Elise Doucet earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Minor in Japanese from The Pennsylvania State University. Her university studies built upon more than a decade of Japanese-language learning that began in the Japanese immersion programs in Fairfax County public schools. She continued with Japanese 3, Japanese 4, and AP Japanese at Langley High … Read more
MindShift Gym is a Reston-based movement facility offering structured instruction in parkour and gymnastics-based acrobatics for students across a range of ages and experience levels. Its parkour program develops agility, coordination, spatial awareness, body control, confidence, and safe decision-making as students progress through increasingly challenging skills and obstacles. Mindshift’s gymnastics develops coordination, flexibility, balance, and … Read more
Ben Stern is an experienced music educator, director, and performing musician who has worked with students from early childhood through high school. He served as a lead music teacher with Music for Life Kids for seven years where he taught group music classes, developed curriculum, and mentored fellow instructors. His school-based teaching experience includes general … Read more
Veronica Baya Calancha is an AI strategist, educator, and program leader with more than 15 years of experience in healthcare, government, and technology environments. She specializes in making artificial intelligence understandable and practical for businesses, professionals, and beginning learners through AI workshops, trainings, curriculum development, workflow automation, and digital transformation. Veronica has designed and delivered … Read more
Manny Arciniega is a percussionist, composer, arranger, and teaching artist based in Silver Spring, Maryland. He serves as Director of Arts at Modern Music Project and is on faculty at Levine Music, where he leads percussion and ensemble-based instruction for students of varying ages and levels. Manny earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music … Read more
Erin Green is a certified educator specializing in American Sign Language and Deaf education, with experience teaching students of all ages. She holds a Master of Science in Secondary Education for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Arts and Sciences with a focus in mathematics, both from Rochester … Read more
Larry Newell, Ed.D. is President and Chief Operating Officer of Emergency Training Resources, LLC. He has more than 25 years of experience in health and safety education and leads a team of professional instructors providing training for both laypersons and healthcare providers. Larry formerly served as National Executive Director of the Emergency Care & Safety … Read more
Oladapo Olutola Adu is a chess International Master (IM) who earned his title from the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in 1999. He is a former Nigerian National Chess Champion (1995) and has represented Nigeria in multiple Chess Olympiads, competing at the highest levels of international play. He also qualified for the 2015 FIDE World Cup, … Read more
Iman Al-Barzinji holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Marymount University. She brings over a decade of classroom experience teaching personal finance and mathematics across elementary and middle school levels. Iman has taught accelerated math courses including Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry. She … Read more
Liza Hayes holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from California State University, Northridge and is a state-certified English teacher in both Virginia and Massachusetts. She has taught English and literature internationally in China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico, working with students from elementary through high school. Her experience includes teaching … Read more
