Ben Conte will be starting his second year teaching third grade at ELM !

Ben loves to work with youth and has done so in various capacities. In addition to teaching third grade Ben has worked as a counselor for several summer programs including Upward Bound, an academics focused summer camp for underprivileged youth and Visions Service Adventures, a summer adventure camp in which participants travel to underdeveloped parts of the world to perform service work and explore different cultures.

Ben thinks the dolphin is a good choice for this year’s mascot because of its high intelligence and superb communication skills.  At ELM he is always impressed by his students’ intelligence and their ability to communicate in English, which for most is their second language.  Because of their high intelligence dolphins have even been used by the US military since the 1960’s to carry out a variety of missions.   This demonstrates how remarkably gifted these creatures are and why Ben feels they are a great fit as the ELM mascot for the 2011-2012 school year.

Ben has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Plymouth State University and a Master of Arts in Spanish from the University of New Hampshire. He is currently pursuing a Master of Education with Framingham State Un iversity.  He has taught Spanish at the university level for two years and has also taught seventh grade Spanish for six months at Plymouth Elementary. In addition, he has worked as a private tutor for both children and adolescents. Besides teaching Ben also loves the outdoors. When at home in Maine he enjoys going to the beach and surfing, or hiking in the mountains.

Noah Conte will be starting his first year at ELM teaching Upper School Science, Math, English, Drama, as well as teaching Drama and Technology in Lower School.

Noah has followed his passion of working with youth in both formal and informal settings for many years. He has worked as a group leader in recreational summer camps, as a youth counselor for at-risk adolescents, as a development counselor for children with special needs, and finally as an elementary teacher in the US and Africa. Although challenging physically and mentally, he has cherished the opportunity to serve as a teacher and mentor to so many youth.

Noah identifies with the dolphin’s diverse aquatic environment. He has always loved to swim and enjoys relaxing by a cool mountain lake, or surfing off the coast of his home state of Maine. He especially enjoys the diversity of life that exists around him. Just as dolphins live with brightly colored fish and different shapes of shells, plants and coral, Noah enjoys surrounding himself with diverse cultural experiences and people of all different religions, races, languages, and ideas.

Noah holds a Masters of Education in Elementary Education from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelors of Science in Social Studies from Plymouth State University. He has taught 5^th and 6^th grade in the United States and 1^st and 2^nd grade in Togo, West Africa. In addition he has experience working with students with special needs in a private school setting.

When he is not teaching he enjoys hiking in the White Mountains, camping with his friends, and playing ice hockey.

I have been a teacher at ELM since 1998, and have had many memorable, enriching experiences with the students all through these years. One of the things I like the most is to coach the members of my family in order to help them succeed in a world that is constantly changing. In the same way, I like helping my students to grow strong and independent as dolphins do!  As their teacher, I work hard to provide them with a nurturing and safe environment, one where they can play and have fun while learning.

I have represented ELM as a presenter at VANAS and AASSA for 3 years, sharing with other international teachers the great things our school does.  I recorded a CD " How Fun It Is to Sing Children's Songs" Proceeds from sale of the CD help support people who are less fortunate and ELM's Yearbook.

I earned my Science and Language Arts degree as an Educator at UNERMB.  In my spare time, I like to do Community Service, read the Bible and share time with my lovely family.

In the YEAR OF THE DOLPHIN, my goal is to encourage ECE I and ECE II students to excel!

Lon Eilers will be teaching English 2, Math 1, Social Studies A, Counseling, and an assortment of ESL and Remedial English classes.

Lon Eilers is beginning his second year at ELM.  He has been in the education profession for 29 years with experience as an Elementary Teacher, K-12 Guidance Counselor, and Director of Instruction.  He and his wife Lori have taught in Texas, Syria, Indonesia, and China.

.,

For the Year of the Dolphin Mr. Eilers wants his dolphins to be able to have fun, relax, and come to the top of the water for a breath of fresh air.

Mr. Eilers graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education from Northeast Missouri State University, and was awarded his Masters degree from Texas A&M Kingsville. Lon and Lori were able to bring their two dogs with them to Venezuela, and they will be spending most of their free time exercising and playing with Blair and Sugar.

Lori Eilers will be teaching 1^st and 2^nd grade for her second year at ELM!!

This is her 22nd year of teaching.  Most of her experience is teaching lower elementary school in the state of Texas.  Lori and her husband, Lon, have taught overseas in the countries of Syria, Indonesia, and China.  They both love to experience the diversity of cultures found throughout the world.

Lori enjoys working with young children because they are so eager to learn new skills and every day is different.  Math is her favorite subject to teach, although reading is a close second.  She hopes that every child in her class will go home with a big smile on his/her face, just like a dolphin!!

Lori was born and raised in southern Maine and is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono. She moved to Texas in 1990 and currently owns a house near Lake Somerville.  She relaxes by reading mysteries and taking her dogs for long walks in the state park.

Ms. María José González is exited to start the school year, “The year of the Dolphin”. She will be teaching Spanish here at ELM.

In addition of being a ELM’s Spanish teacher, Ms. González will continue to assist and support our ECE program with great spirit and enthusiasm.

Ms. González, holds a Degree in Early Childhood Education from UNIOJEDA University, located in Venezuela. She also has six years of teaching experience; working with students of different ages in several private and public schools. Most importantly, she has had the unforgettable experience of sharing with students who have special needs. Maria Jose lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she studied and increased her English speaking skills.

She loves dancing, modeling, arts and crafts, and she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She loves to read and is always whiling to increase her knowledge and learn something new to share with her students.

I’m Ms. Mile Rojas de Uribe, I’m ELM’s Librarian and a great deal more! The year of the Dolphin will be my  third year at Escuela las Morochas. I will be working with the ECE TEAM, assisting the ECE 3 teacher Ms.Sieneh Wold, and I still reading books to the ECE students at the library. I also will be teaching technology to the third grade students.

From a very young age, English was one of my favorite subjects, so it is no surprise to learn that I graduated with honors from Cevaz in the advanced level.  I taught English to Kindergarten and Elementary School students in a private school here in Venezuela, and I taught English for 5 years at several private Venezuelan colleges, as well. Although I enjoyed the challenge of working with adults, I`m delighted to be at ELM because I`m completely sure that teaching young children is my passion. In my free time I like cooking, listening to the music and spending time with my family and friends.

For the year of the dolphin I most identify with the Bottlenose Dolphin. Thought to be one of the most intelligent, beautiful creatures in the ocean, Bottlenose Dolphins have a personality that is adored worldwide. We see them jumping, playing and even hear them ¨laughing¨ as they have fun in the ocean. These are my favorite dolphins because they are as intelligent and playful as our students.

Even though this is my first year at Escuela Las Morachas, it is not my first year to teach at an international school.  I bring with me many years of teaching experiences from around the world.  My first international school was at the American International School of Bamako, West Africa, The American School of Kinshasa, DRC, Harare International School, Harare, Zimbabwe, and Surefoot American International School, Calabar, Nigeria.   I also taught at Surabaya International School, Surabaya, Indonesia and Doha Academy, Doha Qatar.

I am an adventurous person and have been on an excavation dig in Timbuktu, flown in a helicopter over Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, gone  white water rafting down the Zambezi River,  driven on a  Safari and seen the Big Five at Kruger National Park.  While I am in Venezuela, I am looking forward to adding some more adventures to my list.

Sieneh Wold will be teaching kindergarten for the 20th time this year – her fourth year at ELM! She loves to read herself, and works hard to instill a love of reading in her young students. Sieneh is now a certified trainer for the Zoo-Phonics program – a phonics-based reading program that works especially well with students who have limited English. During her time at ELM, Sieneh has redesigned the Early Childhood Education Curriculum to include a stronger focus on reading and writing.

Sieneh is a graduate of Vassar College and holds a Masters from Northwestern University of Louisiana. She is a talented gourmet chef, always on the look-out for new recipes and ingredients! She also enjoys travelling, and her favorite place to visit in Venezuela is Merida. . . the climate reminds her of San Francisco.

Ms. Trudy Crossbourne is, as always, very excited to be starting her fifth year (wow! half a decade!) here at Escuela Las Morochas. She will be serving again as the Upper School Coordinator; while continuing to work with students in the areas of Math, Science and Technology. As a Science teacher, she tries to get students enthused about her field by creating practical hands-on experience wherein students get the opportunity to apply the scientific process to solve problems of interest. She also tries to dispel, the all-too-common fear of Mathematics by getting students more comfortable in applying their critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as giving them tried and true methods of not only arriving at the answer but also deciphering whether or not an answer they come up with is accurate. During her tenure here at ELM Ms. Crossbourne has also shifted the focus of Technology to incorporate a Graphic Design component which involves corroborative work on the school yearbook.

Ms. Crossbourne is a true “life-long learner”; she holds a BSc. in Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Spanish from the University of the West Indies and recently earned her MA in International Education from Framingham State College. She will continue with her French language courses which she started last year.

In her opinion, the ELM community can be likened to dolphins because the community prides itself on working together for the good of each member. Dolphins are known to be caring and protective creatures. They could be considered the guardians of the seas as they help each other as well as other animals in the ocean. Beached whales can rely on dolphins to help pilot them to deeper waters; they have also been observed moving in circles around swimmers to protect them from sharks. In a similar way, the ELM community works together to ensure the safety and well being of all its members. 

In her spare time Trudy enjoys reading novels, listening to music, baking and cooking.

Mr. Zuri Richards is excited to be starting his forth year, here at Escuela Las Morochas, where he will continue to provide technology support services. Mr. Richards has over seven years experience in systems information technology, managing networks, both locally and internationally. This is his second time working in a school environment. He spent three years working, in the administrative office of the Mona Preparatory School in Kingston, Jamaica. He then moved on to pursue his passion in systems technology, and is currently working on completing his CISCO CCNA certification.
In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music, and sometimes even creating music. He also enjoys playing video games.

This is the second year Ms. Arlen has worked at ELM as a First and Second Grade paraprofessional.  She has also tutored children and teenagers for more than 3 years.  Arlen obtained her degree as Teacher at La Universidad del Zulia and she is currently working towards her Masters in Education at Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacin.

She considers herself a faithful and friendly person committed to working hard. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, swimming, working out and watching movies with friends and family.

Teaching is her passion, because she loves being surrounded by joyful students.

In the Year of the Dolphin, Arlen thinks she exhibits a dolphin’s qualities by encouraging cooperation, and promoting active and genuine participation among students, doing her part in a teaching team where everybody must be involved in the students’ learning process.

She believes that working together is the key ingredient that helps us to grow strong and be ready to face the challenges in a world of constant changes.