Christine Landry, Principal (Contact)
Ms. Landry began her career as a Teach for America corps member in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was a founding educator at Monarch Academy in Oakland, California, where she taught K/1 and 2/3 for five years. She went on to help plan another charter school in Oakland, Berkley Maynard Academy, where she worked as a lead educator, literacy specialist, and later the school’s principal. Ms. Landry graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in Government and American Studies and earned an MA in Educational Leadership from San Jose State.
Jennie Brown, Assistant Principal (Contact)
Ms. Brown is a graduate of the School Leadership Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previously, she worked at Breakthrough Cambridge, where she oversaw middle school and high school programming. Ms. Brown graduated from Rollins College with a BA in English and African-American Studies and received a Masters of Social Work from Boston College.
Ilene Carver, 1st Grade Teacher, Lead for Family Engagement (Contact)
Ms. Carver has worked in Boston schools for 21 years as a teacher, instructional coach, and family engagement coordinator. She is known for her high expectations, for creating a culture of mutual respect in her classroom, and for forming strong, productive relationships with families.
Elizabeth Centeio, School Counselor (Contact)
Ms. Centeio recently worked with the Boston College - City Connects Program at the Trotter and Emerson Elementary Schools as a School Site Coordinator. Ms. Centeio is a native of the Dudley Street neighborhood and a graduate of the Boston Public Schools. She has a Masters of Education in School Guidance Counseling from Cambridge College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Massachusetts at Boston.
Austin Eckhoff, AfterSchool Coordinator (Contact)
As an AfterSchool Coordinator, Ms. Austin plans daily activities for the afterschool program, manages afterschool staff, and forms community partnerships that benefit the extended learning program. A graduate of Brown University, Ms. Austin taught environmental science and leadership skills for four years at a charter high school enrichment program. In addition, Ms. Austin has a special interest in medicine and disability policy and has previously worked on developing a volunteer program for high school students with disabilities.
Amelia Lopes Ford, Head Staff Assistant (Contact)
Ms. Lopes Ford started her work with students as a social worker for the Home for Little Wanderers and later became the Family and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Emerson Elementary School. After graduating from Boston Teacher Residency, she taught special education at the Edwards Middle School and went on to support the operations of BPS Schools and various school programs. She is a graduate of Lesley University and UMass Boston and is fluent in Cape Verdean Creole.
Nora Haddadi, Arts Teacher (Contact)
Ms. Haddadi specializes in reaching students in unique and creative ways. She started teaching English as a Second Language for adults in Los Angeles. Upon completion of the Boston Teacher Residency program, she joined Young Achievers K-8 Pilot School as a 3rd grade teacher in an inclusion classroom. After three successful years, Ms. Haddadi transitioned to the role of drama specialist, where she used her skill in and love for the arts to teach interdisciplinary skills to students. She will work alongside the students at Dudley Street School in the areas of drama, music, dance and movement, and visual arts.
Aira Jackson-Sams, 1st Grade Teacher (Contact)
Ms. Jackson is a graduate of the Boston Teacher Residency. She taught for four years at the Lee Elementary School, where she served in leadership roles on the school’s Academic Achievement Framework Team and the School Site Council. Additionally, she served as a math facilitator for the Lee School, promoting and supporting math education for all students and their families. She is certified in teaching elementary education, special education, and English as a Second Language.
Caroline Myers RN., Med.(Contact)
Ms. Myers is a native Bostonian and a proud graduate of the Boston Public Schools.
She has been a registered nurse for twenty six years. Before becoming a school nurse, Ms. Myers worked in hospitals as a staff nurse and in the community as a visiting nurse. She brings over twenty years of experience as a BPS school nurse to DSNCS and is excited to serve the students, families and school community.
Dwayne Nuñez, K2 Educator, Level 1 Lead Teacher (Contact)
Mr. Nuñez taught early childhood and elementary grades at the Haynes Early Educational Center since 2008. He has a long-standing connection to Project Joy Playmakers, teaching other educators the importance of play therapy to help students through trauma. A native of Boston, Mr. Nuñez is a graduate the Boston Teacher Residency.
Jeannie Park, K1 Teacher (Contact)
Ms. Park is working towards her masters degree in Inclusive Elementary Education with a second certification in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia. She taught for 3.5 years at the Cambridgeport Elementary School in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Park graduated from Holy Cross College with a BA in Economics.
N’Dia Parker-McWhorter, K2 Teacher (Contact)
Ms. Parker-McWhorter is a recent graduate of the Boston Teacher Residency, where she co-taught in a first grade classroom at Young Achievers Academy. A former Boston Public Schools student, Ms. Parker-McWhorter has worked with children in various settings and brings her passion for photography and travel to her young scholars.
Troy Singleton, Physical Education Teacher (Contact)
Roberta Udoh, K1 Paraprofessional (Contact)
I was born and raised in London, England. My father was Nigerian and my mother was British and both were active in our community even though they were raising children in poverty. I have followed in my parents’ footsteps and have been working, paid and unpaid to benefit the lives of families facing the challenges of poverty, racism and social injustice for decades. I have been a youth worker, a community activist, an at-home parent and volunteer in my 2 daughters’ schools, and recently a teacher for Girls’ LEAP, an anti-violence prevention program in the Boston area. I care about the mental health and the social and emotional well-being of children and their families. I want to be a classroom teacher so that I can take all my wonderful positive life experiences into the classroom in the hope that I may inspire a child to dream of a better future. I went back to college as a mature adult and obtained my B.A. in 2009 from Cambridge College, MA. I then received my Masters in Public Elementary Education from Brandeis University in 2012. I am currently working on my teacher certification so that I may have my own classroom! I LOVE to dance, garden, eat good food, read, travel, visit art museums and go to theatre too! Oh and be with my beautiful family J
Anthony Valdez, K1 Teacher (Contact)
Mr. Valdez joins our staff from Wheelock College’s TeachBoston program. He co-taught in both K1 and 2nd grade classrooms during his time at the Mather Elementary. Prior to this, he was a co-teacher/lead teacher at the Gregg House Preschool in Lynn for five years. Mr. Valdez is a native of the North Shore and has diligently worked in support of youth since his college years at Salem State College. Fluent in Spanish, he is the co-founder of Youth Rising, a non-profit focusing on youth leadership development in Salem, MA and Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Elizabeth Goncalvez Wachman, Director of Special Populations (Contact)
Ms. Goncalvez Wachman has taught for 19 years in a range of settings and with students with a wide variety of abilities, including students with special needs and English language learners. As a Peace Corps volunteer, she served as the Program Director of The Association for the Support and Integration of Children with Disabilities in Cape Verde. She is fluent in Cape Verdean Creole.
Kathryn Wilcox, K1 Paraprofessional (Contact)
Ms. Wilcox recently completed the Boston Teacher Residency, where she co-taught in a 2nd grade classroom at Young Achievers Pilot School. A graduate of Harvard University, Ms. Wilcox worked closely with the Phillips Brooks House Association, where she co-directed the organization’s Franklin I-O Summer Program and acted as treasurer.