Enrichment Teachers' Photos

Freddy Torres serves as Spanish teacher at Van Ness Elementary. He is a member of the PTO Board and serves on the Teacher Selection Committee. He has taught in DC Public Schools for the past 5 years. Preceding his tenure at Van Ness he was a Spanish teacher at Langley Elementary and the D.C.-based Technology Preparatory Friendship High School. Prior to coming to Washington, D.C., Freddy was an elementary Spanish teacher at Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador. He has taught at the collegiate level as an EFL professor at Universidad de las Americas UDLA, he also held the distinct role of head of the EFL Department at Alexander Wandemberg School. Freddy holds a BA in ESL from Universidad de los Hemisferios and MS in Multidisciplinary Studies from Buffalo State University. Freddy and his wife live in the DC metro area with their two children.

Johnny Maese joins us from Bakersfield School District, where he was a behavior instructional support staff. Mr. Maese has a BA in Psychology from the University of Laverne.

Luecretia Mason holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Spanish from George Mason University. During undergrad, Luecretia studied abroad for a semester and attended Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. She studied the Spanish language and taught ESL to sixth graders. In 2015, Luecretia joined AmeriCorps as a literacy tutor at KIPP:DC in Northeast, Washington, DC. In 2017, Luecretia completed her Capital Teacher Residency at KIPP:DC and received her certification in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. In 2018-2019, Luecretia taught PK-5th grade as a Visual Arts Teacher and Staff Yoga Instructor at Stanton Elementary in Southeast, Washington, DC. In 2019-2020, Luecretia was a part-time Yoga & mindfulness teacher for the Van Ness community as well as a part-time Yoga, Mindfulness, and Visual Arts teacher at Hendley Elementary in Southeast, DC. Luecretia is a registered 200 hour yoga instructor and received extensive training in Children's Yoga, Mindfulness, and Trauma-Informed Classrooms. Luecretia began practicing yoga as a young teenager and has made it a part of their life's pursuit and looks forward to sharing this healing practice with the community at Van Ness Elementary. Luecretia grew up in Washington, DC, but currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia with their husband, Kenneth.

Melinda Holly has been teaching as a public school music educator for 12 years in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She holds a BA and MA in music education from West Chester University and Montclair State University, respectively. A vocal music specialist, Melinda has also taught general music classes that integrate world music studies, social justice, and cultural responsive pedagogy. At her previous school she led school-wide musical productions and world culture exhibitions, which she instituted. In 2019, she had the opportunity to teach English and drama abroad in Yuncheng, China. Outside the classroom, she enjoys teaching private instrumental music lessons to children of all ages. Melinda aims to leverage arts education and the language of music towards realizing the social, emotional, and intellectual growth of all students. In her free time, she enjoys reading novels, practicing jiu jitsu, and hiking with her dog Athena.

Aryssa Damron is the Van Ness ES librarian. She previously served as the children's librarian at the Southwest Neighborhood Library and the Capitol View Library in DC. She has her MSLS from the University of Kentucky and a BA in English from Yale University. She's active in professional development organizations like ALSC, and is serving on the 2025 Caldecott Committee. She loves reading, writing, theatre, and her cat, Koshka. Her favorite recent reads include The Skull by Jon Klassen, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, and BIG by Vashti Harrison. She is so excited to be an Otter.