"Our hearts leap when a student corrects us."
This observation by one of our faculty members reveals everything you
need to know about this school: it was created for students who care
deeply enough about learning and working hard to be able to correct a teacher
with a Ph.D. in the subject they teach, it is for expert teachers who are able
to create an academic climate in which discussion and rich academic content are
tools for intellectual discovery and growth, and it is for parents who want a
school dedicated to academic excellence.
Mr. Leslie Ackerman is a
trilingual Industrial Engineer who graduated from the University of
Engineering in Lima, Peru. During his
professional life as an engineer, he lived in Germany for six years and
moved to the USA in 1988. Mr.
Ackerman left the business world and resumed teaching in 2003. Since
then he has taught Mathematics and Science, as well as Ancient
Civilizations, and run
electives ranging from Science Clubs to Music and Theater Appreciation.
With this, Mr. Ackerman's experience connects
many dots in his goal of a renaissance education. Furthermore,
he also brings a contagious love for learning and thinking and an innate
ability to mentor students to help them reach their potential.
His renaissance attitude towards knowledge has always driven him towards
exciting horizons, whether it is the knowledge of world history and its
places
or the appreciation of all good music.
Dr. Nina Arendtsz
received her Ph.D. from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, in
Mechanical Engineering and her M.S degree from the University of
California Sacramento in Biomedical Engineering. Her undergraduate
degree is in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Sri
Lanka. Her doctoral research was in nuclear radiation applications and
computerized tomography involving mathematical inverse solutions of
non-linear systems of equations. She has developed expertise in
non-intrusive methods for examining cargo containers for nuclear
material and other contraband involving nuclear radiation techniques
that included US-Canada border field tests. She wishes to impart and
build strong problem solving and insightful analytical capacity in her
students that will be crucial to their future ethical and responsible
application of knowledge.
John Hrubec is a certified teacher who has spent years developing innovative
science and math lessons at the high school level. In addition to his
teaching background, Mr Hrubec has worked as a research scientist and
electro-optical engineer since earning his BS and MS in Physics. In his
teaching, Mr. Hrubec loves to draw on his experience in the real world
of science and technology to bring relevance to his teaching. He
believes that providing students with an abundance of hands-on
experience and guided inquiry can lead to an understanding of the
unifying principles behind science, technology, and mathematics.
Dr. Kevin Oliveau
received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. His professional background includes software design for
supercomputers and ecologically sound real estate planning and
development, which are encompassed within a robust and interdisciplinary
intellectual curiosity.
Dr. Chris Ann Matteo earned her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature
from Princeton University and gained additional training in Italian topography
and archaeology from the American Academy in Rome. She is a literary critic and translator by
training as well as a teacher at secondary and collegiate levels. She has
authored essays on the influence of classical literature and art in world
literature of the 17th, 18th, and 19th
centuries; her six languages are ancient Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Italian
and German. She is a licensed teacher of
Latin at all levels from elementary through advanced literature. Her thematic
courses or seminars include The Trickster
in World Literature and The Classical
Grand Tour: A Survey of the Literature
and Art of Travel in early modern Europe.
Dr. Elena Patrick (Academic Dean) received a Ph.D.
in Comparative Literature from Rutgers, the State University of New
Jersey. She has a B.A. in Museum Studies, with concentration in
History and Theory of Culture, from the Russian State University for
Humanities. She has taught both literature and the history of
culture at the college level. In teaching literature, she likes
to situate literary works in their historical context as well as to
show how texts of any historical era have an organic connection with
the modern world. When appropriate, she involves media in the classroom
such as art, music, and cinema, to show students how literary works
evolve over time and when transferred to other cultures.
Dr. Deep Sran
is the Founder and Principal of Ideal Schools. Dr. Sran was a
practicing corporate attorney before beginning his doctoral work in
critical thinking, decision making, and reasoning in 1999. Since 1999,
he has taught undergraduate and graduate students at the University of
Maryland. Following completion of a Ph.D. in Human Development, Dr.
Sran was a teacher, curriculum director, and member of the Academic
Leadership team at a public charter high school in Washington, D.C. In
this role, he worked with seniors in high school on their senior
research projects and he worked on professional development in public
policy content with teachers across content areas.
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