After School Staff Bios

Kristin Elam is passionate about creative, enthusiastic teaching that evokes curiosity in the classroom. Kristin is currently an instructor for SPARK Business Academy and The Character Builders as well as a Master’s student studying Psychology in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her compassion for all people influences her relationally-led teaching style and focus on social and emotional learning in the classroom. She taught high school English for three years after earning her bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education from Baylor University. She hopes to grow as a teacher and inspire wellness practices in the lives of her students and colleagues. Fun things that Kristin enjoys weaving into her teaching include photography, art history, hiking, listening to music, architecture, learning about social intelligence, and all things with a creative bent.

Michael has a Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar Performance and has taught classical and electric guitar for 16 years, including the Serendipity After School program at The Dalton School. In addition, he is a registered Suzuki classical guitar instructor with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Several of Michael’s students have gone on to study at major music conservatories such as the Manhattan School of music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Northwestern University. Michael has studied with Christopher Parkening and William Kanengiser and has been featured in Rolling Stone magazine and on VH1. http://www.michaelcioffero.com

Hayley is a freelance dancer based in New York City. She received her dance training at Ballet Academy East and later at SUNY Purchase, where she graduated in 2019 Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance: Ballet Concentration. While at SUNY Purchase, she danced lead roles in ballets such as Concerto Barocco and The Four Temperaments by George Balanchine. She danced as The Dewdrop in The Yorkville Nutcracker and in StylePointe Fashion Week for Michelle Thompson Ulrich. Hayley was a camp counselor at Ballet Academy East’s SUMMERDANCE for 5 years and started teaching ballet for the Young Dancer Division in the fall of 2019. Hayley also was a Learning Supervisor with Little Dalton during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.