Donna Hulsey

Head of School

As an undergraduate at Rhodes College and a graduate student at the College of William and Mary, Mrs. Hulsey pursued a strong foundation in the classical liberal arts, linguistics, literary analysis, rhetoric, and composition. Mrs. Hulsey has worked as a senior technical writer, publication editor, and project manager in business; a freelance writer in banking and healthcare; and an instructor in writing in elementary and college classrooms. Outside academics, she has enjoyed teaching in several realms, but her favorite challenge has been coaching teams in creative problem solving (Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination) since 1990. Led by the needs of her own children into advocacy for gifted children, Mrs. Hulsey has trained in best methods for teaching gifted learners; she regularly authors articles on gifted education and speaks to professional and parent groups. A veteran of several startups, Mrs. Hulsey has been a founding member of several professional organizations and publications.

Karen Langdon, M.Ed.

Director of Admissions and Assessment, Counselor

Mrs. Langdon graduated from Emory University with a double major in Biology and Psychology and completed her Masters in Education at the University of Arizona, with a specialty in counseling and parent education. Employment in several medical hospitals followed, where she did parent education and training, therapy, marketing, and served as a consultant and speaker on a range of medical topics. Mrs. Langdon completed all coursework for a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina and finished her internship at Austin State Hospital. When she struggled to find gifted services for her own children, Mrs. Langdon changed directions. In 1999, she co-founded Summer Wonders, a summer program for gifted students, and completed an internship at the Gifted Development Center in Denver, emphasizing assessment of gifted children and counseling families on the social and emotional needs of this population. She serves as a community resource and public speaker on the needs of gifted students, conducts teacher training, and helped found the Austin chapter of the American Creativity Association.

Elizabeth Lay

Assistant Director, Admissions Counselor

Ms. Lay holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grinnell College, and has completed additional liberal arts studies with the Libera Universit Internazionale Degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli in Rome, Trinity College in Dublin, and The University of Texas at Austin, including the Shakespeare at Winedale program at UT. Ms. Lay believes strongly in the value of learning through performance and is passionate about the growth of Shakespeare programs at ACE Academy. Ms. Lay joined Austin Gifted in the spring of the school’s third year as the Program Coordinator for both ACE Academy and Summer Wonders; prior to that, Ms. Lay worked in the e-learning industry, education outreach programs, and as a freelance actor, director, and performance coach. Her production of St. Mathilde’s Malady won Best of Fest in the Hyde Park Theater 2010 FronteraFest. Ms. Lay‘s interests also include fencing. She has worked as the Assistant Coach with the University of Texas Fencing Club and holds the title of Assistant Moniteur d’Escrime (Fleuret) with the United States Fencing Coaches Association. With Adam Brewer, she coaches the ACE Academy Fencing Team, and is working to continue her own personal fencing training as competitor in foil.

Magali Pijpers

Publications and Design

Dutch by origin but raised internationally, Ms. Pijpers was born in Singapore and lived in Belgium, Hong Kong, New York, and London before arriving in Austin in 2010. She received her BA in Liberal Arts/Writing from New School University in New York. Ms. Pijpers has a background in publishing, but her heart lies in education. Prior to ACE, she most recently worked with 826nyc in Brooklyn and the Austin Bat Cave, both non-profit organizations dedicated to teaching creative writing to kids. She is excited to begin her third year at ACE. Ms. Pijpers is interested in music, independent publishing, film, the outdoors, breakfast, and travel.

Robin Grace

Office Manager, Elementary Drama teacher

Robin Grace Thompson (Ms. Grace) graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Edward's University with a Bachelor of Arts. Ms. Grace was also a member of the 2005-2006 Actor's Theatre of Louisville Acting Apprentice program. For the past four summers she has served as the Associate Director and Counselor of Camp Shakespeare at Winedale through the University of Texas. Ms. Grace is a founding member of the DA! Theatre Collective, whose interactive show for kids, Heron and Crane, was accepted to FringeNYC 2010 as a part of FringeJR in New York. Last summer, Ms. Grace had the honor of performing in the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival in Scotland. Most recent stage credits include Hedda Gabler in the Palindrome Theatre production of Hedda Gabler and Elizabeth Proctor in the Mary Moody Northen Theatre production of The Crucible. Ms. Grace has been teaching for the past ten years in a variety of educational settings and is certified to teach Theatre and Early Childhood through Sixth grade. This is Ms. Grace’s third year at ACE Academy and she is thrilled to be a part of such a diverse community. Outside of the classroom, you can find her working in the theatre, painting with watercolors, or learning how to play the baritone ukulele!

Dr. Nance Riffe

Administration, Development Officer, High School English

Dr. Nance Riffe received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Women’s Studies at George Mason University. There, she was one of 25 students selected to receive a full tuition scholarship as a member of the Mason Scholars Program, an academic honors and learning community. She was awarded the University’s highest distinction, Senior of the Year. At George Mason, Dr. Riffe competed for the GMU Forensics Team (competitive public speaking and acting). Her senior year, she broke the national record for highest number of events in final rounds at the national tournament. She received her Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies at the University of Alabama where she was awarded a TAG Fellowship, a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, and a Research Assistantship. Dr. Riffe completed her coursework toward her Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Texas at Austin and received her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama where she was awarded the Department of Communication’s highest graduate school honor, Outstanding Doctoral Student. Her Doctorate is in the field of Communication with a concentration in Critical, Cultural, and Rhetorical Studies with a cognate in Qualitative Research Methods through Education Research. She has received several Top Paper awards at national and regional communication conferences including her field’s largest conference, the National Communication Association. After completing her doctorate, Dr. Riffe was awarded a professorship at the University of Alabama. Dr. Riffe is a performer at heart; here in Austin, she was recently awarded Best of the Fest 2011 at Frontera Fest for an original monologue and enjoys occasionally performing in Austin’s Encyclopedia Show. She (along with her partner, Bryan) volunteers as a coach for the UT Forensics Team. Bryan and Nance are the proud parents of a Labrador retriever named Bella and a tiny cat named Lizzy.

Kristyn Meyer

Administration, Development Officer, History Teacher, High School Advisor

After 7 years teaching exclusively in a collegiate setting, Ms. Meyer is pleased to be returning as a Middle School and High School history teacher. Before returning to school for her graduate education, she was a middle school and high school history and English teacher in a charter school in North Austin. Ms. Meyer has a strong commitment to service-learning and critical thinking in the classroom, and believes that learning is a life-long process. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Rhetoric and Language department at the University of Texas at Austin, and received her M.A. degree at Illinois State University. When she's not in the classroom or working on her doctoral dissertation, Ms. Meyer enjoys spending time with her husband Brandon, her pet bird and her puppy; reading voraciously; and listening to Top-40 radio.

Primary

Caroline Poe

Little Rockets Teacher

Caroline Poe has been working with young children for over a decade. Most recently, she taught at St. David's Episcopal Day School for three and a half years. She enjoys facilitating exploration and discovery, as well as establishing a positive relationship with school for the youngest of students. As the parent of gifted children, she understands the need for a specialized educational environment. When she's not teaching preschool, Mrs. Poe works as a professional photographer. She puts these talents to use working with the middle school students on the ACE Academy year book. Mrs. Poe has two daughters who currently attend ACE.

Lorraine Berquist

Little Rockets Aide

Lorraine was born and raised primarily in England, attending high school at The American School of London. Lorraine received a degree from California State University at Chico with a focus on elementary education. Following graduation, Lorraine began raising a family of three children with her husband, Lon. Lorraine's children attended cooperative preschools and Lorraine and Lon loved every minute of this shared experience. Their two daughters attended Escondido Elementary School on the Stanford University campus, where both children and parents enjoyed the unique benefit of learning from families from all around the globe. These experiences combined gave Lorraine an appreciation and understanding of young children, and led to years of working with the preschool-age child. Lorraine's area of strength is her love for children's literature. This is Lorraine's second year as an assistant in the Little Rockets class and it has been wonderful, indeed!

Melinda Rincon

Director of the Primary School, Primary Blue Teacher

Melinda Rincon began her teaching career after graduating from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She has a B.S. and minored in Education and Child Development. Before coming to Austin, she spent seven years in Houston teaching at Westchester High School in the Spring Branch School District. After her husband, Don, was transferred to Austin, she worked for DHL Airways as an Account Executive, selling International Service to high-tech companies. When her daughter Lauren was in elementary school, Mrs. Rincon decided to go back to her first love: teaching. After successfully completing certification in elementary education, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and gifted education training, she was hired by AISD to teach first grade. Mrs. Rincon taught first grade for four years and pre-kindergarten for one year before starting the Primary 1 classes at ACE. This is her third year at ACE and she loves that she is able to incorporate all of her past experiences teaching these children. Mrs. Rincon especially loves teaching children to read and instilling the desire in them to learn and love school.

Kelly Granade

Kelly Granade was born and raised in Illinois, where an agrarian lifestyle instilled a love of nature and neighbor. Her family opened their home to foster children for 15 years, which helped cultivate an awareness of the social and emotional needs of others. After moving to Dallas, Kelly was hired at Rytheon-Lockheed as controller for top secret ME documents for 5 years, while after-hours studying Early Childhood Development at Brookhaven College. Children are Kelly’s first love, and led her to nanny with a young family of three elementary-aged GT children and an infant. After six years with the family, Ms. Granade acquired a Texas Real Estate Licence and began a successful, decade-long career as a buyer's agent in Austin real estate. In her personal time, she enjoys tai chi and working at the Children's Hospital with her dog, Tigger, for Pet Pal Therapy, which she has been doing for several years. Kelly is the proud mother of two gifted boys who attend ACE Academy.

Karin Asplin

Primary Blue Teacher

Karin Asplin received her degree in Early Childhood education from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. Previous to that, she attended Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, LA for a year and a half to play volleyball for the Ladies. She began her work at ACE 5 years ago. Ms. Asplin is delighted to be a Blue Pod teacher this year, and has now been teaching the Pre-K through first grade age group for 7 years and has a passion for children this age! In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends and listening to live music, preferably Texas Country, and plays in several volleyball leagues around the Austin area throughout the year. Her parents live in Katy, TX and vacation in Pagosa Springs, CO when time allows. She has a sister, Kristin, who lives with her husband, Noah, their beautiful daughter Isabella, a new niece or nephew due in February, and 2 dogs (Bailey Lou and Mia Pia) in New Braunfels, TX.

Jenny Mulder

Primary Blue Aide

Jenny Mulder grew up on the central coast of California, where she developed a love of the outdoors, hiking, and traveling with her family. She spent five years in the San Francisco Bay Area, completing college, interning with McSweeney's, and working for the San Francisco Film Society. During her junior year, she traveled abroad and lived in Tübingen, Germany for one year, learning German and working as a part-time nanny. After graduation, Ms. Mulder spent a year working as a residential youth counselor for teenagers with mental disabilities. She found the work to be extremely rewarding. After happily relocating to Texas, she knew she wanted to work with children and is ecstatic about being a part of the ACE Academy team.

Tenley Sage Houghton

Primary Yellow Teacher

Ms. Sage completed her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at California State University, Chico with an emphasis in Humanities, and is working on her Master’s coursework in elementary education. During her last year at Chico State, Tenley directed and coordinated a program for at-risk teens about respect and etiquette. The program was an uplifting success that is still used in the Boys and Girls Club of Chico today. Tenley was introduced to ACE while teaching the Computer Explorers after school program, and spent her student teaching year as Mrs. Rincon’s aide in Primary 1. She fell in love with the smiling faces of the students and staff and is thrilled to be a part of such a forward thinking school that focuses on the needs of the individual.

Ben Griffin

Primary Yellow Aide

Ben Griffin is excited to be a Teaching Assistant at ACE this year. While double majoring in Rhetoric & Writing and in English at The University of Texas (class of 2011), Ben worked for Eanes Independent School District as a tutor and after school supervisor. His academic interests include literature and the history of rhetoric and its principles. He currently contributes to CultureMap.com, an Austin-based digital publication, writing articles on various topics and events. His hobbies include writing of all forms (poetry, fiction, journalism), reading, hanging out with his nieces and nephew, playing music, basketball, and soccer.

Rebecca Aiello

Primary Yellow Teacher

Rebecca Aiello has been with ACE Academy for 3 years now, and is thrilled to be returning to the Yellow Pod. She graduated from UT in 2006 with bachelor degrees in psychology and philosophy, and returned to obtain her teaching certificate in 2008. She is certified to teach PreK - 4th grade, as well as ESL classes. In her spare time, she likes to run and compete in half marathons and marathons.

Claire Hermes

Primary Yellow Aide

As the daughter of a scientist and a teacher, Ms. Hermes' passion for learning through experimentation runs deep. Together with her sister, she spent her childhood exploring her expansive New Mexican backyard, catching lizards, constructing forts, and building a strong passion for inquisitive thinking and natural beauty. This led to many years of volunteering in her mother’s elementary school classroom, followed by volunteer positions with Our Next Generation (an inner-city after school program in Milwaukee), and Boys Hope Girls Hope (a tutoring program for highschoolers in New Orleans). Ms. Hermes graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies from Loyola University New Orleans. Now an Austinite, Ms. Hermes is a volunteer photographer for local non-profit Austin Pets Alive, and helps co-plan an annual fundraiser called the Midtown Mutt-minster Dog Show (a ‘best in show’ competition featuring Austin’s mixed breed mutts). In her spare time, she focuses on graphic design, pet photography, handcrafting wedding invitations, and cake decorating. Her love for education, entrepreneurship, and hands-on learning has led her right to the front steps of ACE Academy, and she couldn’t be more excited to start her first year!

Sara Protzmann

Primary Red Teacher

Sara Protzmann graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, specializing in Early Childhood Education. She has many years of experience teaching pre-school- through elementary-aged children. Sara is raising three gifted children, two of whom attend ACE. Her interests are reading, jewelry making, yoga and walking the family dog Goose.

Mark Smith

Primary Red Aide

Mark Smith recently completed a Master of Arts degree in Russian Literature and Language at the University of Texas at Austin. He has spent time living and studying in Russia and plans on continuing to study this tricky language. His favorite Russian authors include Mikhail Bulgakov, Andrei Platonov and Venedikt Erofeev. In a previous life, before the call to academics took over, Mr. Smith spent 10 years as a touring musician, playing drums in an indie rock band. He lives on the East Side of Austin with his wife Jesse and two ridiculous cats. Mr. Smith also has an unhealthy obsession with nachos and Manchester City Football Club.

Ralph Hardesty

Primary Red Teacher

Mr. Hardesty earned an MA in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama before going to lecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Mr. Hardesty was a coach of the Forensics programs at both schools coaching several national champions and numerous national finalists and semifinalists. He is thrilled to return to teaching after taking a short break to focus on writing and performing, most recently on his monthly variety show, The Encyclopedia Show, which was named a Critics' Pick for the Austin Chronicle's 2010 Best of Austin.

Libby Banks

Primary Red Aide

Ms. Banks graduated with a degree in Philosophy from Pomona College in Claremont, California. She received her initial teaching license from Hamline University in 5-12 Communications/Literature, and is currently completing a Master's thesis on developing culturally relevant Shakespeare curriculum. She previously worked as a political organizer in Oregon and as an English teacher in Minneapolis. After almost eight years away, she returned to her home state of Texas. Ms. Banks also is a private SAT and ACT tutor. In her spare time, she enjoys karaoke, trivia, and long strolls with her adorable dog.

Deedee Cutright

Primary Science

Mrs. Cutright joined the ACE Science Department last spring. This year she will be sharing her joy of teaching science with the primary students. Mrs. Cutright graduated Summa Cum Laude from Jacksonville University, and brings a life-long love and involvement with science and the environment to ACE. Mrs. Cutright has worn many “hats” in her professional career, from teaching Kindergarten to teaching children and adult jazz dance classes, and operating an environmental consulting company with her husband. Most recently, she owned and operated a Learning Express Toy Store. Her love of science is what attracted her to Learning Express because of their wide range of toys that focus on making science “fun” for children. Always anxious for an opportunity to work with children, Mrs. Cutright had many fun “science discovery days” at her toy store, with science kits as the center of the hands-on activities. Having raised three gifted children, she has experiential insight to the joys of teaching the gifted learner. Mrs. Cutright is excited to share her passion for teaching with the students this year, and to inspire them to learn about the wonders of the world around them.

Upper School

Dr. Martin Abel

Math and Physics Instructor

Martin Abel, Ph.D., was born in Germany. He graduated from the Wigbertgymnasium in Huenfeld, Germany, with the university-entrance diploma. In 2005 he started his higher education in the natural sciences and mathematics program at the University of Wuerzburg where he received a prediploma in physics and mathematics. In 2008 he entered the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Master of Arts in Physics, Master of Science in Applied Physics, and a Ph.D. in Physics. Besides his interest in Mathematics and Physics, Abel is interested in learning languages and is fluent in several foreign languages. Prior to joining ACE Academy, Dr. Abel taught Physics and Astronomy at the Khabele School in Austin.

Akina Adderley

Director of the Fine Arts Department, Music, Theatre

Mrs. Adderley (a.k.a. Mrs. A) is thrilled to embark upon her sixth year as a member of the ACE community. Mrs. A's educational background includes a BA in American Studies from Yale University (where she also studied music and theatre), graduation from New York's LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts ("the Fame school") where she was a drama major, classical voice training at Manhattan School of Music, and post-bac studies in piano, music theory, and vocal performance at Mannes School of Music and The New School. Mrs. A has been teaching music, drama, choir, voice and piano lessons, and directing children in plays and musicals for a decade, including two years and several summers at the family business, The Adderley School for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. In addition to her education and years of teaching, her expertise in music and theater comes from many years of professional experience acting, singing, conducting choirs, songwriting, band leading, and doing vocal arrangements. Mrs. Adderley is a dedicated vocalist, songwriter, performer and educator, and is excited about continuing to share her love of music and theatre with your children. At ACE, Mrs. A heads the Fine Arts Department and teaches Primary Music, Elementary Music, Upper School Choir, Middle/High School Theatre, and Middle/High School Band, as well as co-directing the school plays. Outside of ACE, Mrs. A leads a soul band called Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys, sings with various jazz ensembles, loves to read and watch movies, and enjoys walks through the park with her dog, Rudy.
*Mrs. A is currently offering private voice and piano lessons after school. Feel free to contact her for more information.

Brad Barry

Elementary Language Arts Head, Social Studies, Journalism, Advisory

Brad Barry is excited to be teaching Elementary Language Arts, Social Studies, and Journalism this year at ACE. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010. While majoring in Plan II Honors, he wrote for the Life & Arts section of the Daily Texan and hosted a weekly radio show on KVRX. Currently, his academic interests are musicology, rhetoric, and grammar. Mr. Barry's other passions include experimental music, long-form journalism, and pizza.

Isabelle Bettler

Elementary French

Teaching has always been a passion for Isabelle Bettler and already in high school and university, in France, she was tutoring in math. After graduating with a Master of Science in Bio-Engineering, she led technical and financial negotiations of large industrial projects for close to 10 years in France. With already an extensive travel experience (Europe, Iceland, Malaysia, Turkey, Bolivia, India), she moved to Germany first and the United States in 2001 and began exploring the power of a differentiated education with her first gifted child. Volunteering at her children’s school reignited her passion for teaching: she taught Spanish for 5 years to elementary children and led her son’s Destination Imagination team for 2 years. Since 2010, Mrs. Bettler has focused all her skills and personal experiences in teaching her own language and culture. She has founded French2U in 2010 and she has been teaching year-long classes to committed children, teenagers and adults, since then. A lot of her students are gifted homeschoolers. She is also one of the founders, the curriculum coordinator and a language art teacher of EFA (Education Française Austin) where she teaches weekly classes to native French speaking teenagers with a strong emphasis on writing skills and French literature.

Dr. Deanna Buckley

Director of the High School, Science Department Head, Math

Dr. Deanna Buckley, B.S.: M.S.: Ph.D., Science Education, Biology / Chemistry has over 70 hours of upper-level, formal university science content and 27 years of teaching experience, including public middle and high school,  private elementary, middle school and high school,  community college, and two universities. She has been trained by the National Science Foundation's Institute of Inquiry at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and in DNA analysis from Cold Spring Harbor’s vector team. Her publications include curriculum research completed in designing a new course in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas (2007): A Translational Bioengineering Course Provides Substantial Gains in Civic Scientific Literacy in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering (p. 1324). She worked for 4 years with Research Methods in the UTeach program preparing pre-service mathematics and science teachers for the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas which has been recognized by The Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century (2006, p. 117) and awarded federal funding for 21 replication sites across the country. Dr. Buckley has designed and delivered elementary science teacher professional development using digital microscopes in six different regions throughout Texas for the Texas Educational Agency and Girlstart. She also has worked as a science writing consultant to Anaxos and ENZOology. Other fieldwork includes experience as a science and math teacher coach in the NSF funded Delta Rural Systemic Initiative for regions in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.  In 2009, she presented original science curricula field tested at ACE at the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented and has had subsequent contact with other schools interested in implementing it. She has delivered national presentations for the National Science Teachers Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the National Association of Biology Teachers and is currently a reviewer for several of their professional journals. She believes that science as a way of knowing should be experienced by students collecting data, analyzing results using frequentist statistical methods, and proposing original explanations based on direct observations and logical inference. Dr. Buckley's classes are fully hands-on, often using advanced technologies such as spectrophotometers for measuring the loss of beta carotene during cooking in carrots, or aseptic techniques for culturing and studying micro-organisms, or, genetically engineering E.coliDH5a with pBLU to produce betagalactosidase and antibiotic resistance, or, on a larger scale, field testing ecological growth factors which may enhance food crops. These scientific techniques and strategies can be understood and used successfully with gifted students at a much younger age than is currently practiced in many mainstream classrooms. ACE students often have to be coerced out of the science classroom (or the outdoor classroom garden).

Sarah Cook

Elementary Spanish, Language Arts, Art History

Ms. Cook graduated with honors from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Hispanic Studies. Her undergraduate thesis, which earned her the Maria Teresa Leal Thesis Prize, used Mexican film to explore the anxieties surrounding the deterioration of traditional Mexican family structures in the 1980s as a direct result of the economic collapse of 1982. As a contributing writer for both the Rice Thresher and Rice Standard, she was able to interview some of the biggest names in music, including Ben Kweller and The National. She also taught three college level courses while at Rice: The Origins of Punk Rock, Tarantino vs. Almodovar, and The Origins of American Horror Film. Her success in teaching these classes and position as Entertainment Chair of the Rice Programming Council earned her the Dan M. Caesar Cultural Award in 2010. She has also won awards for her commitment to Free Trade, and for her work at Children’s Haven International in Reynosa, Mexico. Her passions include contemporary street art, cheesy B movies, avant-garde fashion, live music, improv, high brow books about low brow things, memes, horseback riding, and wakeboarding.

David Dean-Jones, Ph.D

Latin, Philosophy

Dr. David Dean-Jones (DD-J) is beginning his first year at ACE teaching Latin and Greek. He is also currently an Adjunct Professor of Foreign Languages at Austin Community College. Dr. Dean-Jones graduated from Wichita High School South in 1979 and served in the US Marines from 1979 to 1983. He studied Latin, Greek, Ancient Philosophy, and Ancient History at The Wichita State University and graduated with a BA Summa Cum Laude in May of 1987. In 1988, he earned his MA Magna Cum Laude in Classical Languages and Literature from the University of Texas at Austin, where he continued his studies and earned his Ph.D. Summa Cum Laude in 1993. Dr. Dean-Jones also studied Business Management and Computer Information Sciences at Austin Community College from 2002 to 2005. From 1993 to 2011, Dr. Dean-Jones taught Classics and was the Middle School Dean of Students and Academic Scheduler at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. He served in the Texas National Guard in 1990-1991 and was activated into the US Army for Operation Desert Shield/Storm in January of 1991. He is married to Lesley Dean-Jones, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin, and has two sons Aidan and Ciaran, both of whom are students at UT. Dr. Dean-Jones also has one dog, Oreo, and three Ball Pythons, Speedy, Swifty, and Fluffy. He enjoys reading, bees, British and Irish Literature (particularly James Joyce), travel, and teaching the Classics. Dr. Dean-Jones is planning a novel based on his twelve years of experience as a Middle School Dean of Students: And If You think that’s Wacky, Wait Until You Hear This: The Life and Times of a Middle School Dean of Students.

Swapna Deepak

Science

Mrs. Deepak holds a Bachelors degree in Chemistry, a second Bachelors degree in Physical Science, and a Masters degree in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Calicut in Calicut, India. She is a graduate of the University of Texas UTeach certification program and obtained her Texas Teaching certification for K-12 science in 2012. Mrs. Deepak began her teaching experience in southern India, where she taught middle and high school science. She also organized two science fairs and set up a chemistry laboratory for a newly opened high school in collaboration with Oisca International, a Japanese organization for nature conservation. Mrs. Deepak has taught at all levels in AISD, and is excited for the opportunity to test her mettle among the discerning learners at ACE Academy in an inquiry-based, generative, and project-based learning environment.

Mary Hannah Duhon

Elementary Aide

Ms. Duhon graduated from Hampshire College with a B.A. in Political Philosophy in 2011. She subsequently completed a year of service mentoring and tutoring underprivileged 3rd - 5th graders in East Austin for AmeriCorps. She also tutored international high school students from Mexico in history and english and taught visual studies and martial arts classes. As for her academic interests, she cannot stop reading about political theory, cultural studies, and history. In her spare time, she likes to paint, run, read novels, and improve her Spanish by watching poorly dubbed episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Geneva Hinchliffe

Elementary Math, Middle School English, Advisory, ODIM

Mrs. Hinchliffe is returning for her second year at ACE Academy teaching Middle School Language Arts, Elementary and Middle School Math, and Community Service. She is also excited to be coordinating the pilot year of the new upper-school program Open-Door Interdisciplinary Modules (ODIM). She received her undergraduate degree from Trinity University, majoring in Communications and Education and minoring in English. She also served as Co-Editor and Layout Editor for Trinity’s literary magazine The Trinity Review for three years. Mrs. Hinchliffe recently earned an M.Ed. in Secondary Education with a minor in Gifted and Talented Education and Special Education from Texas State University. She is a certified teacher in Secondary Math and English and has more than five years experience tutoring middle and high school students in most subjects including Math and college prep. Outside of teaching, Mrs. Hinchliffe is a passionate knitter and looks forward to knitting with students, faculty and parents in her afterschool club.

Randy Hollensbe

Director of Technology, Robotics and Computer Programming Instructor

Mr. Hollensbe was part of the gifted program in Picayune, Mississippi, graduated a year early, attended Pearl River Jr. College for two years followed by Mississippi State University, where he majored in Computer Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. While at Pearl River Jr. College, he led a team of programmers to win the first title for the college in a programming competition at the University of Southern Mississippi. After college, Randy was hired by Cincinnati Bell Information Systems (later renamed Convergys) as a Programmer. He stayed with the company for almost 20 years, holding titles of Programmer, Lead Programmer, Senior Programmer, Program Manager, Project Manager and Manager - Information Technology, and Senior Manager - Information Technology. While at Convergys, Randy also received his Project Management certificate from George Washington University. Randy was also educated in ITIL, ITIL 3.0, Lean Processes, and was a certified Change Agent. In his spare time, Mr. Hollensbe enjoys coaching girls’ soccer. He coached travel soccer for girls in Florida for 7 years, winning many titles. He has also been actively involved with the Board of Deltona Youth Soccer, holding positions of Secretary and Vice President of the club.

Andie Jew

Art

Mrs. Jew is originally from a Chicago suburb that has always been very creativity driven. She absorbed as much as possible having the opportunity to learn from some of Chicago's local artists. Mrs. Jew studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design for a short time before devoting many years to the art of silkscreening. While raising her 4 children, Mrs. Jew took many courses expanding her artistic knowledge. Beginning in 1999 she fulfilled a life long dream working as a library assistant. This will be the 4th year Mrs. Jew has been teaching at ACE..

Chris Lay, M.Ed.

Middle School History, Elementary Art, Math, Reading Assessments

Ms. Lay comes from a large, extended family of gifted teachers, so she grew up in the midst of conversations about learning. She has 27 years of experience in private and public schools teaching students ranging from Pre-Ks to high school seniors. Her Texas teacher certifications include Secondary French, Government, Economics; Elementary Education; Special Education; and English as a Second Language. She is particularly drawn to working with gifted and talented children because of the joys and challenges she encountered in rearing two exceptionally gifted children of her own. Ms. Lay double-majored in French and Government to earn a B.A. with Honors from the University of Texas. Also at UT, she obtained an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with a Social Studies Emphasis. Significant trainings include Gifted and Talented Foundations Institute; New Jersey Writing Project: Capital City Writes; Balanced Literacy; Schools Attuned, All Kinds of Minds Institute; Assessment for Learning: Keeping Learning on Track; Hilda Taba Instructional Strategies, Advanced; and Ingersoll Rand Economics Teacher Internship. This year, she is teaching American History, Government, Economics, Community Service, and Art. She likes to hike, bike, dance, swim, cook, sing, and visit with friends and family.

Dr. Claudia Legarreta

Emotional Intelligence

Dr. Legarreta holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from The University of Texas at Austin, a M.A. in Counseling from St. Edwards University, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from St. Mary's University, where she is a member of the Chi Sigma Iota Honors Society. She comes to ACE with a background in child development, child and adolescent counseling, and international diplomacy..

Tabitha Molett, M.Ed.

Director of Middle School, Language Arts and Humanities Department Head, ODIM

Ms. Molett was an undergraduate at the University of Arizona and the University of Texas at Dallas. She graduated with a B.A. from the school of Humanities and continued her education at Southern Methodist University, graduating with Honors and obtaining a M.Ed., Master Reading Teacher Certification, and a Gifted and Talented Endorsement. For the last twelve years she has worked as a classroom instructor, specials teacher, and Gifted Specialist (Kinder-6th grade). She has experience writing curriculum, presenting teacher workshops on the nature and needs of gifted children, and piloting innovative programs. She is the co-creator of the signature ACE Academy program ODIM (Open Door Interdisciplinary Modules), a course designed to allow students to explore an interest of their choice in greater depth and involve them the process of creative thinking and problem solving. Ms. Molett has been actively involved in Destination Imagination, No Place For Hate, ACE Innovation, and various other academic and creative thinking competitions. She is a member of the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented, National Association for Gifted Children, and American Creativity Association. She believes in teaching heuristically and incorporating creative thinking and risk taking at every turn. Her students can be found holding Socratic Discussions and having philosophical debates about literary themes. When she's not working, she enjoys going to movies, traveling, writing, and keeping up with the extraordinary accomplishments of her past students.

Robert Moncrieff

Spanish, Filmmaking, Claymation

Robert Moncrieff is excited to be returning for his third year at ACE. After two greatly enjoyable years of working primarily in the primary classrooms, he is diversifying to the upstairs, teaching elective classes to the elementary, middle school, and high school in filmmaking and claymation. He will also be teaching primary Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys watching and making films, going to see plays, and discovering new Vietnamese restaurants.

Pam Nicholas

Elementary Language Arts, Math, Global Languages

This will be Mrs. Nicholas' second year teaching at ACE Academy and she is excited to have the opportunity to facilitate ACE's 8 to 9 year old elementary group in their exploration of language arts, math, history, and global languages. Mrs. Nicholas graduated Cum Laude from the University of Arizona with a degree in Media Arts. After working in video production and web design, she realized that her true passion lies in having a career that helps spark a sense of wonder and self-confidence in children as they make important connections about themselves and the world around them. Since becoming a teacher, she has received a Master's in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. Nicholas feels very strongly that every student she works with is a new opportunity for her to continue to learn and grow as an educator. She has worked with children for over a decade, teaching all subject areas in kindergarten, third, fifth, and sixth grades. She has a 9 year old son who is attending ACE Academy this year.

Lauren Siegel

Elementary Math History Teacher

Mrs. Siegel received her undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1988. After spending time in the workforce and while raising two gifted sons, she attended the University of Texas College of Natural Sciences UTeach program to train in teaching math using the inquiry method. She is certified to teach mathematics at both the middle and high school levels in Texas. Mrs. Siegel also teaches spinning at the YMCA and volunteers regularly with community outreach programs Caritas and Mobile Loaves and Fishes. A favorite math class at ACE is Mrs. Siegel's annual bead extravaganza, featuring bead jewelry making and related spreadsheets. She presented at the 2009 conference for the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) about math labs she has developed, and has published in Mathematics Teacher, a publication of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.

Carolyn Smith

Math, Science

Carolyn Smith holds a BA in History from Southwestern University and a BS in Computer Science from St. Edwards University. Her background is in developing software for education, as well as a ten-year history of tutoring students with a wide range of levels and abilities. She has been involved in Destination Imagination and its precursor, Odyssey of the Mind, since 1990. She is an active volunteer with the Helios Project, an organization dedicated to distributing computers with open-source software to students and low-income families in Central Texas.
She has a real passion for finding models and systems from real world scenarios, and looks forward to bringing this enthusiasm to ACE's science and math classrooms. Whether it's the projectile motion of a grasshopper or the growth rate of a social network, the application of mathematical concepts to the world around us inspires Mrs. Smith and her students to find real-world relevance in abstract ideas.
Mrs. Smith's other interests include homebrewing, carpentry, and vegetable gardening (Texas permitting). She loves her dogs dearly and her truck maybe a little bit too much.

Dr. Mo Yazdi

Head of Math Department, Science, Math Instructor

Mo Yazdi, MS; PhD, is a former postdoctoral student and research associate scientist at UT/Austin, and has taught math, biology, physics, medical sciences, molecular biology/biotechnology and chemistry for more than 25 years. Following college years spent in three different countries, Dr. Yazdi has taught medical students at The Imperial Medical Center of Iran in Tehran, and at various schools in Austin, Texas, including work with students of different ages, talents, and strengths at Rawson-Saunders School, the gifted and talented population at Summer Wonders, and with the GATE program at Hill Country School of Austin. Dr. Yazdi has been trained in Gifted and Talented Education in Region XIII Texas education. He has enjoyed taking his students on a variety of field trips, such as visits to the Nanotechnology Institute, virus-battery pioneer Professor Angela Belcher’s lab at MIT, and the medical school at Harvard University.

Coach Adam Brewer

Fencing

Coach Brewer discovered fencing during his freshman semester at University of Texas at San Antonio in 2004, and quickly rose to the top of local and regional tournaments. He has been competing at the national level for six years along side both the best fencers in the nation and also several internationally based world-class fencers. He is continuing to train in the hopes of making the United States Olympic team. Coach Brewer has been teaching fencing for five years, beginning with the San Antonio Sports Foundation. In 2006 Coach Brewer assumed the role of Head Coach for the Swordplay at UTSA Fencing Club. Coach Brewer is currently pursuing a degree in Physical Education with the hopes of achieving a Masters degree.

Coach Bob McLucas

Physical Education

Owner and Director of Stretch-N-Grow of Central Texas, Coach Bob uses games and exercises to teach sportsmanship and skills while students learn about the body, proper alignment, and nutrition.
coachbob@austingifted.org