Denia Duran, Business Manager. Ms. Duran comes 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.
Noel Fritsch, Reading Comprehension Teacher. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a minor in Spanish, Mr. Fritsch traveled to South America where he earned his certification to teach English as a Foreign language (TEFL) classes to adults at Bridge-Linguatec Language Services in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and taught workplace and business English. After returning to the United States, Mr. Fritsch continued his teaching career at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina. During his two years there, Mr. Fritsch taught International Baccalaureate Spanish to grades nine through twelve. After getting married and moving to Washington, D.C., Mr. Fritsch worked in International Patent and Trade law for two years, but found he missed the classroom, and looks forward to returning to his career in education at Chavez Prep. Mr. Fritsch enjoys reading about current events in the paper, following Tar Heel basketball, biking, and playing golf.
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.
Benjamin Haymes, Mathematics Teacher. Mr. Haymes was born and raided Philadelphia. He is hard working , caring and witty. Mr. Haymes would do anything for the betterment of young people and their advancement. He lists among his influences Frederick Douglass who said “Without struggle there is NO PROGRESS.”
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.
Laura Kravis, Geography Teacher. Laura 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.
Demetrius Moore, ESL Coordinator. This will be Mr. Moore’s first year in the Chavez community, but before this he 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.
Tara O’ Flaherty, Academic Dean. 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 an avid world traveler.
Kathryn Sassorossi, Academic Support Teacher. Ms. Sassorossi completed her BA in Political Science and minored in Sociology at Haverford College in Haverford, PA. During college Ms. Sassorossi enjoyed working with Philadelphia school students and decided to pursue a career in public education. Upon graduating, Ms. Sassorossi joined Teach for America where she fulfilled her commitment by teaching at the Chavez Parkside campus for two years. Ms. Sassorossi enjoys spending her free time reading, traveling, and making dinner with friends. She holds a master’s degree from American University in Special Education: Learning Disabilities.
Patrick Shaw, Director of Student Support Services. 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 also helped bring the International Baccalaureate program to Mt. St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, where 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 Catholic University of America. He is currently pursuing an MA in Education Administration from Trinity University.
Charles Sullivan, Writing Teacher. A native of Arlington Virginia, Charles has been working with middle school students in Arlington Public Schools for two years. He recently graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English. During college Charles studied Scottish and English literature at the University of Glasgow and completed an internship on Capitol Hill.
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. He enjoys reading, spicy food, skiing, bowling, bicycling and supporting his beloved Washington Nationals.