Catalina Castillo, Principal, has been leading the Charter School of Educational Excellence since July 2006. She began her teaching career in the New York City Public Schools in 1985 as an elementary and middle school teacher. In 1999, she became the Program Specialist for Nassau BOCES Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center (BETAC) in collaboration with the State Education Department/Office of Bilingual Education providing technical assistance to educators and parents on policies and regulations, availability of funding, educational resources, and the implementation of higher learning standards for the fifty six school districts in Nassau County, Long Island.
Ms. Castillo was appointed as the Assistant Principal of Roosevelt High School during the reorganization of the Roosevelt School District, in Roosevelt, NY in 2002 by NYSED. She later went on to become the principal of Roosevelt Middle School. Amongst her many accomplishments as a public educator, Ms. Castillo founded and directed C & M Learning Center, a small, successful private institute she opened in Richmond Hill, Queens, NY with her mother, a retired school teacher. C & M Learning Center gave Ms. Castillo the opportunity to combine her administrative and entrepreneurial skills to design effective children, adult, and technology programs.
Ms. Castillo’s appointment to CSEE has brought notable change to CSEE overall. Under her leadership CSEE has expanded its programs from elementary to middle school. Presently, CSEE is ranked a top performing school in New York State and Yonkers and is attracting students from all areas of Westchester County and New York City. In 2010, CSEE won the International Reading Association’s Exemplary ReadingProgram Award for New York State and was recognized by the S3TAIR Project as a New York State Validated School for Best Practices in Literacy. Other accomplishments include closing the achievement gap by raising test scores on New York State Assessments and realizing a five year charter renewal approved by the New York State Board of Regents in January 2009.
Ms. Castillo has served as an adjunct professor for graduate education programs at Mercy College and student teacher supervisor for Adelphi University. She also serves as a supervising mentor for student teachers and aspiring administrators for students at Mercy College and Saint Thomas Aquinas College.
She is a holder of a Master of Science Degree in School Supervision and Administration from Mercy College. She received both a Master of Science in Teaching English to Students of Other Language (TESOL) and a Bachelor of Science in Education from St. John’s University. Ms. Castillo is presently pursuing her doctoral degree in Executive Leadership at the College of New Rochelle in partnership with St. John Fisher College.
Gloria Smith, Assistant Principal, joined CSEE in January 2010. She has been an educator in elementary education for 17 years which includes 8 years of service as an Assistant Principal. As the Assistant Principal at CSEE, her focus is to develop primary classrooms that reflect research-based practices; enhance performance through purposeful supervision techniques and need-based professional development; analyze data with teachers to increase student achievement; curriculum implementation through collaboration; maintain and support parent involvement, students and all community members; and to support the overall vision of the Principal. Ms. Smith began her career as a first grade teacher in 1974 in the South Bronx and was moved to Early Childhood Staff Developer in 1997. In 2003, she became the Assistant Principal of that same school where she became responsible for the supervision of K- 5. She has her continuing education experience in the Advanced Leadership Program for NYC Assistant Principals (ALPAP) 2006-2007. She has worked for Scholastic leveling books on the Scholastic Network Project in 2008. Ms. Smith received her administrative license at C.W. Post, her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Queens College and her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology/Education from Herbert H. Lehman College. She holds an N-6 NYS Permanent Teaching Certificate.
Administrative Assistant
Crickett McFadden
Business Manager
Stephanie Alves
Business Assistant
Abigail Rivera
Data, Assessment and Compliance Coordinator
Cynthia Cameron
Receptionist
Schnelle Thomas
PHYSICAL EDUCATION, HEALTH, WELLNESS & SAFETY
Daniel Macalena
SPANISH/ESL
Lidia Jaramillo
TITLE I SERVICES
Barbara Schneer
Jennifer Spina
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Stephanie Smith
ART
Debra Gayton
SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER
Melissa Fuller
TEACHER ASSISTANTS
Autumn Blauschild
Sara Frankel
Lindsey Jackson
Sandra MacGregor
Diana Manganiello
Kathleen Morley
Valerie Parker
Mandy Pinto
Jessica Pisto
KiraReynolds
TasheenaRoberts
Katie Stein
Kimberly Wilson
Daniel Yedowitz
