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Our Staff Bio
Ms. Marina Vinitskaya, Principal
During her career in Education, Marina Vinitskaya held a variety of demanding and critical leadership positions including teacher-mentor, Principal of a Specialized Linguistic School in Russia, ESL teacher, and supervisor of an after-school ESL district-wide program in New York, ELL-ISS, and ELL-RIS in Region 6 with NYSDOE. She is an author of several emersion ESL and foreign language programs that have been successfully implemented in several business schools in New York City and abroad. She has been a SIG coordinator of NYS TESOL special interest group, ESL in Adult Education. She is a regular participant and presenter at Linguistic, TESOL, and NYSABE Conferences and has a number of publications on electronic literacy, adult education, reading strategies, language development, and supervision.
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Ms. Sima Ruchanskaya, English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher
Born and raised in Belarus, Ms. Sima became interested in language learning at an early age. She is a native speaker of Russian and Byelorussian languages. She also studied French. She has earned a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Adelphi University, N.Y., as well as in Teaching Russian Language and Literature from Mozyr State Pedagogical Institute, Belarus. She has over 20 years of experience in teaching.
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Ms. Diane Goodridge, Guidance Counselor
Born and raised in the beauty island of Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Goodridge majored in business administration and worked in the private sector for many years. She migrated to the United States and continued her education. She graduated from Touro College with B.S. in three disciplines: Education, Counseling, Psychology, and received a Scholar of Excellence Award. She received her M.S. in School Counseling from Long Island University.
Ms Goodridge is a dedicated, self-motivated professional who strives to accomplish new challenges, she hold certifications in Social and Emotional Development, Life Space Crisis Intervention, Conflict Management Strategies, and Resiliency. She is a proactive individual who helped plan professional development programs as well as programs that were centered on the social and emotional development of children. Ms Goodridge confessed that her ultimate goal as a guidance counselor is to support students academically and emotionally by creating a student relationship-centered community where students, staff, families and community members join together to actively pursue the development of every student’s academic, social and emotional potential within a caring and safe environment.
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Ms. Iesha Williams, School Secretary
She is a very dedicated worker who loves to read and write during her spare time. She loves working with children and meet and greets everyone with a big smile. She is looking forward to working with the new students and welcomes everyone to the ITAVA family!
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Ms. Kyleema Norman, Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher
Kyleema A. Norman is a Brooklyn native who holds her B.S. in Computational Mathematics from Brooklyn College and a Masters in Secondary Math Education from The City College of New York. She was a Math Coach at Media and Communications High School for three years. She specializes in interdisciplinary projects. Ms. Norman believes in connecting the various disciplines of academics so that students may have a better understanding of what they are learning. When asked about about her philosophy on learning mathematics she states, “Math is an evolutionary science created by the human race. Therefore any one can comprehend it because its embedded on their DNA. If math was made by a goat, horse or flower, I expect that we may have some difficulties in unfolding its mysteries, but that is not the case. I believe that everyone is a mathematician its just that some of us has been told otherwise. It’s my job to bring out the mathematician in every child I teach and enhance their skills.”
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Ms. Christine Bite Manaloto, Mathematics &Computer Science Teacher
Born in Legaspi City, Philippines, Ms. Manaloto is a Filipino who has been a teacher for 12 years in her home country and three years in New York. Ms. Manaloto has earned her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with Computer Science from the College of the Holy Spirit, Manila and her master’s degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Santo Tomas, the Pontifical Catholic University of the Philippines. Having been raised by a family with strong catholic background, Ms. Manaloto believes that the teaching profession is a vocation. Her educational philosophy stately proves this belief, “I dedicate myself to my vocation-profession, a TEACHER- a living witness to facilitating the learning process of my students, strive to induce good and morally correct values to my students, touch the lives of my students and help them to achieve their goals towards becoming successful in their future lives.”
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Ms Charlotte Gilkes, Teacher of Literature
Ms. Gilkes holds a Master of Arts in Secondary English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelors degree both in English Literature and Education. Ms. Gilkes has been an accredited teacher for the past five years and has picked up high accolades in her career. In addition, she is a certified Mediation Specialist and enjoys reading African-American Literature.
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Mr. Yvon Morin, Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher
Born in Hinche, a small province of Haiti, Mr. Morin grew up with the passion to be helpful to everyone in his neighborhood. At the age of 11, he was already volunteering his time tutoring kids with no SES (Social Economic Status). At the age of 24, after graduating with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, he was nominated by the State University of Haiti to become adjunct Secretary at the faculty of Ethnology to be responsible for students’ affairs. He then started his career as a civil engineer and worked during five years for the catholic Clergy, the Haitian government, some Haitian and foreign nonprofit organizations before migrating to the United States where he later graduated with a bachelor's degree in technology with a major in micro computer systems.
As Mr. Morin always believed in education as a powerful tool to be used to change a child's life, this ambition has led him to pursue a degree in Education so he can become a catalyst of such change. He now has a M.A. in Mathematics Education from Brooklyn College and intends to invest fully his knowledge and experiences in stimulating interest in mathematics learning so the process does not become boredom to the students.
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Mr. Daniel Perez, Teacher of Social Studies
Daniel Perez was born and raised here in Brooklyn. He received his B.A. from St. Francis College in Secondary Education Social Studies. He has taught in the private schools around NY and spent 3 years teaching in Cutler Ridge Middle School in Miami Florida. Daniel has also coached Soccer, Basketball, and swimming. Presently he is Working on his Masters degree at Brooklyn College.
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Ms. Tracy Martinez, Teacher of ELA +
Ms. Martinez believes in the mission set forth by It Takes a Village Academy and educates students according to the standards set by the state. She graduated from Brooklyn College and appreciates all elements of education. She is dedicated to educating all students regardless of personal characteristics.
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Ms. Madelyn Roesch, Teacher of Social Studies
Madelyn Roesch is a native of Brooklyn, although she lived in the Chicago area of Illinois for 19 years. She received a BA in History from the City College of New York and an MS.Ed from Queens College, CUNY. She has also done graduate work at the University of Chicago and Harvard and Columbia Universities. In 2000, Madelyn left a career in publishing to become a teacher, a decision she has never regretted. "Teaching is about helping students learn to think independently. The subject doesn't matter, the thinking does. And when students begin to think for themselves, they begin to enjoy learning. The habit lasts a lifetime."
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Mr. Gregory Baeza, Physics Teacher
Mr Gregory C Baeza is our Physics teacher (regents and AP), in his second year teaching at ITAVA, his sixth year teaching in Brooklyn. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Emory University in 2000, and his Master's in Education from Pace Univerity in 2008. Prior to teaching, Mr Baeza was involved in music production and recording engineering, as well as preparing students for the SAT exam.
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Mr. Reyes, Teacher of Biology and English as a Second Language (ESL)
Born in Cuba but raised in the United States, Mr. Reyes was originally interested in Math. Mr. Reyes’ career has been extensive. He elevated himself from a bookkeeper to a Chief Financial Officer of a major Swiss firm in New York City before switching to Science. Mr. Reyes believes that a diversified background creates a maturity both academically and intellectually. His educational background includes a B.S. in Science from Fordham University, a Masters of Taxation from Pace University, and a Masters in Science Education from Brooklyn College. He currently holds teaching licenses in Biology and ESL. He has 7 years of teaching experience in Science.
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