Staff

Kia Johnson

Executive Director

Kia Childs is the Executive Director of Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She began her career as a Teach for America teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has since worked at several high performing charter networks including KIPP and Mastery Charter Schools. Most recently, she served as Assistant Principal for Great Oaks Charter School – New York City.

Nikki Darden

Director of Operations

Nikki Darden is the current Director of Operations at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and received her Bachelor’s degree at Loyola University New Orleans. She is currently a student at the University of Delaware working towards her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. She began her career as a tutor at Great Oaks Charter School New York City and is excited to be a part of the team at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington.

Jorden Jones

Dean of Curriculum and Instruction

Jorden Jones is the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She was born in Washington DC, and grew up in Maryland. She graduated from Duke University in 2010, and developed a passion for education after joining Teach for America and teaching High School writing for two years in Philadelphia. She began her career at Great Oaks in New York City in 2013. She is thrilled to be continuing her work in education in Wilmington!

Patrick Ryan

Director of School and Community Engagement

Patrick Ryan is the Director of School and Community Engagement. He is from Chicago, and holds an M.B.A and a B.A from Roosevelt University. This is Patrick’s fourth year with Great Oaks.

Beth Yirga

Dean of Students

Bethelehem Yirga is the Dean of Students & School Culture at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington, DE. She is originally from Prince George’s County, MD. A commitment to serve a year as a Public Ally AmeriCorps Member brought Bethelehem to Delaware in 2010 and she joined Teach For America as a Delaware corps member in 2013. Bethelehem earned her Bachelor’s from Temple University, a Master’s of Public Administration from West Chester University, and a Master’s of Education in Exceptional Children from University of DE.

Kendra Giardiniere

Tutor Corps Director

Kendra Giardiniere is the Tutor Corps Director at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, but considers herself a true Wilmingtonian. She received her undergraduate degree from Emerson College and her Masters in Education form Wilmington University. She taught Kindergarten at Kuumba Academy and spent two years working for the Delaware Charter Schools Network, where she was first introduced to the Great Oaks model. Kendra joined the GO-WIL team in January 2014. Go Gladiators!

Nurse Burns

Kevin Paul Edwards

Social Studies Teacher

Erica Graves

English Language Arts Teacher

Erica Graves is the 6th grade ELA teacher, and part of the Instructional Leadership Team at Great Oaks – Wilmington. She was born in Philadelphia, but lived and went to school in the North Wilmington area of Delaware since the age of 9. Erica obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from Wilmington University, then received her Teacher Certification from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She is in her fifth year of teaching, and is thrilled to be working at Great Oaks – Wilmington!

Jody Ann Green

Special Education Teacher

My name is Jody-Ann Green, and I am a Special Education Math Teacher at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. I was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica, however, I feel like a native of Delaware. I am an alumna of the University of the West Indies and Wilmington University. I am currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching at Relay Graduate School of Education Delaware. I enjoy hiking, reading and am a big fan of the Outlander television series.

Valerie Hart

Ricki Hernandez

Office Manager

Richard Hernandez, a founding team member of Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington, has resided in Wilmington since childhood. Richard studied Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources at the American InterContinental University. For the last 10 years, Richard has served in various positions within the Delaware Division of Social Services, Delaware’s Department of Labor, the Community Education Building, and now serves as the Office Manager at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington.

Merchell Hunt

Enrichment Teacher

Merchell Hunt is the current Character Enrichment teacher at Great Oaks Charter School -Wilmington. Originally from Michigan, she graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A in Political Science. She joined Great Oaks in 2014 at the Newark, NJ campus and moved to Wilmington, DE in 2015 to be a founding Tutor Corp member. She is ecstatic to be teaching bright students from such a diverse population.

Leland Kent

Math Teacher

Leland R. Kent, Sr. is the 6th grade Math teacher at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Kent began his career with Philadelphia District Attorney’s office providing supports to victims and witnesses of crimes. After 19 years in victim advocacy and services, Mr. Kent joined Teach for America. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree from Relay University’s Graduate School of Education and a second Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of DE.

Shereen Khaled

AmeriCorps Compliance Manager

Shereen Khaled is the AmeriCorps Compliance Manager at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. A Southern California native, Shereen is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in Linguistics.

Chelsea Ringen

Social Studies Teacher

My name is Chelsea Ringen. I am the Lead Teacher at Great Oaks, and I currently teach 6th grade Social Studies. I received my Bachelor of Arts in History from SUNY Fredonia. In 2012, I moved to Delaware as a Teach For America corps member. After finishing Teach For America, I received my Masters in Educational Leadership from Wilmington University. I taught first grade for three years before joining the founding team at Great Oaks – Wilmington in 2015. I am so excited to be in my fifth year of teaching and working in this amazing city.

Felecia Russell

Tutor Corps Manager

Felecia Russell is a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica, but, grew up in Inglewood, California. She went to California Lutheran University for her BA and then earned her Master’s of Public Policy with an emphasis in Education from Pepperdine University. Felecia joined the Great Oaks Tutor Corps in 2015. Currently, she is the Tutor Corps Manager at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington.

Morgan Sagan

Science Teacher

Morgan Sagan is the 6th grade Science Teacher at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. After graduation, she launched her teaching career in Philadelphia, PA as a reading teacher. In 2015, she joined the Great Oaks – Wilmington founding team. She is thrilled to begin her third year as a middle school teacher at GO-WIL!

Leigh Ann Scholtz

Science Teacher

Leigh Ann Scholtz is the 7th grade Science Teacher at Great Oaks – Wilmington. She graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Biology and Saint Joseph’s University with an M.S in Biology. For three years, she was a Ph.D. student at West Virginia University, but left in 2015 to pursue a career in education. During the 2015-2016 school year, Leigh Ann was part of the Great Oaks – Wilmington founding team as a member of the Tutor Corps. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.

Ashley Speights

Special Education Teacher

Ashley Speights is a Special Education teacher at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from California State University Northridge. In 2015, she joined Teach For America and moved to Delaware.

Anthony Stanziale

English Language Arts Teacher

My name is Anthony Stanziale, and I am the 7th grade ELA teacher and 7th Grade Team Lead at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. I was born in Wilmington. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Secondary English Education and recently earned my Masters Degree in Teaching Leadership (M.Ed). I am going into my 7th year of teaching. I am anxious to see what amazing things my students will do with the knowledge they gain this year!

Stephanie Toronto

Director of Special Education

Stephanie Toronto is the Director of Special Education at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. She was born and raised in Marlton, NJ. She graduated from the University of Delaware with Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and received her Masters in Special Education from Wilmington University. Stephanie is thrilled to be embarking on her 6th year in education and to serve the students of Great Oaks – Wilmington.

Miriam Traore

Math Teacher

My name is Miriam Traore, and I am the 7th grade Math teacher at Great Oaks Charter School – Wilmington. I graduated from Temple University in 2015, where I found my passion for education through a tutoring program in which I prepared middle school students for college. I joined AmeriCorps VISTA and served as a Community Partnerships Coordinator and Health Educator at The U School in Philadelphia, which then lead me to Teach for America Delaware. I am excited to be serving middle school students again and getting them not only ready for college but making sure they succeed throughout college and beyond!