Summer Scholars
Elaine Mastronardi Montuori is from nearby Springfield, Ma. She has been teaching in the Springfield area at public, private, and charter high schools as well as colleges for the past 27 years. She currently teaches Social Studies at Springfield Central HS. Her interest in Native American studies goes back to her childhood passion for horses, and, in particular, Appaloosas. She decided to... Elaine Montuori's Full Profile
Jane Costello currently works as a teacher of English Language Learners at Fort River Elementary School in Amherst MA. She has taught at both elementary and secondary levels in the Amherst School system and she has led ELL teacher training workshops in the Boston area. Early in her career, Jane taught in rural West Africa and in the urban Boston area. Teaching literacy to people from a... Jane Costello's Full Profile
Lani Blechman is the Librarian at Leverett Elementary School, where she serves a diverse population of 125 preK-6th grade students in rural Western Massachusetts. In her current work, as a school librarian and also as an anti-oppression facilitator, she can't stop thinking about three things: the deaths of Leelah Alcorn and Blake Brockington and the moment when a 6 year old student of color... Lani Blechman's Full Profile
After teaching fourth grade for four years in Hingham MA, Lisa Austin Kuerzel moved from the South Shore and began exploring different vocations in different locations. The different hats she wore included performing folk musician, nanny, Audubon interpreter, social worker, ESL instructor, and Humane Educator/Adoption Counselor in animal welfare. This was fulfilling but draining work... Lisa Kuerzel's Full Profile
Louise Ramone is a member of the Navajo Nation. She belongs to Salt Clan and Towering House Clan. She teaches Navajo Language and Culture in K-5 at Esperanza Elementary in Farmington, NM. She earned her MA in Education in Curriculum and Instruction and Bilingual Education through NMSU in Las Cruces, NM.
Michelle Parrish teaches first and second grade at the Common School in Amherst, MA where she has worked since 2004. The Common School is an independent, progressive school emphasizing integrated curriculum, in-depth studies, and hands-on learning. For many years her classroom curriculum has included a study of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands, which she hopes to revise, update, and... Michelle Parrish's Full Profile
Peter Riedel is the librarian at Amherst Regional Middle School in Amherst, Massachusetts. He received a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont, an M.A. in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida, and an M.A. in Humanities from California State University, Dominguez Hills where his thesis was on the racialization that divided whites... Peter Riedel's Full Profile
Robin Gurdak-Foley lives in the Connecticut River Valley with her husband of 26 years, Rick, and their 18 year old daughter, Alexis. Alexis is currently attending college in Boston. The family shares their home with a fifteen year old Siamese cat named Ming. Collecting school supplies for the children of El Corazon de Jesus in Santiago, Dominican Republic is a family hobby. Robin is an avid... Robin Gurdak-Foley's Full Profile
Rochelle Anziska is chairman of the history department and teacher at Yeshiva University High School in New York City. She teaches AP World History, AP European history, GlobAl history and U.S. History. She has also attended several Gilder-Lehrmann Summer Institutes, other NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes and participated in the Choices program at Brown University developing new curriculum... Rochelle Anziska's Full Profile
Sharon Vogel just finished her first year teaching 3rd grade/special education at HC Sharp Elementary School in Camden, NJ. Although she just started teaching school, she is no stranger to teaching through her three children, Robert, 25, Gary 23 and Danielle, 20, whom she and Dan, her husband of almost 30 years, homeschooled through the 8th grade. Since they seem to have turned out ok, she... Sharon Vogel's Full Profile
