Staff Profiles

Mike Malone- Head of School

mmalone@southcityprep.org

Mike Malone is the Founder and Head of School for South City Prep. Mike is a graduate of Greenville College and has over 10 years teaching experience working in a variety of educational settings. For six years, Mike taught middle school science and social studies at St. Louis Charter School. While at St. Louis Charter School, Mike received the “Teacher of the Year” award, held numerous leadership positions, and assisted in writing the school wide curriculum. For two years, Mike worked for the Missouri Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) as the Director for Member Services and New School Development. While at MCPSA, Mike helped design the association’s new school development program, increased school membership to over 85%, and initiated cooperative purchasing programs including Staples Advantage and the NWEA/MCPSA consortium. Mike will receive his degree in Education Leadership, with a charter school focus, from Central Michigan University in January 2012. Mike has an unwavering belief that all students can learn and looks forward to helping every South City Prep student get to college. In his free time, Mike loves to hang out with his wife, Erin, and two children, Yuri (5 years old) and Kye (3 years old).

Kelli Best-Oliver- Director of Curriculum and Instruction

kbestoliver@southcityprep.org

Kelli Best-Oliver has over nine years experience in education as both a program coordinator and classroom teacher, and was part of the founding team of South City Prep. She holds lifetime teacher certification in Secondary English in the State of Missouri. Kelli has always sought out diversity in her work environment, with stints at Truman State University’s Multicultural Affairs Center, US DoDD Schools, Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, and the University of Missouri-St Louis, and is committed to education reform as a tool for change towards a more socially-just world. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Truman State University, where she was captain of their three-time conference-champion women’s soccer team. Kelli is currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on Critical Pedagogy at the University of St Thomas in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota. Her in-progress dissertation is on critical education in charter schools. Kelli resides in the 23rd Ward with her husband, Chris Oliver, and son, Simon Oliver, and is active in the St Louis food community.

Kate Kozlowski- Literacy Specialist

kkozlowski@southcityprep.org

Kate is the Literacy Specialist for South City Prep. After graduating from Earlham College in 2006 with a BA in English, Kate entered the Teach for America program to teach middle school language arts in St. Louis. Kate has worked in public and private schools in the St. Louis Metro area, as well as taking time to teach in Napa Valley, California and Jimma, Ethiopia. Recently she graduated from Saint Louis University with her MBA and Master of Educational Leadership. When not reading, which is rare, Kate is busy taking care of her three chickens or riding her pink bicycle around town.

Chad Hull- Math

chull@southcityprep.org

Chad Hull is a Middle School Math teacher for South City Prep. Chad graduated from Grinnell College in 2005 with a BA in Economics and East Asian Studies. Upon graduation, Chad was accepted into the Teach For America program and spent 2 years as a special education and general education math teacher at Cleveland Junior Naval Academy. During that time, Chad coordinated the school’s service learning program and created an after school tutoring program for athletes. Chad taught math for the next year at Currey Ingram Academy, an independent school for students with learning disabilities in Nashville, Tennessee. After a two year hiatus to study educational policy at the University of Kansas, Chad returned to the classroom and St. Louis as the Lead Teacher at Shearwater High School. Chad has a two year old puppy named D and recently completed his third half marathon.

Michelle Keeter- Social Studies/Science

mkeeter@southcityprep.org

Michelle Keeter is a Middle School Social Studies and Science teacher for South City Prep. Michelle is a St Louis native who graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2002 with a BA in History. After moving back to the St Louis area, she completed a MA in Teaching Social Sciences at Webster University. During this time she taught both middle and high school students in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights school district. Several years later, Michelle transitioned into teaching only middle school for the Ferguson-Florissant school district. The birth of her daughter, Ansley, prompted a brief stay at home to enjoy motherhood. An opportunity to start an alternative program for females in Charlotte, NC allowed for a change of pace. While in NC, she worked with a wide range of students in multiple alternative settings over two years. Michelle’s family returned to St Louis and she began teaching at Shearwater High School. She enjoys spending time in the great outdoors and going to music concerts.

Redrick Taylor- Social Studies/Science

rtaylor@southcityprep.org

Redrick, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois is thrilled about joining the South City Prep team as a middle school teacher. Redrick graduated from Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Social Work and a minor in Political Science. He is a current corps member with Teach For America, and was selected from over 46,000 applicants nationwide. TFA is a national corps of recent college graduates who commit to two years of teaching in under-resourced urban and rural public schools. Before he begins his position at South City Prep, Redrick will participate in an intensive training program to develop the skills and knowledge needed to make significant gains in student achievement. He will teach in a summer school program run by Teach For America for low-income students in the Chicago Public School District, under the supervision of experienced faculty and teachers. Redrick is honored to provide students with the same opportunity to succeed that he was given as a child. “I feel my responsibility will stretch far beyond a lesson plan. I plan on being a role model for children to look up to. I am living proof that, if given the proper resources to succeed, any child can attend and graduate from college regardless of their ethnicity or socioeconomic status, and I plan on doing everything I can to make that happen for children in St. Louis”.

Carissa Roller- Math

croller@southcityprep.org

Carissa Roller is a Middle School Math teacher for South City Prep. Carissa graduated from Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana in 2007 having majored in Social Work and Spanish. After graduation, Carissa moved to St. Louis to teach at Confluence Academy – Old North as a member of Teach for America. In her first year Carissa taught Kindergarten through 8th grade Spanish before transitioning to being a 3rd grade classroom teacher in her second year. During those years Carissa helped coach girls’ volleyball and basketball as well as graduate with a Masters in Elementary Education from UM-St. Louis. She then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, for a year to be with her fiance where she taught 4th grade at a charter school. Carissa happily returned to St. Louis in 2010 and went back to Old North to teach 4th grade. In her free time, Carissa enjoys spending time with her friends and 2 dogs, Sunday and Oreo.

Michelle Oyola- Communication Arts

moyola@southcityprep.org

Michelle teaches Middle School Communication Arts at South City Prep. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism from Webster University, Michelle was employed as the Web and youth editor at The Washington Missourian newspaper. Through working with her teen staff, she developed a passion for teaching and joined Teach For America in 2008. For the following three years, she taught various ELA subjects at Construction Careers Center Charter High School. While at CCC, she founded the drama club and sponsored a creative writer’s group, a Dungeons and Dragons campaign group, and an anime fan club. She served as the ELA department head. Michelle holds her Master of Arts degree in secondary curriculum and instruction from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Michelle is currently enrolled at Mizzou and working towards her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Michelle and her husband, Luis, welcomed their first child, Leon James Oyola, April 30, 2011.

Erica Stearns- Music

estearns@southcityprep.org

Erica Stearns is the music teacher for South City Prep. She grew up in Chicago and spent seven years of her life singing, performing, and traveling around the world with the Chicago Children’s Choir where she developed her passion for music. Erica graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree with a vocal emphasis. After graduation, Erica was accepted into the 2008 Teach For America Corps in St. Louis where she spent two years teaching 5th grade at Columbia Elementary and Herzog Pilot Academy. While teaching 5th grade, Erica earned a Masters in Elementary Education at University of Missouri – St. Louis. After her two-year commitment with TFA, Erica began teaching general music at Jefferson Elementary. Erica founded a choir program consisting of two leveled choirs who performed in school concerts and special performances off campus. She also facilitated unique performances for the entire student body at Jefferson including a flash mob! Aside from planning unique learning experiences for her music students, Erica loves spending time with her 1 year old pug puppy named Lola Jacqueline and training at Absolute Martial Arts in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for her debut Mixed Martial Arts fight.

Kristen Kramlich- Middle School Technology and Social Studies

kkramlich@southcityprep.org
Kristen Kramlich is a Middle School Technology and Social Studies elective teacher for South City Prep. Kristen graduated from Drury University with a BA in Secondary Education and History. She is currently working on her Master’s in Social Science Education at Webster University. Kristen is excited to have her younger sister start her 5^th grade year at SCP! In her spare time, Kristen enjoys going antique shopping, spending time with her family, and reading!

Anna Taylor- Literacy Specialist

ataylor@southcityprep.org
Anna McNulty Taylor is a Literacy Specialist at South City Prep. Originally from Rapid City, South Dakota, Anna earned a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy with a concentration in Russian, Central, and Eastern European Studies from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. She then joined Teach For America as a 2006 St. Louis corps member; Anna taught English and coordinated the Advanced Placement program at Sumner High School in St. Louis Public Schools for three years. She had an amazing experience with her students, which reinforced her deep belief that all students can attain incredible academic results. During her time in the classroom, Anna was awarded both the Sumner High School Alumni Association’s Teacher of the Year Award as well as the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation’s Pettus Award for Excellence in Teaching. Anna joined Teach For America staff in the summer of 2009 – she spent three years in various roles in TFA’s St. Louis region and at TFA’s Summer Training Institutes, primarily focusing on teacher support and development. Her work has centered on supporting excellent secondary English and literacy instruction. She holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Anna lives in Tower Grove South with her husband, Ben, and their cats, Laika and Sophie. She spends her free time reading, cooking, baking, gardening, and enjoying everything that St. Louis has to offer.

Mor Regev-Student Support Coordinator

mregev@southcityprep.org

Mor Regev is the Student Support Coordinator at South City Prep. Mor was born in Israel and raised in Houston, Texas. She went to Rice University in Houston for her undergraduate studies, where she got a degree in Sociology and French and spent time studying foreign languages and teaching English in France, Argentina, and Nicaragua. Following her four years at Rice, she moved to New York and taught fifth and sixth grade in the Bronx through Teach for America. She also got a Masters of Science in Teaching at Pace University during this time. Mor then moved back to Texas, where she worked as a middle school teacher for another year and then worked at a university on the Texas-Mexico border doing research with families for two years. It was during these various experiences that she realized her true passion was working with students and their families in a school setting and decided to be a social worker. In the summer of 2011, she got married, moved to St. Louis, and began her Master of Social Work degree at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. She will finish this degree in the summer of 2013 and looks forward to using all of the skills she has accrued over the years with the scholars at South City Prep. In her spare time, Mor enjoys yoga, doing ballet, running ½ marathons, reading, watching movies, cooking, spending time with her two basset hounds, and joking around with her husband.

Jessica Cardosi- Special Education Teacher

jcardosi@southcityprep.org

Jessica Cardosi is a Special Education teacher at South City Prep. Jess graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2007. After graduating, she moved to Chicago, IL and worked at Maryville Academy City of Youth in a residential home for boys. It was an eye-opening experience and taught her many valuable lessons. Since she moved to St. Louis in 2008, she has worked in various settings with a diverse group of students with many different needs and abilities. In January of 2009, she enrolled into Fontbonne University’s Master of Special Education program while working for the Special School District as a paraprofessional. During the summer of 2012, Jess completed her field experience at the Miriam School and received her Master’s Degree in Special Education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, going on bike rides, and cooking.

Katie White- School Office Manager

kwhite@southcityprep.org

Katie White is the Office Manager at South City Prep. Katie is an Atlanta native who moved to St. Louis after college. She graduated from the University of Dayton in 2011 with a BA in Sociology. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, watching movies, and exploring St. Louis with her roommates and friends. When she gets the chance she loves to go home and spend time with her three dogs and two cats in Atlanta.