Lower East Side Elementary

Anne Lackritz, Principal

Anne Lackritz is deeply committed to urban education reform and the charter school movement. As a graduate of an all-girls high school, Anne has experienced the many benefits of single-sex education and seeks to extend such opportunities to all families in New York City. Prior to joining Girls Prep, Anne was a founding teacher and Academic Dean at Achievement First in East New York, Brooklyn. During that time, she helped to establish a school culture focused on academic achievement through leading teacher professional development, the new teacher support network and parent workshops.

In addition to her work with adults, Anne has worked as a first, third and fourth grade lead classroom teacher in Bushwick and East New York, Brooklyn. Anne graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and went on to earn a Master's degree in Elementary Education from Pace University through the NYC Teaching Fellows program. She also has a Master's degree in Leadership for Educational Change from Bank Street College of Education. Anne lives in Brooklyn, NY and enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog, Gracie.

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Jessica Willis, Assistant Principal

Jessica Willis is the Assistant Principal of Girls Prep.

This is Jessica's fourth year at Girls Prep. Prior to becoming an Assistant Principal, Jessica was a curriculum specialist and 2nd grade Lead Teacher at Girls Prep as well as a New York City Teaching Fellow in Brooklyn.

Jessica is strongly committed to the opportunity that charter schools provide in ensuring that all students have a chance to achieve their potential. She graduated from New College of Florida with a degree in Art History, and earned a Masters of Education from Brooklyn College.

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Yohana De Los Santos, Director of Student & Family Affairs

Yohana comes to Girls Prep from a charter school in East Harlem where she was the Dean of Students. Prior to this she worked at Edison Schools in their development and business services departments and as the Assistant Director at Operation Exodus Inner City, Inc., a non-profit that helps families in the inner-city find great schools for their children at little or no cost.

Yohana's family is very active in her church's youth and children ministries and she stresses that she "is not just about children, but about families!" Yohana attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she received her degree in Public Administration.

Director of Student and Family Affairs is not Yohana's only role here at Girls Prep. She is also a Girls Prep parent. Yohana has two daughters that attend our school.

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Lisselot Monegro, Business and Operations Manager

Lisselot comes to Girls Prep with five years experience as an administrative staff member of the Charter Schools Division at Edison Schools. Her experience includes coordinating events, scheduling and a great deal of customer service. Lisselot is bilingual English and Spanish and chose Girls Prep because, "Being able to see the faces of the children and families I serve makes a big difference." Lisselot also has experience as a tutor for grade K-12 students.

In her spare time she enjoys teaching liturgical dance, mime, drama, and knitting. Lisselot is married; she and her 2 boys, Adam and Daniel, enjoy going to the park on weekends.

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Liccelot Bravo, Administrative Associate

Liccelot is excited to be a part of the Girls Prep Family!! She holds a bachelor's degree in History from Rutgers' University in Newark, New Jersey. Liccelot's interest in education began when she was little, while tutoring her younger cousins with their homework. Her interest grew later on while working as a student teacher in an urban school for 1st and 2nd grade. She is committed to learning and growing in the field of education.

Before entering the education field, Liccelot worked as an assistant in law and finance. She loves providing excellent administrative and full service support as needed.

In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling and listening to as well as playing music.

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Nieves Veras, Administrative Associate

Nieves Veras completed her Bachelors at Hunter College. She majored in English and Spanish Translation & Interpretation while minoring in French and Music. She is an alum of the Juilliard School of Music’s MAP and PATH Programs and a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Though always involved in the Music and Arts fields, Languages are her passion.

Nieves was an active member of the Hunter College campus, involved in leadership positions, including serving as Vice-President of the Latino Honor Society. She loves to read mystery novels, watching movies, spending time with friends, and working on crossword puzzles during her morning commute.

Before coming to Girls Prep, Nieves worked at Cipriani USA, as a Projects Manager Assistant for over 2 years. Although the school-focused field is new to her, the fast-paced administrative aspect and environment are not. After completing her translating internship at Girls Prep, she applied for this full-time position, and got the job! She is proud of the wonderful example Girls Prep sets for its students and is very excited to be part of such an amazing network!

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Amy Benedetti, Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Amy is thrilled to join the Girls Prep team this year! Prior to working at Girls Prep, Amy had the experience of teaching at Excellence Boys Charter School of Bedford Stuyvesant, where she taught Kindergarten for three years and served as grade level chair of her team. Amy received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and, as a Teach For America corps member, received an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Pace University. Amy came to Girls Prep because she believes in both the charter school movement and single sex education. The Girls Prep community is an inspiration to her and she is eager to grow professionally amongst a staff of highly talented and dedicated educators. In her free time, Amy enjoys traveling, running, and anything outdoors!

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Michelle George, Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Before becoming a Girls Prep Lead Teacher, Michelle worked served as a Girls Prep Fellow and Associate. Growing up in Trinidad, her first job out of Secondary School was as a Teacher's Assistant at a Kindergarten. Now, many years later, Michelle returns to her first love, teaching. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Caribbean Studies and as a Girls Prep Fellow she is now pursuing a Masters in Education.

Michelle is a jazz enthusiast and when she finds the time, she enjoys reading or writing short stories for pleasure. Michelle is a mother of two elementary school children who make her happy to be alive every day.

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Jenny Cook, First Grade Lead Teacher

Jenny Cook is thrilled to be starting her fourth year at Girls Prep, and her third year in the Billie Jean King first grade class! Jenny grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended an all-girls school from sixth through twelfth grade. Her rich experiences in an all-girls setting led her to Girls Prep. In her free time, Jenny loves to ride her bike around New York City, do yoga, cook, and read. She attends Bank Street College, where she will soon obtain her Master’s Degree in Childhood Education.

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Jessica Wallenstein, First Grade Lead Teacher

This is Jessica Wallenstein’s fourth year at Girls Prep and she is thrilled to be teaching in the first grade Katherine Dunham Classroom again! Ms. Dunham was a dance anthropologist, a human rights activist in Haiti, and she pioneered a famous dance technique. She is a true role model for the well rounded scholars of Girls Prep.

Jessica grew up in New York City. She earned her Bachelors in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago and her Masters in Elementary Education at Hunter College. Before coming to Girls Prep, she worked for education organizations including The Center for Urban School Improvement, Jobs for Youth and the Chicago Public Schools. In addition to teaching, Jessica loves to dance, read and watch baseball!

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Beth Dyba, Second Grade Lead Teacher

Beth Dyba originally came to New York City to study journalism and political science at New York University. While earning her undergraduate degree, she began tutoring students in after school programs and continued to do so after graduating. She eventually decided to pursue teaching full-time and earned her masters in childhood education at Pace University. She taught in the South Bronx for four years before joining Girls Prep.

Outside of teaching, Beth enjoys bike riding, playing in a soccer league, and experimenting in the kitchen!

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Versha Munshi-South, Second Grade Lead Teacher, Lead Mentor Teacher

Ms. Munshi-South is thrilled to be teaching second grade! Last year was her first year at Girls Prep. Prior to teaching at Girls Prep, Ms. Munshi-South taught for five years in Montgomery County, MD. She received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. in Elementary Education from Washington University in St. Louis. Ms. Munshi-South's favorite subject to teach is Writing because she loves the creative work that her students produce.

Ms. Munshi-South was born and raised in Queens and Long Island, and is excited to be living in New York again. Her favorite things to do in NYC include trying new restaurants in Queens, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, and visiting the Met. In her spare time Ms. Munshi-South enjoys spending time with her family. She is especially fascinated by watching her infant son, Kiran grow and change!

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Rebecca Chase, Third Grade Lead Teacher

Rebecca has wanted to pursue a career in education since teaching at Summerbridge in high school. She started at Girls Prep as a fellow in the Brenda Berkman kindergarten class and this is her first year as a Lead Teacher. Rebecca was born in San Francisco, California, where she attended all-girls school from Kindergarten through 8th grade. She moved to the East coast to go to college at Harvard, where she studied History and Literature, focusing on the U.S. and Mexico. During high school and college, Rebecca worked with several youth development and education programs both in and out of the classroom, including community service learning and arts education projects.

Rebecca loves New York and especially the Lower East Side, where her own ancestors lived when they immigrated to the U.S. from Eastern Europe in the 1890s. When she's not at school, she likes to shop at farmers' markets, visit museums, attend concerts, go to the library and jog in the park. Rebecca loves to read, write and draw, and once dreamed of being a children's book author and illustrator! This year, she hopes to share her passion for poetry, art and science with the students at Girls Prep.

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Emily Overlock, Third Grade Lead Teacher

According to her mom, Emily decided on a career in teaching when she was twelve. Since then she has worked in several public schools in New York City, a school in Jackson, Wyoming and one on the outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. She absolutely loves teaching third grade at Girls Prep, in the Dolores Huerta Classroom.

Emily is a native New Yorker and attended a girls school for thirteen years. She graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Anthropology. She has a Masters Degree in Special and Bilingual Education from Bank Street College. When she is not at Girls Prep, Emily likes to spend time with family and friends, read everything she can get her hands on, and be outdoors.

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Joanne Blackman, Fourth Grade Lead Teacher

Ms. Blackman is thrilled to be teaching 4th grade for the first time this year! I am absolutely lucky to work at Girls Prep because I am constantly greeted with smiling faces, and big hugs along with girls that are hard workers ready to get the job done! Joanne has received her BS in Childhood and Special Education (K-6) from New York University. Joanne enjoy staying in the house and watching a good movie. Joanne lives by the motto, "Never give up no matter what obstacles you are faced with." She looks forward to continue to foster this attitude at Girls Prep, especially in the Ruth J. Simmons 4th grade class!

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Johana Andujar, Kindergarten Associate

Since childhood Johana always wanted to be a teacher. She worked various jobs but knew they were not her career choice. Johana has three children, Julisa 13, Joanni 9, and Luis 2.5. It's wonderful for her to have Joanni attend Girls Prep. She's in 3rd grade (AN class). Also, her other daughter Julisa is one of the big sisters from Cornelia Center in the Brenda Berkman class. She attended Lehman College where she majored in English Literature and minored in Childhood Education. She worked part time at Girls Prep as the Spanish 3rd Grade teacher and she enjoyed it a lot. She lives in the neighborhood and loves to be a part of the culture.

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Samantha Song, Kindergarten Fellow

Samantha is a recent graduate of Barnard College, a prestigious women's college in New York City, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Economics. In college, she was a nomad when it came to figuring out a fulfilling career path and worked in various industries until she discovered the most challenging yet gratifying calling, teaching. While at Barnard, she also realized the invaluable rewards of an environment full of strong, beautiful, intelligent, and successful women. The combination of her interest in education and her empowering experience at a single-sex institution led her to Girls Prep. Her background in education includes working for America Reads, tutoring privately, and working as a teaching assistant at the Manhattan School for Children. Currently, she is working towards a Masters in Childhood Education at Hunter College.

Beyond the classroom, Samantha loves to spend time reading, watching indie films, and going on nature hikes. She is thrilled to be working as a teaching fellow in the Faith Ringgold classroom and looks forward to her first year with the magnificent Girls Prep crew!

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Gerloni Cotton, First Grade Fellow

Gerloni Cotton hails from Los Angeles, California and is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, where she majored in Women's Studies and African/African American Studies. She has always had a passion for urban education and has worked both on her former campus and in her community with education based programs and organizations. She is overjoyed to have the opportunity to work with the wonderful students and teachers at Girls Prep. She is especially excited to be working in the Katherine Dunham first grade class room this year.

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Argjira Halili, First Grade Associate

Argjira has always wanted to pursue a career in early childhood education since teaching at the Newton Elementary School in Newton, Massachusetts. She attended Brandeis University where she majored in Economics' and International Business in addition to working with the Education Program. While involved in the Education Program, Argjira was placed in several high need public schools in Waltham, Massachusetts and completed a wide range of courses from Developmental Physiology to Physics for Children. She is a native New Yorker and is very excited to be giving back to the community she grew up in and is thrilled to be a part of the first grade team.

Argjira loved living in Boston while completing her bachelor's degree but could not wait to get back to the city she was raised in. She was originally born in Kosovo and when she was only 3 years old her parents immigrated to New York City's East Side where she lived until she left for college. Some of her favorite hobbies are dance, cooking and traveling. She recently started to snowboard and can't wait for the winter season to kick in and is praying for lots of snow

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Philip delaHoussaye, Second Grade Associate

Mr. delaHoussaye graduated from Saint Louis University in 2007 with a degree in English Literature, and he grew up in New Orleans, LA. He was an au pair in France for six months, and has enjoyed working with children ever since he stopped being one. He has always looked forward to following in his favorite teacher's (his parents!) footsteps, and can't think of a better place to start than Girls Prep. He is extremely proud to be working with such a wonderful group of educators, and such a magnificent collection of students and families.

Mr. delaHoussaye's favorite thing to do in his free time is ride his bike. When it's warm, he rides over the Williamsburg Bridge to school every day. When it's cold, he gets to ride the train, which is great because that gives him so much time to read! Mr. delaHoussaye believes strong readers are the foundation of a strong and curious school, and he does his best to bring his enthusiasm for reading into the classroom.

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Raegan Reber, Second Grade Associate

Raegan grew up in Fair Oaks, California, where she attended an all-girls high school and witnessed the benefits of a single sex education first hand. She graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelors in History and is currently pursuing a Masters in Elementary Education at Hunter College. Prior to coming to Girls Prep, Raegan worked at a social service agency that helps families with children who have disabilities.

Raegan loves reading, going to museums and spending time outdoors.

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Rebecca Rohr, Third Grade Associate

Rebecca was born and raised in New York City. She moved to Boston to attend college at Harvard, where she studied English and American Language and Literature and took teacher preparation and education policy courses at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. In college, Rebecca worked at a charter high school, ran an after-school program for elementary students, and taught summer school at a middle school in East Harlem. She is so excited to share her passion for learning with the scholars in both Third Grade classes!

Outside of the classroom, Rebecca loves to read and write, spend time in Central Park, and relax with family and friends. She feels very fortunate to be working with the talented and dedicated staff of Girls Prep.

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Michelle Philippin, Fourth Grade Associate

Michelle, a public-school educated native New Yorker, is so excited to finally make her way into the classroom. After graduating with a BA in Theatre and a BS in Women's Studies from CUNY's College of Staten Island, Michelle worked in administration and customer service before making her way back to academia. When she returned, she attended NYU and resumed theatre-making and educating in their Educational Theatre program, where she had the opportunity to study and teach in London, Ireland, Mexico and NYC. After working in several boroughs and many different schools and classrooms bringing Literature to Life, teaching drama and writing, Michelle found herself eager to build stronger relationships with students and families, and most of all, become a great teacher.

Michelle is beyond overjoyed to be joining the Girls Prep Family as a 4th Grade Associate. She hopes that in this year and for years to come, she can effectively share her passion for life long learning (and, of course, theatre!) with her students and families. When she's not at Girls Prep, Michelle is likely making theatre, cooking and baking, taking pictures, traveling to new places, spending time with friends and family, working in her garden or reading and studying for her Master's Degree in Childhood Education from Teacher U at Hunter College.

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Claire Brassil, Visual Arts Lead Teacher

Claire Brassil is thrilled to be teaching at Girls Prep, sharing her passion for art with students in all grades. This is her second full year as Girls Prep's art teacher and she feels lucky that she gets to work with every student in the school. Claire received her BA from Vassar College and her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

During her time in graduate school, Claire taught a 5th grade art class and ran several art tutorials with elementary students. She has worked with students of all ages in museum education programs, but especially enjoys teaching elementary students in the classroom. Before becoming an art teacher, Claire developed her own art making practice for many years and continues to regularly paint in her studio.

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Lisa Dillard, Physical Education Lead Teacher

Lisa recieved her undergrad degree from Florida A&M Univeristy in African American Studies and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Physical Education. Lisa is honored to have the opportunity to teach young girls the foundation of physical activity and is very excited to do so at Girls Prep. She aims not only to instill a love of physical activity, but strong character and confidence in each girl, through a positive learning experience, which they will be able to carry with them through school as well as life beyond.

In Lisa's free time she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, and visiting New York City musuems.

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Sarah Herrington, Academic Support Specialist and Yoga Lead Teacher

Sarah Herrington grew up in Upstate New York before moving to New York City to attend NYU. There, she received her BA in English and fell in love with two things: yoga and children's books.

Sarah has been a serious Vinyasa-style Yogi for the past 5 years, and truly believes in the power of yoga to build confidence and a positive sense of self. She has taught and mentored NYC girls in creative writing through the Non-Profit organization, Girls Write Now, and has taught English in Osaka, Japan. She is very excited to be sharing her love for yoga and learning with the girls at Girls Prep! Her favorite yoga pose is child's pose.

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Annie De Jesus, School Aide

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Mildred Echevarria, Lead School Aide

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Bridget Foley, Special Education Lead Teacher

Bridget grew up on a farm outside of Rochester, New York. She was a competitive alpine ski racer for many years and even attended a specialized ski academy in northern Vermont. Bridget studied Political Science and German at Smith College, as an undergraduate. She studied abroad in Hamburg, Germany for one year and later returned to Germany, to work. She is fluent in German and has studied Arabic as well as Japanese. Bridget began teaching in 2004 as a New York City Teaching Fellow; teaching second grade for 2 years in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Bridget recently completed her masters in childhood education at Brooklyn College.

In addition to teaching Bridget loves reading, learning new languages, making jewelry and crafts as well as watching movies. She also likes getting outside to ski, travel, hike, swim and run.

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Sara Getman, Instructional Coach

Sara Getman graduated from Trinity College with her Bachelors degree in Sociology and went on to earn her Masters degree in Education. After teaching in different neighborhoods and boroughs in New York City, Sara joined Girls Prep as a first grade teacher in 2005. After teaching first grade for two years she became a Curriculum Specialist and simultaneously completed the Emerging Leaders Fellowship at the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence where she learned about leadership, assessment, observation, and school culture. Now she works with students, teachers and families at all grade levels in reading, writing and social studies.

Sara grew up in Upstate New York and is now happy to call New York City her home. Sara loves running, reading, yoga, and traveling. She is excited to share her passion for learning and living with students, teachers and families at Girls Prep.

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Natividad Mercedes, Lead Spanish Teacher

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Marisol Pagan, School Aide

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Martire Rodriguez, School Aide

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Chris Shayne, Counseling Coordinator

Chris Shayne, LCSW comes to Girls' Prep with many years of experience working with children and their parents in a variety of settings. Chris believes that students can maximize their potential when they are in a warm, friendly environment that promotes individual achievement and success, augmented by a sense of communal responsibility and camaraderie.

Chris is a graduate of an all girls' high school and went on to receive her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work. She is currently enrolled in the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research in its highly regarded Child and Adolescent Program.

Chris enjoys biking, hiking, yoga and most of all, reading.

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