Principal: Chris Lehmann – clehmann [at] scienceleadership [dot] org –Chris is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. The Science Leadership Academy is an inquiry-driven, project-based, 1:1 laptop school that is considered to be one of the pioneers of the School 2.0 movement nationally and internationally. The school was recognized by Ladies Home Journal as one of the Ten Most Amazing Schools in the US, has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School in 2009 and 2010 and has been written about in many publications including Edutopia Magazine, EdWeek and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Chris returned to his native Philadelphia after nine years as an English Teacher, Technology Coordinator, Girls Basketball Coach and Ultimate Frisbee coach at the Beacon School in New York City, one of the leading urban public schools for technology integration.

In April of 2012, Chris won the Lindback Award for Excellence in Principal Leadership in the School District of Philadelphia. In September of 2011, Chris was honored by the White House as a Champion of Change for his work in education reform. In June 2010, Chris was named as one of the "30 Most Influential People in EdTech" by Technology & Learning Magazine. In 2009, Chris was a honoree for the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development's Outstanding Young Educator Award. Chris was named as one of "40 Under 40" by Philadelphia Business Journal in 2009. In 2006, the National School Board Association named Chris one of "20 to Watch" among American administrators. In 2001, Chris was honored by MOUSE as a Champion of Technology and Education for his work on building the portal at the Beacon School. Chris has written for such education publications as Principal Leadership Magazine, Learning and Leading with Technology Magainze, and the School Library Journal. Chris has spoken at conferences all over the world, including TEDxPhilly, TEDxNYED, the National Association of Secondary Schools Conference, the Building Learning Communities conference, the National Educational Computing Conference, the Philadelphia Area Educational Technology Conference, The Yahoo Cybercitizen Conference, the Innovative Learning Conference, The Council of Educational Facilities Planners Regional Conference, the K12-Online Conference, the International Conference on Technology and Education and at LinuxWorld, and he has worked with many schools and districts in the U.S. and England as a consultant. Chris received his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Chris is co-editor of What School Leaders Need to Know about Digital Technologies and Social Media, the author of the education blog Practical Theory: http://www.practicaltheory.org and is father to Jakob and Theo.

History: Matt Baird – mbaird [at] scienceleadership [dot] org –Matt is a 20 year veteran teacher who has been with SLA since the school opened in 2006. Previously he taught at several Quaker schools in the Philadelphia area and in Costa Rica.  At SLA Matt teaches history to 9th and 12th graders, coaches girls soccer and chess, and coordinates student-teaching placements from local colleges and universities. His academic interests center upon the structural and institutional framework of societies and the distribution of political and economic power. Matt has a master's degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Secondary Education also from Penn.  He did his undergraduate studies at Haverford College majoring in Sociology and Anthropology. At SLA, Matt has been developing a project-based history curriculum using a "case study" method that focuses on enabling students to become thoughtful and engaged scholars and citizens.

Biochemistry: Tim Best – tbest [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – In his fifth year at SLA, Tim comes to SLA from the Boston area, where he has most recently been working as a high school technology integration specialist, collaborating with teachers to develop technology-based projects. Previously, he taught 4 years of physical science and biology. In 2011, Tim was named a National Board Certified Teacher. Tim's experiences with both inquiry-based science teaching and the use of technology in the classroom make him a great fit for SLA.

Spanish: Mark Bey – mbey [at] scienceleadership [dot] org

Humanities: Joshua Block – jblock [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – Joshua has taught in public schools in the Philadelphia suburbs, New York City, and Philadelphia. He received his B.A. and M.S. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He received additional education while living in Jerusalem and Cameroon and while working as a cabinetmaker. Joshua is passionate about the belief that education should be a tool that allows people to both understand and transform their individual and collective realities. In 2008, Josh was named a Nationally Board Certified Teacher.

School Police Officer: Cynthia Byrd - cbyrd [at] scienceleadership.org

English: Alexa Dunn - adunn [at] scienceleadership [dot] org--A Philly girl at heart, Alexa returned to SLA in 2009 after spending two years in Toronto. She was part of SLA's founding faculty in 2006.   Alexa also taught 7th and 8th grade Language Arts and worked as Director of Publications in Development at Friends' Central School in Wynnewood, PA. She completed her year long English Education internship at The Beacon School in New York City while pursuing her Masters in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to entering the education field, Alexa enjoyed a four-year stint as Marketing Manager at The Conde Nast Publications for Vogue, Glamour, W, and Details magazines. Currently pursuing her Principal's Certificate from Drexel University, she loves yoga, dancing, Spanish language and culture, knitting, reading, travel, and spending time with her beautiful and engaging family.  

Biochemistry: Stephanie Dunda - sdunda [at] scienceleadership.org  A Minnesota and Florida native, Stephanie arrives at SLA after teaching for 5 years at the Phoenix Academy and Suncoast Polytechnical High School in Sarasota, FL.  She earned a BA in Biology from Wesleyan College, where she studied abroad in Argentina and found a love for the language and culture.  Her passion is connecting students to their surrounding world, particularly analyzing the influence of human impact on their environment and watersheds.  She wrote and received grants from the Southwest Florida Water Mangement District  (SWFWMD) to engage students in an interdisciplinary 4 year study of Sarasota Bay and Myakka River.  Because of this collaboration, Stephanie received awards from SWFWMD and was Teacher of the Year at the Phoenix Academy and was the Florida Association of Science Teachers Outstanding High School Science Teacher.  She admires the philosophy/teaching of Kagan, McREL, Ruby Payne, Hal Urban, Wong, and her middle school science teacher, Mr. Kolodji.  He always told his students that women can make a difference in science and learning.  Stephanie is also a fan of color coding, 3 ring binders, and tote bags.

Physics: Rosalind Echols – rechols [at] scienceleadership [dot] org -- Rosalind is in her second year of teaching physics at SLA, following two years at University City High School in West Philadelphia, during which time she received her MSE for SecondaryScience Education. She earned her undergraduate degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University and came to teaching in Philadelphia after a year in Tanzania teaching English and Math. She coaches students involved in the program Students Run Philly Style, a mentorship program centered around running and goal setting that works with students all over Philadelphia. In her free time, she contemplates the science of her life, most notably running, baking, and her car. And then insists on sharing these contemplations with her students. 

School Police Officer: Cynthia Byrd

Math: Erin Garvey - egarvey [at] scienceleadership [dot] org - 

Spanish: Jillian Gierke – jgierke [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – Jillian is in her second year at SLA. She has a MAT in Spanish (with a focus on Service Learning) from Indiana University in Indianapolis. She has experience teaching Spanish at the university level as well as teaching English to teenagers in Spain. 

History / Digital Filmmaking: Douglas Herman - dherman [at] scienceleadership [dot] org  

Counselor: Karina Hirschfield – khirschfield [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – Karina brings a wealth of experience to SLA. She has been the founding counselor of a charter school, so she is well prepared to create the systems necessary to run an innovative and effective guidance program. In addition, Karina will be working with the faculty to craft the core of our advisory curriculum. Before becoming a guidance counselor, Karina spent six years as an ESL teacher in New York City, so she will give our emerging English language students added support.

English: Matthew Kay – mkay [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – Matt is a product of the Philadelphia Public Schools, having graduated from Saul High School and West Chester University. For a young teacher, Matt has had an incredible amount of teaching and coaching experience, having worked as an assistant football coach at West Chester, as a Summerbridge Math and English teacher and as a teacher and naturalist at the Awbury Arboretum.

Mathematics: Brad Latimer – blatimer [at] scienceleadership [dot] org - Brad comes to SLA after earning his Masters Degree in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, Brad also worked as the Assistant Academic Coordinator for the Athletics Department. Prior to his time at Penn, Brad spent three years teaching high school mathematics at The Bullis School in Potomac, MD. While at Bullis, he was also very much involved in the athletics program, serving as an Assistant Football and Track coach. Before his time at Bullis, Brad spent six months working with Middle School students in Monteverde, Costa Rica, after completing his student teaching assignments right here in Philadelphia at CAPA.

History: Diana Laufenberg – dlaufenberg [at] scienceleadership [dot] org -- Diana Laufenberg is a nomad. Diana is a true life-long learner. She currently works with 11th and 12th grade students at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Experiential education is an integral part of her educational pursuits taking students from the classroom to the real world and back again. Before finding her way to Philadelphia, she was an active member of the teaching community in Flagstaff, AZ where she was named Technology Teacher of the Year for Arizona and a member of the Governor's Master Teacher Corps.

Spanish: Melanie Manuel – mmanuel [at] scienceleadership [dot] org --  Melanie has organized and led many international trips for her students to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, the US-Mexico border and Guatemala. In her free time Melanie wanders aimlessly in the city on her bike, dances salsa and hiphop, dabbles in art and guitar, travels to countries with US State Department issued travel advisories and, enjoys long walks on the beach. Melanie is a National Board Certified Teacher.

Physical Education / Health: Pia Martin – pmartin [at] scienceleadership [dot] org -- Pia Martin Health and Physical Education: Teaching is one of her greatest pleasures.  She believes that Health is everything and with that belief she tackles the issues that often make it difficult for people to make wise, proactive health decisions. be they, physical , emotional, social or intellectual.  Her goal is to help the whole school community achieve optimal health, through each individual valuing their wellness and advocating for the wellness of others.

Pia is the product of two English teachers and the NYC public school system. She moved to Philadelphia to attend Temple University and has been here ever since.  She has proudly taught in the Philadelphia School District for 17 years. Pia has led numerous PD for the district and others on various health and PE topics. She has been a guest lecturer at Temple University introducing Standards Based Health Education to future health and PE teachers and Public Health Students. Pia is 2003 Stecher Award Winner and a 2008 Lindbach Award nominee.

English: Larissa Pahomov – lpahomov [at] scienceleadership [dot] org - Larissa began teaching at SLA after earning her Masters degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Before that, she worked as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant for English in a high school in Germany. Larissa is also involved with the One Book and One Film programs run by the Free Library of Philadelphia and enjoys serving both her school and her city. In the classroom, Larissa is dedicated to helping her students learn to read both the word and the world.

Mathematics: Sunil Reddy – sreddy [at] scienceleadership [dot] or -- As an undergraduate, Sunil graduated cum laude with a dual degree in Mathematics and English Literature from Colgate University. In his fifth year at Colgate, Sunil earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Secondary Mathematics Education, and subsequently became a New York and Pennsylvania state certified instructor. During college, Sunil tutored math at the high school level in all subjects and singularly coordinated the tutoring program. Sunil also spent three years teaching math daily—and coordinating evening tutoring sessions—to Philadelphia adolescents through the University of Pennsylvania and Harcum College's Upward Bound programs. Prior to this year teaching at SLA, Sunil worked for a PA virtual academy, responsible for educating nearly 300 students via distance learning.

Sunil does not believe that any student is incapable of learning, rejecting the notion that some people "can't do math." It is Sunil's belief that all children are able to excel in math if they are provided with ample individualized instruction. Everyone has a different style of learning and Sunil is proficient in differentiating instruction to best address his students' needs. Sunil is a patient practitioner who is able to contextualize mathematical concepts for students, grounding them in many real world examples.

History / Spanish: Juan Gabriel Sanchez - jsanchez [at] scienceleadership.org - Juan Gabriel has always loved learning. He has especial fondness for history and the sciences.  Juan Gabriel is a first-year teacher of both Spanish and Social Studies.  He focused his studies on the social sciences because he loves puzzles, and he believes human beings to be the single most complex entity in the known world.  Since leaving school, he worked as a researcher at both UCLA (for early childhood education) and UPenn (on a behavioral intervention study at the School of Med), the latter of which he eventually chose for his MS Ed. in Teacher Education.Science Leadership Academy was Juan Gabriel's top choice of schools in Philadelphia, and he is thrilled to work with such motivated staff and students.

Biochemistry & History: Gamal Sherif – gsherif [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – Gamal first began working with children in 1980, when he served as a summer camp director in New York’s Bear Mountain State Park. After earning a degree in Sociology at SUNY Binghamton, he worked as a sous chef, a school bus driver, a development director, and a cinema projectionist. In 1995, Gamal earned a Masters in Education from Temple University. After five years as a high school teacher and grants administrator with The School District of Philadelphia, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his Principal Certificate as well as a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration.

Over the years, Gamal has facilitated school planning, professional development, and program enrichment for charter, independent and traditional public schools in Philadelphia, across the U.S., and in Morocco. He is presently teaching and co-writing science and history curricula at Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy. Both curricula emphasize student-centered, project-based learning. Gamal also sponsors the ski club. In 2008, he was a finalist for the Lindback Foundation’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and in 2011 he received the NSTA’s National Award for Inquiry-based Science Education. This year, Gamal is serving as a Fellow with the US Department of Education.

As a teacher, Gamal enjoys helping his students develop the critical and creative thinking skills that are important to sustaining our democracy. Gamal is especially proud of his students’ work in the African American history classes, which have employed ethnomusicology projects to examine liberty and equality as they relate to the US Constitution and African American history.  For more on Gamal's pedagogy, you can go to www.Progressed.org.

Counselor: Zoe Siswick - zsiswick [at] scienceleadership.org - A proud product of Philadelphia public schools, Zoe is excited about working with students in her beloved hometown.  Although this is Zoe's second year on staff, she is no stranger to the school, having completed her counseling internship at SLA as part of her Master's degree in Counseling Psychology at Temple University.  Zoe brings a wealth of experience working with Philadelphia public school students--she taught second grade and ran an academic enrichment program for middle school students prior to beginning her master's program.  When she's not at SLA, Zoe enjoys watching football, cooking (and eating!), playing soccer and hanging out with her wonderful husband and bulldog.  She is excited to work with some of the most vibrant and intellectually curious staff and students in the nation!

Engineering: Matt VanKouwenberg – mvank [at] scienceleadership [dot] org – Science Leadership Academy (SLA) teacher Matt VanKouwenberg came to the school after 5 years of teaching at West Philadelphia High School, where he had won teacher of the year.  At SLA, Matt has been able to take full advantage of his background of a BSE in Chemical and in Biomolecular engineering from UPenn by developing many courses in both science and engineering.  After being a Yale National Teaching Fellow, he went on to win the first annual Lindback award for secondary teachers.  In his engineering classes there has been an over-arching theme of energy – with his students developing breakthroughs in bio-diesel production and helping to figure out how to make solar thermal, distillation, and wind-driven energies accessible to everyone.  These ideals are now being used in his capacity as a member of the steering Committee of the PECO Energizing Education Program, where he is helping to implement curriculum to decrease energy consumption throughout the Philadelphia 5-County region.  Matt is also helping to develop curriculum for the Penn Genome Frontiers Institute by creating units of instruction accessible to all secondary schools to help their students learn about genetics and biotechnology.  Matt is also on the Chemical Heritage Foundation's Teacher Advisory Board and the NSF Institutional Biosafety Committee at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.