ART -- ELENA BELKOV

Bio coming soon...

ASTRONOMY & GEOGRAPHY -- JESSE LYONS

The son of two teachers and the nephew of an astronomer; Jesse got an early start with diverse education.  He was inspired by what he saw through the telescopes in his uncle's observatory and made a decision at a young age to learn as much as he could about everything.

After participating in "problem solving' gifted programs and a nationally award winning Jazz Vocal Ensemble; at age 18 he won a full community service-based scholarship to Northeastern University.  There he molded his degree to encompass music, social science and business. While attending Northeastern, and in addition to his classes; he participated in and led volunteer initiatives providing educational opportunities and after-school programs to underprivileged youth, recent immigrants and homeless communities.

Through his scholarship, he had the opportunity to study abroad in Auckland New Zealand and he credits this experience as sparking his passion for world cultures, geography and global understanding.  After graduating from Northeastern in 2006, he fostered it through teaching and designing cultural arts curriculum at the Wellesley Community Children's Center at Wellesley College for three years.

In 2009, Jesse embarked upon a three year working and experiential journey through Asia. His travels took him through China, Japan, Mongolia and Southeast Asia; and professionally, he worked as the head teacher and foreign academic supervisor at an English School in Korea; as an ESL teacher and creative consultant in Taiwan; and as a freelance language specialist in Vietnam.

  
As the astronomy and geography teacher, Jesse will draw upon both Eastern and Western pedagogical methods and he will use the knowledge and cultural awareness he has gained through his international experience, professional history and rich education to deliver comprehensive global and universal perspectives and knowledge.

CHESS -- KAZIM GULAMALI

Kazim is a chess master now ranked by FIDE as the 85th highest rated player in the United States, and has been the highest rated player living in the state of Georgia. Kazim has played chess since he was 3 and was winning statewide tournaments by the age 12. At 16, Kazim had already become a National Master. His big break came in the 2006 world open when he won 1st place in the Under 2300 section of the prestigious “World Chess tournament." By age 19 he had already received his FIDE (FM) master title.

Kazim enjoys teaching chess to children of various levels.  While in Georgia, he has taught at chess schools and after-school programs.  A recent transplant to Massachusetts, he is looking forward to teaching CASA's students the great game of chess, complete with instruction on the importance of attention, focus, foresight and patience.

GEOGRAPHY -- ASHLEY COSTA

Ashley grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts as the daughter of parents who had migrated from Portugal and Brazil to provide a better life for their family. As the first generation American born, Ashley has been brought up knowing that education is very important. She began school as a bilingual student and started traveling at a young age. Having traveled to fifteen countries has equipped her to share the geography and culture of each country.

From a young age, Ashley has known that she wanted to teach, and considered this while traveling. She has been teaching and promoting geographic learning with children both inside and outside of a classroom setting in her hometown and in many of the places she has visited. She began student-teaching in high school and continued throughout college.

Ashley is a graduate of Bridgewater State University with a bachelor's degree in Geography. While at Bridgewater State University, she assisted in running its EarthView Program, which is a national model for geography education and outreach that uses a 22-foot portable globe classroom. She has helped to lead programs for thousands of students at schools and public events throughout Massachusetts.

Ashley's education includes short-term study of coffee in Nicaragua and the long-term study of urban geography in Brazil. In addition to a facility with languages and world music, Ashley has experience as a professional photographer. Many of her photographs have been used to promote and document the EarthView program, and her credits include a photograph of EarthView that was included in National Geographic's Geography for Life, the national standards document for geography education.

Having seen first-hand that Geography goes well beyond social studies, Ashley is convinced that it should be a major part of children's daily learning. She is eager to promote the importance of geography education among students of all ages. At CASA, Ashley introduces children to geography using both her own travel experiences and her formal training in the subject. She brings enthusiasm and awareness of geography into her classroom, helping students understand their role in an ever more globalized world via well-rounded and systematic presentations.

HISTORY & FRENCH -- ELLIOT WAYNE

Elliot grew up in the greater Boston area and graduated from Wayland High School. He attended the University of Vermont where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in History with a minor in Religion.  After graduation Elliot moved to Paris, France where he attended La Sorbonne to study the French language, French history and French Literature. After he completed his studies, Elliot stayed in France for another three years and worked as an English teacher in an elementary school, while also working as a manager in a bookstore.

Upon his return to the United States, Elliot worked in high tech industry, but eventually decided to go back to school for a degree in education. He attended Simmons College, where he received a Master's degree in Education. Consequently, he taught Ancient World History, Modern World History and American History in the Lexington Public School System, Belmont Public School System and the Cambridge Public School System.

For the last four years, Elliot has been giving private lessons in French, History, Reading, Writing, English, literature, test preparation and study skills.

MATH, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY -- ALEXANDRA PERUTA

The daughter of a mathematics professor, Alexandra grew up in Wallingford, CT, knowing from an early age that she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps when she grew up. She attended Choate Rosemary Hall boarding school, where science and math were given significant emphasis, and graduated Cum Laude. Alex continued her education at Williams College, and received a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, again graduating with honors. Subsequently, Alex has been employed at Yale University Medical School as a scientific researcher. She was inducted into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society in 2011. At present, Alex is pursuing her graduate degree at Harvard University.

Alex's teaching experience spans five years, and includes tutoring in Biology, Chemistry, English, Math and test preparation on elementary through graduate school levels. She has been a teaching assistant at a local elementary school's student enrichment program for four years, and has worked for multiple private tutoring companies, as well as a college admissions consulting firm. Over the years of teaching, Alex has developed a teaching methodology that encourages students to analyze materials, apply concepts and study effectively, thus providing them with a full range of skill sets necessary for successful advancement to the next level.

PIANO, RUSSIAN & MUSIC CLASS --

ANNA VISSAST, director

Anna is a third generation classical musician.  Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she followed the path of her musical family -- her grandparents (her grandfather - a composer, and her grandmother - a musicologist), her mother - a violist and art historian, and her aunt, a violinist at the St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.  Anna commenced her piano studies at the age of four, and at the age of six she was accepted to the prestigious St.Petersburg Special Music School (SMS) for gifted children.

The day school curriculum at SMS was excellently planned and included both music (solfege, theory, music history and private lessons) and such classes as geography, history, biology, foreign languages and art as early as the third grade of elementary school. Anna's invaluable experience as a pupil at SMS inspired her to open the Classical Art & Science Academy, where children can degustate a great variety of disciplines which, perhaps, will one day help them find their calling in life.

After receiving her bachelor's and master's degrees in piano pedagogy and performance from Temple University, Anna moved on to international relations, and completed her second master's degree in Eurasian, Russian and East European studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.  Throughout her graduate program, she continued teaching piano in the Washington D.C. metro area, her studio numbering 75 students at the time of her move to Boston.  Anna continues teaching piano today, fostering in all of her students a true love and understanding of music, along with such concepts as responsibility, dedication, and success and recognition that are earned through serious work.  Her pupils' excellent performances have been recognized at national examinations and local, national and international competitions.

READING, WRITING & MATH --

BELLA RODRIGUEZ

 Bio coming soon...

SAMBO (RUSSIAN MARTIAL ART) --

JESSIE VALENTE

Bio coming soon...

TENNIS -- SASHA BARANCHUK

Sasha has been teaching tennis for more then 25 years. He has taught in tennis schools in the Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States, as well as here in United Sates. Locally, he taught in DHAC club in a junior tennis program.

In his tennis classes, Sasha teaches children attention, concentration, balance, hand-eye coordination, discipline and positive communication with their peers.  He believes that tennis will help his students understand that paying attention, hard work, and finishing what they started will give them a solid foundation for their future and bring about many rewarding experiences as they grow up.

VIOLIN & MUSIC CLASS -- ANNA SHEMETYEVA

Violinist Anna Shemetyeva is a current Master of Music candidate at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, where she studies with Laura Bossert. She previously received an Artist Diploma from Longy and completed undergraduate degrees at the Ippolitov-Ivanov Institute of Music in Moscow and the Moscow State Conservatory, where she studied with Mariya Dmitrieva and Asya Kushner, respectively.

Anna is the 2012 winner of the Longy Conservatory Orchestra Concerto Competition. She has also performed as a soloist with the St. Marks Chamber Orchestra and with the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra. As a recitalist, she has performed as part of the Lasell College Concert Series, the Brookhaven Concert Series, and the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation recitals. Anna has frequently performed chamber music as part of Longy's annual September Fest series. She has participated in numerous music festivals, including the Heifetz International Music Festival, the Perlmann Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, Lyrica Fest Chamber Music Festival, St. Marks Chamber Music Festival, and the Cours International de Musique in Switzerland.

VOICE -- NICOLE ALEXANDRA

Nicole Alexandra is a singer/songwriter in her senior year at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.  Born in Boston, MA, Nicole demonstrated a passion for music at an early age.  At seven, she started her formal music education, taking classical piano lessons, and three years after, beginning violin lessons.  Practicing diligently, her efforts were rewarded at age twelve when Nicole, then living in Charlottesville, VA, won the CMTA-YOCA piano concerto competition performing Mozart's Concerto #21.  In middle school, Nicole joined the school's choir where she found her passion for singing.  As a teenager, she spent her time writing, recording and performing live shows.  In addition, Nicole has been teaching private piano, violin and voice lessons for the last 6 years, and has been the vocal instructor at the Boys and GIrls Club of Dorchester since 2010.  Nicole fondly remembers the end of year Club Idol competition where she was asked to judge the vocal performances.

At seventeen, Nicole released her first album titled Still Dreaming.  Drawing from a diverse list of genres -- soul, pop, gospel and folk -- she is currently in the process of recording her second album.  Her rich, soulful vocal style radiates a warmth of character that lifts one's spirits and mends the broken hearts.  Nicole regularly performs with her band at various music venues throughout the greater Boston area.  She also continues her violin and piano studies at Berklee, and is teaching private violin and piano lessons to children between the ages of 4 and 13.