Alumni

Class Notes

  • 2021

    March 2021

    • Diana Blank, GSE ’15, will begin serving as the principal of Briarcliff High School, effective July 1, 2021. She holds an EdM in administration and supervision from Bank Street’s Future School Leaders Academy.

    February 2021

    January 2021

    • Arlene “Cookie” Mellitz, GSE ’04, will conclude her 33-yearlong Bank Street career to begin her sabbatical on February 1 and retirement on June 30. Cookie taught physical education, coached numerous sports, and choreographed and directed the School for Children’s 13/14s play. Additionally, she developed and directed the Bank Street Summer Camp.
    • Miriam Sicherman, GSE ’00, third- and fourth-grade teacher at Children’s Workshop School (PS 361M), was featured in the Museum of the City of New York’s “New York Responds” exhibit.
    • Joan Goldstein, GSE ’67, host and producer of Princeton TV’s “Back Story with Joan Goldstein” for more than 15 years, discusses COVID-19 and vaccinations on her latest episodes titled, “What is a Virus?” and “What Do We Know About Vaccinations?”
    • Mark Mihopulos, GSE ’08, designed and established a successful supportive and educational program for LGBT-headed families, including programs for current parents, prospective parents, and the children of LGBT parents at the LGBT community center for Queens and Long Island. He has led the transition to the development and facilitation of the LGBT Network’s Virtual Center.
    • Meg Formica, GSE ’92, developed online virtual professional learning to support early childhood professionals’ lunchtime seminars on Trauma and Young Children (Fall 2020) and Equity in ECE (Winter 2021). She has also developed training offered statewide focused on curriculum, is presenting a Powerful Interactions session at the CTAEYC February 2021 conference, and is organizing the Equity in Early Childhood Education LEARN at Lunch series on February 26.
  • 2020

    December 2020

    • Jon Luongo, GSE ’05, Child Life Specialist, Maimonides Infant & Children’s Hospital of Brooklyn, was featured by the Association of Child Life Professionals in its Child Life in Action series, which highlights stories of Certified Child Life Specialists in various work settings.

    November 2020

    • The New England Museum Association (NEMA) has awarded Corinne Flax, GSE ’08, Manager of School and Community Partnerships, Bruce Museum, a 2020 NEMA Excellence Award for her extraordinary effort and commitment to the New England museum community.
    • Jersey City Free Public Library has appointed Hannah Batren, GSE ’18, as the program coordinator for special events.
    • Eleanor Traubman, GSE ’95, received the Brooklyn COVID-19 Heroes Award from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for writing “My Local Heroes,” a Facebook project featuring interviews with Brooklynites who are serving their community through activism, the arts, and entrepreneurship.

    October 2020

    September 2020

    • Kesina Gray-Graham, GSE ’20, hosted a Black Woman Safe space via Zoom for the staff at Harlem Link Charter School, which was co-founded by, Margaret Ryan, GSE ’01. The virtual space was created in honor and memory of Breonna Taylor and as part of the work of the Diversity Social Justice Committee at Harlem Link.
    • The Board of Trustees of Nutley Family Service Bureau welcomed Katherine Carmichael as its new Executive Director.
    • Diana Gomez, GSE ’98, was the curriculum writer for the Tenement Museum’s Immigration and Migration curriculum unit completed in Fall 2020, just in time to be used by teachers teaching remotely.

    August 2020

    • Mary Hillman, GSE ’17, authored a children’s book titled But How Will I Say Hello? to support young students as they return to school this fall with new routines around physical distancing. Mary launched a Kickstarter campaign for the project to help fund the printing and fulfillment expenses.
    • Marissa Thornton-Samih, GSE ’12, has received the high honor of being recognized as a 2020 Big Apple Teaching Fellow from the New York City Department of Education. Marissa is the first person to ever receive this honor from District 23 in Brooklyn.

    July 2020

    • Tashon McKeithan, GSE ’99, has been named as the new executive director of The Child Educational Center.
    • Naomi Danis, GSE ’74, published a picture book, My Best Friend, Sometimes, (Pow Kids Books, 2020) illustrated by Cinta Arribas, who also illustrated Danis’s 2018 book, I Hate Everyone.
    • Natalie Bernstein, GSE ’91, has taught young children ages 2-5 for more than 30 years.
    • Claire Schloss, GSE ’94, is a dedicated itinerant teacher (SEIT and SEITS/ABA) who provides services to her students while using Telehealth.

    June 2020

    • Jacquelyn Florsheim, GSE ’83, retired kindergarten teacher and diversity coordinator from Packer Collegiate Institute, recently published “White Anti-racist Heroes” work with Brooklyn For Peace
    • Rebecca Camera, GSE ’02, will pursue teacher coaching as a math specialist on Long Island after 17 years in the classroom.
    • Christina Ruiz, GSE ’13, who previously worked as a museum educator and director as well as a Montessori School teacher, now works as a Webinar Coordinator for WePassed.com and is expecting her first child.
    • Leah Golubchick, GSE ’16, co-founded Emergent Horizons, a nonprofit that builds alliances with global refugees and provides direct aid for individuals creating change in their communities.

    May 2020

    • BSCAA Vice President Margaret Ryan Evangelista, GSE ’01, of Harlem Link Charter School, has raised over $25,000 to provide laptops for Harlem Link students who share devices for virtual learning with siblings at home.
    • Farid Johnson, GSE ’10, has been appointed as the next principal of Siwanoy School, part of Pelham Public Schools.
    • Kisha Brown, GSE ’92, has worked for 12 years at Lakelands Park Middle School in Maryland and co-sponsors an extracurricular course entitled: Girls Who STEM.
    • Dan Forstner, GSE ’91, and his students were featured in a Washington Post article titled, “For locked-down high-schoolers, reading ‘The Plague’ is daunting, and then comforting.“
    • Tracy Birkhahn, GSE ’99, is Director of Learning Resources at the 92nd Street Y Nursery School.
    • Amina Alquhaar, GSE ’83, has retired.

    April 2020

    March 2020

    • The Early Learning Center has named Kelly Bird, GSE ’99, as its next director.

    February 2020

    • Aléwa Cooper, GSE ’01, was appointed as The Foote School’s next Head of School.
    • Meghan Fitzgerald, GSE ’06, celebrates reaching over 200,000 kids through Tinkergarten, an organization that offers classes for children and adults who learn together through well-designed, outdoor play-based activities.

    January 2020

  • 2019

    December 2019

    November 2019

    • Susan Kleinsinger, GSE ’72, is proud to have sold her first painting.
    • Dana Keiser, GSE ’04, received her PhD at the Child Development Erikson Institute.
    • Stephanie Mercurio-Doran, GSE ’03, is an EdD candidate at the University of Florida in Curriculum/Instruction.
    • Princess Francois, GSE ’15, was presented with a Milken Educator Award  by the Milken Family Foundation.

    October 2019

    September 2019

    • Lauren Kibbe, GSE ’15,  has joined Friends Select as a lower school assistant teacher.
    • Stacy Fowle, GSE ’97, has been named Westport’s Teacher of the Year for 2020.
    • Ann Fortescue, GSE ’89, is the new executive director of the International Museum of Art and Science in McAllen, TX.

    August 2019

    • Lauren Haggerty, GSE ’11, has joined New Canaan Schools as a Preschool Long Term Substitute.
    • Tim Jones, GSE ’13, has joined Germantown Friends School as a 4th grade lead teacher.
    • Alice Messinger, GSE ’94, is teaching a Linoleum Block Printing class in September at the Boulder Jewish Community Center in Colorado.
    • Francesca Shin Davia, GSE ’14, has joined Rye Country Day School as a Kindergarten Lead Teacher.
    • Jeffrey Nichols, GSE ’03, was selected as the new Executive Director at Georgetown Heritage.
    • William Horning, GSE ’80, known for his geometric paintings and collages, will have his work featured at the Creative 360 Exhibit.
    • Miriam (Cohen) Glickman, GSE ’69, authored “Teaching the Movement,” a paper on a social studies curriculum that she wrote as a graduate student at Bank Street College in 1967.
    • Stacie E. Brennan, GSE ’12, joined Lehigh University Art Galleries as the inaugural curator of education.
    • Alisa Martin, GSE ’95, has started her doctoral studies in the Educational Technology Leadership Program at New Jersey City University (NJCU). Alisa works as a therapist in Early Intervention in the Hudson County region in New Jersey. She is also as an Educational Specialist in New York City.

    July 2019

    June 2019

    May 2019

    • Jennifer Shouffler, GSE ’00, is hired as a new Superintendent for the Tewksbury K-8 school district
    • Aliza (Riemer) Strassman, GSE ’11, received the 2019 Northern New Jersey Grinspoon Award in Jewish Education

    April 2019

  • 2018

    December 2018

    • Emily Overlock Curry, GSE ’08, is a new board member for Greenwich Land Trust
    • Araina Jewell, GSE ’01, has been appointed Academy at the Lakes’ Lower Division Director

    October 2018

    September 2018

    August 2018

    July 2018

    May 2018

    January 2018