Our Team of Instructors

Richard Acritelli has been a social studies teacher for nine years. He is currently teaching at Rocky Point High School where he is active in bringing history alive to his students through assemblies on 9/11, Veterans Day, Long Island History and the Holocaust. He teaches several online and onsite courses and enjoys all aspects of local Long Island and New York State history and science field experience courses. Rich has been recognized as the 2008 Teacher of the Year by the North Shore Times Beacon Record, North Shore Sun and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 9-12 for New York State. He has three articles on World War II Prisoners of War published, conducted massive research on General George S. Patton in the Modern Military Archives in College Park, Maryland and at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Rich is currently working on his second masters degree through Norwich University on military studies. Outside of the classroom, Rich has coached wrestling, baseball, cross country was a senior class advisor and served in the Army Reserves and Air National Guard for almost nine years.

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Patricia Anzalone is currently a reading teacher in the Commack School District. She has taught reading at the intermediate, middle school and high school levels. Patricia is certified in elementary education and special education and holds a masters degree in reading. She is also certified in the Wilson Reading Program to help struggling readers. In addition Patricia has had experience working as a resource room teacher and has also enjoyed teaching Italian during the summer months.

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Gary Bodenburg began working as a Special Education Teacher for the South Huntington School District after graduating from St. Joseph's College in Patchogue 8 years ago. He has taught at all levels in the elementary, middle, and high school during his experiences. Gary is also an ABA therapist for students with Autism. He is currently working on his Educational Leadership certification for Administration through Stony Brook University. Most recently, Gary had been invited as a guest speaker for the senior class of Zephyrhills High School in Tampa, Florida on the topic "Overcoming Adversity" through his experiences and scholarship work for the school.

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Steven Bromberg

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Margaret Conover, Ph.D. teaches Botany at the New York Botanical Garden and has taught classes for teachers at Stony Brook University and St. Joseph's College. She was an invited participant at the first congress of the Partnership for Plant Based Learning, April 2004.

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Jessica Frank Jessica Frank loves to teach!! Her teaching career was launched back in 1991 when she worked for the Town of Islip's Environmental Control Department between her Junior and Senior Years at Binghamton (B.A English). Jessica interned with the educator and taught students about recycling via puppet shows. She was hooked! Not many can say that a puppet helped to launch their career! Jessica has happily worked for Sachem Schools since 1996 . She went on to teach 2nd, 3rd, 4th (integrated) and 6th grade English. Jessica has a Masters in Special Education (Dowling College) and is also the mother of a 6 year old beautiful son (adopted from Korea) and a baby girl (soon to be arriving home from Korea!)

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Danielle Greenbaum is currently an elementary school teacher in the Longwood School District. Her teaching experiences include second and third grades. She holds degrees in elementary education, English, and literacy. She has facilitated many parent/student workshops for reading, math and science.

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Tina Grippa has been a special educator for over 20 years. She has experience working with pre-school through secondary levels. The last ten years have been devoted to working with the PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) spectrum student. This includes Autistic and Asperger’s youngsters. She currently teaches middle school at Western Suffolk BOCES, 5th-8th grade PDD students.

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Richard Haase teaches 8th grade English at Candlewood Middle School in Half Hollow Hills. Presently in his eighth year in the district, he is a national grant recipient, Disney’s American Teacher and New England League of Middle Schools’ Promising Practitioner nominee, and has received two independent awards for his class website. He sits on five district and Teachers’ Association committees, including staff development, technology, and three on the Achievement Gap. He has also led such curriculum initiatives as English/SS integration and Backwards Design, sat on the Newspapers in Education Advisory Board, and is currently the Technology and Curriculum Coordinator here at NYCTD.

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Amanda Harvey has twelve years teaching experience using Character Education as her basic foundation towards educating children. She is currently completing her eleventh year as a first grade teacher in the West Islip School District. Amanda has recently completed her administrative SDA & SAS from C.W. Post University.

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Rene Hickey is currently a general education teacher in second grade in the Three Village School District. She has also taught first and sixth grades. Over the past six years, Rene has enjoyed integrating technology, sign language, and multiculturism into the curriculum.

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Alesia Holewinski is currently an American Sign Language Teacher, in the LOTE Department at Smithtown High School. She holds her Masters from Columbia University in Teaching ASL as a second language, and a BA from St. Joseph's College in Elementary and Special Education. She has been teaching in the public and non-public schools for over 14 years.

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Barry Kaufman is currently with the Long Island Rail Road as Senior Manager Administration. He has 25 years of management experience. Barry was on the Smithtown Central School District Board of Education for nine years. He currently teaches leadership courses for Dowling College.

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Aimee Keller began her career teaching 11th Grade Inclusion at Three Village CSD five years ago. She has experience co-teaching in all core academic areas of the 11th grade curriculum. Aimee has experience within the Resource Room setting as well, supporting students in grades 10-12. She also has experience with Multi-sensory Reading techniques and programs for students with special learning needs. Aimee is currently pursuing her School District Leadership Certificate at Stony Brook University.

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Kevin Keller began his career teaching Earth Science in Connetquot seven years ago. He also has experience teaching Life and Physical Science to 7th and 8th grade students. He helped develop and currently teaches a Natural Hazards class to 11th and 12th grade students as well. For the past three years he has been involved with the special education department as the inclusion Earth Science teacher. In addition, he has been the boy’s freshman basketball coach for the past seven years.

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Andrea Kempster has been a special educator in the Connetquot School District since 1982. She is currently a Special Education Coordinator and has taught on both the elementary and secondary levels. She has experience in special class, inclusion, resource,and Academic Intervention Services. Andrea is certified in elementary education, special education, and as a school counselor.

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Carol Kimmerle

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Loree Lazzaro-Alu is currently a fifth grade teacher in the Three Village School District. Her teaching experiences include kindergarten, first grade, second grade inclusion and reading. She has been trained in literacy and has conducted parent workshops to promote reading at home.

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Peggy Lenti

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Bryan Mandracchia is currently a second grade teacher in the Three Village Central School District. He has been teaching second grade for 9 years and has also taught 5th grade. Besides having extensive experience working with children in a school setting, he has been a musician since the age of 6 and has been a private music instructor teaching chidlren and adults for 20 years.

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Dawn Nachtigall has been a science teacher for the Three Village School District for the last eleven years. She has experience teaching life, physical and earth science to 7th and 8th grade students. For several years she has worked with the Inclusion program presenting differentiated instruction to students of all learning abilities

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Pamila Pahuja started her career ten years ago in Islip School District where she taught Regents Biology, Living Environment and Earth Science as well as General Chemistry and Marine Biology. She has been at the Three Village School District for the last seven years where she has taught 8th Grade Physical Science, Regents Earth Science and Honors Biology.

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Jessica Rivera is currently an elementary school teacher in the Longwood School District. She has experience teaching first, second and third grade. She holds degrees in elementary education and literacy. She has facilitated many parent workshops and has sat on several committees that were set up to enhance instruction for technology and literacy.

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Jessica Rowe is currently a special education teacher for the Connetquot School District. Her instruction experience in this area includes: severely mentally retarded, pre-school through 12th grade, children with autism, learning disabled and physically handicapped. In addition, she has been a varsity girl’s track coach.

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Chryse Sacco is a Spanish teacher and coach in the Patchogue-Medford School District. She also serves as an interpreter, and is often called upon to translate for other teachers, parents, and administrators for a variety of educational issues.

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Andrew Tripaldi

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Amy Wachholder is currently a special education teacher for the Connetquot School District. She has experience teaching in a variety of special education programs: inclusion, special class and resource. Amy has experience on the elementary and secondary levels and is certified in elementary education, special education, and reading.

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Elizabeth Williams is an ASHA certified speech language pathologist. She also holds her Pennsylvania license in speech therapy and is a qualified as a teacher of the speech and language impaired. Elizabeth is employed by Blue Mountain Middle School in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. She was recently chosen to serve as a mentor teacher within her district. Elizabeth has experience working with the birth to three population, preschool and school age children. She also has experience working with adults in an acute care setting. Elizabeth has treated individuals with various speech and language impairments such as stuttering, language processing, articulation, language, grammar, pragmatics, feeding, and impairments resultant from hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, and strokes.

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Carrie Yuli has been a second grade teacher in the West Islip School District for six years. She has enjoyed using reading and writing workshops as well as integrating technology in her classroom. Her instruction experience includes working as an ABA Teacher in the homes of autistic pre-school children, designing and maintaining her school’s website, and coaching girls’ soccer.

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