SCIENCE, K-5

Nika received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University in 2017, where she also received B.A.’s in Psychology and Theater Arts. She was previously the Director of Education at Providence CityArts for Youth. Nika is a Mexican, Native American, and Russian-Jewish educator, writer, activist, and performing artist passionate about community building and lifting up marginalized voices through performance. She is committed to giving students from diverse backgrounds the tools they need to succeed in school and the world beyond through culturally responsive teaching, while also giving students space to feel empowered and that their voice matters through positive youth development. In her free time, she loves to read, write, cook, hike, dance, and hang out with her awesome daughter!

PE, K-4

Ella has earned a B.S. in Physical Education in Romania and a M.S. in Kinesiology from University of RI. She has been an elementary Physical Education Teacher at The Learning Community since 2005. Ella moved to US from Romania in 2002 and lives in North Smithfield with her husband and two kids. While in school, she was a national track & field champion in her home country of Romania and a Rhode Island State Champion. Since 2017, Ella became very passionate about healthy living and she’s happy to share her nutritional expertise with our students and families and across the state, as a Food For Life instructor.

PE, MIDDLE GRADES

Ariana graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2011. She subbed in her hometown of Cranston, RI for a year before moving to Charlotte, NC to teach middle school PE and health for two years. She decided it was time to move back home and began teaching PE in Worcester, MA for the next 6 years. In 2021, Ariana saw a posting at the Learning Community for a PE teacher position and jumped at the opportunity to work here! In her free time, when she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her two children, husband, and friends.

PE & HEALTH TEACHER

Rory Temkin graduated from The University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Kinesiology in 2016. After college, he spent two years as a substitute teacher in Providence before gaining experience in several Rhode Island districts, including Pawtucket and Warwick. This will be his seventh year teaching. Alongside teaching, Rory is a basketball coach and player development specialist. Rory also has a second job, teaching life skills, physical fitness, and nutrition to an individual with special needs. A former URI basketball player, Rory enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying active through exercise, and playing sports.

ART, K-5

Holding her Bachelor of Fine Arts in glass sculpture and painting from Alfred University in New York, Dana loves to experiment with all sorts of materials. Having completed a residency at Worcester Center for Craft’s New Street Glass Studio, Dana has created and taught many art courses for the public, ranging from hot glass sculpting to stained glass. Her passion for teaching children art has led her to The Learning Community. Dana encourages open-mindedness, imagination and collaboration among her students, and sees an artist in every one of them. It is important to her that her students are exposed to many different types of art and have the chance to work with new and different materials. Dana also has a passion for puppetry, and loves to incorporate that into her lessons. During her free time, Dana spends time making her own work at local glass studios, further developing her craft as a professional glass artist.

ART, MIDDLE GRADES

Alexa graduated from Goucher College in 2014 with a BA in Studio Art and Peace Studies, and received her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Loyola University in 2019. She previously worked as a mediator and case manager at a Conflict Resolution Center in Baltimore City, where she taught conflict resolution, and facilitated conversations between teens and police officers across the city. She is daughter to an Italian American immigrant and grew up in West Hartford, CT. Alexa loves to make art, cook, and travel--she has lived in Australia and Sri Lanka!

MUSIC, K-8

Lisa graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in 1997 with her Bachelor’s in Music Education and then her Master’s in Music Education in 2001. With 25 years of experience, Lisa is excited to share her passion for music with her students at The Learning Community. When not in the classroom, Lisa can be found spending time with her family and cheering on her son at the hockey rink.