9TH GRADE

	IANTHE JACKSON Grade Level Team Leader, Studio 9 (9th Grade) Art and Arts Integration As the grade team leader, Ianthe Jackson makes key decisions about the grade's curriculum and policies. This includes developing an arts integration strategy for the ninth grade, managing a program of elective courses, and teaching an introductory studio art class. She also establishes a structured and caring environment for 9th grade teachers, students, and parents. Ms. Jackson was born in Buffalo, NY and currently lives and works in New York City. She attended undergraduate school at School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and received her MFA in Sculpture from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She has had solo shows at Jack the Pelican Presents Gallery in Brooklyn, and Luxe Gallery’s project room in NYC. She has also exhibited at Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary in 2004. Ms. Jackson has attended residencies at Sculpture Space in 2003, ARTOmi in 2005, Shining Cliff Residency as part of My House Gallery in England, and Homeland Gallery in Portland Oregon in 2007. Jackson’s work regularly shows internationally. Ms. Jackson’s teaching work includes working for the New York City Department of Education, in various nonprofits and foundations in NYC, and as a professor at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She has developed and implemented programs and collaborated with teachers on many projects throughout her teaching career.
	LAURA BARTOVICS 9th Grade Science: Earth Science Ms. Bartovics joined UAMA this year as the school's 9th grade Earth Science teacher. She spent much of her childhood outdoors, which led her to earn a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. After receiving an M.S. in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, she moved to New York City to pursue her love of cooking. Ms. Bartovics spent 10 years working on environmental issues related to the New York Harborecosystem. Her favorite part of this work involved overnight sailing trips with New York City high school students. Ms. Bartovics is currently in her first year of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.
	ROBERT COHEN 9th Grade Math Robert Cohen teaches 9th Grade Algebra at UAMA during the day, and piano and music theory after school. His college education prepared him well for both teaching roles, as he double-majored in math and music as an undergraduate at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and received his M.A. in Math Education from New York University. Before coming to UAMA, he worked as a lifeguard/pool manager, assistant technician at a computer store, church organist, and keyboard player in various bands that encompassed the genres of pop, jazz, rock, funk, blues, afro-beat, and original compositions. He currently lives with other artists and musicians and spends a great deal of his time creating and planning artistic events. Of his work at UAMA, he says, "I like that I am given the creative freedom to teach the way I want to."
	NICOLE CREPEAU 9th Grade Social Studies: Global Studies Ms. Crepeau is in her first year teaching global history at UAMA. Born and raised in California, she attended San Diego High School, and received her B.A. in Sociology with a Minor in Education at the University of California-Berkeley. She completed her graduate studies at Long Island University, where she received an M.S. Ed, specializing in working with students with disabilities. Before teaching at UAMA, she spent two years as a youth and family advocate in San Francisco, CA, and three years as a U.S. History and Government teacher to students with disabilities at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn. In her spare time, Ms. Crepeau loves bullfights, attending at least one fight per year in Mexico. She is also a former amateur boxer who fought in the New York Golden Gloves in 2004. Other hobbies include photography, sewing, and crocheting.
	JAMES HEATON 9th Grade Math and Family Cook Elective Mr. Heaton is in his second year teaching math at UAMA. He looks forward to coming to school each morning, believing there are always new things to try and fresh events to pass through with students and faculty. Says Mr. Heaton, “As a teacher I ask my students to create and describe patterns in the realm of math. Students come to understand arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and functions through the patterns numbers and forms create.” Mr. Heaton comes from a background in art. He holds an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and spent time drawing and painting in Aix-en-Provence before starting his degree in San Francisco. In some ways, he considers himself to still be an art teacher. He says, “I deal with a very creative and expressive bunch at UAMA. I try to get my students hands on mathematics... with rulers, protractors, compasses, scissors, markers and glue, not to mention other ‘manipulatives.’ Of course our students must also work toward passing state exams in mathematics. All of the work we do builds skills in the state curriculum while building important thinking skills at the same time.”
	JASON HENKLE 9th Grade Math and The Way Things Work Elective Mr. Henkle is in his first year teaching math at UAMA. Mr. Henkle earned a B.S. in Mathematics as well as Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. He recently earned his M.A. in Secondary Mathematics Education from New York University with the help of the wonderful Math for America fellowship program. Mr. Henkle is originally from the west coast and is thrilled to be teaching in New York City where opportunities for good pizza and cheesecake abound. In his spare time he enjoys cycling, trying to build bike frames, going to the movies, exploring the great outdoors, and hanging out with his cat.
	ANNA PENNY 9th Grade English Anna Penny is in her second year teaching at UAMA. A Long Island native, she received a B.A. in literature from Purchase College, and an M.A. in education from Queens College. Prior to teaching at UAMA, she taught English in Brazil. When she is not instilling a love of literature and the English language in young people, she is an avid salsa dancer.
	AUGUSTIN RODRIGUEZ 9th Grade Support Teacher In his self-contained class, Mr. Rodriguez provides a small group of students with a specialized learning environment. Mr. Rodriguez received his B.S. from Nyack College and his M.S. from Touro College. Before coming to UAMA, he worked at the Riker's Island Adolescent Unit, and his experiences teaching incarcerated youth are documented in the film "Rikers High." He describes himself as an avid Yankees fan and a chocolate maniac, and has been heard saying, "I love helping kids find their way."
	VANESSA SNOWDEN 9th Grade English, and Intro to French and Family Cook Electives Vanessa Snowden is a teacher of English Language Arts at UAMA. Her reading class focuses primarily on literacy skills applicable to texts of varying genres, time periods and formats. Her writing class explores different modes of written expression. Prior to joining UAMA, Ms. Snowden taught English at the Lycée St. Exupery in Lyon, France, while learning French and doing freelance translation work. A violinist and lover of the fine arts, Ms. Snowden is interested in exploring the links between literature, the visual arts, and music. The combination of these media often enriches the exploration of a text and she would like to expose her students to these meaningful connections. Ms. Snowden's favorite authors include William Faulkner, Vladimir Nabokov, and Kazuo Ishiguro. Her favorite literary theorists include Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes. She graduated with high honors from Princeton University with a B.A. in English and is currently working on her M.A. in Education from Pace University.