Araceli Castro 

has been teaching since 2005 with a Master's Degree in Language and Literacy from California State University of Northridge. Serving as the Science Lead Teacher for 2 years at Hoover Elementary, Araceli was an essential part of supporting the staff in professional development in the area of science instruction.  This collaboration included conducting professional development for the entire staff as well as instituting a Science Night at her school for parents and teachers to work together.  In addition, her work as grade level chair for 2 years consisted of running a Professional Learning Community (PLC), a collaborative protocol that develops units of study based on California standards, data based on student assessments, and students needs. Most recently, in 2011, Araceli earned her National Board Certification and enjoys mentoring student teachers from the UCLA Impact program while becoming certified in the Cognitive Coaching technique.

Marine Yanikian-Sutton

has been teaching since 1999. She holds two Masters degrees, one in Administrative Education and the other in English Literature, from California State University of Los Angeles. Her commitment to teaching is apparent in the work she did at CA Distinguished School, J.B. Monlux Elementary. She worked collaboratively with stakeholders to raise more than $100,000 in grant money and co-wrote the Distinguished School Proposal. She also guided numerous grade levels in intensive professional developments and was part of the Academic Achievement Leadership Team. Currently, she is our Gifted Coordinator, working with teachers to create a cohesive Differentiated Program for our gifted students. She is also a Grade Level Representative and a member of NOW’s Professional Development Team. Her grant writing expertise has guided the development of three grant proposals, one of which (the Riordan Reading Grant) was recently approved. In 2011-2012, Marine began mentoring student teachers from the UCLA Impact program and will be receiving her certificate in Cognitive Coaching.

Suzanne Frias

has been teaching since 2002. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations. After a career in the fashion industry in Los Angeles and in Paris, France, Suzanne was accepted into the Los Angeles Teaching Fellows Program to embark on a second career. She then earned her teaching credential through the LAUSD District Intern Program while working as a teacher at Hoover St. Elementary. There she collaborated with colleagues on a daily basis to implement the gifted after school program and the intervention tutoring program,. Suzanne was the 3rd grade level lead and the PLC 5th grade level lead. She is especially delighted to use her language skills in French and Spanish in order to scaffold her instruction to the large population of English language learners in her classroom. She is an avid participant of the Evening for Educators teacher program sponsored by LACMA and is a strong proponent of integrating visual arts into standardized lessons as much as possible. Currently, Suzanne is the 5th grade PLC grade level lead at NOW Academy and enjoys mentoring student teachers from the UCLA Impact Program while becoming certified in the Cognitive Coaching technique.