Anne Hager - Kindergarten Teacher

Anne Hager is a native New Yorker. She attended high school in Brooklyn, majored in philosophy at Vassar College, and received a master's degree in early childhood general education at Bank Street College. Her early experiences with young children include assistant at a Montessori summer program in California, camp counselor at a Police Athletic League summer program, and teacher and administrator at a daycare center near San Francisco. Teaching in the private schools while working towards her master's degree, Anne further developed her skills as a teacher and her passionate commitment to public education. Prior to joining the team at Community Roots Charter School, Anne taught kindergarten for two years at a public school in the South Bronx.

Rebecca Williams - Kindergarten Teacher

Rebecca has lived in New York City (by way of Long Island) for over 15 years, 12 of which have been in her beloved Brooklyn. She spent the first several years in New York pursuing an acting career until she realized that the teaching profession was calling to her! Rebecca worked as a preschool teacher at TLC Early Childhood Program for many years and is thrilled to be teaching Kindergarten at Community Roots. She received her B.F.A in Theatre Performance and attended Bank Street College for her M.S. Ed in Early Childhood Special Education. When not teaching, Rebecca enjoys bicycling around Brooklyn, knitting, traveling, and playing in the great outdoors with Ozzy and Jesse, her husband and dog (respectively).

Sahba Rohani - Kindergarten Teacher

Sahba was raised in Tucson, Arizona, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education at the University of Arizona. While in Tucson she was heavily involved in children and junior youth moral leadership programs and worked with children through activities focused on character education and service learning. Although the Southwest has always been home for her, her interest in different cultures and experiences has led her to travel throughout the United States and abroad, becoming involved in the field of education both in formal and non-formal settings. Among other things, she spent a year in rural South Carolina as the co-director of Educational Programming at a non-profit community-based facility, and three years in Haifa, Israel as an executive assistant in the Office of the International Teaching Centre at the Baha'i World Centre analyzing grassroots education programs throughout the world, then moving to New York City to continue her education. She now holds a Master of Arts from Teachers College, Columbia University, in International Educational Development with a focus on Family and Community Development, and looks forward to using what she has learned, coupled with her love and passion for children, to begin a dynamic year at Community Roots!

Lorrie Balton - First Grade Teacher

Lorrie grew up in New York in a family of artists. She attended Cooper Union where she received a BFA in Art. She worked as a graphic designer for 15 years. After having two children, Lorrie’s priorities changed. While spending many years volunteering in the schools her children attended, she developed an interest in teaching. Lorrie taught for six years. First, at a preschool and then as a pre-Kindergarten teacher at Beginning with Children Charter School in Brooklyn. Lorrie is excited about working at Community Roots Charter School. She feels strongly about the importance of a creative learning environment.

Shéba Michel - First Grade Teacher

Shéba was born and raised on Long Island. She attended high school at The Ross School in East Hampton, and gained her first experiences working with children at several summer camps in the area. Shéba first moved to New York in 2001 when she began studying early childhood education, special education, and psychology at New York University. During that time period, she had several teaching experiences in District 2 and District 75 public schools in Manhattan. Shéba spent a year as an assistant teacher at The Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn before returning to school at Teachers College, Columbia University in pursuit of a master’s degree in psychology in education. She is very excited to be returning to Brooklyn to teach, and loves to dance, sing, play sports, and enjoy Brooklyn on the weekends.

Brandi Forte - First Grade Teacher

Brandi is excitedly returning to the East Coast to embrace the opportunity available to her to empower and learn from the future leaders in classrooms at Community Roots Charter School. Brandi was born in Flint, MI and raised in Philadelphia, Boston, and San Diego. She attended University of California San Diego earning a B.A. in Sociology and student teaching in Elementary classes. She departed San Diego for the University of California Los Angeles and earned her Masters of Education while teaching in diverse communities across the city. She spent the last two years teaching 3rd graders in South Central Los Angeles.. She brings adaptable, cooperative, creative, enthusiasm with her. She looks forward to continued challenge, growth, and developing a positive relationship with the community. Brandi has an eclectic appreciation for the arts. She loves nature, traveling, watching sports, cooking, learning Spanish and is trying to learn the Brazilian art form, capoeira.

Bill Feerick - First Grade Teacher

Bill grew up in Westchester, New York as the youngest of six kids and attended high school at Fordham Prep in the Bronx. Growing up with a love for the outdoors and sports, it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that an elderly Jesuit priest, Father O’Malley, sparked Bill’s passion for reading and learning. Bill went on to Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where he majored in English Literature and Theology while also rowing on the lightweight crew. During his college years, Bill spent summers working with children both at the Center for Talented Youth and at summer camps. Upon graduating, Bill became a teacher through the Teach for America program and, not too long after, attended and graduated Bank Street College Graduate School of Education where he received a Masters in Clinical Literacy. Bill loves to play golf, spend time with family, go to Jets home games, and, of course, stretch out with a good book. He is excited to learn and grow as part of the amazing community at Community.

Brianne O'connell - Second Grade Teacher

Brianne grew up in a small town in Connecticut. She traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Loyola College, where she earned a BA in Elementary Education. After graduating, Brianne enjoyed five years of living in “Charm City” and teaching fourth grade in a school just outside of Baltimore City. During this time, she strengthened her educational foundation while attending Goucher College. She attained a Master’s Degree of Education with a Reading Specialist Certification. Brianne considers herself very lucky to have had the opportunity to spend time traveling through much of Europe, as well as living in Western Australia for 6 months. She has learned so much from meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. There is no better place than New York City to continually meet new people of diverse backgrounds. She is looking forward to sharing exciting, new learning experiences with the Community Roots family!

Daina Ankrum - Second Grade Teacher

Daina was born and raised outside of Minneapolis, MN. She moved to New York City in 2003 to study childhood education, special education, and psychology at New York University. During that time period, she had several teaching experiences in various public schools in Manhattan and enjoyed studying a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. After obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree, Daina returned to NYU and received her Master’s of Arts Degree in Literacy. In her spare time, Daina loves to travel, explore neighborhoods around New York City, and read. She is very excited join the Community Roots family!

Allison Glennan - Second Grade Teacher

Allison attended Syracuse University where she studied television and film production. After working in a variety of jobs in the entertainment industry in both Los Angeles and New York, she realized that she needed to take a new path. After a year of reflection and research, she decided to become a teacher. Allison attended Bank Street College of Education and earned a masters degree in childhood education. She was a second grade associate teacher at The Dalton School in Manhattan for one year and taught fourth and fifth grades at Muscota New School, PS 314 for four years before coming to Community Roots. Outside of school, Allison enjoys playing sports, traveling, reading, and being with family and friends. She is thrilled to be joining this wonderful community!

Jennifer Campbell - Third Grade Teacher

Jennifer has been a New Yorker all her life. She grew up on Long Island, studied in Manhattan and is now a proud resident of Brooklyn. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Childhood Education with a concentration in Linguistics from New York University and is certified in Special Education. Jennifer has been working in New York City public schools for the past four years and is very excited to be joining the families and staff of Community Roots.

Susan Park - Third Grade Teacher

Susan grew up in Long Island and attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. She received her BA in Psychology with a double minor in Education and Fine Arts. After graduating, Susan taught preschool for a year before heading back to New York. She gained a greater perspective and profound respect for children, families and teachers while pursuing her master’s degree in General Childhood Education at Bank Street College. She then fell in love with teaching third grade, appreciating the children’s perfect mix of spunk and sophisticated curiosity. After five years teaching at a private school, Susan heard about a small force of nature, Community Roots, that was quickly growing and providing what others thought was unattainable. The school’s integral partnership with families, fell in line with Susan’s deep belief in how to best reward each child with the greatest of all opportunities.

Todd Suttler - Third Grade Teacher

From 1998 to 2004, Todd traded bonds for an investment bank in New York, Toronto and Tokyo. He loved the opportunity to travel to many different countries and experience different cultures. Always drawn to children, Todd worked at his college¹s nursery school and after college, he mentored and tutored at Chelsea¹s I Have A Dream program. In the summer of 2004, Todd left banking and spent a year traveling through South America, the U.S. and Sweden. In the fall of 2005, he joined The Boys¹ Club of New York as Director of a social and academic enrichment program for teenage boys. In January of 2007, he began graduate study in Elementary Education at Bank Street College of Education; concurrently, he became an assistant teacher in Manhattan Country School¹s first grade and then, assistant third grade teacher at Bank Street¹s School for Children. Todd feels very lucky and blessed to join the Community Roots family.

Barry Rust - Fourth Grade Teacher

Barry grew up in central Illinois and went to college at Carleton, a small school in Minnesota. Right out of school, he worked for a year in the South as an AmeriCorps volunteer, building homes, cutting nature trails, and tutoring kids. Imagining that he would soon begin a career in journalism, Barry moved to New York City. He got work as a writer and editor on one of Scholastic's classroom magazines, and he began volunteering in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. He eventually realized (after four years) that a desk job wasn't for him. So he thought about how meaningful his work with children in AmeriCorps and in BBBS was, and he decided to go to school at Bank Street College to get an elementary education and literacy degree. Barry is thrilled to bring his curiosity and excitement to Community Roots.

Danielle Morrison - Fourth Grade Teacher

Danielle is a native Angelino, born and raised in the sun and sand of Southern California. She braved four Midwestern winters while earning her BA in English Literature from the University of Chicago. She dreamed of becoming a writer. In August 2001, she stumbled into teaching, lured by the desire to be in New York City and all the amazing things she had heard about Bank Street Graduate School. Still somewhat undecided about whether or not teaching was for her, Danielle and her 3rd grade class endured the September 11th attacks on the second day of school, and, as she looked into the eyes of her 8 and 9 year olds, she knew that she was meant to do this kind of work. For the next seven years, Danielle continued to teach the 8/9s or 3rd grade at the Bank Street School for Children where she also earned her Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education in 2003. Last year, she returned home to LA to teach 5th grade and enjoyed living two blocks from the beach. She is thrilled to be back in New York, exploring Brooklyn, and she excited to be a part of the Community Roots family. She knows that this is a very special place to be. .

Leslie Elvin - Art Teacher

Leslie has lived in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene for the past ten years. She came to Brooklyn in 1996 to study Art and Design Education at Pratt Institute. After graduating with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in 2001, Leslie went on to start the visual art program at Beginning with Children Charter School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Leslie is ecstatic to be a founding staff member at Community Roots Charter School. She is looking forward to collaborating with teachers and students to make learning come alive through art. In addition to her work with Community Roots, Leslie continues to work with Pratt Institute as a seminar facilitator and supervisor of student teachers.

Allison Kao - Science Teacher

Allison grew up in Gainesville, Florida where she spent much of her time in the outdoors and discovering her love of nature. In 2006, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. During this time at Wellesley and abroad in Australia, Allison was involved in science youth activities and early childhood programs. Such opportunities led her to pursue a career in education. Upon graduation, she was selected to be a part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program. While teaching high school Earth Science and Health courses in Brooklyn, she earned her Masters of Education from Pace University. After teaching in the public high school system for two years, Allison decided to turn her attention and passion for teaching towards a younger audience. With a strong science background, Allison is excited to motivate student learning and create an enthusiasm for science starting at a young age. She is thrilled to be a part of the families and staff of Community Roots.

Jaquetta Bustion - Music Teacher

Jaquetta Bustion grew up all over the East Coast, but her love of music began in her earliest school experiences in Philadelphia. She attended Brown University as an undergraduate and earned degrees in both Music and Comparative Literature. After completing a Masters in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, Jaquetta started “teaching for a few years.” Those few years have grown to become a 14-year career in the New York City and Washington, DC public schools, and most recently, Bank Street School for Children. A pianist since childhood, Jaquetta now finds singing (with children and in community choruses) to be the largest part of her music-making life; though she continues to add to the list of instruments she hasn’t quite mastered.

Charlie Gilbert - Learning Specialist

Charlie Gilbert was born and raised in New York City. Growing up she dreamed of being a chef and was planning on going to culinary school after college, but while attending Wellesley College she discovered her interest in learning and education. She earned her BA in Psychology and completed her certification in elementary education, and now dreams of how she can help make learning exciting and school fun for kids. After graduation, she spent 6 months traveling in South East Asia and New Zealand where she was able to visit schools and learn about education in other countries. When she returned to New York she taught Pre-Kindergarten and later taught seven- to ten-year-old children with learning disabilities. This past spring, she earned her MS in Childhood Special Education from Bank Street College. She moved to Fort Greene this summer and loves exploring the neighborhood.

Maia D'Egidio - Learning Specialist

Maia is the K and 1 Learning Specialist at Community Roots. She hails from a small town about 80 miles North of NYC. Graduating with a Bachelors degree in Human Services, Maia began her career by working with several not-for-profit agencies specializing in the care of children and their families. Maia also spent time studying and working in Human Services in Liverpool/London, England. During this time, Maia continuously found her experiences with children to be the most fulfilling and decided to further her career in Education. Maia returned to the States and began the Special Education and Behavior Disorders program at Hunter College. While studying at Hunter, she focused her time on individuals within the area of mental health, developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Maia's prior teaching experiences include K/1 teacher in a not-for-profit school for students with Autism, substitute teaching in Melbourne, Australia and providing academic intervention and 1:1 tutoring to students in various public schools in East Harlem. Since Maia began at Community Roots, she has also worked to complete a second Masters in Literacy.

Hannah Rosenthal - Learning Specialist

Hannah grew up in Tampa, FL and has known her whole life, as far as she can remember, that she was going to be a teacher. After studying Childhood and Special Education at New York University and working in a wide variety of public school classrooms in New York City for the past four years, finding a place like Community Roots is truly a dream come true. Hannah likes to keep the big picture of opportunity through education in mind while focusing on the individual needs of each student. Hannah loves the unique, tight-knit community of families, students, and educators at this school and loves that everyone works together to make it possible for each student to do their best, connect to others, and grow.

Nicole Copillo - Social Worker

Nicole Copillo is a licensed masters social worker who has been practicing for over 10 years. Nicole has worked with children and families in a variety of settings such as schools, camps and community organizations. Most recently Nicole worked at a therapeutic boarding school in California and as a Clinical Director of a therapeutic summer program in the United Kingdom. Nicole believes in working collaboratively with children and families coming from strengths based perspective. As a resident of Brooklyn, Nicole is really excited to be part of this exceptional school here in Fort Greene and looks forward to working with all of the students and families at Community Roots.

Anne Hartmann - Social Worker

Annie grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Art History at Wheaton College, in Massachusetts. After graduating she was a museum educator until moving to Brooklyn where she has lived for eight years. Annie taught English and creative writing in Chinatown and spent a year working at a non-profit therapeutic school in Brooklyn. That experience drew her to the social emotional aspects of child development, and she enrolled in the New York University School of Social Work where she earned her Master's Degree while again working with children in a school setting. After NYU Annie was a therapist for two years working with children and families in an outpatient clinic, also in Brooklyn. Annie is very happy to be joining the Community Roots family and looks forward to a wonderful year!

Sandy Lee - Director of Operations

Sandy Lee has 20 years of experience in the international shipping industry as Head of U.S. Operations at Cie Maritime d’Affretement and then Mgr. of Global Operations of Ocean World Lines/Pacer International. Concurrently with her career in shipping, Sandy enjoyed being a professional student. She attended Pace University and Baruch College for 9 years, majoring in topics such as Economics, Computer Sciences, Clinical Psychology and Global Policies, and finally deciding upon a Political Science degree from Baruch. Sandy plans to return to her original love of education and children’s mental health issues by pursuing her Masters and PhD in Child Psychology while being part of the Community Roots team.

A life-long Manhattanite, Sandy made the move to Brooklyn in 1997 and has enjoyed every single minute of it since. Sandy is thrilled and excited to be a part of such an innovative and compassionate environment.

Xiomara Vasquez - School Aide

I was born and raised in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn where I continue to live. I began teaching the children of my neighborhood three years ago, at an After School Plus Program. It was then that I realized working with young children was my calling. Benefiting from working with children I'm now able to use what I learned to help me raise my young son. As a product of the community I want to be a positive role model for the neighborhood and help to teach children that there are many options available to them.

Nicole Darden - After School Coordinator

After graduating from Pomona College in 2004, Nicole-Nzinga moved to Chicago, IL where she developed the Learn(2)SEE, an academic enrichment program for at risk youth. It was there that she learned how vitally instrumental quality out-of-school programs can be to the success of young people and their communities. Nicole believes in a world where every child owns the gift and the light that they are to themselves, their families, their communities and this world. A Native American proverb says, we do not own the earth, we borrow it from our children. She is attracted to Community Roots for the opportunity to learn from and with the courageous and intellectually curious leaders of tomorrow.