Princeton Charter School
100 Bunn Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540

Princeton Charter School Faculty 2002-2003

Head Teacher

Charles (Chuck) Marsee

Mr. Marsee is the Head of School and teaches science courses at Princeton Charter School. He is an educator with over 30 years of experience in public and private schools as a teacher and as an administrator. Mr. Marsee has taught chemistry, biology, and physics; he has also been a science department chair. Before coming to Princeton Charter School as the founding Head of School, he spent sixteen years as the Headmaster of The Andrews School, a 7-12 girls' day/boarding school in Willoughby, Ohio. He revitalized the program at that school, converting it from a vocational school to a college preparatory school with a 100% college acceptance rate. A native of Tennessee, Mr. Marsee earned his B.S. in Science Education at the University of Tennessee/Knoxville and his M.S. in Educational Administration at Florida State University.

Teachers

Lisbeth Ashman-Kelley

Lisbeth Ashman-Kelley teaches English language and literature to grades three through five at Princeton Charter School. She is an English teacher who insists students analyze what they have written and work to improve and to polish their prose. Her students learn to recognize that a paragraph should be an organized, focused sequence of sentences, meant to interest and inform the reader. Ms. Kelley has taught all ages and subjects in her ten years of teaching. Before joining the faculty at Princeton Charter School, she taught business English at The Cittone Institute in Princeton. Previously she taught in both public and private schools. While she was studying for her college degree, Ms. Kelley worked in the business sector where she developed a wide variety of computer and business skills. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Glassboro State College.

Tiffany Blake

Tiffany Blake will help bring science to life in grades six and seven this year. She will also tutor students who need extra help during the school day, and assist with homework in the after-school program. Ms. Blake is not new to the school; last year she assisted in the sixth-grade science class and has worked every afternoon in the PCS after-school program for the last two years. She has held summer jobs at the Library of Congress and, most importantly from the student's viewpoint, mastered the creation of ice-cream cakes working for Baskin Robbins. While an undergraduate, she was active in a number of scientific and engineering societies, including Imhotep, the society for minority pre-health professionals, which she served as president for two years. Ms. Blake earned her certificate in Spanish and her B.A. degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University.

Norma Jean Byers

Norma Jean Byers teaches mathematics to grades six through eight at Princeton Charter School, and works on instructional administration as Assistant to the Head of School. She is a mathematics teacher who loves to challenge and motivate her students with "problems of the day." She believes in building a strong foundation in mathematics on which further learning may depend. A middle school mathematics and science teacher at Stuart Country Day School from 1979-1997, Ms. Byers was head of the mathematics department there from 1982-1997. She also taught the fifth and sixth grades at a public elementary school in Madison, Wisconsin from 1969 to 1978. Ms. Byers completed a Master's degree in Educational Leadership at The College of New Jersey, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. Besides numerous special project assignments at Stuart over the years, Ms. Byers has also recently taught math and science to inner city students and undertook the tutoring of a homebound Princeton student.

Linda Caprariello

Linda Caprariello is the Kindergarten teacher at Princeton Charter School, where she uses her personal warmth, maturity, and creativity to enliven her kindergartner's classroom experience. She believes strongly in teaching the values of character education that are so important to the emotional growth of young children. Mrs. Caprariello's experience in music and drama enhances her stellar academic program. Prior to joining the Princeton Charter School faculty, Mrs. Caparariello was a Music Together teacher at the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, and a preschool music teacher at the Trenton Community School of Music in Trenton. She also has many years of experience as a first- and second-grade teacher, and as a music and drama instructor for children of all ages. Mrs. Caprariello earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Primary Education with a minor in Music from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Kathy Chrzan

Kathy Chrzan teaches first grade at Princeton Charter School. She helped to develop a classroom program that promotes successful academic achievement for all students. Ms. Chrzan believes that her years of experience as a teacher at Princeton Montessori School gave her an exceptional understanding of children and the many ways to help them grow as individuals. She encourages independence, concentration, self-control, and self-motivation, as well as academics. In addition to her experience teaching children at Princeton Montessori School, she taught adults at the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. Ms. Chrzan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education at the University of Scranton, and her Montessori Teaching Certification at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in Scarsdale, New York.

Andrew Coakley

Andrew Coakley teaches mathematics and history at Princeton Charter School. Mr. Coakley also worked for Union Industrial Home For Children as a community coordinator for an after school program targeting adolescent male teenagers Prior to joining Princeton Charter School, Mr. Coakley taught for two years at Trenton Community Charter School, where he was a computer and technology teacher, and an accelerated learning coordinator. Mr. Coakley earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Villanova University.

Sherman English

Sherman English is an experienced administrator and English teacher. When he is not busy teaching students to enliven their writing with judicious use of vocabulary, he loves to travel and think up puns. According to Mr. English, "I have traveled all over the world, but you have to go to Italy to roam." Before coming to Princeton Charter School, he taught English at The Pingry School in Martinsville, NJ. From 1995 to 2001 he also served as the Director of Admission and Financial Aid at The Pingry School. He has taught English at the Saddle River Day School in Saddle River, NJ, and at the Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, CA. Mr. English earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Letters at Drew University, a Master of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary, and an Executive Doctorate in Educational Administration at Seton Hall University, In addition to teaching English to the upper grades, he will be an instructional administrator as an Assistant to the Head of School.

Sova Fisher

Sova Fisher teaches French language and literature courses to grades six through eight at Princeton Charter School. She has taught all levels of French from preschool through college levels. She believes that language instruction should be an integral part of elementary education, and has studied a variety of pedagogical methods from which she has derived her own style of teaching. Ms. Fisher started teaching French while still an undergraduate at Dartmouth College. She has taught courses in French literature and French language at Princeton University, and taught French at Allentown High School. Before returning to teaching in 1986, she worked as a reporter and publicist in New York City. Ms. Fisher earned her Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College where she majored in French literature. She received a Master of Arts in French literature from Princeton University.

William Forbes

William Forbes teaches mathematics, science, and technology at Princeton Charter School. In his classes he strives to teach students to be responsible and self-reliant, abilities they will be able to use for the rest of their lives. In addition to science teaching, Mr. Forbes has experience as a UNIX systems administrator, and as a trainer for computer systems administrators. Mr. Forbes earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and his Master of Science in Teaching from the State University of New York at Potsdam, New York.

Robin Friedman

Robin Friedman teaches French to share her love and enthusiasm for the French language and culture with students. Through her teaching she inspires students to learn a second language as a practical means of communicating with and understanding the people of other countries. Ms. Friedman has experience teaching French to students in grades K-7, and developed curricula for after-school French programs in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Middleton, Wisconsin, and Montgomery Township, New Jersey. She became a teacher after a ten-year career as a financial officer in New York City and Chicago. Ms. Friedman earned her Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where she majored in French with concentration in French Civilization, Literature, and Translation, and minored in Psychology/Sociology.

Shawn Henry

Shawn Henry is an experienced teacher of English language and literature and of social studies. She teaches students to use their new vocabulary words in everyday conversation. Mrs. Henry taught English at Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and at Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine. While teaching, she coached a variety of sports including cross-country running, basketball, and lacrosse. She also organized outing clubs. In addition to her experience teaching children, Mrs. Henry taught courses in women's studies, English, and American studies at the University of Wyoming. Mrs. Henry earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Bucknell University, a Masters in Education from Harvard University, and a Masters in American Studies from the University of Wyoming.

Michelle Jacob

Michelle Jacob teaches mathematics and science to the third and fourth grades at Princeton Charter School. She is an enthusiastic teacher who plans lessons that involve discovery and experimentation to illuminate the basic ideas of science and mathematics. From 1994 to 1998, Ms. Jacob taught earth, life, and physical science courses and courses in language arts and literature at St. Paul's School in Princeton. Prior to that she spent a year as a language arts and geography teacher at Monroe Pinckney Middle School in Swansea, South Carolina. She has also directed school plays, advised a student newspaper staff, and presented Family Science courses. Ms. Jacob graduated from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown PA with a degree in Elementary Education. While working toward her degree she directed a summer day camp in Connecticut.

Daniel Johnsen

Daniel Johnsen will be a tutor, both during the day and after school. He loves working with children, helping them grow, and watching them change. For the past two years he has interned with the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship, teaching, advising, and organizing events for Princeton University students. Mr. Johnsen has experience as a youth-group advisor for grades 6-8, a Sunday-school teacher for grades 1-8, and as a peer leader for high-school freshmen. He is interested cross-cultural experiences; he spent six years of his life in West Africa, one year in Quebec, Canada, where he attended an all-French school, and one month each in Sevilla Spain, and Haiti. Mr. Johnsen earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular Biology at Princeton University.

Sergey Kudrin

Sergey Kudrin is the chessmaster at PCS, teaching chess to all grades, and coaching chess teams. Mr. Kudrin is a chess grandmaster, and has played in chess tournaments all over the world, including the World Championship in 1999. For the past five years he has taught chess in the Boston area; three of his students made it to the top 10 lists in the USA. Mr. Kudrin also has experience in finance, and worked with the Russian government establishing modern capital markets. Mr. Kudrin earned his B.A. in computer science with a minor in statistics at Columbia College in New York City, and his M.B.A. in finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Lori Morales

Lori Morales teaches second grade at Princeton Charter School. She works with her students to build their knowledge, balancing pointing out a student's mistake with finding the the most efficient path to remedying it, and praising when the technique is learned. Ms. Morales encourages her students to think about their learning by asking questions of themselves before, during, and after they work on a task. Prior to joining the faculty at the school, she taught first and second grade for five years in the New York City School System. Ms. Morales earned her Bachelor of Arts, English as a Second Language, from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and her Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York City, New York.

David Myers

David Myers brings extensive experience teaching English to Princeton Charter School. He was an Instructor of English Literature and of Composition for Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. He worked for the Institute for Central American Studies and the International Language Institute in San Jose, Costa Rica. Mr. Myers earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and his Master of Arts in English from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He is working on a doctorate from Rutgers University.

Stuart Myers
Stuart Myers will run the Princeton Charter School after-school program, assist teachers, and tutor individual students. Thanks to his dedication, daily homework for grades 5-7 is provided on the school's web site. He is spending the year at the school as a Princeton Project 55 Fellow from Princeton University, before attending medical school next year. Stuart Myers earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. His area of concentration was Mediaval and Renaissance History.

Jeanne Nahan

Jeanne Nahan teaches music to all students twice a week and directs concerts and other performances at the school. She brings music to life through her teaching, her piano playing, and her soprano singing. She has taught music and piano classes, directed choral programs, and instructed students at her private studio. Currently, she sings with Voices Chorale of Pennington and accompany and performs locally. From 1994-1996 , Ms. Nahan was the vocal director at the Mercer County Performing Arts High School. From 1987-1993 that she taught private piano lessons during the after-school program at Princeton Montessori School. Before moving to Princeton, Ms. Nahan was a choral director and general music teacher in public schools in Florida. She enjoyed directing "The Fantasticks," "Hello Dolly," and "The Shrew." Ms. Nahan earned her Bachelor of Music/Applied Piano from the Boston Conservatory of Music, and her Teaching Certificate while attending Boston University.

Mark Papp

Mark Papp teaches physical and health education to all grade levels at Princeton Charter School. He feels his job,working with students in class and on athletic teams, is the most exciting job he could ever have desired. He is known for his `shimmy shakes' and `high fives.' Previously he taught at Trenton Community Charter School, where he developed the curriculum for students in Kindergarten through grade six, and at Abrams Hebrew Academy in Yardley, Pennsylvania, where he expanded the number of interscholastic athletic teams from three to eight, and coached basketball, soccer, cross-country, and tennis. Mr. Papp earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Health Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his Master's degree in Educational Administration from Gwynedd-Mercy College in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania.

Mark Schlawin

Mark Schlawin puts his ability to hold an audience to work as a mathematics and science teacher at Princeton Charter School. He brings mathematical and scientific experience to the classroom to provide an exciting learning experience to students of all mathematical abilities. A former Wall Street quantitative analyst, he is returning to teaching to put his analytical, creative, and communications skills to use in the classroom. Mr. Schlawin is a story teller and a member of the Garden State Story League. Prior to his years as an algorithm developer and financial analyst , he taught mathematics to students from fifth grade through high school at St. Ann's School in Brooklyn, New York. He initiated courses in probability and computer programming and developed a course entitled "Constructive Skepticism." Mr. Schlawin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Oberlin College, and a Master of Science in Operations Research from Union College.

Carter Serxner

Carter Serxner teaches history and geography courses at Princeton Charter School. She is a versatile teacher with experience teaching history, mathematics, and physical education. She is also an Outdoor Education instructor and an athlete who runs marathons. From 1996 to 1998 she taught mathematics and history at the Sewickley Academy in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Prior to that she taught at the Foote School in New Haven, Connecticut. She has also coached soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, softball, and basketball. Ms.Serxner received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in History from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.

Jennifer Spoelker

Jennifer Spoelker teaches Spanish to grades five through eight at Princeton Charter School. She taught Spanish in Mundelein, Illlinois, and has taught English as a second language in Princeton. Ms. Spoelker earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Education from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and her English as a Second Language Endorsement from National Louis University in Chicago, Illinois.

Diana Strenger

Diana Strenger will be a supplementary teacher for grades kindergarten through four. She has experience teaching in elementary schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts and New York City, New York. Ms. Strenger earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and her Master of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Taylor Thompson

Taylor Thompson teaches mathematics and history courses at Princeton Charter School. His enthusiasm and interest in helping students goes beyond the classroom; he works with students to help them develop personal strategies that help them achieve their potential. During the 1999-2000 school year, Mr. Thompson taught mathematics and science for sixth-grade classes at Peter Muschal Elementary School in Bordentown, and was a teacher in a "New Me" program to provide homework help and guidance for students. He also has experience as a funding manager for a mortgage lending firm where he gained a wide variety of computer skills. Mr. Thompson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Philosophy from Rider University.

Martha Toma

Martha Toma's French language and literature classes immerse students in the French language and culture. She encourages students to increase and to practice their vocabulary daily. Her student's work on French grammar strengthens their English grammar skills. Ms. Toma has taught French language and literature to children of all ages. She has researched foreign language capabilities in children and has been teaching a course in French language and culture designed for children from ages four to twelve. Ms. Toma holds an M.A. in French Language and Literature from the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature from New York University, and a General Studies Diploma from the University of Paris - Sorbonne.

Lisa Winter

Lisa Winter is an artist and teacher with a strong background in studio and computer art. Her favorite media is watercolor painting, and she hopes to someday illustrate a children's book. Last year Ms. Winter taught art to students in Kindergarten through grade two in four public elementary schools in Hillsborough, New Jersey. She has taught art courses and workshops to children from kindergarten through high school at the Arts Council of Princeton, The Princeton YMCA, the RISD Museum of Art, and the Providence Children's Museum, both in Providence, Rhode Island. She worked as an intern with a Disney computer illustrator for a year. She also interned at galleries and museums including, Smith Museum in Northampton, Massachusetts, Sotheby's, and Hirschl & Adler Gallery, both in New York City. Ms. Winter earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and her Master of Arts in Teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Administrative Staff

Linda Gleason

Linda Baran Gleason is the Business Manager at Princeton Charter School. She manages all financial transactions, provides technical assistance for budgets, oversees all purchases and contracts, and generally provides for the efficient and effective operation of the non-academic aspects of the school. Ms. Gleason's prior experience includes a year as the Business Manager at The Lewis Clinic and School, and fifteen years of experience in accounts, purchasing, and personnel in a division of Ferguson Enterprises in Lakewood, NJ. Ms. Gleason earned her A.S. degree in Human Services at Ocean County College, and has taken courses at Northeastern University.

Marybeth Roach

Marybeth Roach is the Administrative Assistant to the Head of School, and the Admissions Coordinator at Princeton Charter School. She brings order and sense to the sometimes hectic office of the school. In addition, she maintains all student records and arranges all aspects of students admissions. From 1993 to 1999, she worked at Stuart Country Day School as an administrative assistant and coordinator of middle-school activities. Prior to that she worked in research and marketing in New York City. Ms. Roach earned her Bachelor of Science in marketing from St. John's University.

2001-2002 Faculty and staff

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