Jahidah Diaab (2s Teacher) has worked with children in education and the field of the arts for over 20 years. She began her journey with the enrichment of children at Hunter Elementary where she directed the Creative Arts program. From there, she taught at Ethical Culture and The Dalton School. After becoming a mother, she took time off to work on her talents as a playwright and producer of stage shows. In 2005, she began teaching at Beginnings Toddler School where she taught children ages 2-5 years olds. She spends her summers teaching at the Prospect YMCA Day Camp. Jahidah received her B.A. in the arts at Hunter College and has been accepted to the Graduate Program for early education, a degree she plans to in the Spring of 2010.
Shira Newmark (2s Teacher) has a Bachelors degree in education and a Master of Arts in education with a specialization in special education. She has worked as a Special Education Itinerant Teacher for such agencies as The Bank Street Family Center, The Stepping Stone Day School and Los Ninos Services, at places such as Beginnings Nursery School, Chelsea Day School, the Purple Balloon and West Side Montesorri. Shira has also been the leading teacher for Varying Exceptionalities classrooms at the Herbert G. Birch School and Easter Seals. Shira had an incredible summer working at Camp Zeno Mountain Farm, helping support adults with disabilities. Shira enjoys writing her movie, creating music and free movement dancing in her spare time.
Katie Traynor (3s Teacher; Art Studio, Lead Provocateur) is happy to be starting her third year with Blue School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Studio Art at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Katie recently completed her Masters Degree in Creative Arts Therapies at Pratt Institute. While studying at Pratt, Katie earned her second year’s practicum hours here at Blue School as an art therapy intern. Katie has seen first hand how valuable a supportive, creative and imaginative learning environment are to a child’s social and emotional growth. Katie is thrilled to continue to work with the staff, families, and children of the Blue School.
Valerie Anderson Killen (3s Teacher) has been with Blue School from its opening day. Val served as the Associate Director if what was then called the Blue Man Creativity Center and helped the Founders implement the initial structure of the school both as a teacher and an administrator. She has held many roles at the school since then including Associate Director of Admissions, 2s Teacher, 3s Teacher and Music Specialist. She also teachers in the Out of the Blue Summer Program. Val has been an early childhood teacher and administrator for over twelve years. Prior to Blue School, she helped to launch Citibabes in Soho as the Director of Children's Programming. She was a Head Teacher and the Adult Programs Coordinator at the Diller-Quaille School of Music for seven years. A singer and songwriter, Val has recorded songs and voiceovers for Blue Man Group. She holds an AB cum laude in English and American Language and Literature from Harvard University, and is currently a student at the Bank Street College of Education, working towards a combined MA in General and Special Education. Originally from Boston, she has lived in NYC for over 16 years, and currently resides in Brooklyn with her fantabulous husband, Stefan, and their son.
Diana Alutto (3s Teacher) is a native New Yorker with a MA in Elementary Education from Teachers College at Columbia University and a BFA in Theater from Pace University. Diana has worked with children in venues as diverse as NYC’s downtown neighborhoods to Disney World as a teacher in drama, visual art, ice skating, Pop Art, gardening, improvisation, and costume design. She is greatly looking forward to being part of a school that fuses her love of art and education so magically. When Diana isn't teaching, you can find her tending the plant life at the LaGuardia Corner Gardens by her home in Greenwich Village, practicing her ukulele, or fueling her passion for travel.
Katrina Estrellado (3s Teacher) has worked with and taught young children since 2001. She earned her Master's Degree in Education from Bank Street College of Education and is New York State certified early childhood educator. She has experience with children as young as three months and has been a lead teacher for four-year-old children in both day care and school settings. She began her career was a part-time student teacher at Basic Trust, working with infants and toddlers. Katrina then moved on to a full-time position at Rockefeller University Child and Family Center where she cared for a wonderful group of children ranging from 11 months to three years. After that, she worked for five years at Children's Aid Society, The Philip Coltoff Center, in the Nursery School program with 2s and 3s. Her last two years have been with The International Preschools also working with 2s and 3s children. Katrina believes that it is important to provide children with a love of learning early in their lives. She is thrilled to be part of the Blue School family.
Mara Pauker (4s Teacher) is starting her fourth year at Blue School. She was a Co-Lead Teacher in both the 3s and 4s classes her first year at Blue School and has been a teacher with the 4s program each year since. Before coming to Blue School she attended the University of Vermont where she studied Early Childhood Education, Human Development and Family Studies. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree upon program completion. During her time in Vermont she completed two full-time student teaching experiences. For the first, she worked at the University of Vermont Campus Children's Center with three and four-year olds. The second was with kindergartners at Georgia Elementary School in St. Albans, Vermont. In addition she volunteered as a reading mentor at Edmunds Elementary School in Burlington, Vermont. She has worked at Temple Sinai as a camp counselor to three- and four-year-old children and at the Dalton School Summer Camp with four- and five-year- olds.
Shelly Gargus (4s Associate Teacher) is continually amazed and inspired by the the collaborative process between children and teachers. She has taught for the past five years at Beginnings, a Reggio inspired pre-school in New York City, where she developed a passion for an emergent, thoughtful approach to teaching. On the heels of a visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy where she was immersed in their approach to early childhood education, she is thrilled to be able to continue her practice at Blue School. Shelly is dedicated to life-long learning and has attended many conferences and workshops on topics ranging from occupational therapy to the design of educational documentation. Through her work at Beginnings, she had a mentoring relationship with the University of Vermont's Campus Children's Center over the course of several years, and in 2008 attended the University of British Columbia's Summer Institute for Early Childhood Education and Research. She is currently a student at the City College of New York, with plans to pursue a dual Master's Degree in Special Education and Social Work. She lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn and in her spare time cares for her two senior dogs, writes, reads, plays guitar and rides her bicycle.
Elizabeth Abramson (4s Associate Teacher) earned her BS in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Psychology and English from the University of Vermont. She completed two full-time teaching placements while completing her studies at UVM. Her first practicum consisted of working with infants at the Campus Children’s School in Burlington, Vermont, as well as teaching in a Kindergarten classroom at Essex Elementary School in Essex, Vermont. Additionally, she worked at the Campus Children’s School during the summer and volunteered at Essex Elementary School, concentrating her efforts in their kindergarten reading groups. Elizabeth enjoys being with her family in Virginia, spending time outdoors and riding horses. She is elated to join the Blue School community and surround herself with individuals that share her passion for open-ended learning and playful interactions.
Yeshnaya Dougherty (4s Associate Teacher) was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. She received her first B.A. from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Environmental Social Science and her second B.A. in Environmental Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Yeshnaya has spent the past two years teaching and learning at Shady Hill School in Cambridge MA, where she has been a part of The Teacher Training Course, working alongside mentor teachers in a progressive school environment. Yeshnaya will graduate from Lesley University this spring with a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education. During her teaching placements, she has worked in a kindergarten, a first and a second grade classroom. Yeshnaya loves working with young children and enjoys drawing from their day-to-day curiosities and interests to build an expressive and creative learning environment.
Nancy Simko (Kindergarten Teacher) grew up in a family of teachers. After graduating from the
Pennsylvania State University with a BA in Speech Communications, she moved to New York City to experience the corporate worlds of advertising and graphic design. A brief move to Hawaii provided an opportunity to change direction, and an introduction to teaching young children. Returning to New York, Nancy completed a Masters Degree in Education at Bank Street College of Education, and began an 12-year career in early childhood education. She has worked in several private schools and currently teaches kindergarten at the Blue School in Manhattan. In 2009, she was awarded the New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Excellence in Teaching Award.
Richard Jenkins (Kindergarten Associate Teacher) has worked with children since he was a teenager and continues to enjoy spending as much time as possible with his many nieces and nephews. Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Rich is an avid hiker and passionate naturalist and recently completed a six-week expedition led by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in the wilds of the Canadian Yukon. Rich graduated from The New School University and for the last few years taught at Beginnings: A Toddler Program a Reggio inspired pre-school. He currently lives in Staten Island and spends his free time reading, writing, watching movies and also seeks out opportunities to hike, swim and canoe whenever he can.
Molly M. Clarke (Kindergarten Teacher) earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College and is currently completing her Master of Science in Early Childhood Education at Bank Street College. Since 2005, Molly has been an associate teacher at The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School. While there, she taught children four to eight years of age. Molly is a native New Yorker who is committed to helping children find creative outlets for learning, a trait she models in her own life. She is extremely excited to be a part of Blue School’s community.
Kamilah M. Hatcher (Kindergarten Teacher) is originally from Indianapolis, IN. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Ball State University, whose elementary education program was recognized by the Association of Teachers and Educators for its Distinguished Program in Teacher Education. Kamilah is proud to be working with an organization that is committed to providing children with creative learning opportunities and has worked with elementary aged children for the last 13 years. In her spare time Kamilah enjoys cooking, reading, & acting. Kamilah is extremely excited about teaching at Blue School.
Kathleen Falvey (First Grade Teacher) earned her BA from Villanova University and her Ed.M from The Harvard Graduate School of Education with an emphasis on Arts in Education. At Harvard she had the privilege to study under Steven Seidel and The Making Learning Visible research project. There she focused on the values and insights derived from the documentation of student learning. She has recently moved to New York City from California where she was teaching first grade. Kathleen has been involved in the field of education for over ten years in administrative, leadership and teaching roles. She has been a lead first grade teacher for six years.
Shanon Greenfield (First Grade Teacher) is thrilled to return to the classroom after working at the NYU Child Study Center as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for the past three years for ParentCorps, a school and family intervention to help young children attending urban public schools succeed. Prior to her clinical work, Shanon taught in the NYC school system for seven years. For six of those years, she was a looping K/1 teacher at PS 234, a progressive school in Tribeca, as well as a summer teacher to 2nd and 3rd graders in diverse communities. Shanon received her BA in Education and Psychology from Manhattanville College and her MSW from NYU. Shanon considers Blue School to be an extraordinary environment and is looking forward to learning from and collaborating with the school community.
Cynthia Bogdanovich (Second Grade Teacher) left her home in St. Louis, Missouri to come to New York and be an artist. After operating a design studio, she turned to more creative pursuits, teaching. She earned her Masters in Education from Bank Street College and has been an elementary teacher for more than ten years, teaching at The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The School at Columbia University, and Staten Island Academy. Cynthia believes in an education that honors the spirit of the child. She is committed to creating a teaching model that nurtures independent thinkers and problem solvers that are fully equipped to navigate their way through a constantly changing world. When not teaching, she spends her time lap swimming, gardening, and creating in her studio in Pennsylvania.
Dot Portella (Second Grade Teacher) is excited to be joining Blue School's community as a Lead Second Grade teacher. Dot received her BFA from Marymount Manhattan College in acting, and after several years as a professional actress, fell in love with teaching. Dot later earned her MA from the Steinhart School of Education at NYU and taught middle school drama before becoming an elementary school teacher. Most recently, Dot taught 2nd and 3rd grade at the Little Red School House for the previous three years. When she is not teaching, Dot writes performance poetry and trains Muay Thai at The Wat in downtown Manhattan.
Dina Hamaoui MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT (Studio Art Teacher; Specialist Team Coordinator) holds two baccalaureate degrees in the disciplines of English Literature and Film Studies from the University of California, Irvine, and a master's degree in Art Therapy and Creative Development from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She is registered and board-certified by the American Art Therapy Association and licensed in the state of New York. Dina has worked with children for over six years in both educational and residential settings, including a therapeutic pre-school with 2- to 5-year olds, a residential facility for pre-adolescents with emotional and psychiatric disorders, and with K-5th graders in the New York public school system. She has also worked extensively with children ages 5-21 with developmental disabilities ranging from autism to cerebral palsy, engaging them in therapeutic artmaking. Dina grew up in California and has lived in New York City for eight years.
Michael Napolitano (Music Teacher) is a multi-instrumentalist from Metuchen, NJ. He earned a B.A. in English from Marist College with a minor in Music and Psychology. In 1999, he moved to New York City and began working with Blue Man Group in the Creative Production Department. For nearly ten years, Michael worked closely in sound, music production and R&D during a period of dramatic growth and creativity at Blue Man Productions. His experiences within the company have deeply influenced his focus on original instruments and music.
Michael’s infectious energy and understanding of music and children has yielded him hundreds of students in the area. Michael owns and operates Preschool of Rock, a company which performs private music classes, shows and parties in NY and NJ. Michael has released a children's record and supported its release with the Preschool of Rock YouTube channel and upcoming music videos.
Much of his days are spent writing, studying and spreading the joy of music to children in NY and NJ. Michael resides in New Jersey with his wife and two children.
Pamela Scherr (Dramatic Play Specialist) grew up in New Orleans where she studied the performing arts from an early age, dancing and acting in community theatre and school productions. She continued her studies at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received her BA in Theater Arts. After graduating, Pam moved to New York and furthered her involvement in the arts, working backstage at Blue Man Group and volunteering as a dance teacher at Groove With Me, a non-profit organization offering free dance classes to girls in Harlem. This inspired her to work with children in other creative and therapeutic ways. In 2006, she helped launch a puppetry and theater arts program at Blue School and has continued to work at the school ever since. Pam is a co-founder of WonderGround, an organization that teaches music to young children. She also works at Moomah, a creative arts center for kids, as a puppeteer. Pam is currently a graduate student in the Early Childhood Education Program at Hunter College.
Meisu Chen (Mandarin Language Specialist) was born and raised in Taiwan. She later attended Goldsmith College and the University of London in the UK, earning Master Degree in Theatre Arts. As a native Mandarin speaker, Meisu started teaching children known as “ABC” (America Born Chinese) in Cambridge, MA at the Chinese Language Institute. Her instruction there had a focus on indigenous models of education. She also worked for Blue Man Group’s Boston production where she cultivated a passion of integrating creativity into the instruction of language to guide children through their curiosity while harnessing their own interests through a love of learning. She is excited to bring her creative approach in foreign language learning to the Blue School.
Arabella Lopez (Spanish Language Specialist) is a native of Dominican Republic. She received her Bachelors Degree in Education with a specialization in Early Childhood from the Catholic University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. In 2005, she began her career in education by teaching Spanish in the European Academy of Santo Domingo. Arabella is a passionate and dedicated teacher who loves the time in the classroom with her students and connecting Spanish language to a variety of disciplines. She is excited to bring this approach to Blue School.
Lindsay Harrison (Associate Teacher, Admissions Assistant) received her BS Degree in Communication Studies from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, and recently earned a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from NYU's Steinhardt School, graduating with honors. During her graduate studies at NYU, Lindsay completed four student teaching assignments throughout NYC working with children as young as infants to those in the 1st grade within a variety of settings. Lindsay is making a career change to follow her passion for working with children and is excited to have the opportunity to inspire and guide young learners. She is thrilled to be part of the creative and stimulating environment at Blue School where she will have responsibilities in the classroom and on the admissions team.