Yamilis Cruz

Yamilis (Yami) Cruz moved to Salem, Massachusetts from Miami, Florida approximately two years ago. Coming from a Cuban family, Yami is a first-generation college graduate. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Education and a Master's degree in Reading Education from Florida International University. Additionally, she pursued a Specialist degree (CAGS) in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. To further enhance her leadership skills, Yami recently completed the Perrone-Sizer Institute for Creative Leadership, obtaining her principal license in Massachusetts. 

With twelve years of experience in the field of education, Yami has served as both a classroom teacher and an instructional coach. As she eagerly prepares for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, she looks forward to embarking on her thirteenth year as an educator. Notably, Yami also recently had the privilege of participating in the Massachusetts Teach Plus Policy Fellowship, where she dedicated her efforts towards increasing diversity within the educator workforce across the state. 

Yami holds a deep passion for the significance of representation in education. She firmly believes in the transformative power of diverse perspectives, which originally motivated her to pursue a career in the field. Yami's dedication to promoting inclusivity and ensuring that every student's voice is valued remains a cornerstone of her educational philosophy.

Mary Foyle

Mary is a returning Teacher Advisory Board member who served in the 2022-2023 school year. Mary has taught English in public high school for over twenty years, recently adding service learning and civics to her classroom repertoire.  In addition to  being a classroom teacher, she has chaired the English department, been active in her local and state teachers associations, and designed and offered a myriad of professional development. Mary holds a Bachelor's Degree from Framingham State and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching English from Fitchburg State. She currently resides in North Central Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

Peter Franklin

Peter Franklin is an English Teacher at Swampscott High School, entering in his 18th year teaching there.  Peter currently teaches AP English Language & Composition, Public Speaking, Creative Writing, and Mindfulness.  He is a Certified Mindfulness Instructor and spearheads Swampscott’s Mindfulness initiative, as well as being a thought leader for the district’s SEL initiatives.  Peter is a  DESE-approved PDP provider, delivering mindfulness training, consulting, and practical workshops for teachers, administrators, and educational leaders who desire less stress, anxiety, and fear, and increased productivity and happiness in their buildings and classrooms.   Peter received his BA in English/Creative Writing and a graduate degree in Education from the University of California, Davis, and a Juris Doctor degree from Purdue Global Law School. He has had the privilege of being selected five times by the graduating class to be SHS’s Commencement speaker. Peter rides bikes, and has raised over $75,000 for the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC).

Kerri Furtado

Kerri Furtado is a middle school social studies teacher at John J. Doran in Fall River Public Schools. In her role, she teaches Geography and Ancient Civilizations I to sixth-grade students, Geography and Civilizations II to seventh-grade students, and Civics and Government to eighth-grade students. This is her third year working in Fall River, prior to that she had been a teacher at City on a Hill Charter Public School in New Bedford and St. Mary's School, also in New Bedford. Kerri has a Masters Degree in Education, and is currently in the process of completing a Masters Degree in American History through the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Kerri is passionate about learning and education, both for herself and her students. Kerri considers herself a lifelong learner and is always looking for opportunities to develop and enhance her understanding of history and the ways in which it has shaped our world today. In addition to learning, Kerri spends time working with the Apprentice Program at the New Bedford Whaling Museum supporting high school students as they learn vital skills for academics and personal growth.

Randi Gallerani

Randi Gallerani is an English Language Arts teacher at Barnstable High School in Barnstable, MA as well as in Wareham Public Schools’ PASS program. She has received her Bachelor’s in English and Philosophy from Bridgewater State University and a Master’s in Education from Merrimack University. She focuses on inclusive practices, specializing in social emotional wellness and LGBTQ+ inclusion. This work has led her to creating and sharing resources and professional development opportunities in the areas of LGBTQ+ inclusivity and social emotional strategies to implement in the classroom, regardless of grade level or subject. It has also led her to advise both her school’s GSA and Human Rights club, where she fosters activism and inclusivity in today’s youth. In her free time, she can be found reading, rock climbing, learning film photography, or going on nature walks with her dog.

Christine Goonan

Going into her twenty fourth year of teaching, Christine Goonan did not start off her career as an educator but as a scientist working both in healthcare and as a FDA medical device manufacturing consultant. Christine Goonan is a mentor for her science educators and as well as holding a position of TA for Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach. Currently a stem educator and Project Lead the Way lead teacher in her elementary school in Wilbraham Massachusetts. Christine also participated as a teacher reviewer through Pearson for the current 5th grade Science MCAS. Christine has taught science kindergarten through 6th grade. Christine facilitates a Girls Who Code club through her local library helping teens especially girls learn to code. She holds a bachelors of science in biology from Stonehill College, a masters in science from Springfield College and a certificate in  Engineering Education from Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach. She is looking forward to working with the Teacher Collaborative.

Elizabeth Metts

Elizabeth is a returning Teacher Advisory Board member who served in the 2022-2023 school year. Going into her eighth year of teaching, Elizabeth Metts serves as the 9th grade world history teacher, grade-level chair, and PD facilitator at Excel Academy Charter High School in East Boston, MA. Prior to Excel, Elizabeth taught 3rd and 4th grades at Community Day Arlington in Lawrence, MA, 6th and 7th grades at Match Middle School in Jamaica Plain, and 8th grade at UP Academy Oliver back in Lawrence. She also has previous experience in the arts administration and policy fields, having worked for the Guggenheim Museum, SFMOMA, Columbia Law School's Center for Public Research and Leadership, and the Obama White House's Turnaround Arts education reform initiative. In addition to her work at Excel, Elizabeth coaches first- and second-year teachers for the Sposato Graduate School of Education, as well as new and veteran teachers across the country for the Modern Classrooms Project. She is excited to be working with the Teacher Collaborative again, after participating in the Passion to Learn Co-Lab in 2020. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from Princeton University, a master’s in arts administration from Columbia University, and a master’s in effective teaching from the Sposato Graduate School of Education.

Cara Pekarcik 

Cara Pekarcik is a veteran science teacher at North Quincy High School (NQHS) in Quincy, Massachusetts. Before beginning her teaching career, Cara worked as a researcher, naturalist, and Intern Coordinator at the Whale Center of New England in Gloucester, MA. She combines her background in marine science with her love for teaching to educate students in biology and zoology. During her 17 years at NQHS, Cara has been an assistant volleyball coach, National Honor Society Adviser, Girls Who Code facilitator, and the chair of the school’s Culture and Climate Committee. Cara served as a PolarTREC educator during a 2016 research trip to Antarctica. She was named the 2018 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. She received the NEA Foundation California Casualty Award for Excellence in Education in 2018 and the BioGENEius Mentor Award from The Biotechnology Institute in 2019.  Most recently, Cara contributed to her local PBS station as a GBH Educator Ambassador from 2020-2022. Cara holds an MA in Secondary Education (Biology) from UMASS Boston and recently completed her Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) at Walden University. Her dissertation investigated teachers’ perceptions and instructional practices related to career exploration in high school STEM curricula. Cara lives in Weymouth, MA, and in her time away from work, she loves to read.

Anna Sabella

Anna is a proud public school educator. Thoughtfully described by one of her supervisors as the “Social Emotional English teacher”, Anna has been teaching at Haverhill High School for over a decade. She started at HHS in the fall of 2011 for her student teaching fellowship and never left. She is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and is passionate about the connection between SEL and DEI. She is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive classroom environment and wants to make sure all her students are seen, heard, and supported. Anna holds an M.Ed in Secondary Education from Merrimack College and an M.A. from Emerson College in Journalism. She is a lifelong learner and she’d love to work towards a doctorate someday. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading books, traveling, writing, creating, and baking.

Alicia Serafin 

Alicia is currently a 6th grade ESL Teacher at the Madeline English School in Everett. Alicia is a returning Teacher Advisory Board member who served in the 2022-2023 school year. She previously taught English as a Second Language in Wilmington, Melrose and Salem Public Schools. As a Sontag Prize in Urban Education Winner, Alicia has also had the opportunity to teach in the Lawrence Public Schools and a Salem Charter School in Massachusetts. She later became a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education-approved Professional Development Provider providing 15 PDPs in ESL and other courses. She is proud of her role in the Massachusetts’ CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers (CURATE) initiative, having served as both a Middle School Facilitator and an Elementary Panelist since its inception. Prior to her role as a Teach Plus National Senior Research Fellow, Alicia was a Teach Plus Policy Fellow and Core Collaborative Professional Development Provider in the 5 District Partnership. Alicia graduated from Cornell University with a BA in French and received her MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and Masters of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language from Salem State University.

Masha Stine

Masha is a Geometry teacher at Salem High School. Growing up in the local Sudbury schools while being raised by a Boston Public educator, she was well aware of the disparities in the system. Fresh out of Boston University, an invitation to Teach For America in San Jose, CA launched her career to address these inequities herself as a teacher. Masha is passionate about bringing together teachers in communities of practice including critical consciousness training and DIY Coaching, a teacher led professional development model rooted in video tape reflection. She has also been a fellow for the BPS Office of Equity, the Stanford Hollyhock Teaching fellowship, and the DESE Inspired program. In her free time, Masha does crossword puzzles and is currently learning Spanish. She lives in Peabody with her partner and their dog.

Natasha Veatch

Natasha Veatch has her Masters in (TESOL) Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages. She has worked in Special Education for 3 years supporting students with moderate disabilities to access the curriculum. She is the Learning Specialist on the 6th grade team at Excel Academy Greenway in East Boston, Mass.

Natasha is a dedicated and empathetic teacher with an insightful understanding of multi-modal teaching methods for different learning styles and aptitudes. She is deeply committed to treating her students equally and cultivating their desire to learn.

She currently resides in Beverly, Mass. with her husband, calico cat, Milkyway, and is due to give birth to a son, Myles, in November 2023. She is excited to pass down her passion for reading and writing to him!

Zandrina Atherly

Zandrina is a returning Teacher Advisory Board member who served in the 2022-2023 school year.