Faculty & Staff
2010-2011 Chavez Prep Faculty
Ian Applegate, PE Teacher. Mr. Applegate graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Government. He played lacrosse all four years while at Wesleyan and coached at the collegiate level for Tufts University in 2009. He recently earned his M.A. in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University. He enjoys playing in recreational soccer and lacrosse leagues, skiing, listening to music, and spending time with friends. Mr. Applegate is a HUGE Mets fan and can’t wait for them to win a World Series!
Bianca B. Body, 9th Grade English Teacher. Ms. Body received her B.A. in English from Howard University. Upon graduating from Howard, Ms. Body worked for the University for one and a half years. As someone who has always enjoyed working with children, she decided to leave Howard and pursue a career working with youth. In 2006, she began working as a tutor at Paul Public Charter School in Washington, DC. After working as a tutor, she was hired as an Instructional Assistant for the school’s English Department. While working for the department she was able to implement a Writing Center. Ms. Body facilitated the school’s participation in the 2007 “Do the Write Thing Challenge”. She was very excited to hear that one of her students was chosen as the Washington, DC National Finalist in the Challenge. She loves to cook, watch crime television shows and cartoons, and spend time with family and friends in her spare time. Ms. Body is a New Jersey native.
David Bress, Composition Teacher. Mr. Bress is a graduate of University California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he received a Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and Communication Studies. While at UCLA, he worked in the Undergraduate Admissions Office showing prospective students the campus and instructing them on how to apply to the university. Originally from Gilroy, California, he enjoys hiking, cooking, reading, and going to baseball games.
Jaclyn Broderick, Academic Dean. Ms. Broderick is a graduate of Marquette University, and has a B.A. in History and Secondary Education. She joined us from Arizona, where she taught seventh grade for two years. During her first year at Chavez Prep, she delighted the 6th graders with her fun and rigorous approach to math. A great lover of travel, she recently returned from a trip around South America. Ms. Broderick spent several months soaking up the beautiful culture of the continent and spent a year teaching school children in Chile. She loves a good book and couldn’t imagine a day without music.
Bruce Colburn, Art Teacher. After receiving a BA in Fine Arts from Haverford College, Mr Colburn taught art in the US, The Virgin Islands, and Pakistan. In addition to his annual solo shows, he has participated in seven national exhibitions, among them, The Springfield Museum of Art’s Watercolor USA 2010, the Faber Birren National Color Award, and the Salon d’art contemporain de Montrouge, Paris. He is very interested in local politics and impatiently awaits a pennant for the Nationals.
Nikki D’Angelo, Composition Teacher. A graduate of Indiana University, Ms. D’Angelo is excited to continue teaching 7th grade comprehension at Chavez Prep. She has a B.S. in elementary education and loves working with children. She spends her summers on the administration team at Camp Al-Gon-Quian, an overnight camp in Northern Michigan. Nikki loves to read any sort of book and tells wildly entertaining stories, taught English to young students in Istanbul, Turkey, and is a big fan of any and all Detroit sports teams.
Laura DiNatale, Mathematics Teacher. Ms. DiNatale is a graduate of the George Washington University where she received a B.A. in Psychology. In the summer of 2009 Ms. DiNatale taught 6th grade math in Harlem, NY, and is thrilled to now be a part of the Chavez Prep team. A native of Connecticut, she spent many summers coaching synchronized swimming, and she enjoys dancing, swimming, reading, and traveling in her free time.
Denia Duran, Business Manager. Ms. Duran came to Chavez Prep after serving as Office Manager of the Parkside campus from 2005 to 2007. Before moving to Washington, Ms. Duran lived in South Carolina. She has a love a cultures and gardening.
Bryan Eberwein, Vice Principal. Mr. Eberwein has been an educator for ten years. Before joining the Chavez family as the Vice Principal, Mr. Eberwein taught students in grades kindergarten through eighth as a classroom teacher, academic support mentor teacher, and as an English language development mentor teacher in California and Northern Virginia. Mr. Eberwein has focused his career in literacy development, earning various reading endorsements including Reading Recovery and Lindamood-Bell Learning clinician. Mr. Eberwein earned a B.S. from University of California, San Diego, an M.Ed., emphasis in Special Education from San Diego State University, and an Ed.S. of Educational Leadership and Administration from The George Washington University. In his time away from teaching, Mr. Eberwein spends his time traveling around the world, and spending time with friends and family.
Jamie Fritz, Composition Teacher. Mr. Fritz is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has a B.A. in philosophy with a double major in English. In the summer of 2008, he completed Teach for America’s training program by teaching reading and writing to seventh graders in the city of Philadelphia’s summer school program. Like his students, Mr. Fritz is an avid reader, and particularly enjoys the works of William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is also an enthusiastic musician, and is very interested in the dynamics of all-vocal ensembles.
Katherine Henry, Academic Support Teacher. Ms. Henry is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in psychology and minored in French. A current Teach for America corps member, Ms. Henry spent the summer of 2010 completing teacher training in Philadelphia. She is currently working on obtaining an M.A. in education from George Mason University. Ms. Henry was lucky enough to spend time in Senegal, the Gambia, and Egypt during college, and hopes to continue to travel to new places in the future.
Laura Kravis, Technology Integration Specialist. Mrs. Kravis is a founding teacher of both the Parkside and Chavez Prep campuses. A native of the Chicago area and a graduate of Williams College and Bank Street College of Education, she has been an educator for over 10 years. Mrs. Kravis has taught students ranging from 5th to 9th grades in New York City and in Washington, DC, and worked for 3 years at the Corcoran Gallery of Art here in DC as a museum educator. In her spare time, Mrs. Kravis loves to bake, read, play with her son William, and travel.
Matt Hobbs, Science Teacher. Mr. Hobbs received his B.A. in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education from George Mason University’s New Century College. He has since worked as the Lead Educator with the Rolling Rainforest, a traveling museum exhibit on neo-tropical rainforests. During his three years working with the Rolling Rainforest, he taught science at elementary and middle schools in nearly every neighborhood of DC and the surrounding area, as well as dozens of other schools all over the country, from Brooklyn to New Mexico. In his spare time, Mr. Hobbs enjoys reading nonfiction, honing his carpentry skills, expanding his knowledge of Arabic, and escaping to the natural world as often as possible with his wife, Anna.
Sallie Holmes, Social Worker. A native of Texas, Ms. Holmes earned her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Texas before relocating to the Washington, DC area. For the past 20 years, she has worked with culturally diverse adolescents and families in a variety of settings including school-based mental health, group homes, and out-patient services. She has additional training as a clinical consultant and family therapist and has facilitated therapeutic groups including grief, self-esteem, parenting and sexuality education. The parent of two teenagers, she enjoys watching her children play sports, eating out, traveling and walks in the woods.
Elizabeth Hundley, Comprehension Teacher. Ms. Hundley earned her B.A. in English at Virginia Tech and recently completed her M.A. in the Teaching of English at Teachers College Columbia University. Ms. Hundley taught English in Gunichas, Namibia for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer and relishes the food, songs and rich friendships she had the privilege to experience during her time in Africa. She has also taught in the Bronx, NY and is looking forward to becoming part of the team at Chavez Prep. In addition to teaching, Ms. Hundley enjoys traveling, reading, running, and singing.
Audrey Levandowski, Mathematics Teacher. After graduating from The George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs, Ms. Levandowski spent two years teaching Algebra and Geometry in Philadelphia as a Teach For America corps member. During her time in Philadelphia, Ms. Levandowski also earned a Master of Science in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania. During her college years, Ms. Levandowski had the opportunity to intern with the U.S. Senate and with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. She enjoys cooking, reading mysteries, and traveling, although Washington DC remains her favorite city in the world.
Kara McLaughlin, Science Teacher. Ms. McLaughlin earned a Masters of Teaching, Bachelor of Arts of Environmental Science and a Minor of Astronomy from the University of Virginia. Ms. McLaughlin previously taught 6th grade Science for Charlottesville City Schools. Since moving to the Washington, D.C. area, Ms. McLaughlin volunteers several times per month at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History where her favorite hall is ‘Gems and Minerals.’ When not working, Ms. McLaughlin enjoys biking, walking, going to concerts and traveling to new places with her boyfriend, Tim. Some favorite destinations include Turkey, France, Ireland, Arizona, the British Virgin Islands and Florida (to visit her parents and watch NASA Space Shuttle launches).
Tiffany Mitchell, Social Studies Teacher. Ms. Mitchell is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Communications. In addition, she will complete her Masters in Teaching from American University this fall. For the past two years, she was a 5th grade teaching fellow at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in DC. Prior to teaching, she served as the Thomas M. Menino Fellow at the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families working with local elected officials on youth civic engagement. An active member and mentor in her community, she has worked with children in various after-school and summer programs for over eight years specifically on building positive self esteem, social action, community service, and college prep. A native of Hampton, Virginia, she is a true southern belle who enjoys the beach, reading, politics, comedy, theater, independent/foreign films, sports (Go Green Bay Packers), music and stepping.
Kelley Moore, Mathematics Teacher Ms. Moore is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia where she received her Bachelor of Social Work with a minor in African Studies. Throughout her college career, Ms. Moore interned with Teach For America, YouthWorks, Inc., World Relief, and the Clarke County Schools Department of Social Work. She had the opportunity to study abroad in Tanzania, where she taught English, Swahili, and math at a local orphanage and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. She has worked with students of all ages and ability levels through her mentoring and tutoring experiences at the Boys and Girls Club and the Upward Bound organization in Northeast Georgia, and couldn’t be more excited to be teaching math at Cesar Chavez! Ms. Moore competed in junior tennis at the state, regional, and national level for nine years and played at the collegiate varsity level for two years. In her spare time, Ms. Moore enjoys reading, running, hiking, exploring the city, and traveling anywhere and everywhere!
Charles Morales, Registrar. Mr. Morales joined Chavez Prep in the 2009-2010 school year. An architect by training, he has been instrumental in creating systems and procedures in the Main Office.
Augusta Nadler, E.S.L. Teacher. A graduate of Hobart & William Smith College, Ms. Nadler joined the Chavez Prep community after teaching for two years in Massachusetts. She is an accomplished sailor and she has coached competitive sailing for several summers. Ms. Nadler graduated from with a BA in Public Policy and a minor in Mathematics.
Katie Newmark, Mathematics Teacher. After graduating from Duke University with a degree in economics, Ms. Newmark worked in economic policy for two years before returning to school to earn a masters degree in public policy, with a concentration in education policy, from Georgetown University. She has worked with students of all ages, including volunteering at CentroNía preschool in Columbia Heights, tutoring high school students in Durham, NC, and teaching economics to college students. She taught math and debate to middle
schoolers in the Higher Achievement Program in Alexandria. In her free time, Ms. Newmark enjoys reading about American history and current events, baking cookies, and watching college basketball.
Heather O’Brien, 9th Grade English Teacher. Ms. O’Brien is a Muhlenberg College graduate and holds a B.A. in Psychology, Education certification, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, and is currently working towards her Masters of Education with Certification in Special Education. A Philadelphia native, Ms. O’Brien has taught both elementary and middle school students. She has spent time studying in Rome, Italy and spent a year teaching English to students and adults while learning Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan. She is an avid traveler and enjoys exploring new places. In her free time, Ms. O’Brien enjoys cooking, listening to music, and spending time wither her family and friends.
Tara O’ Flaherty, Principal. Ms. O’ Flaherty was a member of the leadership team that founded Chavez Prep. Previous to her work here, she served as the Mentor Teacher of the History and Politics Department of Chavez’s Parkside campus. She also taught seventh and ninth grade history there. Before joining the Chavez community in 2005, Ms. O’Flaherty taught history and English to 6th, 8th, and 10th grades in New England schools. She has also coached many successful teams to victory in both soccer and lacrosse. Ms. O’Flaherty earned a B.A. in History and Spanish from Drew University, a M.Ed. from Lesley University in Middle School History and an Ed.S in educational leadership and administration from George Washington University. Ms. O’Flaherty is an avid world traveler.
Ashley Prather, Academic Dean. Ms. Prather is a graduate of McDaniel College in Westminster, MD, where she double-majored in Spanish and Political Science. As an undergraduate student, she traveled to Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua where she studied Spanish as part of a language intensive program. She spent time overseas in Daegu, South Korea teaching English. Ms. Prather is a volunteer with the Prince George’s Community College Upward Bound Program and a mentor with S.A.S.S.I.E., LLC Teen Girls Mentoring Group. In her spare time, Ms. Prather enjoys traveling, spending time with friends, shopping and fine dining.
Sarah Rabinowitz, Social Worker. Ms. Rabinowitz is a graduate of the University of Maryland (Go Terps!) where she received both her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Master of Social Work. Sarah worked as a Community Support Specialist at Community Connections after completing graduate school. Sarah then worked as the Child Advocacy and Mental Health Coordinator for Georgetown University Hospital’s KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic. She was also awarded a clinical faculty appointment at Georgetown University Medical School. Sarah grew up in the DC area and enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Rich Renzi, E.S.L. Teacher. Mr. Renzi graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in History, and then received a Masters in Physical Education from the University of Central Florida. He has worked in schools in Rhode Island, Florida, Virginia, and now D.C. Mr. Renzi enjoys reading, sports and cooking.
Sarah Robison, Composition Teacher. Ms. Robison is a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in secondary education. Ms. Robison taught at the Cumberland Heights Youth Program in Nashville for three years before moving to Washington, DC in order to be closer to family in New York. After spending two years as the assistant director for Educational Connections in Fairfax, Ms. Robison returned to the classroom at Chavez Prep with great enthusiasm! Besides teaching writing, she enjoys spending time at the dog park, watching sports, and discovering new vegetarian recipes.
Amanda Savage, 8th Grade Algebra Teacher. Ms. Savage is very excited to join the team at Chavez Prep. She recently graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. in Psychology, and upon graduating she joined Teach For America. After completing the training program and teaching students in Philadelphia during the summer of 2010, Ms. Savage is excited to begin working as a math teacher at Chavez Prep. While at Chavez Prep, she is pursuing her masters from American University. Originally from Hawaii, she is very excited to learn and enjoy Washington DC.
Kristen Schiavone, Academic Support Teacher. Mrs. Schiavone obtained a Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University in Justice Studies and Political Communication. After graduation, she joined the Teach for America 2007 Metro DC Corp and earned a Master’s degree in Special Education at George Mason University while teaching at Cesar Chavez Capital Hill Campus. Prior to teaching at Chavez Prep, she served as the Special Education Coordinator at Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona, Spain. She has also worked for Congressman Steny Hoyer and the US Department of Labor on Disability, Education and Labor Policy. In her free time she enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking and spending time with friends and family.
Morgan Stair, Geography Teacher. Mr. Stair joined the Chávez Prep faculty as a math teacher in early 2009 and he is excited about teaching reading this year. A graduate of Tulane University, Mr. Stair served as a Teach for America Corps member at a successful KIPP school in North Carolina. He worked for the U.S. Department of Education before returning to the classroom.
Lawrence Staten, United States History Teacher. Mr. Staten is a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville where he received both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science with a double minor in Astronomy and Theatre. He has served as a liaison to the U.S. Congress for the American Astronomical Society and as a political consultant for Ben Cardin’s U.S. Senate campaign and Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he enjoys fencing, creative writing, playing the piano, the organ, and guitar, as well as cheering on the Ravens, the Orioles, and always supporting his Vanderbilt Commodores.
Charles Sullivan, Comprehension Teacher. A native of Arlington Virginia, Mr.Sullivan worked with middle school students in Arlington Public Schools for two years. He graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English. During college, he studied Scottish and English literature at the University of Glasgow and completed an internship on Capitol Hill.
Emily Swain, Science Teacher. Ms. Swain is a graduate of Dickinson College, and has a B.S. with honors in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. This summer, she will complete Teach for America’s training program by teaching in the city of Philadelphia’s summer school program. Ms. Swain enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and cooking. She is a devoted Phillies fan and also enjoys drawing and painting in her spare time.
Joshua Tuch, Academic Support Teacher. Mr. Tuch is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and Middle Eastern Studies. He has served as an intern in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Gus Bilirakis, and taught English in Ethiopia with the Cherokee Gives Back Foundation. Raised in Tampa, Florida, he enjoys traveling, playing soccer as much as he can, hip-hop music, and playing the piano.
Allison Waithe-Benton, World History Teacher. Originally from Cleveland, OH, Ms. Waithe-Benton came to DC to attend American University, where she majored in anthropology and minored in history. She also received her MAT from American University. She loves learning and teaching about history, especially French history, the middle ages, and colonial America. In her spare time she enjoys reading historical fiction, playing the French horn, cheering the Cleveland Cavaliers, and researching new things to teach to her students (really!).
Karine A. Welsh, E.S.L. Teacher. Miss. Welsh joins Chavez Prep after a long journey that started in West Africa. She earned a B.A. in International Development from American University with a minor in Spanish and an M.A. in Teaching from the School for International Training. Beginning with studies in International Development, she studied culture and Spanish in Chile while volunteering at a boys’ group home. The Miss Welsh has volunteered with Amnesty International, taught English in Puerto Rico and Social Studies in New York City. Most recently, she worked as a Faculty Advisor for the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. She eventually made her way back to D.C. In her spare time, she reads, watches documentaries, takes long walks, and dreams of the ocean. She enjoys activities that promote cross-culture exchange and understanding which include travel, language, art, and, of course, food!
Stu Wulsin, Mathematics Teacher. After graduating from Harvard University, Mr. Wulsin taught Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus in Greenville, Mississippi. Mr. Wulsin took some time off from teaching to work on a congressional campaign in Ohio. He then worked for a public policy firm where he helped write reports on volunteerism, service-learning, and the dropout crisis. Mr. Wulsin is excited to be back in the classroom and is eager to show his students how much fun math can be.