Brooke High School Team 2019-2020
Ms. Katie Megrian
Principal
B.A., Bates College; M.Ed., Bank Street College of Education
Ms. Megrian joined the Brooke Roslindale campus in 2006 as a founding teacher. While in Roslindale, she taught Kindergarten, second, fourth, and fifth grade. Ms. Megrian was a 2004 Teach for America corps member in New York City, where she taught fifth and sixth grade at I.S. 216 in the Bronx. She was the founding principal of Brooke Mattapan in 2011 before transitioning to her role as Network Director of ELA in 2015. Ms. Megrian is thrilled to lead the Brooke High Team as Principal.
Mr. Nick LaRocque
Assistant Principal
B.A., Bowdoin College; M.Ed., Boston College
Mr. Larocque completed his undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College in 2005 and his Master's of Education with a focus on Moderate Disabilities from Boston College in 2008. After finishing his Master's program, he worked for two years at Phoenix Charter Academy. For the next 9 years, he worked at KIPP: San Jose Collegiate, where he served in a variety of roles that included History Teacher, Education Specialist, Grade Level Chair, and Vice Principal of Instruction. He is extremely excited to be joining the Brooke team.
Mr. Joe Valentine-White
Assistant Principal
B.A., Kenyon College; M.A. University of Michigan
Mr. Valentine-White joined Brooke in 2018 as an Assistant Principal Fellow at Brooke High School. Originally from Baltimore, MD, he began his career in education as a 2011 Teach For America corps member in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to joining Brooke, he served as a Dean of Students at KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School.
Mr. Alex Forrest
Dean of Students
B.A., University of Michigan
Alex Forrest joined Brooke in 2007 as a second grade Associate Teacher at Brooke Roslindale. Since then, Mr. Forrest taught three years of third grade at Brooke Roslindale, then became part of the founding team at Brooke Mattapan as the Dean of Students in 2011. In 2016, Mr. Forrest was part of the founding team at Brooke High School as the Dean of Students and Athletic Director.
Mr. Corey Yarbrough
Director of Operations
B.A., James Madison University
Corey Yarbrough joined Brooke in 2016 as the Founding Director of Operations of Brooke High School and 8th Grade Academy. Before coming to Brooke, Corey founded and served as Executive Director of a local non-profit organization for 6 years and managed college prep programs for first generation college-bound students in the New England region.
Ms. Janette Kerr
Director of College Counseling
B.A., University of Illinois; M.A., Temple University
Janette Kerr joined Brooke in 2018 as Director of College Counseling. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Kerr worked in youth development, community engagement, and college counseling in Chicago non-profits and high schools for twenty years.
Ms. Kasey Alfonso
School Psychologist
Prior to joining Brooke Charter Schools, Ms. Alfonso worked at KIPP Austin Texas as a School Psychology Intern. She is passionate about educational reform and enhancing the quality of life for youth. Ms. Alfonso is thrilled to return back to Boston and work with the Brooke team!
Ms. Dorice Moise
School Psychologist
B.A., Boston College; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education; M.A., Ed.S, Tufts University
Ms. Moise is the new school psychologist at 8th Grade Academy and Brooke High School this year after working at Brooke Roslindale for several years as an AT and School Psychologist. Prior to returning to Brooke, she worked at both a middle and elementary school in Boston as a school psychologist and special education coordinator. Ms. Moise is passionate about trauma-informed learning and is dedicated to the academic and social emotional success of all students. She is excited to be working at both 8th Grade Academy and Brooke High this year!
Mr. Anthony Gleeson
College Counselor
B.S., Salem State University
Anthony Gleeson joined Brooke in 2019, as a College Counselor on the College Counseling department. Before coming to Brooke, Anthony worked at Salem State University as a First-Year mentor and Administrative Assistant for the Advising Department. He also served as a Success Coach on the SSU campus partnering with a College Access program, Let's Get Ready.
Mr. A.J. Stephens
Dean of Students Fellow
Ms. Gianna Cacciatore
English Teacher
M.Ed. Harvard University; B.A., Harvard University
Ms. Cacciatore joined Brooke in 2018 to teach 9th grade Composition after teaching 9th grade ELA in Dallas, TX. Originally from the South Shore of MA, she completed her undergraduate degree in English at Harvard University in 2017 and is currently completing her Masters in Education at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She is a member of the Harvard Teacher Fellow's founding cohort.
Ms. Christine Ko
History and Literature Teacher
B.S., Vanderbilt University
Christine Ko joined Brooke in 2017 as the Founding 10th Grade AP United States History and American Literature at the High School. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Ko taught AP World History for four years in Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Ms. Becca Corso
History and Literature Teacher
B.A., Gettysburg College; M.A., Fairfield University
Rebecca Corso joined Brooke in 2018 as a 9th Grade American History and Literature teacher at Brooke High School. Before coming to Brooke, Rebecca taught History for four years in Connecticut.
Ms. Sarah Hughes
History and Literature Teacher
B.A., Smith College; M.A.T, Simmons College
Sarah Hughes grew up in Dorchester, Ma and attended Boston Public Schools including City on a Hill Charter School (COAH). Over the past 10 years, Sarah Hughes has taught in a variety of educational settings including charter, public, and independent schools. It was during these experiences that she found that she deeply enjoyed high school students and wanted to make this section of education her permanent home. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, and cooking new vegetarian recipes.
Mr. Jim Mayers
English Teacher
B.A., St. Lawrence University; M.A.T., Relay Graduate School of Education
Jim Mayers joined Brooke in 2019 as the eleventh grade AP Language & Composition Teacher. Before coming to Brooke, Mr. Mayers taught AP Seminar for two years in Brooklyn, was an instructional coach with Teach For America - Arkansas, and taught eighth and tenth grade English for four years in Marked Tree, Arkansas.
Ms. Nunziata Monaco
History Teacher
B.A., Barnard College, Columbia University; M.Ed., Boston University School of Education
Ms. Monaco joined Brooke High School after working for six years in public and charter schools in Massachusetts, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Spain. She has designed and taught curricula ranging from Science to Spanish across Pre-K through 12th grade, and most recently worked as an Instructional Coach and Grade Level Lead for Uncommon Schools. She earned her B.A. in Human Rights Studies, English Literature, and Film History from Barnard, Columbia, her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University, and is a TFA alumna. She is excited to continue her journey as lifelong educator and learner at Brooke.
Ms. Annie Sferrazza
English and ESL Teacher
B.A., Hofstra University; Ed.M., Boston University
Annie Sferrazza joined Brooke in 2018 as ELL Coordinator across Brooke High School, Eighth Grade Academy, and Brooke Roslindale. Since then, Ms. Sferrazza has also coached 8th grade cross country and track. Ms. Sferrazza is currently serving as ELL Coordinator at Brooke High School and Eighth Grade Academy, as well as a Brooke High School advisor and tenth grade American Literature teacher. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Sferrazza worked in the marketing and advertising industries. She then went back to school to change careers. Upon graduating, she taught English in Spain for a year before teaching ESL at another charter high school in Boston.
Ms. Gabriella Sharpe
English Teacher
B.S., Boston College, 2014.
Ms. Sharpe joined BHS as an associate teacher for 9th grade AP US History and Literature I in 2016. Prior to joining the Brooke Network, she taught Elementary Music and 8th grade English in Mississippi for two years through Teach for America. Ms. Sharpe is proud to be a Brooke High School teacher!
Ms. Lauren Shively
History and Literature Teacher
B.A., Colgate University; M.A.T. Simmons University
Lauuren Shively joined Brooke in 2019 as a 10th grade United States American History and Literature Teacher at Brooke High School. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Shively taught English for five years at City on a Hill Charter Public School Dudley Square in Roxbury and taught English as a Foreign Language for one year in Yilan, Taiwan.
Ms. Emily Warmington
History and Literature Teacher
B.A., Colby College; M.A.T., Relay Graduate School of Education
Emily Warmington joined Brooke in 2015 as a 7th Grade ELA/Social Studies Teacher at Brooke Roslindale. She is currently serving as a 9th grade History/Literature teacher at Brooke High School. Before joining Brooke, Ms. Warmington taught 5th and 6th Grade ELA at schools in New Jersey and California.
Ms. Meredith Goldberg
Math Teacher
B.A., Tufts University; Masters in Teaching, National Louis University
Ms. Goldberg graduated from Tufts University in 2013 with a degree in Political Science and Economics. She was a 2013 Teach For America corps member in Chicago, while also earning her Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Special Education. In Chicago, she taught special education and high school math for four years as well as was a founding math teacher at a charter network. Ms. Goldberg is thrilled to be returning to Boston and to be teaching Algebra at Brooke High School.
Mr. Carter Hempleman
Math Teacher
M.S., Columbia University's Teachers College; B.S. Lehigh University
Mr. Hempleman came to Brooke Charter Schools in 2018. Prior to that he was with Uncommon Schools as the assistant principal and math coordinator at Roxbury Prep Mission Hill and the founding 7th and 8th grade math teacher at Roxbury Prep Dorchester. Mr. Hempleman started his professional career working as a financial advisor with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and found his true passion for teaching while volunteer teaching a personal finance course in a public high school in Brooklyn, NY.
Ms. Murielle Joseph
Math Teacher
B.A. Providence College
Prior to joining Brooke in September 2018 as an Associate Teacher, she graduated from Providence College in 2015 with a degree in Social Sciences, focusing in Psychology, Political Science, and History. She immediately went on to complete a year of service as an AmeriCorps Member with City Year Miami, and later for a second year with City Year Providence. During her two years in these two cities she worked mentoring and tutoring in 9th grade Algebra I classes. For the past year she worked part time as a youth mechanics instructor teaching STEM and bike building to high school students at a community bike shop in Providence, as well as being a substitute teacher for Boston Public Schools.
Ms. Lauren Meissner
Math Teacher
Ms. Sylvia Sanchez
Math Teacher
Ms. Sanchez has coached basketball, track, and cross country at Brooke High. She is an alumna from the Community Charter School of Cambridge.
Ms. Lauren Horne
Science Teacher
B.A., Boston University; M.Ed., George Washington University
Lauren Horne joined Brooke in 2018, as our eleventh grade physics teacher at Brooke High School. She is currently the eleventh grade team leader. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Horne taught multiple subjects across grades 7-12 in the DC Public Schools and charter schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Mr. Cedric Jacobson
Science Teacher
B.S. Chemistry, Microbiology and B.A. in Biology University of Montana; M.Ed Southern Methodist University
Mr. Jacobson joined Brooke High in 2018 as the Chemistry teacher. He began teaching in 2009 through Teach for America in Dallas, where he taught high school chemistry and physics at H. Grady Spruce High School. In his 3rd year there, he was selected as Teacher of the Year. He then taught for six years with Achievement First in New Haven, CT, where he earned the title of Distinguished Teacher. Mr. Jacobson is excited to help students uncover the small-scale workings of the world around them!
Ms. Luyan Lin
Science Teacher
B.S., University of Massachusetts Amherst; M.S., Johns Hopkins University
Luyan Lin joined Brooke in 2019 as the biology teacher on the Brooke High School Team. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Lin served as a 2016 Teach for America corps member and worked in Bridgeport, Connecticut as the 7th grade science teacher and grade level chair.
Ms. Ali Neugebauer
Science Teacher
B.S., Franklin and Marshall College; M. Ed., Drexel University
Ali Neugebauer joined Brooke in 2014 as a seventh grade math and science teacher at Brooke East Boston. Since then, Ms. Neugebauer was the founding Biology teacher at Brooke High School. She is currently a biology and medical interventions teacher at Brooke High school. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Neugebauer taught environmental science and math enrichment at Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia. Prior to starting her teaching career, Ms. Neugebauer worked for City Year Philadelphia.
Ms. Vicmarys Brito
Spanish Teacher and Director of Spanish Curriculum and Instruction
B.A. History, College of the Holy Cross; MEd Curriculum and Teaching, Boston University
Ms. Brito joins Brooke High after working as the founding Spanish Teacher at Roxbury Preparatory High School for two years. At RPHS, Ms. Brito created curriculum for Spanish 1, Spanish 2 and Spanish for Native Speakers. She earned a BA in History from College of the Holy Cross, MEd in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University, and is a proud TFA Alumna. She is excited to join the team at Brooke High!
Ms. Alexandra Tejeda Diaz
Spanish Teacher
Mr. Clay Gatlin
Spanish Teacher
Ms. Yuliana Palacio Ortiz
Spanish Teacher
B.A., Universidad de Antioquia; M.Ed., Boston University
Yuliana Palacio Ortiz joined Brooke in 2019, as a Spanish teacher in Brooke High School. Before coming to Brooke, Yuliana completed her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Boston University. She also taught English and French in her home country Colombia for two years.
Mr. Caston Boyd
Computer Science Teacher
Ms. Jabree Ellis
Computer Science Teacher
B.A., Wellesley College
Jabree Ellis joined Brooke in 2019 as a Computer Science Teacher at Brooke High School. Before coming to Brooke, Ms.Ellis worked for two years as a Dudley Promise Corps AmeriCorps Service member. In this role, Ms.Ellis had the great honor of being an assistant 6th grade science teacher and mentor.
Mr. Myles Proctor
Computer Science Teacher
B.S., Fordham University
Mr. Proctor started teaching with Brooke as an Associate Teacher in 2016 after earning his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Fordham University. During the school year he tutored grades K-8 at a STEM enrichment center in Manhattan, as well as working in the Bronx as an Operations Intern for Success Academy during the summer. He looks forward to joining the Brooke High School Team as a Computer Science teacher, and hopefully teaching some of his former students!
Mr. Leo Colon
Music Teacher
B.A. in Music, University of Massachusetts
Mr. Colon has been a professional musician for thirty years and has been teaching for twenty five. His first teaching job was as an ESL teacher in Dominican Republic. Moved to Boston in 1995 to attend Berklee College later transferring to UMASS where he graduated with honors in 2016. As a guitar, piano, bass and ensemble instructor, he has taught over a thousand students in the developing a passion for teaching particularly young students. Mr. Colon has led his students in multiple performances at The House of Blues, Berklee Performance Center, Agannis Arena, The Paradise Club, The Paramount, Harvard University and The Sinclair sharing the stage and/or opening for music legends such as Sting, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Veeder, Kool and the Gang and actor-musician Terence Howard. Outside of school he is a dedicated basketball player, amateur salsa dancer and father of three wonderful kids ages 16, 14 and 10. Mr. Colon was very excited to join the amazing Brooke team in September of 2017 and looks forward to be part of it for years to come.
Mr. Sherman Cowan
Step Teacher
BA, History, BA Psychology; MS Counseling Psychology, State University of New York at Oswego, NY
Sherman Cowan is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and has been teaching Step to K-12 students in the Boston area for the last 20 years. After joining his fraternity in the spring of 1987, he realized that he had a strong passion for stepping. He is also a retired military officer after serving 31 years in the Army Reserves and Air National Guard. In his free time he enjoys playing tennis and developing new steps for his teams.
Mr. Charles Hughley
Media Literacy and Video Teacher
B.S., M.S., Northeastern University
Mr. Hughley attended Northeastern University and studied Media Communications as an undergraduate, and earned a masters degree in Digital Media. Mr. Hughley enjoyed learning media and realized he had an affinity for teaching it as well!
Ms. Nakia Navarro
Environmental Justice Teacher
B.A. Winthrop University; M.A, Tufts University (in progress)
Nakia Navarro hails from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts with her two children, Kayla and Mateo. Nakia received her Bachelor's degree in Public Administration with a minor in Spanish from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a Certificate in Global Communications from the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain, and she is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University.Nakia volunteers her time by speaking to youth about her career and how to become a community organizer. She also volunteers as a board member on both the WBGH Community Advisory Board and the Rise Above Foundation Board. In her free time she can be found hunched over her laptop with a large coffee writing. Nakia's writing portfolio includes her destination wedding magazine, Sea Settings, and an anthology, The Messiness of Life: A Collection of Flash Fiction.
Ms. Joanna Cabrera
Associate Teacher
B.A., Syracuse University
Ms. Cabrera graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Secondary Education and English and Textual Studies. She found her passion for education during her summers working with Generation Teach. Ms. Cabrera is very excited to continuing growing as an educator and mentor.
Mr. Phoenix Mendes
Associate Teacher
Ms. Zakiah Williams
Associate Teacher
Ms. Emily Burke
Student Support Coordinator
B.A., Catholic University of America
Emily Burke joined Brooke in 2019 as a Student Support Coordinator. Prior to coming to Brooke, Emily was a Learning Specialist at Excel Academy Charter High School in East Boston. Emily is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Special Education at Boston University.
Ms. Marissa Chin
Student Support Coordinator
B.A. Colby College, M.Special Ed., The Catholic University of America
Ms. Chin began her teaching career as a member of Match Corps III at Match High School in Boston, MA. Following that, she spent six years teaching Special Education for K1-3rd grade in Washington, DC, and one year in Boston. This fall, Ms. Chin is joining the Brooke High School team as a Student Support Coordinator.
Mr. Jonathan Rollock
Student Support Coordinator
Mr. Rollock joined Brooke High School after three years as a History teacher and case manager at City on a Hill Charter School in Roxbury. Prior to that, he taught at the Boston Higashi School in Randolph for four years where he fell in love with alternative styles of teaching and learned to love a challenge. Mr. Rollock is eager to bring his experiences from City Year as well as his varied experiences in education to a new school and new students. In his free time, you can find him reciting full episodes of "The Office" to his endlessly patient wife, playing video games with his friends, or laying somewhere quiet and playing his ukulele.
Ms. Kelsey Sanders
Student Support Coordinator
B.A., Western Washington University; M.S., Pace University
Kelsey Sanders joined Brooke in 2019, as a Student Support Coordinator at Brooke High School. Before coming to Brooke, Ms. Sanders taught Special Education in the Bronx for three years as a member of the 2012 cohort of the NYC Teaching Fellows. Following that, she served as a Learning Specialist and chaired the Special Education department at KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate in Lynn, MA.
Ms. Rashanda Coplin
Operations Manager
B.A., Fisher College
Prior to joining Brooke in 2016, Ms. Coplin worked in both finance and account management at Hill Holliday Advertising for 4.5 years. She received her B.A in Communication and Media Studies from Fisher College, and is also an alumna of City on a Hill Charter School in Boston, MA.
Ms. Tiffany Fenton
Office Manager and Improv Theater Teacher
B.S., University of Rhode Island
Tiffany T. Fenton is an actress, improviser, and director, who has spent the last decade performing and teaching throughout New England. She is the founder of C.R.E.A.T.E. Yourself, a program dedicated to teaching young people the unique process of self-development and expression using improvisation and theater skills as a guide. She is passionate about bringing her love of the stage to Brooke High students.