2008-2009 Chavez Prep Faculty
Meredith Aach, Academic Support Teacher. Ms. Aach completed her BA in International Relations and Anthropology at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. During college Ms. Aach enjoyed traveling throughout Latin America to explore poverty and development issues with a focus on employment and education. Upon graduating, Ms. Aach joined Teach for America where she will fulfill her commitment by teaching at Chavez Prep. Ms. Aach enjoys spending her free time reading, traveling, running, and spending time with friends. She is in the process of earning a masters degree from George Mason University.
Carly Anderson, Academic Support Teacher. Ms. Anderson brings a great deal of teaching experience to Chavez Prep. She was a Teach for America corps member in Los Angeles and then taught at Payne Elementary School in that city. She has traveled and worked across the globe, most recently in the Kingdom of Tonga in Africa. Ms. Anderson majored in International and Environmental Studies with a minor in anthropology at Emory University. She earned her masters degree in education at Layola Marymount University.
Bianca B. Body, Composition 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.
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 and her husband plan to enroll their two sons in Chavez Prep as soon as they are in the sixth grade.
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.
David Greenfieldboyce, Mathematics Teacher. Mr. Greenfieldboyce earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in business and applied science. He has worked in various jobs in the software industry and received a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Maryland. During his graduate studies he was a teaching assistant for a wide range of undergraduate computer courses. He once walked 2,155 miles on the Appalachian Trail and he likes to play guitar and chess.
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.
Laura Kravis, Comprehension Teacher. Ms. Kravis has taught both in museums and schools since her graduation from Williams College with a BA in history and art history. After working for 3 years in the Corcoran Museum’s Education Department, Ms. Kravis attended Bank Street College of Education in New York City, graduating with a Masters Degree in Museum Education and Middle School Education. While in New York, she taught history, English, and women’s studies at the Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem, and coached basketball at the school. Upon her return to Washington, DC, Ms. Kravis became a founding teacher at Chavez’s Parkside Campus, where she taught middle school history, coached basketball, and served as a literacy coach for three years before joining Chavez Prep. In her spare time, Ms. Kravis loves to read fiction, barbeque with friends, and travel with her husband, Jonathan.
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).
Lissett Mendieta, Office Assistant. Ms. Mendieta has worked in a variety of professional school and office settings. She served as the lead teacher at Olney Children’s Center and was the Assistant Director of the Germantown Children’s Center before coming to Chavez Prep. Ms. Mendieta has degrees in child development and early childhood education.
Demetrius Moore, ESL Coordinator. This will be Mr. Moore’s second year in the Chavez community. He previously was a successful teacher of English as a Foreign Language to non-native speaking adults at the University of Florida English Language Institute. He has a B.A. in Linguistics and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Florida. He also has studied Modern Standard Arabic and Spanish at the university level.
Augusta Nadler, Mathematics Teacher. Ms. Nadler is excited to join 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 CentroNia preschool in Columbia Heights, tutoring high school students in Durham, NC, and teaching economics to college students. Most recently, 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.
Tara O’Flaherty, Vice Principal of Academic Affairs. Ms. O’Flaherty 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 and a M.Ed. from Lesley University in Middle School History. She is currently pursuing a masTers in educational leadership from George Washington University. Ms. O’Flaherty is an avid world traveler.
Ashley Prather, Social Studies Teacher. 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 recently 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.
Patrick Shaw, Vice Principal of Student Support. Mr. Shaw has been involved in the education profession since 1988, with experience working in grades Kindergarten through 12 in charter, public, private and Catholic schools in Washington, DC, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. Shaw has held many leadership positions in his former schools, including grade chair representative, department chairperson, and mentor teacher. He helped bring the International Baccalaureate program to Mt. St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was also faculty adviser to the drama program and marching team. Mr. Shaw has earned a BA in philosophy from St. Meinrad Seminary, a BS in Elementary Education from University of Minnesota, an MA in Secondary Education with emphasis in social studies from University of Arkansas in Little Rock, and an MA in Special Education from the Catholic University of America. He most recently earned his MA in Education Administration from Trinity University.
Charles Sullivan, Comprehension Teacher. A native of Arlington Virginia, Mr.Sullivan worked with middle school students in Arlington Public Schools for two years. He recently 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.
Joel Sweda, Mathematics Teacher. Originally from Ohio, Mr. Sweda completed his undergraduate studies at Denison University and went on to receive his Master of Arts Degree in Teaching from Kent State University. Having been an educator for the past 13 years, Mr. Sweda has served as a classroom instructor of Middle School Mathematics and has directed a learning center for students in grades K-12. During his personal time, Mr. Sweda enjoys learning to cook, traveling, reading fiction, staying active through playing tennis and working out, and spending time with his wife-Amanda (the one teaching him to cook!), family, and friends.
Courtney Tipping, Social Studies Teacher. Miss Tipping has a B.A. from The Catholic University of America in History with a minor in Philosophy. Miss Tipping played and coached lacrosse on the college level. For the last two years she has been living and teaching in England, where she had the opportunity to travel all around Europe. She is a passionate Red Sox fan and loves lacrosse. Miss Tipping loves sports and takes every opportunity to get involved with them.
Andrew Touchette, Principal. Mr. Touchette has worked with the Chavez schools since 2000, when he joined the faculty as a history teacher, department chair and debate coach. He has since served the schools’ Parkside campus as high school academic dean. Before coming to Chavez, Mr. Touchette worked in public schools in New York City and southern Maryland. He took his BA in history from Fordham University and his MA in secondary education from New York University. Mr. Touchette was a Building Excellent Schools fellow in 2006-07. He enjoys reading, spicy food, skiing, bowling, bicycling and supporting his beloved Washington Nationals.