 |
| Gayle
Barr |
Assistant
Administrator |
Email:
gbarr@dsa2000.org |
| Gayle
Barr has a BA Degree in Elementary Education K-6TH
and Specific learning Disabilities K-12. She
comes to work each day with a thankful heart because
she has the opportunity to work with the best
students and teachers in the world. 100 years
from now she wants to be known for what was
accomplished in the lives of the children.
|
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| Kelly
Blair |
3rd
Grade |
Email:
kblair@dsa2000.org |
| Kelly
is originally
from
North Carolina and received her degree
from Western Carolina University. Once she moved to
Florida
, she began working in the public school system.
Her interest peaked as soon as she heard about a
charter school that would be opening up. She
applied for a job and was hired. Needless to
say, Dayspring has turned out to be one of the best
things in her life! |
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| Terri
Bowman |
Gifted/Assessment |
Email:
tbowman@dsa2000.org |
| Terri
Bowman was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in a
northern suburb of Toledo in Temperance, Michigan.
GO BLUE! She graduated cum laude from the
University of Toledo with a BS in Elementary
Education and a specialization in early childhood.
Her first teaching position was teaching gifted
students in grades 3-6 in Lucas County, Ohio in the
late 80’s. Six years ago she came here to
teach at Dayspring Academy, because she wanted
herself and her children to be a part of the
Dayspring family.
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| Sheila
Cartwright |
1st
Grade |
Email:
scartwright@dsa2000.org |
| Sheila
was born and raised in upstate New York (south of
Buffalo). She attended Rochester Institute of
Technology and received her Bachelor’s Degree in
Hotel Management. She, her husband and two
children made the move to Florida thirteen
years ago. Sheila began working in the school
system as a substitute teacher when her son was in
Kindergarten. Dayspring has been a
blessing for her to work at. She truly knows
she is in the right place, doing the right thing,
with her life! |
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| Kelly
Clayton |
2nd
Grade |
Email:
lclayton@dsa2000.org |
| Kelly
was
born in
Laconia
,
NH
but was raised in New Port Richey, FL. She
earned her Bachelor's Degree from
Trinity
College
and has taken classes at St. Petersburg College of
Education. She came to Dayspring to make a
difference in the lives of children. Besides, she
would be in a Looney bin if she was not able to act
crazy in the classroom.
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| Kelly
Covic |
Humanities/Theater |
Email:
kcovic@dsa2000.org |
| Kelly
Covic was born in New Port Richey Florida and has
lived in the area for most of her life. She attended
Gulf Middle School, Gulf High School, and received
her Bachelor's Degree from Trinity College of
Florida. She currently holds certification
in k-6 and Middle grades integrated curriculum. She
has taught the Humanities curriculum and has been
involved in the Dayspring Arts Department for
several years. Her visions as a teacher is to
lead students to appreciate the Arts and grow in
knowledge and character. |
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| Laura
Davis |
Math |
Email:
ldavis@dsa2000.org |
| Laura
was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved
to Florida in 1980. She settled in here and
now has 3 children who are almost grown. She
went to college after having the girls, at St. Pete
Junior College (now St. Pete College) earning her AA
degree. She then went on to USF where she
earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary
Education. She was later certified in Middle
School Math as well. She sat in on Mrs.
Legg’s first orientation meeting for Dayspring and
knew that this was the school to be part of.
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| Cecilia
DeLeon |
Para-professional |
Email:
cdeleon@dsa2000.org |
| Cecilia
DeLeon was born and raised in Boston,
Massachusetts. She studied Latin American Studies at
Columbia
University
in New York City where she received a B.A in Regional Studies.
Upon graduation she entered the field of Community
Health Center Administration specifically working
with the diverse Latino populations of Cambridge,
MA
and the Greater Boston Area. She began working at
Dayspring
Academy
in August of 2006 as a 3rd grade
Paraprofessional and is working on obtaining her teaching
certificate. |
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 |
| Yamilka
Delgardo |
Assistant
Administrator |
Email:
ydelgardo@dsa2000.org |
|
Yamilka
was born in the Caribbean Peninsula of Dominican
Republic and came to the United States when she was 9 years old. She lived in the
Boston,
Massachusetts area for the larger percentage of her life, and was
privileged enough to receive her education there.
She received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Lesley
University
in Cambridge. Yamilka taught for three years before
deciding to continue her education; she completed
her Master’s in August of 2007. She is
overjoyed to be at Dayspring
|
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| Keith
Duncan |
Science/Computers |
Email:
kduncan@dsa2000.org |
| Keith
is from New Jersey and California but went to
college at both Florida State and The University of
Tampa, where he graduated with a degree in Computer
Science. After graduating he turned his
attention to animation and worked in that field for
12 years, winning several Telly awards and was
nominated for an Emmy. In 2005 he became a
teacher for Dayspring and is thrilled to be able to
share his love of Science and Animation with the
students. |
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| . |
 |
| Lora
Duncan |
Science/Humanities |
Email:
lduncan@dsa2000.org |
| Lora
received her Bachelor’s of Arts from the
University of Tampa in Communications and Political
Science. Since she didn’t always want to be
a teacher, she pursued other interests in the
legal field as well as in film and video production.
After her first child entered Dayspring as a
kindergartener, Lora became a volunteer and visited
DSA almost daily. She then began to
pursue a teaching career and has been blessed to be
a part of this amazing staff for the past 5 years. |
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 |
| Natalie
Fernandez |
Office
Manager- Middle |
Email:
nfernandez@dsa2000.org |
|
Natalie Fernandez
was born and raised in
Goshen
,
Indiana
. There she attended
Indiana
University
to pursue a degree in Political Science.
Natalie moved to
Florida
in 2002 when she married her husband Franklin.
She enjoys working at Dayspring with so many truly
wonderful people and finds each day fulfilling.
|
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| Wendy
Finlay |
Speech
Pathologist |
Email:
wfinlay@dsa2000.org |
| Wendy
was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She
attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida,
where she received two bachelors of Arts degrees in
Deaf Education and Elementary Education. Wendy
continued her education pursued a Masters of Arts
degree in Communication Disorders from Northeast
Louisiana University in Monroe, Louisiana. She
has enjoyed being a Speech Language Pathologist for
the past 12 years. Wendy feels very blessed to
be at Dayspring Academy where she has the
opportunity to work with such a wonderful group of
teachers, students and families.
|
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| Jean
Firlik |
Kindergarten |
Email:
jfirlik@dsa2000.org |
| Jean,
a New Yorker, was born and raised on Long Island.
She received her B.A. in Elementary Education at the
State University at Oneonta and later earned her
masters degree at Stony Brook University on Long
Island. After marrying and having 3 beautiful
children, the family moved to Florida in 1989.
After teaching at several Pasco elementary schools,
she was hired at Dayspring Academy as their first
Kindergarten teacher. Teaching at Dayspring
has been the highlight of her teaching career.
|
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 |
| Jane
Franco |
Office
Mgr - Elementary |
Email:
jfranco@dsa2000.org |
| Jane
was born in Fridley Minnesota. She attended
3 years of college at the University of
Wisconsin Eau Claire, majoring in Speech Pathology/Audiology.
While in school she started working for Norwegian
Cruise Line as a Youth Coordinator, and later
as a full time hostess. She worked with her
later to be husband, and is the proud mother of 4
beautiful girls. Her family is her
passion in life. Jane has had the privilege of
working at Dayspring for the past 5 years. She
knew she wanted to be part of this magnificent team.
|
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| Norman
Garcia |
Bus
Driver |
Email:
ngarcia@dsa2000.org |
| Norman
was born and raised in Rhode Island and is a retired
Greyhound bus driver. He also served in the
Marine Cop as a radio operator for 6 years. He
has also compiled 6 years of experience as a bus
driver for the pubic school system. His
favorite sport is foot ball, and Sunday is the best
day of the week because you he can relax and enjoy
the Bucs playing. |
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|
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| Yolanda
Green |
Para-professional |
Email:
ygreen@dsa2000.org |
| Yolanda
was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.
Right after high school she went into the Navy and
was honorably discharged after 11 years of
service as she wanted to get out to raise her
children. She worked at Cotee River Elementary
prior to coming onboard at Dayspring. Yolanda
started at Dayspring when they first started and
worked for 3 years as a kindergarten para with Mrs.
Firlik. She left for three years to homeschool
one of her children. Yolanda is happy to be
back working with Mrs. Firlik once again. |
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| Diana
Greenier |
Para-professional |
Email:
dgreenier@dsa2000.org |
| Diana
was born in
Louisville
,
Kentucky
and came to
Florida
in 2000 with her husband and two children. She
received her degree from the University of
Louisville School of Dentistry and obtained her
registered dental hygiene license in Kentucky and
Florida. Diana practiced clinical dental
hygiene for 6 years before furthering her education.
Diana
feels blessed to be apart of Dayspring. |
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| . |
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| Colleen
Hooker |
Visual
Arts/Sign Lang. |
Email:
chooker@dsa2000.org |
| Colleen
was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She
earned her B.A. in Visual Arts from Fordham
University in New York City. She then attended the
Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan where
she earned her degree in Culinary Arts. In
March of 2007 she moved to Florida where she worked
as a chef in an upscale Safety Harbor restaurant. She is loving every minute of her new
career and could not imagine life without her
students.
|
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| . |
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| Maria
Jorif |
Language
Arts/Acting |
Email:
mjorif@dsa2000.org |
| Maria
Jorif, born New Yorker, moved to the Sunshine State
in 2005; to become part of the Dayspring team. She
attained her Bachelors of Science in Elementary
Education and a Masters in Arts during her years in
New York.
|
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| . |
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| Anne
Kell |
Kindergarten |
Email:
akell@dsa2000.org |
| Anne
was born and grew up in New Jersey. She
attended Michigan State University and met her
husband Steve during her senior year. After
they were married they moved to Florida,
North Carolina, Michigan and finally back to
Florida. Anne was fortunate that after
teaching for four years she was able to stay home
and raise her two sons and daughter. When she
returned to teaching she earned her National
Teaching Certificate in Early Childhood Education.
She has enjoyed being part of the Dayspring family! |
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 |
| Dr.
Jay Kotliar |
Science |
Email:
jkotliar@dsa2000.org |
| Jay
Kotliar was born and raised in New Jersey. He
went to Cook College in Rutgers University (New
Brunswick campus) and earned his B.A. in Human
Ecology there. He then attended Columbia
University in New York City and received an MA
in anthropology; he then attended U.C.L.A. and
received a Ph.D. in Archaeology there. Jay
received training as a teacher from Pasco-Hernando Community
College. He is certified in Science and Social
studies and Dayspring allows him to share his
passions with students.
|
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 |
| Suzanne
Legg |
Administrator |
Email:
suzanne@dsa2000.org |
| Suzanne
is a native New Yorker who spent a portion of her
childhood in Surrey, England. She received a
BA degree from Stony Brook University in Psychology
with a minor in Child and Family Studies.
Suzanne became a teacher in New York teaching third
and fourth graders. After relocating to
Florida, Suzanne worked in music and productions for
several years before co-founding Dayspring Academy.
Suzanne has served as the administrator of Dayspring
since its inception in the year 2000.
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 |
| Nitza
Lord |
History |
Email:
nlord@dsa2000.org |
| Nitza
was born and raised in New Jersey. She
obtained her Bachelor's degree in Political Science
from the University of South Florida in 1999 completing
an internship under former U.S. Senator Bob Graham.
She is certified in social studies grades 5-9
and has started work on her masters degree, hoping
to complete it within the next few years. In
her 5th year at Dayspring, it is her pleasure to
teach here and share her excitement for social
studies with her students.
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| |
| Faye
Millan |
1st
Grade |
Email:
fmillan@dsa2000.org |
| In
2003, Miss Millan earned her B.A. from Trinity
College of Florida, graduating with honors as the
valedictorian of her class. After graduation,
she served for five years as a 3rd grade teacher at
Spring Christian Academy in Spring hill,
Florida. While there she enjoyed implementing
unique strategies in order to better assist her
students in gaining an increased understanding and
retention of academic concepts. As she
continues her teaching career at Dayspring Academy,
Miss Millan looks forward to meeting her new
students and their families and working together
with them throughout the school year. Her
desire as an educator is to offer her students a
quality educational experience that is conductive to
student success and development. |
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| Marina
Mullins |
Music |
Email:
mmullins@dsa2000.org |
| Marina
Mullins was born in Durban, South Africa.
After high school she continued her study of music
at the University of Natal in Durban where she honed
her skills as a jazz pianist and drummer. She
performed as a solo jazz pianist at local venues. In
Durban, she taught college level music theory and
piano at POPS Ministries. At the age of 21 Marina
moved, with her family, to Florida and furthered her
studies at USF. Marina teaches music at
Dayspring Academy and is co-founder and director of
Mullins Music and Performing Arts in NPR. |
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| Jordan
Mor |
Middle
school Math, Humanities & History |
Email:
JMor@dsa2000.org |
| Jordan
Mor, a native New Yorker, obtained his first B.A. in
Music Composition from SUNY, Purchase. He
later learned Modern and Ancient Greek in Greece,
studied and performed Byzantine music for 10 years
under a master teacher and obtained his 2nd B.A. in
Social Theology and Philosophy from the University
of Athens. He also worked for years as a
computer technician, web designer and piano
teacher. Jordan is currently certified in Math
5-9, Music K-6 and is thrilled to teach at Dayspring
Academy. |
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| Sally
Parsons |
4th
Grade |
Email:
sparsons@dsa2000.org |
|
Sally
is a native, born and raised in Clearwater, Florida!
She earned an Associate’s Degree from St.
Petersburg Junior College (now St. Petersburg
College) in Mass Communications. She moved to
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area in North Carolina to
attend the University of North Carolina, where she
earned her B.S. degree in Special Education.
She has also attended the University of South
Florida to add areas of certification to her
teaching certificate. Sally enjoys the
challenge of teaching at Dayspring.
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| Gary
Pirie |
Food
Services |
Email:
gpirie@dsa2000.org |
|
Gary
was born in Chicago Illinois and has been in Florida
for 12 years. He studied Culinary Art's in the
state of Virginia. He Spent 6 years in the
military as a Food Service Specialist.
Gary has been in the Food Service Industry now
for over 30 years. He Loves his job at
Dayspring because it feels like one big family.
|
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| Sandra
Plummer |
Media
Assistant |
Email:
splummer@dsa2000.org |
| She
retired from St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa after 25
years of service in clinical laboratory
management. She enjoys traveling, hiking,
gardening, and of course...reading. As a
librarian, she wants to apply her skills an life
experience at Dayspring to encourage a love for
reading and a desire to learn through books. |
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| Heather
Psofimis |
Project
Coordinator |
Email:
hpsofimis@dsa2000.org |
| Heather
was born and raised in New Port Richey. She is
happily married and has 5 lovely children. She
loves having the opportunity of working with
children on a daily basis. |
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| Caryn
Rummens |
Reception
- Elementary |
Email:
crummens@dsa2000.org |
| Caryn
was born in Chicago, Illinois but feels like she is
a native Floridian because she has lived here since
she was 5 years old. Caryn received her
Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education
from the University of South Florida. Caryn
has taught at local elementary schools as well as at
Dayspring. She is currently working as a
receptionist at Dayspring , but will eventually
return back to the classroom as her own 3 children
get older. Her passion is for children and
helping them feel that they can accomplish great
things. |
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| Patti
Salois |
Food
Service |
Email:
psalois@dsa2000.org |
| Patti
was born and raised in upstate New York. She
then moved to Massachusetts where she spent a few
decades raising her own family. Patti is now
enjoying her years here in sunny Florida. |
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| Sheila
Shynski |
Para-professional |
Email:
sshynski@dsa2000.org |
| Sheila
came to Florida from Pittsburgh, PA in 1999 after
visiting relatives here on vacation. She
originally received a degree in Culinary Arts, then
became a stay-at-home Mom until her youngest of
three entered school. After logging lots of
volunteer hours at Dayspring, she officially joined
the payroll as a 1st grade Para in 2004.
She loves her job, especially the great people
( both big and small) that she gets to know!
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| Lesley
Smith |
3rd
Grade |
Email:
lsmith@dsa2000.org |
|
Lesley
Smith was born in Ohio. She moved to Florida when
she was fifteen years old. She attended the
University of South Florida and earned her
Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. She
graduated with honors and as a S.C.A.T.T. trained
teacher. (Sun Coast Area Teacher Training program)
. Her
two boys enjoy attending Dayspring. Lesley feels
extremely blessed to be a part of the Dayspring
family!
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| Muriel
Steves |
Language
Arts |
Email:
msteves@dsa2000.org |
| Mrs.
Steves was born in
Erie
,
Pennsylvania
. She attended
Grand Rapids
Baptist
College
in
Michigan
for her bachelor’s degree and
Edinboro
University
in
Pennsylvania
for her teaching certificate. She has taken
masters level courses in library science. She
has been teaching for 26 years and spent a year as a
college librarian. Since coming to
Florida
, she has completed the reading endorsement
requirements for teaching reading.
She hopes to share that love for reading with the
students at Dayspring.
|
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| . |
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| Monica
Thompson |
Para-professional |
Email:
mthompson@dsa2000.org |
|
Monica
Olivia Thompson was born in
Mexico City
in 1967.
She studied Biochemical Engineer in Mexico
and worked for Coca-Cola for five years… there is
where she met her husband. She came to the United States
in 1995 and has two wonderful children in third and
fifth grade. She has really been blessed with
the wonderful family, including Dayspring.
|
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| . |
 |
| Bernece
White |
ESE/Language
Arts |
Email:
bwhite@dsa2000.org |
| Bernece
was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and spent most
of her childhood at the Jersey shore. She
graduated from Stockton State College with a degree
in Biology. She worked for Donald Trump and
was not fired but quit to move to Florida. She
was inspired to pursue her teacher certification
after volunteering at Dayspring. Bernece feels
privileged to work with the awesome Dayspring
students and their families. |
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| Anthony
Zizzo |
Maintenance
Manager |
Email:
azizzo@dsa2000.org |
| Anthony
(Tony) was born in Lakewood, New Jersey. He worked
as a maintenance supervisor for the New Jersey
school system for many years before moving out west
to Arizona. Tony and his family moved to Pasco
County in 1996. Tony has been happily
married to Becky for 15 years and they are
blessed with two great kids, Gina and Joey!
Tony loves football, fishing and being outdoors.
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