Teachers & Staff

Muniba is the Development and Communications Associate at Harlem Academy. She works on special events, communications, and donor strategies. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Queens College. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and  making handcrafted coconut bowls. Her favorite childhood book is the “Arthur” series by Marc Brown.

Ms. Bailey is Harlem Academy's first grade associate teacher. In her free time she enjoys cooking and spending time with her children, Sam and Mateo. Angela holds a B.A. in liberal arts and science from the City College of New York. Her favorite childhood book is "The Twits" by Roald Dahl.

Mariah Bell is a Harlem Academy alumna ('13)  and the school's graphic design and development intern. She is currently pursuing a B.A. at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, focusing on representation and social justice in art and 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 helps Harlem Academy meet its annual fundraising goals, coordinates special events, and manages the school's mentoring program and social media. Outside of work, she enjoys running, attending various 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 associate fourth grade teacher at Harlem Academy, responsible for leading in science and physical education. She earned a B.A. from Penn State - Harrisburg and has 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. Tia’s favorite childhood read is “Happy Birthday, Moon” by Frank Asch.

LaShonda supervises the lower school teaching team and support staff and works to strengthen the curriculum and programs in her division. She enjoys traveling, reading, and watching documentaries. LaShonda holds a B.S. in early childhood and elementary education from Temple University and a M.A. in literacy from Columbia University, Teachers College. Her favorite children's book is "The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes, and she still has the copy her second grade teacher gave her.

Angela develops and manages communications at Harlem Academy. She 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.

Dave joined Harlem Academy over ten years ago when it moved to the current Fifth Avenue location and was comprised of only a first and second grade. Over the years, as the school has grown, his responsibilities have been wide and varied. Currently, Dave is responsible for the facility maintenance of Harlem Academy’s middle school space.  Dave, a lifelong Harlem resident two blocks from the school, has many interests which include cycling, kickboxing, cooking, and pigeon racing.

April Frazier is the Mindfulness and Meditation Specialist at Harlem Academy. She holds a B.S. in anti-racist education and community development from Mount Holyoke College and a M.Ed. from Fordham Graduate School of Education. She holds her Masters in Clinical Psychology as a first year cohort of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Columbia’s Teachers College, where her focus was on mindfulness and education. She has her yoga certification as well as leadership training in trauma-informed practices and play therapy. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, dance, and boxing, and laughing at all opportunities. Her favorite books are "Mindful Monkey Happy Panda” and “The Moody Cow Meditates.”

Cass Hastie teaches skills to seventh- and eigth-graders at Harlem Academy. In her free time, she enjoys running, listening to jazz music, taking aimless walks, and traveling. Cass recently graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in Government, and is currently pursuing an Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her favorite children's book is "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney. 

Janae teaches fifth- and sixth-graders as a first-year associate teacher. She enjoys exploring new places, listening to podcasts, choreographing, and dancing. Janae holds an A.B. in Psychology from Harvard College and is currently pursuing an Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her favorite childhood book is "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault because it is both rhythmic and joyous.

James Jeffrey is Harlem Academy’s chess coach. He is a professional chess player and championship-winning coach with over 30 years of experience. James has coached chess at schools throughout New York City, from pre-K to college. In his spare time, he enjoys soccer, swimming, running, and working out. His favorite childhood story is the fable “The Three Little Pigs.”

Jeremy manages school operations, coordinates Family Partnership programming, and serves as the Graduate Support Coordinator. He graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in psychology and Arabic. When he's not at Harlem Academy, Jeremy enjoys being outdoors, playing music, and spending time with friends. His favorite childhood book is "The BFG" by Roald Dahl.

Boyce is a Certified Network Engineer and manages Harlem Academy's information technologies network infrastructure and devices. He is an alumnus of the Boy’s Club of New York’s educational program. He attended Millbrook Prep school and Ohio Wesleyan University, where he received his B.A. in history and religion. He also studied abroad at Cuttington College in Monrovia, Africa. He also graduated from the Per Scholas Institute of Technology. Outside of work he enjoys attending church, computer technology, reading, chess, and sports. His favorite childhood book is "Manchild in the Promised Land" by Claude Brown.

Jeffrey Newman has been Harlem Academy’s math lab coach since 2011, teaching students a variety of applied math concepts, including probability and statistics, and leading them in team math competitions. He is a retired principal from PwC in New York and holds an M.A. in Mathematics from Boston University. Jeff is passionate about supporting not-for-profits and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He loves Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in the Hat” books from childhood.

Robert is the middle school Mathematics teacher at Harlem Academy. He graduated from Mico University College with a B.Ed. in Science and Technology. He also has an MBA from the University of the West Indies. He enjoys soccer, watching documentaries such as “Blue Planet,” and reading a good book. His favorite children’s book is “The Silver Sword” by Ian Serraillier.

Chanta Scott was born in Harlem Hospital and loves working with children and families from her community. 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. She has taught in Harlem since 1993. Her favorite childhood book is "Freckle Juice," which she still has on her bookshelf.

Leonard heads Harlem Academy's business office where he oversees traditional organizational finance responsibilities such as short and long term financial management, budgeting, and audit oversight. He also takes the lead with financial work specific to a school setting, 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.

Kia teaches English to grades sixth through eight at Harlem Academy, where 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 teaching and learning 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 6th grade was "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.