Ms. Akriti Ahuja by Maxwell Steinberg
Riverdale Review: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
Ms. Akriti Ahuja: “I’ve had many memorable experiences so far. I think the curriculum I’m teaching is just so much fun, and I think the moments where I feel like my students and I are really creating an environment of learning and a classroom community. Those are some of the moments I really appreciate. That’s what I’m here to do.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share?”
AA: “Most of my students know by now that I am an avid Pitbull enthusiast. Pitbull the musician. I also like pit bulls as pets. I’m a big Pitbull fan. One of the things I enjoy doing in my spare time is throwing themed parties and most recently I threw a Pitbull-themed party for my birthday. That’s one really fun, quirky hobby I have. I’m also a huge reader. I love reading in my spare time. I’m also a big reality TV show person.”
Ms. Jaliz Albanese by Amanda Chen
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Ms. Jaliz Albanese: “I want to have fun. I want to come every day to school and work and experience the joy and energy of being in a school. And not being bogged down by stress.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
JA: “Decorating the college office! We’ve been doing some redesigning so that’s been fun. You know, googling different decor ideas and trying to find inspiration to liven things up. So that’s been fun. And engaging with my colleagues in that way.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
JA: “I like cross-stitching, a hobby I got into in the pandemic, and watching reality TV. Those are my two biggest. Anything on the Bravo channel I will watch, and I am pretty invested in it.”
Ms. Narges Anvar by Charlie Schuman
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Ms. Narges Anvar: “I think first and foremost I want to really get to know the students and help inspire them to reach their maximum potential in terms of their creative development.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
NA: “First, it was exciting to meet all my colleagues in the Art Department. I think that Riverdale has really great art teachers here. And then after that, the most exciting was of course meeting all my students and seeing how amazingly talented they are. I loved them right from the start.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
NA: “Other than art, I love going out into nature. I’m big on hiking and snowboarding with my family and I’m also passionate about yoga.”
Ms. Maggie Barrett by Lexi Caravati
Riverdale Review: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
Ms. Maggie Barrett: “I’m really interested in art history and how it relates to psychology. I like swimming and going on really long walks.”
RR: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
MB: “Since I spent the last two years doing elementary school, getting to do different types of projects and getting to know different types of students because it’s such a different age group. I’m looking forward to that and also Riverdale’s hill campus has so many different opportunities for getting involved, even as a faculty member, and getting to know students through homebase and advisory.”
RR: “Is there anything else you want the Riverdale community to know about you?”
MB: “I’m an alum from Riverdale. I went here Pre-K through twelfth grade.”
Ms. Frances Bernstein by Asha Roy
Riverdale Review: “I’m curious about inclusivity in classics, what are your thoughts around that?”
Ms. Frances Bernstein: “So, kind of multiple facets, one is the kind of material covered, so thinking about how we talk about Roman and Greek slavery, how we talk about women, and people who aren’t represented in literature. And then the other side of it is thinking about how classics shows up in the modern world and the way that it’s often appropriated for harm against people and thinking about how we can counteract that. And then also teaching methods. I’m interested in exploring the more spoken aspects of Latin. Grammar translation like we do in Greek is not always accessible to a lot of people.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
FB: “Coming into the room at 8:20 to see the three of you not just practicing material on the board, but collaborating and helping each other, just the dream.”
Ms. Ajanna Brockenbaugh by Adi Ang
Riverdale Review: “Where did you work previously?”
Ms. Ajanna Brockenbaugh: “I was at Collegiate last year and prior to that I was at Hewitt for four years.”
RR: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
AJ: “My hopes are to be in a community that supports me, and creates an awareness around mental health as significantly as physical health, so joining a team that is already doing that work has been a dream of mine and it continues to be one of my goals in my day to day work.”
RR: “What did you do this past summer?”
AJ: “This past summer I enjoyed time off with my children and we traveled to Florida, we traveled to Virginia to see family, and we traveled to Georgia; so it was nice to do some road trips.”
Ms. Leigh Evron by Emerson Cassidy
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for the school year?”
Ms. Leigh Evron: “To get settled in, I guess. I want to get acclimated to being on the other side of the desk I suppose and to talk about math.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, talents, or fun facts that you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
LE: “I’m obsessed with talking about TV and the Marvel cinematic universe which is basically just a TV show where all the episodes are three hours long. And I like hiking but I feel like there are other faculty members who like hiking and they’re much more avid than I am so like a light nature walk style hike.”
RR: “What is one of your most memorable moments at Riverdale?”
LE: “[I]t’s been really fun to be a co-advisor with Mr. Evans because he was my Pre-Calc teacher when I was a student here. So that’s been really fun. I feel like I’m getting to know him in a totally different way.”
Mr. Jo-Jo Feng by Leo Ziff
Riverdale Review: “Where did you work previously?”
Mr. Jo-Jo Feng: “I worked as a software engineer for two and a half years, at a telemedicine startup based in the Bay Area, California. I was there after I graduated from college. And most recently, I was in Chicago, and I was living there for the past nine months or so..”
RR: “What are your hopes for the school year?”
JF: “I feel I definitely want to get to a point where I feel really comfortable lesson planning and just comfortable in the classroom. And I think you know, one of my biggest hopes is just to form a genuine connection with my students too. I think that’s a big reason that I was driven to teach.”
RR: “What’s your favorite thing about the fall season?”
JF: “I prefer it when things start to cool down in the fall and I also love the fashion. I love the colors that pop out during the fall.”
Mr. Charlie Garcia by Eshaan Kothari
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Mr. Charlie Garcia: “To get to know as many people here, to learn all about the school culture, and to become a part of the community.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
CG: “I like cooking and baking. I also enjoy boxing, kickboxing, snowboarding, scuba diving, and things like that.”
RR: “What did you do this past summer?”
CG: “I worked at a foundation that introduces students to fun concepts of math that they might not get to see in our classes, giving them exposure and maybe getting them interested in pursuing STEM fields.”
Mx. Anna Genoese by Lexi Caravati
Riverdale Review: “Where did you work previously?”
Mx. Anna Genoese: “Right before Riverdale, I worked at Park Avenue Synagogue...Before that, I worked for nonprofits. I’ve been all over the place.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
AG: “The trash audit. It was Tuesday or Wednesday, one of my first days and I hadn’t seen any of the campus yet, so it was the first time that I was walking around the campus and seeing things happening. I was out there for around 10 minutes. The teacher that was facilitating it was explaining to me and to other faculty what it was and why it was happening.”
Ms. Ayako Ito by Lexi Caravati
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Ms. Ayako Ito: “This is my first year, so I’m so excited to do all the events. For example, Experience Riverdale Day is new for me, and Homecoming and all the events are new for me, so I hope to enjoy all the events, and I also enjoy teaching.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
AI: “I played basketball when I was in high school, and I like to play piano.”
RR: “What did you do this past summer?”
AI: “I went to Spain. I love traveling. I met my friends in Spain, and I loved it!”
Ms. Alison Levosky by Savy Phillips
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Ms. Alison Levosky: “Mainly to make a lot of beautiful music, and I think for me, coming in as a new person, I always want to get to know the school culture and get to know the students before I do anything crazy or make any big changes like that.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you’ve already had at Riverdale?”
AL: “I would say the sixth grade orientation because that was my first interaction with any Riverdale students, so it was fun just to be there…they’re also new to the campus, and my homebase partner is also new, so it was kind of nice to be like, ‘We’re all new together!’”
Mr. Hugo Mahabir by Priscilla Jimenez
Riverdale Review: “Could you describe your current role now?”
Mr. Hugo Mahabir: “I mean, in a way, being able to teach Constructing America and ILS is like a dream come true...I think, as time goes on, just being able to go deeper into things. They’re ideal courses for me in many ways. The interdisciplinary nature of it. Thinking of the courses as humanities, rather than simply as single disciplines, for me is really great.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
HM: “I love playing tennis. That’s one way I try to stay fit. I’m a keen fan and follower of the English Premier League Soccer. I’ve played some soccer as well.”
Ms. Katina Manko by Eshaan Kothari
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Ms. Katina Manko: “I really have two goals there. One is to turn my eleventh graders into practicing historians, and the other is to turn other students into news junkies, to be interested in the world around them.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
KM: “I am an avid golfer. I spent the better part of July golfing in Canada with my husband this past summer.”
RR: “What’s your favorite thing about the fall season?”
KM: “The leaves turning and the nights getting colder, so you can sleep better.”
Ms. Chloë May by Eshaan Kothari
Riverdale Review: “Where did you work previously?”
Ms. Chloë May: “My last position was at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School.”
RR: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
CM: “I really hope that I am going to be able to translate the fantastic things that are a part of the Riverdale area to our website and our social media channels.”
RR: “What’s your favorite thing about the fall season?”
CM: “I love all of the wonderful activities that you can do around New York City...like apple picking and visiting all of the great exhibits and gardens at zoos. I have a four-year-old daughter, so we do a lot of fun fall things.”
Teacher Lauren Modic-Doyle by Maxwell Steinberg
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Teacher Lauren Modic-Doyle: “I hope to get to know the Riverdale community better and that, in sixth grade science, we can make meaningful connections to the world around us. Thinking about the water and the land we are on...So it’s the idea of taking more agency over our knowledge and creation.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at riverdale?”
LMD: “I really enjoyed going to Blackrock Forest with the ninth graders. I was on an art activity with them. We were making art within the landscape and it was really fun to be with them and have this be a part of their orientation.”
Ms. Carla Moopenn by Annabelle Pantzer
Riverdale Review: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
Ms. Carla Moopenn: “This year, I hope to get settled and become a part of the amazing community that is here at Riverdale. I also hope to convince my students that science is the best and really means something in their lives.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had this year at Riverdale?”
CM: “Well, actually on the first day I accidentally sent a new student to the wrong classroom because I don’t fully know my way around yet. I felt so bad, and then I saw him later and he was so forgiving and said to me that we will find our way around together, which was really sweet.”
Mr. Peter Mihalcik by Charlie Schuman
Riverdale Review: “Where did you work previously?”
Mr. Peter Mihalcik: “I previously worked at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, and then I was at an international school in Shanghai.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
PM: “Usually,...I’ve had to coax kids out of their shell because they haven’t spoken Chinese in a very long time. And what was really memorable for me was that people were very excited to speak Chinese and they missed it. They really wanted to get going. That left a really great impression on me, just how excited people were about using Chinese in the classroom.”
Ms. Anna Prestopino by Megha Verma
Riverdale Review: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
Ms. Anna Prestopino: “Everybody has just been so nice. I had never worked in a school before this, so I was nervous about just getting used to the environment and fitting in. Everybody in my office is incredibly kind and helpful.”
RR: “What’s your favorite thing about the fall season?”
AP: “I love the weather. I hate the heat and I hate the cold, so the fall is that perfect in-between. And the cozy sweaters and... there’s just a feeling that you get in the fall.”
Mr. David Reid By Maxwell Steinberg
Riverdale Review: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
Mr. David Reid: “One of my favorite memories so far is from middle school assembly when the DEIB coordinators marched into the theater and started throwing candy into the crowd. All of the students were trying to grab all of the candy and eat it. It was a lot of fun and just a very cool time. They were going to make a piñata for Latine Heritage Month, so the idea was to get us all hyped for that.”
RR: “What did you do this past summer?”
DR: “We moved to Westchester County. I was doing a lot of packing and unpacking and painting and things like that. We went up to Canada to visit my family. We spent some time with my parents, siblings, and aunts and uncles.”
Mr. Juan Diego Perez by Lawrence Ohmes
Riverdale Review: “Where did you work previously?”
Mr. Juan Diego Perez: “Previously, I worked at Princeton University. I was a grad student there and I was teaching not only Spanish courses, but also literature and culture courses, like what they call upper level courses there. I am finishing right now a doctoral dissertation on poetry. I’m working specifically on the works of a Chilean poet. She’s alive and I’m working with her, in fact. She lives in New York and she’s also an artist. Her name is Cecelia Vicuña, and I’m thinking about the intersections between memory, indigenous cultures, and avant-garde art in her work.”
RR: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
JDP: “I really enjoyed walking around campus during the late summer days. It’s a beautiful place. It’s quiet and it’s vibrant at the same time. I could feel that energy in the air.”
Mr. Miguel Windt Sánchez by Charlie Schuman
Riverdale Review: “What is one memorable experience you have already had at Riverdale?”
Mr. Miguel Windt Sánchez: “There was a day after my orientation when all the faculty came in and...we got to meet all together from both campuses in the student center. Seeing such a big group of people and faculty together was really impressive.”
RR: “What are your hopes for this school year?”
MWS: “So far, the students I have met and the students I have the pleasure to teach have shown me that they are amazing, that they have high expectations for my class. So I am hoping to fulfill those expectations and to help them improve.”
RR: “Do you have any hobbies, interests, or talents you want to share with the Riverdale community?”
MWS: “I love photography and videography. I am not a professional, but I do that as a hobby and I really enjoy it. I also like cycling and riding and fixing bikes.”
