Welcome New Faculty!

Greene Street Friends School welcomes nine new faculty members for the 2009-2010 year. Five of them are also joining the Greene Street Friends community as parents.

Matthew Caliguire will be a fourth grade teaching assistant. Matt earned an undergraduate degree from Messiah College in history with an emphasis on environmental history and has completed the requirements for his Pennsylvania Teaching Certification. Matt has spent several summers in Cold Spring, NY working with youth and adult groups as an environmental educator for the Constitution Marsh Center; he also runs programs for urban youth there.

Tai Amri Spann-Wilson will be a first grade teaching assistant. Tai Amri earned his bachelor's degree in writing and poetics from Naropa University, and is currently pursuing his master's degree in theology. Most of Tai Amri's work experience has focused on social change for organizations like American Friends Service Committee, Pendle Hill, and many church organizations. He is a trained facilitator in the Help Increase the Peace Project (HIPP). Tai Amri is Quaker and attends Chester Monthly Meeting.

Martin (Marty) Foley will be teaching seventh and eighth grade language arts and social studies. Marty holds a master’s of education degree from Temple University in the psychology of reading, he is a Pennsylvania-certified reading specialist in Grades K-12, and he earned a bachelor’s in communications from Fordham University. Marty has over 15 years of teaching experience in self-contained classrooms as well as departmentalized middle school classes like social studies, language arts, and study skills.

Lori Sinitzky will be a first grade lead teacher. Lori’s undergraduate degree is from the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and she is pursuing a master of arts degree in elementary education from Villanova. Lori taught second grade for six years at Friends School of Mullica Hill in New Jersey and is a member of a Quaker meeting in Woodstown, New Jersey. She has taught Everyday Math and has extensive training and experience with the Fountas and Pinnell literacy assessment system as well as balanced literacy.

Nwaka Fletcher-Perry will be a third grade lead teacher. Nwaka recently completed her master’s degree in elementary education from Chestnut Hill College and has been teaching at Germantown Friends for the past two years in a multi-age classroom for fourth and fifth graders. Nwaka earned her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University in journalism, with a minor in Spanish. She has experience with Everyday Math and balanced literacy, and places a premium on student-teacher relationships.

Francesca Cerabino will be an interim first grade lead teacher. Francesca completed her undergraduate degree in elementary education at Brooklyn College and earned her master’s from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. She is a certified reading specialist and elementary educator. She has seven years of classroom teaching experience in both the first and third grades.

Liz Silbaugh joined Greene Street mid-year last year as the teaching assistant in the 3/4 multi-age class. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and taught high school literature for a few years in Denver, Colorado. This year she will be a first grade teaching assistant.

Jane White also joined Greene Street mid-year last year as the fourth grade lead teacher, a position she will continue to hold. She has a master's degree in elementary education from Arcadia University and an undergraduate degree in communications from Towson State University. Prior to coming to Greene Street Friends, she taught for 5 years at the School in Rose Valley.

Michelle Cost will be a Pre-K teaching assistant. Michelle has a master's degree in elementary education from Arcadia University, and a bachelor's in psychology from Lincoln University. Prior to Greene Street, Michelle worked as a therapeutic support staffer through Chester County Educational Services. A few years ago, Michelle started her own day care program on weekends, which she still runs today. Michelle also has experience as a third grade classroom teacher and a social worker.