SIXTH GR ADE FACULTY

Teachers marked with an * are also 6th Grade Advisors

The “M.E.S.H.” Teachers

*Sarah Macone (English) is completing her eleventh year at Dwight-Englewood. Before moving to New Jersey, she taught sixth grade for four years at The Learning Project Elementary School in Boston, after a time as a four th and sixth grade teacher at Buckingham Browne and Nichols in Cambridge. Mrs. Macone earned her B.A . from Tufts University, her Masters in Education from Lesley University, and completed the Klingenstein Institute in Princeton, New Jersey in 2009. At Dwight-Englewood, Mrs. Macone also coaches boys and girls middle school tennis and serves as a technology liaison to suppor t technology integration in the curriculum. In her free time, Mrs. Macone enjoys spending time with her husband, her son Logan, her daughter Ellie, reading, and playing tennis.

*Sam Wallman (history) is looking forward to beginning his second year at Dwight-Englewood He received a Bachelor of Ar ts degree in History from Skidmore College After completing his Bachelor’s degree, he spent two years doing service teaching at underprivileged schools through the Americorps program He then pursued a Masters of Ar ts in Teaching in History with a concentration in 20th Century US History from Rutgers UniversityNewark After completing his Master’s degree and a year at the Hackley School, he relocated to Miami, Florida He taught sixth and seventh grade history from 2020-2022 at Gulliver Prep, working with students with special learning needs through their EDGE program. At Dwight-Englewood, he co-advises the GSA affinity group and runs the Hellfire: D&D Club. During his free time, Mr. Wallman enjoys reading new fantasy books, playing card and board games, and cooking.

*Matthew Larrowe (Science) is completing his fifteenth year at Dwight-Englewood. He received a B.S. in Biology from Bluefield University in Bluefield, VA , and a M.S. Ed. in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. He grew up in rural southwest Virginia. He star ted teaching science twenty-three years ago in Galax, Virginia, where he taught Biology and Human Anatomy at Galax High School from 2000 to 2004. He later moved to Chapel Hill, NC, in 2004, where he taught 8th-grade science for one year before moving to Chatham Central High School, where he taught Biology and Human Anatomy until 2008 Mr Larrowe is also known as Coach Larrowe because he has coached football, basketball (both boys and girls), and baseball Here at D-E, he was formerly the head Girl’s Varsity Basketball Coach, assistant football coach, and assistant middle school baseball coach He has served as the Assistant Director of D-E 360º Summer Connections during the summer He also works at Roy William’s basketball camps at UNC and speaks at other basketball camps He enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and daughter in his spare time

*Linda Segar (Mathematics) Mrs. Segar is completing her eleventh year at D-E, and over twenty five years as an educator. Before coming to DE, she taught mathematics at Rockland Country Day School as a Math Specialist in charge of differentiating instruction, at Bank Street College of Education Graduate School, and at The Town School in New York City. Mrs. Segar earned her Masters of Science in Education (M.S. of Ed) from Bank Street College of Education in New York, NY.

Languages

José Miguel Moracho, (Spanish) a native of Pamplona, (Spain) teaches Spanish at Dwight Englewood Middle School since 2006. Previously he taught six years in The Knox School, a boarding school in Long island. Mr. Moracho has a BA in Communication from the University of Navarra (Spain) and in his free time enjoys traveling around the world, writing shor t stories in Spanish and drawing car toons. Mr. Moracho is thrilled to have the oppor tunity to work at Dwight-Englewood and especially enjoys being par t of the middle school family.

Junia Robinson (Spanish) received her BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan and her MA in TESOL from Eastern Michigan University. She has traveled extensively in Spanish-speaking countries, including par ticipating in a program at the University of Salamanca, where she returned twice for professional development and a cultural excursion trip with her former students. After three years in the Michigan public schools, Junia made the transition to the Greenhills private school, where she has been delighted with the oppor tunities for professional growth and for closer relationships with the students She is in her thir teenth year at Dwight Englewood and enjoys creative learning oppor tunities in our Middle School language program at D-E She enjoys working with the Origami Club as well as the Photography Club, two of her hobbies outside of the classroom She is fluent in both Spanish and Korean In her free time, Mrs Robinson enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her husband and her two girls, Lily and Cara

*Ber tin Mboko (French) is originally from Congo and has taught middle school French at Dwight Englewood since 2021. Prior to coming to D-E, he taught six years in Africa and one year at Mont Pleasant Middle School in Schenectady, NY. Mr. Mboko has a BA in International Studies from Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester NY), a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford,UK, and a Master of Ar ts in Curriculum and Instruction from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. He is a Rotary International world peace scholar. Mr Mboko is happy to have this oppor tunity to work at Dwight-Englewood and to be par t of the Middle School family.

*Charlie Burke (Latin) received his BA in Classics from Case Western Reserve University and his MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago, where he worked on the intersection of humor studies and Classical studies. He has been teaching Latin at Dwight-Englewood since 2017. As a former member of Dwight-Englewood’s technology liaisons group, Mr Burke has had the oppor tunity to explore novel uses of technology in the classroom and find ways to really bring his curriculum to life When he is not teaching Latin, Mr Burke likes to run a tabletop games club or a board game design club during the afternoon activity period

Special Programming

Noel Arcane (Library) has helped students with all things reading related since receiving their Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2012 They have a true global approach to the joys of reading as they have worked in Jordan, Macau, and Hong Kong Some types of readers are universal, but students never cease to surprise Mx Arcane They hail from some swamps outside of New Orleans, and have been a par t of the Dwight-Englewood team since 2022 The MLIS combined with a bachelors in adver tising provides the skills to generate many oppor tunities for engagement with a variety of reading and research materials in print and online Outside of the library, Mx Arcane can be found in the Middle School Robotics lab or working on Open Roads, the Middle School literary magazine

Colleen Larionoff (Innovation Coordinator/TREP$ Entrepreneurial Project) is looking forward to her fifth year at Dwight-Englewood. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Columbia University and completed UPenn’s Vir tual Online Teaching and Learning program. Ms. Larionoff ’ s previous jobs include neuroepigenetics researcher, STEAM and ELL teacher, science assembly performer, curriculum developer, and director of STEAM enrichment co-curricular and summer programming. As D-E’s Innovation Coordinator, Ms. Larionoff facilitates numerous student clubs and activities, including Robotics, Odyssey of the Mind, Science Olympiad, and independent research. She also oversees three creation spaces for grades 6-12 in the library: the Makerspace, which has 3D printers, a laser cutter, woodshop tools, electronics, and more; the Makercar t , which has a variety of materials to tinker with; and the Innovation Lab, which houses student research projects, robotics equipment , and a greenscreen and podcasting area. Ms. Larionoff serves on the Belonging and Equity Committee and the DEIB in Curriculum Committee and coordinates cross-divisional digital citizenship and design thinking programming She is the director of STEM Leadership Immersives for D-E 360º Summer Connections Ms Larionoff runs the 6th grade TREP$ Entrepreneurial Project Outside of school, Ms Larionoff enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her children

Ar ts

John Littlefield joined the Dwight-Englewood faculty in 2006 as conductor of the Middle and Upper School Orchestras He is the Music Depar tment Chair and also teaches flute Mr Littlefield conducted the Chamber Orchestra at the Spence School in New York City from 1986 to 2008 and has been recognized, under the name John Herrick Littlefield, since 1974 as an international performer and recording ar tist on the flute with a recordings on the Naxos and Justin labels and reviews of concer ts over his career that include: " notable elegance " - The Washington Times; " and “…commendable musical perception…" - The New York Times. Mr. Littlefield has been published in Chamber Music Magazine and Flute Talk. He sees the Dwight-Englewood School as a vibrant community that is suppor tive of diverse interests, offering oppor tunities for students to achieve excellence in music as well as other specialties while pursuing an exceptional academic curriculum.

Diego Garcia was born in Cali, Colombia, and enjoys a multifaceted career as a conductor, cellist , and composer. Mr. Garcia joined the D-E faculty in 2012 and is also on the faculty of New York University and the Thurnauer School of Music. He received great acclaim as the music director and main conductor of the Eastman School of Music’s pre-college ensembles. Diego has been a guest conductor for the Parnu Symphony Orchestra (Estonia), Flanders Music Festival (Belgium), Hampton Roads Chamber Players, Travelling Notes Orchestra, Bard College Symphony Orchestra, and Greece Symphony This summer, Mr Garcia has been named conductor and cellist for Summer Ar ts with Juilliard in Geneva, Switzerland, a new international summer program for young performers Mr Garcia is a frequent guest for different workshops and music festivals in the US, South America, and Europe

Rachel Brusk y graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2001, earning a B F A in Illustration, with a concentration in Ar t History She received her M F A in Painting from the New York Academy of Ar t in 2006 At Dwight-Englewood School, Rachel teaches Middle and Upper School Studio Ar t courses. Rachel is also the Director of the Young Visionaries: Ar t and Design Immersive with the D-E Summer Connections Program In addition to teaching, Rachel has exhibited her ar twork around the U S Rachel formerly worked as an Ar t Director and graphic designer at SoHo Publishing Company in NY, and as an Ar tist-in-Residence in the pediatric oncology and neurology clinics at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Medical Center

Annaliesa Place violin, is a passionate performer and educator. She joined the D-E faculty as Director of Strings in the Middle and Upper School in 2008. She founded D-E’s StringJam, a conductor-less string orchestra that tours annually. She performs across the United States and abroad with various ensembles including the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). She is featured on recordings with Absolute Ensemble for Sony Classical, ECCO for EOne Records, and Sting’s album Symphonicities. She is also featured in the 2019 Warner Bros. Movie, Western Stars with Bruce Springsteen. Annaliesa has also performed and recorded with Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Michael Bublé and Paul McCar tney, among others. Ms. Place was featured in the Cleveland Orchestra’s first video conference with Alan Gilber t and was hailed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as ‘the epitome of poise and intelligence.’ She is the Director of Strings at the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey where she founded StringJam, a conductor less string orchestra As a curriculum consultant and lead teacher for Juilliard’s Global K-12 Programs, Annaliesa teaches at Summer Ar ts with Juilliard in Geneva, Switzerland She enjoys playing in Broadway shows and looks forward to joining the musical, New York New York, which opens at the St James Theater in April 2023 Ms Place received a B M from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and a M M from The Juilliard School

Jake Lloyd was first introduced to D-E when he was hired in 2007 as the pianist for the winter musical. In the fall of 2008, Jake joined the faculty as the 6th, 7th and 8th grade chorus teacher, as well as continuing his work music directing/conducting the winter musical. He also coordinates the Private Music Lessons Program. Since that time Jake has star ted a Show Choir elective in the 7th and 8th grades. Jake has his bachelor’s in music composition and orchestration with a minor in piano performance from Nyack College. Outside of DE, Jake is heavily involved in the musical theatre scene in NYC as a composer/writer and music director. He has worked off-Broadway and with various regional and community theatres. His original musical for which he wrote book, music and lyrics, “The Lost Boys”, premiered in a Brooklyn workshop, followed by an off-Broadway transfer. Jake is a graduate of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and is a member of the Workshop Theatre. Jake currently is writing music and lyrics for a new musical with librettist , Allan Knee (writer of the Broadway musical, “Little Women” and the film, “Finding Neverland”) and an adaptation of “The Age of Innocence”

*Lydia Scrivanich has been a member of the Ar t and Design Depar tment faculty since 2005 She has taught in both the Middle and Upper Schools, and now exclusively teaches grades 6-8 Lydia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Ar t Education from Penn State University, with a studio concentration in Drawing and Painting in the program directed by distinguished ar t educators Drs Brent and Marjorie Wilson Previously, Lydia taught ar t at Bloomfield High School in New Jersey (grades 9-12) for four years, and during those summers at Montclair Kimberley Academy. She also taught at the Bloomfield Recreation Depar tment . She has led enrichment classes for our D-E 360 afterschool and summer programs. She is currently a member of the Middle School Tech Liaison Team, whose members seek to educate faculty in new advances in technology for the classroom for integration in various curricula and recognize needs in our respective teams and depar tments. Lydia believes that engagement of students in reflection on and creation of ar t while practicing the Studio Habits of Mind together help foster expression of individual voices, and in turn helps to strengthen the community. In her own work, Lydia explores the multi-faceted beauty of nature through personal photography, painting and drawing, and crafts. She enjoys reading, especially shor t stories, and listening to music She is the proud mom of Don, class of ‘27

Health and Wellness

Michelle Carstens began her teaching career at Dwight Englewood in 2008 and now serves as the Chair of the Health and Wellness depar tment as well as a 7th grade homebase advisor. She received her B.S in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at Michigan State University, where she played and captained the field hockey team that won two Big Ten Championships and went to the NCAA Final Four multiple times. Following graduation, Michelle received her Masters Degree in Physical Education, Spor ts Administration and Coaching at Montclair State University while also acting as assistant coach for the women ’ s field hockey team. At Dwight Englewood, Ms. Carstens is a coach of the Upper School field hockey team as well as the Middle School softball team. In the winter, she directs the strength and conditioning program for Upper School students. Coach Carstens is a cer tified strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer and enjoys staying active in her free time as well as leading a healthy lifestyle through par ticipating in various fitness and wellness activities outside of school.

*Richard Muller has been at Dwight-Englewood since 2000 and has been a teacher for 37 years With a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from the King's College, a Masters Degrees in Spor ts and Coaching Administration and a Supervisor’s Cer tificate from Montclair State University, Rich teaches Physical Education and Health to grades 6-12 and served as the middle school, Health and Wellness team leader for three years Rich won the prized “ Williams Award for Creative Excellence” in 2002 He is currently a sixth grade advisor, First Aid/CPR/AED instructor, and 7-9th grade health teacher. He is the director of the annual middle school Field Day and the 8th grade Snipe Hunt . During his twenty-three year tenure at D-E, he has served as JV and Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach, Head Softball Coach, JV Softball Coach, Head Baseball Coach, and Head of the Varsity Women’s Basketball program. Rich currently serves as the Head Coach for Boys’ Middle School Soccer (Blue team), Basketball (Blue team), and Middle School Baseball. Rich received the prestigious Williams Award for Creative Excellence in 2003. He was a Co-Director of the Demarest Summer Camp for children on grades K-5 from 2017 - 2021.

Kiersten Hovan is completing her third year at D-E as par t of the Health and Wellness Depar tment and 8th grade advisor. She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience at Muhlenberg College, where she played and captained the women ’ s lacrosse team as a goalie for four years. She also received her M.S. in Exercise Science from Lock Haven University. Prior to arriving at Dwight-Englewood, she held similar positions in Athletics and Physical Education at Ransom Everglades School (Miami, FL) and Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) Mrs Hovan coaches the Upper School field hockey and girls lacrosse teams as well as Middle School girls basketball Mrs Hovan enjoys spending time outside, especially at Long Beach Island, and being active whenever she can - she’s currently training for the New York City Marathon this fall!

Orestes Medina is completing his 2nd year at D-E as par t of the Health and Wellness Depar tment and is in his 9th year as par t of the D-E community. Orestes earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communications and minored in Computer science at La Salle University. As par t of his path to education, he earned an Associates degree with Relay University in K-5. While attending La Salle University, he played all 3 seasons for all 4 years for the Football and Track teams. Prior to arriving at Dwight-Englewood School, Orestes was a paraprofessional at Lindbergh

School located in Palisades Park, where he also attended and graduated from. Orestes is now in his 9th year as par t of the US Athletic teams, where he serves as the Head Track and Field coach for Winter and Spring. He is also a member of the Palisades Park JR/SR HS football team as the Defensive coordinator. Prior to Palisades Park he was one of the last members of the Dwight-Englewood School Football team During the summer time you will find Mr Medina here at Dwight-Englewood school as the Athletic Director for the DE 360 Programs

Student Suppor t

Tasha Urbanowski, (6th Grade Dean), moved from Vail, Colorado in 1995 to join the 6th grade team as English and Social Studies teacher after several years of teaching interdisciplinary humanities and serving as an advisor to both middle and upper school students She earned her B A at Smith College and her M A T in the teaching of English at Teachers College, Columbia University Ms Urbanowski was a member of the Dwight-Englewood reading initiative steering committee, initiated a reading lab suppor t program in middle school, and now teaches “DIG”, a gardening and sustainability elective in the 7th and 8th grade Discovery Program She is delighted to be coordinating, for a variety of classes in the middle and upper school divisions, hands-on study in our vegetable gardens, harkening back to her explorations in hor ticulture at Smith and more recent study of sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, and backyard chicken keeping. She has been a dean since 2001 and looks forward each fall to working with a new group of students and parents to help them enjoy and get the most out of their D-E 6th grade year. She is also a parent of a current D-E student and a 2020 alumna and proud “lifer.” From today onward, you should feel free to contact her at X3237 or urbant@d-e.org with any questions or concerns about your soon-to-be-sixth grader’s program and experience in middle school.

*Julie Luchs, (Middle School Learning Specialist) is completing her ninth year at D-E and has been involved in the teaching profession for over 30 years. Her B.A . in teaching from Tufts University, coupled with her M.A .T. from Tufts in Special Education, provide her with a vast array of teaching strategies that can be utilized both in and out of the classroom She has taught in Middle School grade level classrooms as well as resource rooms in both public and independent schools Julie enjoys the small group suppor t work she does with the students across all grade levels, pushing into 6th grade classrooms, and collaborating with other D-E Faculty Julie is the head of the Advisory Committee which develops curriculum for the Middle School Advisory program Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family, Scott ‘84, Hannah ‘16 and Ali ‘19

Ariel Levitan, (Middle School Social Worker), is completing her first year at D-E where she provides suppor t to our middle school students, faculty and administrators throughout all grade levels. Ariel earned her B.A . in Psychology from Barnard College, followed by her Masters of Social Work from New York University. Prior to D-E, Ariel spent 12 years working in Char ter Schools in NYC with students at all grade levels and with a variety of learning and emotional needs. Ariel believes that providing safe spaces for kids to express themselves will bolster their academic achievements and will holistically suppor t their growing minds. At D-E, Ariel enjoys meeting with students, consulting with faculty and staff, and collaborating with parents. Ariel is a member of the Advisory Committee which develops curriculum for the Middle School Advisory program. Outside of D-E you will find Ariel spending time with her family and friends and dedicating her time to her community in Scarsdale.

Sixth Grade Program Components

The unifying concept of Grade 6 is “ What Makes Us Who We Are” and the program is centered on hands-on experiences and projects as well as skills instruction and guided practice The program consists of proscribed components including community-building time, an advisory program, the “MESH” curriculum of Math, English, Science and History as well as Spanish, Latin, French or A .S.K. 6, Chorus or Orchestra, Studio Ar t , Health & Wellness and Independent Reading. At the same time, students have oppor tunities to make choices, seek extra help and develop independence --a period of targeted academic growth (T A G ), during which students can meet with MESH teachers for extra help, is par t of each week Sixth graders also have the oppor tunity to par ticipate in extracurricular team spor ts and a variety of middle school clubs and activities which they select three times a year in conjunction with the spor ts seasons

Advisory

Community Time

“MESH” Classes

Math

English

Science

History

3 meetings per week

2 meetings per week

20 periods per week

2 periods per week (Interscholastic athletic teams practice and play mostly after school, but practices begin during activities periods on the days that activities meet )

Activities

MS Clubs & Activities Overview

Note: This is an example list of Clubs & Activities offered from this year. They are subject to change with each term/year.

Tuesday Activity Period

Thursday Activity Period

Bulldog Prep Backstage Theater Club

Dance Club Bulldog Prep

Drama Improv Club Bullet Journaling

Innovation Club Car tooning

Knit Cafe Crossword Puzzles

Latin Help D & D Club

Lego Club Gardening

Math Counts Jewelry / Accessory Making

Math Puzzles / Games Latin Help

Movie Club Math Help

Photography Odyssey of the Mind

Sketchbook Ar t Club Reading / Writing Buddies

Spanish Help Scrabble / Rummikub

MS Newspaper: “Papercut”

This MS Life Podcasting