Abhi obtained his BS in Biology degree from the University of Florida before receiving a PhD in
Cancer Biology. As a member of National Honor Society in high school, he tutored students in
math, chemistry, biology, and physics.

Alexia Chatfield is a secondary ELA teacher in Montgomery County. She grew up in the DMV area and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Upon graduation, Alexia continued her studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

After studying middle level education with a concentration in math and a minor in TESOL from Messiah College, Allison acquired her first teaching job in Montgomery County Public Schools as a middle school mathematics teacher.

April grew up in Westchester, New York right outside of the city. April has enjoyed teaching for the past 5 years in a non-public school in Maryland, Alaska and now in Montgomery County Public Schools

Bonnie is currently in her 5th year teaching in Montgomery County Public Schools, with experience in 7th, 9th, and 10th grade Honors English. In addition, she is an award winning yearbook adviser and unofficial tech coach at Walter Johnson High School. She specializes in close reading skills and creative writing.

Casey Smith attended the University of Maryland where she earned an undergraduate degree in Mathematics as well as a graduate degree in Secondary Education. She is certified to teach grades 7-12 and currently works for Montgomery County Public Schools as a high school math teacher. Casey currently teaches Algebra I, Algebra II, and AP Statistics.

Caylin Capra-Thomas is a writer and educator pursuing a PhD in English from the University of Missouri, where she has been recognized with the William Peden Award for Outstanding Teaching of Creative Writing. She has a BA in English from the University of Vermont and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Montana.

David is currently a Spanish teacher in MCPS. He grew up as a heritage speaker learning Spanish at home through his family then continued his growth by taking coursework at Wootton HS and the University of Maryland

Dr. Sharon Blumenthal-Cohen has worked in education for over 25 years teaching students from middle school through graduate school. She holds a BA in English education, an MA in literature, and an EdD in curriculum and instruction.

Erika Braithwaite-Berg is a 1st grade teacher at Green Acres School in North Bethesda. She received her BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD, and her M.A. in Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary. Erika is trained in Really Great Reading. She strives to help every student develop confidence in themselves as learners.

James was born in St. Louis and raised in Southern California. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Redlands, where he focused on religious studies, creative writing, philosophy, and the history of American music

Jess grew up in Montgomery County and recently graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Political Science and minors in Journalism Practice and Criminal Justice. Throughout her time at Northeastern, she worked at the Mayor of Boston's Press Office, the Northeastern School of Law, and a local Boston public affairs company called the Novus Group

Jordana has been an MCPS educator for over 25 years teaching students French and Theory of Knowledge, the core class of the International Baccalaureate program. She has also taught a resource class for students in the International Baccalaureate diploma program. She is certified to teach French and Social Studies grades 7-12. Currently, she teaches at Seneca Valley High School but has also taught 8 years in middle schools in Montgomery County.

Junie Michel has been a classroom teacher for over two decades, working with students from all over the world in Grades 6 through 12. Given the varied background of the students, Junie's main goal has been helping them achieve success through differentiated instruction so that she can meet their individual educational needs

Leslie has been an MCPS educator for 30 years teaching students from dozens of different countries and backgrounds. She is certified to teach K-12 English Language Development and Secondary English and Spanish

Megan has 13 years of Elementary teaching experience in both public and independent school settings. She has a BA in Architectural Studies from William Smith College, and a MA in Elementary Education from Marymount University

Dr. Meredith Marcum has worked in education for 10 years and taught students from first grade through undergraduate. She holds a B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Mount Holyoke College, an M.S. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher in early adolescent science.

Rebecca Poyatt holds a BA in history education from The Catholic University of America and both a Masters in children’s literature and language arts and an Education Specialist degree in educational theory and practice from the University of Georgia

Ryan Elias is a 1st grade teacher at Green Acres School in North Bethesda. She received her BA from Scripps College in Claremont, CA in Art History, and her MS from Bank Street College of Education in NYC with a dual degree in Early Childhood General and Special Education.

After studying education at Brown University, Seth began his teaching career working with 5-8 year olds in summer programs inspired by the Reggio Emilia model, and went on to teach students at nearly every grade level, including nine years of full-time classroom teaching experience in English Language Arts, social studies, Spanish, PE and science

Adam is a lifelong learner and dedicated teacher. In his pursuit of higher education and expanding
his own horizons, he has traveled broadly across the United States, Europe, and South Asia. He
holds a B.A. in world music from Bowling Green State University, an M.A. in in South Asian Studies
from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia.

Alison Deli has been involved in education for most of her adult life. She has earned degrees in English as well as Curriculum and Educational Studies which allowed her to find time to work with high schools students in writing, reading, and organazational strategies.

Andrea is a Montgomery County native and is currently a reading specialist at Holy Redeemer School in Kensington, Maryland. She received her Masters of Science in Reading from Johns Hopkins University and she completed her BA Undergraduate program in Early Childhood Education at Clemson University

Akro is currently a Ph.D. student at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Maryland. His current research focuses on predictive maintenance of naval vessels. Akro has had many years of teaching experience

Brian Sims has been a classroom teacher for ten years and is currently a High School Social Studies teacher with MCPS. Brian has a unique teaching background, being the first several years of his teaching career he served as a Special Education teacher, teaching both self-contained and co-taught History classes. Brian’s first five years were spent teaching in Virginia and then he moved to Maryland and began teaching with MCPS. In Brian’s teaching career so far, he has taught Ancient World History, Modern World History, and United States History at the High School level. At the Middle School level, Brian has taught both 6th and 7th grade World Studies.

Catherine Angowski is a kindergarten teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools. She is certified to teach Pre-K through 6th grade and Special Education K-6. Catherine began her teaching career in Special Education teaching kindergarten and fifth grade, but then switched to general education teaching kindergarten. She loves watching her students grow throughout the year. She enjoys teaching reading to the younger students and teaching math to the older students. A fun fact about her is that she taught in the Philippines for a short period of time.

Christy Gill is a native Californian who has lived and worked in Northern Virginia for nearly 20 years, with 16 of those years spent in education as a teacher, SAT coach, tutor and teaching mentor. Her formal teaching career began in 2007 in Washington, DC, where she taught 6th and 8th grade English at Hart Middle School. Composition.

David Zelivinski's expertise is particularly notable in mathematics, where he excels in Algebra 1, Honors Geometry, Pre-calculus, and Algebra 2. David is adept at tutoring students with diverse learning styles

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Elliott has traveled widely to pursue his career in higher education. He moved first to St. Paul, Minnesota to attend Macalester College, with brief stints abroad at the Goethe Institute in Berlin, as well as King’s College in London.

Gavin has taught every grade from kindergarten through the sophomore year of college, and in locations as diverse and distant as New England and Peru. He has an Ed. M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as a B.A. in English Literature and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Jamie grew up in New Rochelle, New York right outside of the city. Jamie has enjoyed teaching for 5 years now in Montgomery County. She graduated from American University with a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics.

Jessica is a Teach for America alumna and a current MCPS English teacher. She teaches 10th Grade Honors English, AP Language and Composition, and Creative Writing.

Joseph Ostroman's career has been profoundly shaped by his passion for mathematics. Over the course of the last 13 years, he has had the privilege of working as a mathematics teacher, covering subjects like Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, and PreCalculus

K. Toussaint Lacoste, a veteran educator of 21 years, has been instrumental in teaching and empowering students in public, charter, and private schools. He is currently a DMV resident who relocated from Boston, MA., with his family to teach Middle School History at a prestigious independent school in Washington, DC.

Lisa helps students find the best fit using tools to identify a list of schools, review high school transcripts/advise on course selections, support students as they write their college essay/supplemental essays/scholarship essays/honors program essays, navigate the Common App

Meredith Alaina, Ed.D, native New Yorker and current NOVA resident has a background in education that spans twenty-five years with a foundation in non-profit management and English classroom instruction in The Bronx and Brooklyn, NY

Michael is an MCPS math teacher currently at Tilden Middle School. He is certified to teach math in grades 7-12 and has experience with Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. Michael attended the University of Maryland where he received an Undergraduate degree in Mathematics and a Graduate degree in Secondary Education.

Reilly has been teaching middle school science in MCPS for 6 years. She graduated from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in Biology and minors in Chemistry and UFTeach (education). In addition, she holds a master's degree from UF in Secondary Science Education that focused on internships and long term substitute positions in higher level sciences. She is certified to teach 6-12 science and has also taught summer school math for Montgomery County.

Ryan Tarinelli is a tutor and writer with more than 8 years of experience as a full-time journalist. He is based in Washington, D.C., where he works as a legal affairs reporter covering Congress, the Federal Judiciary and the Supreme Court.

Stephanie Lee Rizas is currently an IB History teacher with MCPS but has years of experience teaching all levels of History, writing, and ESL as well as experience with students with organizational challenges. She is passionate about activating the potential in every student through an individualized approach to learning.

Aisha Sidibe is a writer who joined the High School English department in 2019 after serving as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York where she received praise for her classroom treatment of complex topics—racism, masculinity, and disability—while also attending to matters of craft.

Allie is an editor at an advertising agency by day but has also worked as a verbal/English tutor for the last 12 years. Allie grew up in Montgomery County and graduated from Wootton High School. She then earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland and a M.S. in publishing from Pace University.

Andrea Webber holds a BA in Journalism from American University and a Montessori Certification in Early Childhood Education. She also recently completed the Orton-Gillingham Plus language training. Andrea is currently a lead teacher a

Ashley is entering her tenth year teaching! After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master’s Degree in Secondary Education, she taught a variety of English classes at Montgomery College. Having graduated from MCPS, she was eager to teach in the county where she was raised.

Brooke has worked hard to discover and improve teaching methods for a continually changing youth for the last thirteen years as an educator. Presently, she is an Instructional Coach and Resource Room Teacher at The Langley School in McClean, VA.

Catherine Murray received her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education at York College of PA. She recently earned her master's degree in Reading Education from Towson University. Catherine has been a classroom teacher in MCPS for the past five years. She is currently teaching 1st grade Special Education and she has previously taught middle school Special Education for 6th and 8th grade, co-teaching math.

Connor is a mathematics teacher at Rockville HS since 2016. He earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University and has been tutoring since 2011

Diane Wolbert is an experienced classroom teacher with 18 years of experience. She studied Elementary Education at Frostburg State University and later got her Masters in Elementary Education with a focus in differentiated instruction from Towson University. She currently teaches 5th grade in Germantown. Diane has worked with elementary students of all ages, building their confidence along with skills to help them be successful. She is passionate about supporting and educating children so they can reach their potential.

Emily Vaughan has worked in education for over 20 years teaching students from middle school through upper school. She holds a BA in English, an MA in English, and a MAT in Teaching instruction.

Heather was an elementary special education teacher and phonics specialist at a charter school in Boston for 7 years until the pandemic hit. Now she’s at home with her two little boys. She has degrees from Smith College and Lesley University and is a certified Orton Gillingham instructor. Heather loves helping students find books they love and watching their excitement as they discover the joy of reading.

Jason boasts a distinguished 12-year tenure as a mathematics teacher at Rockville High School. He is from Montgomery County and an alum of Paint Branch High School and furthered his education at Montgomery College before earning a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland.

By day, Joni Lucas is the editor of a magazine for an international
professional association of community management leaders.
Armed with a practical approach, patience and a sense of humor, Joni is
comfortable working with contributors to improve and polish their
writing. Along with her current role, Joni has held a variety of
communications roles throughout her career including reporting,
writing, social media, public relations, and photography.

Joyce has taught English for 16 years in MCPS (almost every single grade from 6-12). She has also taught all levels, from inclusion to IB Literature and Language, and she is very passionate about helping students excel since the skills needed for English class are the same skills students will need their whole lives as they become effective communicators.

Lauren loves helping students through the writing process and working alongside them as they improve their skills and confidence! She begins each session by collaborating with the student on the goal or take-away, and ends with an assignment and accountability plan.

Madlynn Bard is an ELD teacher in Montgomery County. She is from Montgomery County and graduated from Clarksburg High School. Madlynn graduated Summa Cum Laude from Suffolk University in Boston, with her BA in Theatre Studies. She then returned to Maryland to complete her M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Maryland, College Park and now works at Quince Orchard High School, teaching Honors 11 English. While she works in high school currently, Madlynn has experience working with students of all ages and English proficiency levels. Madlynn excels at writing, as well as test taking and organizational skills. In addition to teaching, Madlynn works as a singer and coordinator for a local music organization. She is also earning her personal training certification and hopes to run her first half marathon this year!

Meredith has 8 years of expertise in the area of Early Childhood Education. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Letters, specializing in Early Childhood Education, from St. Francis University

Mollie is a seasoned educator with 11 years of experience in the Montgomery County Public School system. After attending Walt Whitman High School, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Goucher College and went on to earn her Masters' in Teaching Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University

Ryan is currently in his third year as a high school Spanish teacher in MCPS. A native of Montgomery County, Ryan completed the Spanish Immersion program in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster; he continued with the language at Muhlenberg College, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and in Education

Scott has been a classroom teacher for the better part of two decades. In this time, he has worked with thousands of students grade 7 through grade 12. These learners have had a diverse set of academic and emotional needs. Supporting the individual needs of each learner is Scott’s primary objective.

Susan Paton graduated from Trinity University in Washington D.C with a degree in Early Childhood Education.