Aneesah Blount will begin her 7th year at Van Ness and 11th year teaching this school year. At Van Ness, Aneesah has been featured in several videos that highlight best teaching practices. She has also co-facilitated professional developments and coached kindergarten teachers in Literacy. Previously she worked at Appletree Early Learning Public Charter School in Washington, DC. She worked as both a PK3 and PK4 teacher. During her 4 years at AppleTree she led and mentored several teaching fellows through their fellowship year. In this role she led professional development workshops, monitored teacher effectiveness and worked with her colleagues to help them interpret classroom data. She holds a B.S. in Family Science from the University of Maryland and a M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from the University of Delaware.

Michelle Johnson has taught Kindergarten through 5th grade over the course of her teaching career. Prior to coming to Van Ness ES, she taught 2nd grade at Seaton Elementary School, where she was awarded the prestigious Milken Educator Award. Before coming to DC Public Schools, Michelle worked as an elementary educator in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Prince George’s County, MD. Michelle participated in the DCPS Common Core Reading Corps, developing a literacy curriculum that is used district-wide. She served as a Capital Commitment Fellow for DCPS and trains fellow teachers on the Whole Brain Teaching strategies she successfully uses in her own classroom. Michelle’s highly effective teaching has been featured in three DCPS Essential Practices teaching videos for fellow educators. Her innovative maker approach has also been featured in Transcend and Edutopia videos and articles. Michelle graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Political Science from the University of Tennessee and has a MPS degree in Political Management from George Washington University.

Bio coming soon!

Greetings! My name is Stephanie Annette McMichael, and I am delighted to announce that I am re-entering the teaching profession in DCPS after enjoying a fulfilling 33-year career as an educator. Throughout my journey, I had the privilege of teaching in three different states: New York, South Carolina, and Georgia. Now, I eagerly look forward to bringing my wealth of experience and passion for education to the Van Ness families.

Over the course of my career, I had the pleasure of effectively teaching several grades, ranging from Pre-K to 6th grade. In addition to being an educator, I also held various roles, including that of a grade level coach, cooperating teacher for three student teachers, classroom practice coach, GO TIP Induction Advisor, and professional learning facilitator. These diverse roles have enriched my understanding of effective teaching practices and the importance of fostering a supportive and nurturing learning environment for all students.

Education is not just my profession; it's my life's calling. I am a firm believer that all students are unique and deserve a personalized approach to address their academic needs. Understanding and catering to their individuality empowers students to flourish in their learning journey.

Maggie Lombardo has been a proud DCPS teacher for six years. Originally from North Carolina—where she earned her degree in Education at UNC Chapel Hill—Maggie relocated to DC in 2016 to work as a 5th grade teacher at John Eaton ES. She taught there as a 4th and 5th grade educator in an all-content as well as a departmentalized model. There, she found her passion for social-emotional learning and teaching the whole child. She trained through Breathe for Change and Responsive Classroom to better her practice and became the SEL Co-Lead at her previous school. She is excited to join the Van Ness Team in the wonderful work they are already doing! After school, you can find Maggie studying—she’s completing her Masters in High Incidence Disabilities at the University of Kansas—or recharging in nature.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Mr. Berry has served as a Partner Teacher at Van Ness for the past seven years. Before joining Van Ness, his passion for service inspired twenty years of teaching or leading community-based workforce development initiatives. With a BA in English and Communication from UMGC, Mr. Berry values lifelong learning and agrees wholeheartedly with the sentiment of W.E.B. Du Bois that education must not simply teach work; it must teach life. With this guiding principle, he strives to make learning a delightful and engaging experience. Mr. Berry revels in the exploration of creativity by finding joy in making and design. Lego, books, and fine art are all close to his heart.

Bio coming soon!

Crystal Sadrzadeh will begin her sixth year of teaching this school year. She has been both a lead and partner teacher, working with Kindergarten and 1st grade when she first started at Van Ness in 2017 and went on to work with 2nd grade. She also taught Pre-K and Kindergarten at a dual-language Charter in DC. For over a decade now, Crystal has been serving as a volunteer teacher and mentor as part of community-building activities that empower young people to become active agents of change in their communities. She continues this work with children and youth ages 3-19 within the District. Crystal holds a B.A. in Sociology and Elementary Education from The College of William and Mary. Crystal is a lover of interior design and decorating, plants, travel, and trying out new recipes!

Bio Coming Soon

Raquel Sarvis has been a lead and partner teacher at Van Ness for the past six years, working with PK4, first grade, and second grade. She completed her year of practicum teaching in second grade at a DCPS school prior to joining Van Ness. Ms. Sarvis was an early childhood teacher at a child development center in NW Washington, DC. She holds a BA in Early Childhood Education from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and a M.Ed from Trinity Washington University. For 2 years, Ms. Sarvis supported students after school by providing additional intervention and this past year was a member of the Local School Advisory Team (LSAT).

Elizabeth Ward joined Van Ness in the 2017-18 school year as a first grade teacher, and is excited to take on her fourth year at Van Ness in second grade for the 2020-2021 school year. Prior to Van Ness, she worked as a Pre-Kindergarten school readiness teacher in her hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. Elizabeth is passionate about making learning engaging for all students and educating the whole child. At Van Ness, Elizabeth has participated in and led afterschool programs including: DC Scores (soccer coach) and BOKS. During her undergraduate studies Elizabeth worked in a variety of educational settings including Concord Hill School, Sacred Heart Bilingual Catholic School, and Murch Elementary School. Over the course of her studies, Elizabeth was exposed to several teaching and volunteer opportunities working with a diverse group of students including Washington Yu-Ying’s REEF program, Girls on the Run, and DC Reads. Elizabeth also served as a global education volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Elizabeth holds a B.A in Early Childhood Education from Catholic University of America (Washington, DC) and will be finished with her Masters in Literacy/Reading Intervention through Concordia University’s graduate program in the fall.

Bio Coming Soon!

Jennifer Krystopowicz has taught for 14 years, 13 of which have been in the District of Columbia Public Schools, where she was placed as a 2007 Teach for America Corp member. Jennifer is dual certified in general and special education, received certification in the Wilson Reading System, has achieved National Board Certification, and was awarded the Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teaching. Jennifer strives to empower students to take on the role as a maker where they design, tinker, build, and craft, while developing transferable skills that will improve learning across all disciplines. She holds a BA in Communication from George Washington University and MA in Special Education from George Mason University.

Maya Baum has been teaching in DC for 8 years. She spent the past 6 years teaching 4th grade at Thomson ES in DCPS. She’s so excited to be joining the fifth grade team at Van Ness this coming school year. Maya moved to the DC area (Silver Spring) from Davis, California at the age of 10. She got her masters in teaching from Clark University in Massachusetts but the cold was too much so she moved back home to D.C and has been here ever since! In her spare time Maya loves to read, puzzle, box, explore new places, walk around the city, and dance! She believes in the power of community building and helping to empower her students in becoming life long learners. She’s so excited to join the Van Ness community!

S.Y. 2023-24 will be my 27th year In the educational field. This will be my 8th year teaching with DCPS. I am a D.C. native and proud graduate of Calvin Coolidge Sr. High School. I have spent my educational career serving the DMV area in many different capacities. I have acted as. Team Lead, Reading Specialist, Testing Coordinator, Title I Coordinator and Assistant Principal to name a few of my roles over the years in DCPS, PGCPS, and ACPS. I am thrilled to join the Van Ness Elementary School Community as a 5th grade support/Co-teacher this year. I have spent my last 6 years at Thompson Elementary as a 4th grade classroom teacher. I am also a proud father of two beautiful daughters, who are, and will be successful graduates of DCPS (with my oldest as an alum of Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts). In my spare time, you can find me in a couple of different settings. 1- on a golf course trying to perfect my game; 2- cycling across the DMV; 3- Officiating basketball around the area; 4- taking in a good play or concert; 5- traveling the country looking for my next experience. I look forward to building a great relationship with the Otter community, to share and receive experiences that will contribute to my growth, as well as enhance the lives of the students, parents/families, and co-workers.

Bio coming soon!

Magen Barnett joined Van Ness in 2017 as a specialized instruction teacher. Prior to Van Ness, Magen served as a special education teacher at Tyler Elementary School where she worked in both inclusion and self-contained settings. She has expertise in a number of evidence-based reading and math interventions, including Spell Read and Do the Math. Magen holds a BA from Howard University and MA in Elementary Inclusive Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Mikaela will be entering her 13th year of teaching within DCPS and is very excited to join the team at Van Ness this year. She previously taught special education at Barnard and Stanton Elementary Schools as both an inclusion teacher and a lead teacher in Early Learning Support classrooms. She holds a B.S. in Special and Elementary Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Outside of school, Mikaela loves to travel the world and spend time with her family!

Joscary De La Cruz joins us as a special education teacher in the 2021-22 school year. Joscary has taught and supported grades Kindergarten through 4th grade in Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York. During her final year at Excellence Boys Charter school, she was a second grade lead teacher, where their second grade classrooms had the highest math scores in the Uncommon Schools network.

Joscary started her career in education as Jumpstart Corps member in the inner city of Boston. During college, she embarked on service trips to Dominican Republic where she visited and contributed to local schools and an orphanage. Joscary also volunteered as a Peer Health Exchange member teaching health practices to middle school students in Boston local public schools. After college, she joined Breakthrough NYC, a nonprofit that transforms the lives of talented students from low-income backgrounds by providing educational support from middle school through college, where she coached and supported freshmen during their first year in high school. During the summer, Joscary and a few colleagues launched a tutoring organization called Summer Glide, in an effort to prevent summer slide and support local public school families with free tutoring and readiness for the school year.

She grew up in New York City and is excited to become a DC resident. Joscary holds a BA in Communications from Boston College and an MA in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education. During her free time she likes to travel, try new restaurants, and spend time with friends and family.

Stephanie joined Van Ness during the 2019-2020 school year. She started teaching 13 years ago in Atlanta through Teach for America. Since then, Stephanie has taught K-5 as a founding teacher at Excel Academy, at dual language schools, and a turnaround school in the District. Throughout Stephanie’s teaching career, Stephanie has served as a member of the Chancellor’s Teacher Cabinet, Flamboyan Home Visit Trainer, Teaching for Change Telling Stories Participant, and Girls on the Run Coach. Stephanie believes in developing strong relationships with families while fostering independence and critical thinking within her students. Stephanie holds a BA in Psychology and Government and Law from Lafayette College and MA in Early Childhood Education from American University. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys biking, gardening, and cooking.

Bio coming soon!

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.

Ms. Gong has supported mental health in schools for six years as a psychologist and counselor. She has a BA from Hunan Normal University, MA from Tennessee State University, and an expected PhD from University of Memphis in 2022.

Lori Chase is a licensed clinical social worker with over ten years experience working with children, youth, and their families. She is skilled in managing caseloads, providing individual counseling, facilitating groups, teaching, implementing large-scale interventions, and organizing events. She has worked for more than eight years within the public education system both in Washington, DC and Seattle, Washington. Working overseas in places like Uganda and Jerusalem, she gained knowledge in international social work and cross-cultural interactions enhancing her work with diverse families in the United States. Lori holds a Masters in Social Work from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington. Lori enjoys running, being in nature, and spending time with her husband and little girl who is constantly reminding her to see the world anew through her curious eyes.

Bio coming soon!

Kenya Massie joins Van Ness in the 2022-2023 school year as a Behavior Tech. Prior to joining DCPS Kenya served with AlphaBEST Education at Van Ness and DC bilingual Public Charter School. Where she focused on youth development , creative problem-solving and community strengthening.

Kenneth Graham joined Van Ness in school year 2019-20 as custodial foreman. Kenneth has worked for DCPS for 26 years and is a Washington, DC native who attended DC Public Schools. He played college football and baseball at Syracuse University and went on to play pro-baseball after graduating. Kenneth is happy to be part of the Van Ness family and loves working on facilities and maintenance teams.

Sheldon Jules has worked in DC Public Schools for 16 years. He has worked at both Shaw Junior High and Anacostia High School prior to coming to Van Ness Elementary School as a founding staff member in 2015. Sheldon worked as a scaffold/warehouse worker for the Millstone Corporation and has experience as a construction laborer.

Bio coming soon!

Bio Coming Soon!

Maquita Alexander is the principal of Van Ness Elementary School. Prior to joining DCPS, Ms. Alexander served as the Executive Director at Washington Yu Ying PCS, the only Chinese Immersion International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program school in Washington DC. Washington Yu Ying is a high performing, inquiry-based school with a highly diverse student body. Yu Ying opened in the fall of 2008. Under Ms. Alexander’s leadership, Yu Ying has become one of the most sought-after schools in the District of Columbia with its standardized test scores in the top 10% citywide year after year.

Ms. Alexander has over twenty-eight years of teaching and administrative experience, including fifteen years in the Fairfax County Public School system, seven of which she served as an elementary school teacher. She has a Master of Arts in Educational Technology Leadership from George Washington University, a Master of Teaching in Elementary Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, and an administrative certification in Curriculum and Administration from George Mason University.

Aly Roberts has been teaching with DCPS for fifteen years and is overjoyed to be moving into the role of Assistant Principal this school year. Prior to this role, Aly taught grades K-3rd at Van Ness and helped develop the Whole Child Model. Aly has served as a Teacher Selection Ambassador, a Consulting Teacher, and was a member of the Chancellor’s Teachers Cabinet, as well as a Fellow Advisor for the DC Teaching Fellows Program. She was a member of the inaugural DC Teach Plus Education Policy Fellowship. Aly is the recipient of a Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teaching. She holds a BA in Communication and M.Ed in Elementary Education from the University of New Hampshire. Ms. Aly is also a mom of three boys, two of which are proud Van Ness Otters. She believes in the mission and vision of Van Ness and is looking forward to continuing to nurture creative, compassionate, constant learners across our school community.

Danielle Proctor was born and raised in Washington, DC. Danielle received a BS in Science with a concentration in Biology from Virginia Commonweath University (VCU) and Master of Public Health from Capella University. Danielle has worked with DCPS for about 5 years and is very excited about her new role as the Manager of Strategy & Logistics (MSL). In her spare time, Danielle enjoys hanging out with family/friends, traveling, and singing with her community gospel group, Kevin Terry and Predestined.

Myya Seldon is the Assistant, Strategy & Logistics (ASL) at Van Ness. Prior to officially working for DCPS Myya has been an active part of our school’s community. She also serves as Vice President of the Van Ness PTO board, Chair on the Van Ness LSAT and the Van Ness Girl Scout Troop 44133 SHARE Chair. She is mom to rising third grade Otter (Giselle) and an Otter alum (Paris) at Jefferson Academy Middle School. Her family has proudly been at Van Ness since 2016. Myya holds a BS in Communications and Minor in Business from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also owns a creative marketing agency. During her free time, she loves reading autobiographies, traveling overseas and spending time with her husband and daughters. She believes in the power of being kind and making everyone feel welcomed.

Coach Cara joined Van Ness as a consultant in 2019. She became a full time Otter in 2020 when she was hired as the Van Ness Math Coach. Before joining Van Ness, Cara received her Bachelors in Elementary Education at The University of Dayton. She then moved to San Diego, where she worked as a middle school math and science teacher and math coach in for 15 years. During that time, she received a Masters in Math, Science, and Technology in Education. In 2013, she was recruited by a London based company to journey to England and coach teachers in Project Based Learning. She returned to her childhood home in the DMV in 2018 to be closer to family. When she's not helping Van Ness staff and students embrace and love math education, she can be found exploring local restaurants, traveling, spending time with family, and being a dog mom.