Capitol Hill Faculty & Staff
School Leadership
Garrett Phelan is the Principal of the Capitol Hill Campus, where he previously served as Academic Dean, AP English teacher, and English department chair. Among other professional highlights, Mr. Phelan served in the Peace Corps in El Salvador, was selected as an E.E. Ford Fellow and as a Jenny McKean Moore Fund Fellow, and received a DC Arts Commission grant to teach unique artists books to AIDS patients at DC’s Whitman-Walker Clinic. Additionally, Mr. Phelan served on a teacher advisory panel to the Corcoran Museum of Art’s education department and has a Certificate of Study in Arts Education from the J.F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. His poetry has been published in myriad publications, including The Potomac Review, English Journal, Minimus, Articulate, and The Hartford Courant. Mr. Phelan received his secondary teaching credential from the Advanced Institute for Montessori Studies and holds a BS in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University.
William Spears is Vice-principal of Scholars Affairs of the Capitol Hill Campus, where he previously served as the school’s Dean of Students. He works to ensure that the school achieves an optimum learning environment inside and outside of the classroom, and that students receive the supports and services they need to succeed. He has a BS in criminal justice from Grambling State University and is pursuing a master’s degree in juvenile psychology at Bowie State University.
Arturo Martinez is the Vice-principal of Curriculum and Instruction of the Capitol Hill Campus. Previously, Mr. Martinez was Chaávez’s English as a Second Language Coordinator and an ESL teacher. Prior to joining Chaávez, he did his student teaching in the special education program at Hardy Middle School in DC. He has also worked as a Spanish/English interpreter and translator. Mr. Martinez has a BA in History and Psychology from Macalester College and a MA in Education and Human Development from George Washington University, where he specialized in bilingual special education and ESL. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Spanish Philology from the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Mallorca, Spain, focusing on the benefits of teaching academic content in Spanish to Spanish-speaking ESL students. Mr. Martinez also serves on the board of directors of Resources for Inner-City Children (RICH), a non-profit organization that provides educational resources and support to inner-city high school students.
Faculty & Staff
Norman Allen is an English Teacher at the Capitol Hill Campus. Previously he was the founder and former director of the Signature In The Schools education program, a partnership with Arlington’s Wakefield High School that used theatre as an entryway to history and literature. He is the recipient of two Capital Region Emmy Awards for documentary writing and a Charles MacArthur Award for playwriting. His plays have been produced locally at the Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre and the Olney Theatre Center, as well as in other U.S. cities, in South Africa and in Budapest. Current projects include commissions from Theatre Alliance and The Shakespeare Theatre Company, both in DC. He has written on the arts and current affairs for Smithsonian and Washingtonian magazines, The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, etc. He received his master’s degree from St. John’s College last spring.
Marc Alongi teaches World History at the Capitol Hill campus. A native to Albuquerque, Mr. Alongi comes most recently from Providence, Rhode Island where he completed a MAT at Brown University in history and social studies and a BA in Religious Studies. Prior to his graduate work, he helped spearhead a model elementary school program using performance-based, student-centered models of learning. There Mr. Alongi worked as an American India Foundation Service Corps Fellow for a NGO, Shri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram in Uttaranchal, India.
Jose Ben-Kotel teaches Spanish literature at Chaávez. Mr. Ben-Kotel has several years of experience teaching high school students in Maryland and DC. He has taught Spanish to adults at the University of Maryland and through the USDA’s continuing education program. Mr. Ben-Kotel has given numerous talks on Chilean writers and poets, including at the Library of Congress, and has published many poems, short stories, and papers of his own. Among his published works of poetry are “Autos de Fe,” “La Separacion de los Amantes,” and “Viaje a Ithaca.” Mr. Ben-Kotel holds a BA in Spanish education from the Instituto Pedagogico de la Universidad de Chile and a MA from the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educacion.
Jill Clark is the Literacy Coordinator at the Capitol Hill Campus. Her past experience includes teaching social studies at this campus, positions at Graham and Parks Alternative High School, in Cambridge, MA; at the Steppingstone Foundation in Boston, as a teaching fellow; at Takoma Park Middle School, in Silver Spring, MD; and at Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, MD. Ms. Clark has taught humanities, social studies, language arts, world studies, and US and Latin American history. She holds a BA in history from Swarthmore College and a MA in history from Tufts University.
Bessy Cuellar teaches ninth grade math at the Capitol Hill Campus. Ms. Cuellar has twenty years of teaching experience in Texas, Massachusetts, Venezuela, and El Salvador. She holds numerous degrees and teaching certificates, including a teaching degree in math and physics for secondary students from the Francisco Gavidia University of El Salvador and for elementary school from the Colegio El Espiritu Santo, also in El Salvador.
Bill Day teaches mathematics at the Capitol Hill campus. His previous work experience includes mathematics and computer science instruction at Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College in Mathematics with a concentration in Applied Mathematics.
Katie Douglas is a Special Education teacher at the Capitol Hill Campus. Most recently, Ms. Douglas taught fifth grade at Oyster Bilingual School as she completed a master’s degree in ESL and Special Education at George Washington University. She has also taught developmental writing and ESL at Howard Community College as well as ESL at the secondary level in Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Previous to that, she has many years experience working with children with a range of special needs. Ms. Douglas has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Haverford College.
Megan Douglas is the Director of Special Education at the Cesar Chaávez Capitol Hill Campus. A graduate of George Washington University, this is her fourth year in the Washington DC school system. Previously, she taught reading, writing, and math to seventh and eighth-graders labeled as Learning Disabled and Emotionally Disturbed at Sousa Middle School in Washington, DC.
Krista Fantin is a history and politics teacher at Chaávez. She graduated from Cornell University with a BA in American Studies and Spanish and is currently earning her Masters in Teaching at American University.
Thomas Fenske is the Librarian at the Capitol Hill campus. He is a historian by profession having studied at the State University of New York in Oswego, his hometown, as an undergraduate and at Stony Brook as a graduate student. He taught history at SUNY Stony Brook and for a number of years after coming to DC in 1971, German at Anacostia High School. He also taught history and home economics at Oxon Hill High School. In addition to his library work at Chaávez, Mr. Fenske has taught English for two summers and collaborated with Ms. Farguheson on a “state of the DC library” Capstone project. Active in Washington’s civic life, Mr. Fenske is a past president of the Stanton Park Neighborhood Association, the friends of the Northeast Library, and the Photographic Roundtable and a former volunteer guide at the National Arboretum for fifteen years. He is happy to be a member of the Chaávez faculty and a colleague of his oldest daughter, Kara Luna of the math department.
Rebeka Fergusson-Lutz teaches freshman English at the Capitol Hill campus. She grew up in Upstate New York and graduated from Boston University in May 2001 with degrees in English literature and art history. She served with the Peace Corps in Romania from 2001 to 2003, working primarily as an English teacher at Octavian Goga and Gheorghe Lazar High Schools in Sibiu, Transylvania. After a two-year stint as a journalist at her hometown newspaper, she moved to Washington, D.C. and back to the classroom in 2005. She has taught seventh- and eighth-grade English and Social Studies at Ronald H. Brown Middle School in Northeast Washington and tenth-grade English and Humanities at Dunbar Senior High School in Northwest D.C. She is working toward dual master’s degrees in teaching and international peace and conflict resolution at American University. She is also the founder and president of a non-profit organization, the American-Romanian Partnership for Gender Equality.
Sarah Fine teaches English II and chairs the English Department. She earned her BA from Harvard University, graduating with highest honors from the English department, where she focused on 20th-century poetry and completed a creative senior thesis. Currently, she is working toward an English MA at the Bread Load School of English, run by Middlebury College. Her passion for education stems from her sustained work with the Breakthrough Collaborative program, through which she taught middle-school students in both San Francisco and Cambridge. Beyond language arts, her teaching experience has been in the fields of environmental science, outdoor education, and classical music.
Ariel Gibbons is an ESL teacher at Chaávez. Ms. Gibbons first joined the Chaávez staff three years ago as the registrar and part-time resource aide. She came to Chaávez through the For Love of Children Tutoring Program, where she first volunteered as a tutor and then worked as the site coordinator for the Chaávez project. Ms. Gibbons received a BA in criminal justice from George Washington University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Bilingual Education at George Washington University.
Stephen Gramsch teaches chemistry part-time at Chaávez and serves as chair of the science department. The other half of his day is spent leading and conducting research at the Carnegie Institute. Dr. Gramsch has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Chicago. Prior to coming to Chaávez, he taught AP chemistry to high school students in Aurora, Illinois and served as a part-time chemistry instructor at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Peter Gwynn teaches 10th and 12th grade Public Policy. This is his first year at Chavez and third year teaching in the DC school system. Mr. Gwynn has a master’s degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in economics and math from the University of Minnesota. As a graduate student, Mr. Gwynn taught undergraduate courses in political science and studied language and labor union politics in the Czech Republic. He has also taught adult GED preparation courses and in a youth civic engagement program. Prior to teaching, Mr. Gwynn was a political analyst, policy advocate and researcher for a higher education association in Washington, DC. Mr. Gwynn is currently working on a master’s degree in secondary education at the George Washington University.
Julie Harris is the Public Policy Director at the Capitol Hill campus where she leads the public policy department and also teaches History. Ms. Harris obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Psychology from Loyola University New Orleans, and a Master’s Degree in International Education focusing on civic education of marginalized populations from George Washington University. She is also a recipient of the James Madison Fellowship for teachers of the Constitution. Prior to joining Chavez, Ms. Harris taught high school and middle school in New Orleans. She also worked for the Close Up Foundation, designing, training and implementing experiential education programs in Washington, DC. She currently serves as the Student Learning chair on the DC YMCA Youth and Government Board of Advisors, as well as National Advisor for Students Everywhere Assisting Students, a national service-learning organization. Ms. Harris regularly meets with International visitors to discuss civic education in emerging or transitional democracies. She recently traveled to Mexico to speak at several conferences on youth engagement and civic education.
Louise Harris is the administrative assistant for the Capitol Hill Campus. Mrs. Harris joined the Chaávez staff in 1999 after retiring as a DC government employee with the Department of Finance and Revenue as a Tax Examiner. She has a natural instinct for working in the school environment and allows the students to affectionately call her “grandma” to add to their comfort at school.
Ayo Heinegg teaches public policy at the Capitol Hill campus. Before turning to teaching, she worked for 15 years as a public policy analyst at the World Bank and several research centers, NGOs and international development firms in Washington, Belgium and Mexico. She has worked most in the areas of international development, demographics, economics, sociology and world cultures. She has lived almost half her life overseas (in Tanzania, Liberia, Mexico and Belgium), and speaks fluent Spanish. Highlights from her sometimes eccentric life include exporting coffee for a Maoist peasant cooperative for two years, “walking” pickets in a 1960’s civil rights organization in her baby stroller, surviving an African revolution, and having a semi-automatic pointed at her. Last year she taught Spanish and Global Issues at Thurgood Marshall Charter School. She has a B.A. in economics and international relations from Brown University and a M.S. in agricultural economics from Cornell University.
William Hawkins is the director of student affairs for the Capitol Hill campus. He works closely with students and families to ensure all students are focused on achievement. Mr. Hawkins has a BS in Sociology from Bowie State University and also working toward a Masters in Human Resource Development at Bowie State University. Mr. Hawkins has experience working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a security consultant. While completing his undergraduate degree, he worked at Chaávez as a security guard for Abraham Security, which is how he was introduced to the school.
Imani Hayman teaches Health at the Capitol Hill campus. She holds degrees in Biology (B.S.), Biomedical Engineering (M.S.), and is a third year doctoral student majoring in Pharmaceutics. Her professional affiliations include American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and Sigma Xi.
Christie Imholt is a teacher in the History and Politics department at the Capitol Hill campus and advisor for Youth and Government. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked as an assistant at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI), focusing on social policy. Ms. Imholt earned a BA in political science from The University of Chicago and an EdM in Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ms. Imholt is also James Madison Fellow. She has spent the past several summers studying and traveling to Pearl Harbor, Ellis Island, and Normandy, France through grants from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Lucas Jacob teaches English II and Creative Writing at Chavez. He earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction in English and African-American Studies at Carleton College and a Master’s Degree with honors in Creative Writing and Literature at Temple University. He has taught high school for eleven years, and in 2004-05 won a Fulbright Fellowship to teach in Budapest, Hungary. He is a writer whose poems have appeared in various journals, and who was fortunate enough to have a poem win the Gival Press Poetry Prize (the poem was later anthologized). He has played guitar in various blues and rock bands and is grateful to be part of such a talented, artistically-inclined faculty and staff.
Monifa Jeffrey is the social worker for the Capitol Hill Campus. Ms. Jeffreys has worked as a school-based mental health clinician in the Baltimore City Public Schools. The newly created School Mental Health Program is a collaborative effort that consists of a social worker, a mental health specialist (from the D.C. Department of Mental Health School Mental Health Program), and Howard University social work graduate interns. Ms. Jeffrey’s provide an array of services that include individual, family and group therapy, teacher consultations, classroom presentations and referral services, to optimize students’ well being and enhance learning.
Elise Kasunic teaches English at the Capitol Hill Campus. She earned her BA at Georgetown University where she majored in English, with minors in Classics and Theology, and holds an MA in the Teaching of English from Columbia University Teachers College.
Cedric King is the Safety/Attendance monitor at the Capital Hill Campus, where he works to ensure the safety of the students and faculty members. Mr. King graduated from César Chaávez High School in 2003. He is currently finishing up his associate’s degree in criminal justice at the University Maryland University College, College Park.
Jen Kirmes works in the science department as a mentor teacher and curriculum chair. She has worked at The Northstar Center for Teens in Hadley, Massachusetts and at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts. She received her BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her MA in Teaching from American University.
David Krakow was born in Los Angeles. He teaches Foundations of History at Capitol Hill. Before coming to Chaávez, David lived in Providence, Rhode Island where he earned an AB in Africana Studies and an MAT in Social Studies from Brown University. He worked as a community organizer, interned with Brazilian land reformers, developed a small business selling processed fish fertilizer, and taught ESOL classes with adults before deciding to teach high school. He has been excited about teaching ever since his mother explained that the best homework is done homework.
Samuel Leonard is an English teacher at the Capitol Hill campus. For the past two years, Mr. Leonard taught English at Ridge View Academy, a charter high school located on the grounds of a youth correctional facility just outside Denver, Colorado. Previous to this appointment, he worked as a substitute teacher for school districts in Oklahoma and Colorado. Like so many students, he failed to complete high school, and instead received a GED in the spring of 1993. Mr. Leonard graduated in 1998 with a BA in English Language and Literature from East Central University of Oklahoma; studied for a year in the graduate program at the University of Colorado at Boulder; and then completed a MA in English at the University of Tulsa.
Anthony Lizardi is the Mathematics Department Chair at the Capitol Hill Campus. Mr. Lizardi earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1989. After working for the Department of the Navy, he joined the Peace Corps in 1996 and served in Namibia as a math/science teacher at rural secondary school. After returning from the Peace Corps, Mr. Lizardi taught for one year in the San Francisco Unified School District, then went on to earn a M.A in International Education at George Washington University in 2002. Following graduation, he was selected as a Teach For America corps member, and taught high school mathematics in Chicago. The last two years, he has taught at Rough Rock Community School on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Mr. Lizardi’s academic interests focus on investigating cultural issues that may impact the achievement gap in mathematics among minority students.
Anne Love is an Earth Science teacher at Chaávez Ms. Love received a BS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine and an MA in Applied Ecology from Stony Brook University. Her previous work experience includes field research with the World Wildlife Fund Cameroon and the U.S. Geological Survey in Hawaii. She was most recently employed as an environmental scientist with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
Kara Luna teaches sophomore math at the Capitol Hill campus. This is her fourth year at Chavez. Previously, Ms. Luna taught math and Spanish at St. Peter’s Interparish School in DC, where she also coached the school’s “Mathcounts” Team. She has also taught math in New York City, at St. Agnes Boys High School, and in Houston, TX at Pershing Middle School. Ms. Luna has a BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD. She is a native Washingtonian.
Angela Matsuoka teaches art at the Capitol Hill campus. She received her B.A. from Grinnell College and upon graduation was awarded the Graduate Fellowship of Studio Art. During her fellowship, Angela served as an adjunct faculty member, gave a series of lectures and showcased her paintings in a one-woman art exhibition. After 5 years in the Midwest, she relocated to Baltimore, where she began her teaching career. She has taught art to grades K-12 in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County. Angela has also worked as a Saturday art school instructor at St. Paul’s School under the Young People’s Studio Project. Most recently, she received her Masters of Arts in Teaching from The Maryland Institute College of Art, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2007.
Alex Monte-Sano is a math teacher at the Capitol Hill campus. He recently moved to the D.C. area from San Francisco where he completed his teacher training. Previously, Mr. Monte-Sano worked in the financial services industry. He holds a B.A. in economics from Yale University and an M.S. in engineering from UC Berkeley.
Adrien Morel is a French teacher for grades 9-12. Originally from Senegal, Adrien began his teaching career teaching French language and literature to high school students in Guinea, West Africa. He has been teaching French for 8 years to students in charter schools in Washington, DC. In addition to speaking French and several African languages, Adrien has also been studying Spanish. Most recently, he spent several weeks living and studying Spanish in Guatemala. Adrien received his Masters in Teaching from American University.
Daniel Moriarty is an English as a Second Language teacher. A native of South Bend, Indiana, Mr. Moriarty stayed close to home and attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating with a BA in Political Science. Currently, Mr. Moriarty is pursuing a Masters in Education through American University and Teach For America. Mr. Moriarty also serves Chavez as head coach of the boys varsity soccer team.
Maurice Myers, in his first year here, is a world history teacher at Chavez. Growing up in the South, Maurice learned to love the history that surrounded him. Maurice would end up studying history at George Mason University were he received a B.A. degree and is also doing his graduate work there. Maurice is planning on getting his Doctorate in Civil War history. He started working with young people 20 years ago. He has spent time as a social worker, youth director and in recreational management. For the past ten years or so, he has taught mostly in Northern VA as a history teacher for Prince William County. Maurice is a true outdoorsmen. He is happiest biking, hiking, and camping with friends and family. In his spare time, he works with Hemlock Overlook; an outdoor educational, team building group in Fairfax VA. Photography is a not only a hobby but a part time business. Maurice is married to Wendy and they have a pack of wonderful children at home.
Raymond Norman is the Safety/Attendance monitor at the Capital Hill Campus, were he works to ensure the safety of the students and faculty members. Mr. Norman is an alumnus of César Chávez high school, class of 2003. He is also finishing up his associates in criminal justice at South Eastern University College, Southwest Washington.
Steve Pajares joined Chávez in May of 2006 as its registrar for the Capitol Hill campus. Mr. Pajares is a native of Spain and currently resides in Washington, DC. Before Chávez he was employed in various assistantships with local governments and non-profit agencies. Mr. Pajares holds a BA in Psychology from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. In the future, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work or Sports Psychology.
Jody Peltason is in her fourth year as a member of the Chávez English department, where she now teaches Reader-Writer Workshop. Prior to joining she taught English at the Epiphany Middle School in Dorchester, MA. Ms. Peltason has experience in journalism, social work, and counseling. She earned a BA in history and literature from Harvard University and a MA in teaching from Brown University. She has received a number of academic awards, including the Rose Writing Fellowship from Brown and the Bowdoin Prize for undergraduate essays from Harvard.
Gabriela Pena teaches Biology as well as Earth Science to English Language Learners at the Capitol Hill campus. Previously, Ms. Pena taught fifth grade science for three years in south Texas. She was born and raised in Atlanta, GA and holds a BA in Spanish from Davidson College in North Carolina.
Nancy Pile is a new member of the Chávez staff, teaching English I and Reading and Writing Workshop. She recently completed a Peace Corps assignment in West Africa. Before that she taught in Memphis, TN and Greenwood, MS (through Teach For America). Nancy Pile graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1999 with a BA in English.
Kristen Schiavone is a Special Education teacher at the Capitol Hill Campus. She graduated from James Madison University with a BS in Justice Studies and Political Communication. She is currently earning her Master’s Degree in Special Education at George Mason University. Prior to working at Chavez, she has worked in a variety of different self-contained classes for students with severe emotional disabilities and learning disabilities. She has also worked as disability policy advocate at the U.S. Department of Labor and on Captiol Hill.
Jennifer Sonkin is the director of the Visual Art Department at the Capitol Hill Campus. Ms. Sonkin has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Art Institute of Chicago with a focus in photography and fiber. Ms. Sonkin has worked in art education for the last ten years. Prior to joining Chavez, she was an artist in residence at The School for Arts in Learning overseeing all aspects of the art education program. She has experience teaching art with Washington Very Special Arts in the Articulate job-training program for high school teenagers with special needs. In addition, Ms. Sonkin has spent several summers working with physically challenged children during an annual one-week summer program in Mississippi. While in Mississippi, Ms. Sonkin was the director of the Children’s program for Stewpot, a non-profit organization for kids who are underserved in Jackson. Jennifer has also taught costume and set design with the Mississippi Ballet and The Mississippi museum of Art. Most recently, Ms. Sonkin has earned her Master’s of Art in Art Education from The Maryland Institute College of Art.
Robin Spence coordinates the school’s public policy program, including the 9th Grade Capstone, 10th Grade Community Action Project and 11th Grade Public Policy Fellowship. She also works with teachers to integrate public policy skills, knowledge and experiences across the curriculum. Ms. Spence obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, and a Master’s of Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. Prior to joining Chávez in 2003, Ms. Spence ran job training programs through the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation in Bronx, New York, and served as Public Policy Research Director for the Workforce Alliance in Washington DC.
Rayshod Thompson is the Attendance Monitor for the Capitol Hill Campus.
Cheryl-Ann R. Weekes, the new College Counselor at the Capitol Hill campus was born in Barbados and came to the United States in 1984 when she moved to Boston, MA. She has been in the Washington, DC area since 2001. She has her Bachelor of Science in Business from Bentley College in Waltham, MA and a Master of Education in Counselor Education from the University of Virginia. For the past ten years she has worked in different capacities with young people as a School Based Therapist and as the Assistant Director of the Simmons College Upward Bound Math Science Program. Previously she worked as a College Advisor for the DC College Access Program (DC CAP) at Dunbar Senior High School.
Baynard Woods is the Teacher Leader on the Management Team. He is the Chair and Mentor teacher of the History Department. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Classics from the University of New Mexico, where he taught Greek and Latin. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Duquesne University. He teaches World History II and Classical Civilization. He loves it.