching of English language arts at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Outside of the classroom, Kia enjoys running, listening to music, playing the guitar, singing, and of course reading and writing. The book that made her fall in love with reading in the sixth grade was "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.
Alexis is the third grade teacher and lower school instructional coach. She graduated from Truman State University with a B.A. in literature and an M.A. in elementary education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, running, and anything that involves working with her hands such as designing and building furniture or knitting. She also enjoys *attempting* to cook. Alexis' favorite children's books include "The BFG" by Roald Dahl and "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry.
Lamarc is the middle school teacher, eighth grade advisor, and graduate advisor. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Lehman College. During his free time, he loves watching sports, listening to music, and playing basketball with his friends and family. His favorite children's book is anything written by Dr. Seuss.
