Biographies
LaNaye T. Lawson
After graduating with a B.A. in Marketing from Morgan State University Ms. Lawson earned her M.A.T. in Elementary Education during a year-long teaching residency with the Academy for Urban School Leadership, a Chicago organization which aims to improve student achievement in the city’s high-poverty, chronically failing schools. For the past 3 years she has dedicated her time and effort into the world of second grade. She works relentlessly to build her school’s culture and student achievement.
Jen Jacobson – 3rd Grade
After graduating with a B.A. in English Language and Literature from The University of Chicago, Ms. Jacobson earned her M.A.T. in Elementary Education during a year-long teaching residency with the Academy for Urban School Leadership. For the past year she has taught 3rd grade at Howe School of Excellence. She has actively sought resources for her classroom by earning grants Donors Choose and looks forward to receiving even more resources this year. Last year she also worked for the Huntington Learning program to teach after school to 3rd graders at Howe. This year she is currently on the Reading Pilot Draft team, working to strengthen reading curriculum throughout the AUSL network. Last year Ms. Jacobson helped coach the inaugural team of boy’s baseball at Howe, and hopes to continue to coach this year as well.
Outside of school Ms. Jacobson loves to run and read books. She also started a non-profit called Second City Canine Rescue which rescues dogs in the Chicagoland area and adopts them into loving homes. She lives by Wrigley Field and loves to cheer on the Cubs! (and Green Bay Packers, go Packers!) Ms. Jacobson anticipates a long career in the education field and loves working with her students and their families here at Howe. Go Jets!
Melanie Carpenter – 5th Grade
After graduating from UIC, Ms. Carpenter was accepted to the Teach for America program and began her teaching career in 2003. While completing her first 2 years of teaching, she also earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University. She has taught for over 8 years in Chicago Public Schools and is currently working on a math endorsement from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Education in Teacher Leadership from the University of Phoenix. She has secured a number of grants for classroom materials through Donors Choose including books, technology, and classroom supplies.
Ms. Carpenter loves to spend time with her 2 young children and her husband, who is also a teacher in CPS. She looks forward to summer breaks when she and her family are able to spend time together and travel to a variety of cities on the Midwest. When she is away from school, Ms. Carpenter enjoys drinking coffee, taking walks, napping, scrap-booking, cooking, and watching movies.
Sarah Golz – 6th/7th Grade
Sarah Golz has a love for science and excited to be help push the science program at HOWE School of Excellence to the next level! After graduating with a Bachelors in Biology-Teacher Education from Illinois State University, Ms. Golz moved to Orlando, FL to work at Walt Disney World. As a professional hydroponic horticulturist, she spent 6 months growing Mickey Mouse shaped pumpkins and and taking care of a tomato tree that produced over 40,000 tomatoes! After completing her internship, she taught 6th, 7th, & 8th grade science at a charter school in Chicago. Last year, Ms. Golz moved to Seattle, WA to pursue a Master’s Degree in Curriculum & Instruction- Science Education full time at the University of Washington. Ms. Golz is excited to be back in Chicago and even more excited to be at HOWE School of Excellence!
On a personal level, Ms. Golz loves to travel, watch TV, and dance which she has been doing for 23 years! This year she will be helping with cheerleading and dance team at HOWE and teaching a tap dance class in the after school program in the winter!
Ms. Claudy – 2nd Grade
Ms. Claudy holds a BA from Knox College and a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After a year long residency teaching in two Chicago Public Schools, Ms. Claudy earned her MAT in Elementary Education through The University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program. The 2011-2012 school year is Ms. Claudy’s first year teaching at Howe. She brings with her a strong working knowledge of balanced literacy, as well as Everyday Mathematics and FOSS Science curricula. In her spare time, Ms. Claudy enjoys cycling along the lakefront, and spending time with her family.
Rhea Patton
Ms. Patton graduated from Grambling State University with a BA in Psychology. Her passion for education inspired her to earn a M.A.T in Elementary Education during a year-long teaching residency with the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), a Chicago organization which aims to improve student achievement in the city’s high-poverty, chronically failing schools. Upon completion of her Master degree, Ms. Patton has taught in high needs schools on both the south and west sides of Chicago. For the past four years, she has diligently served at Howe School of Excellence as a First grade teacher, as a Lead Teacher for primary grades, and most recently, as a Mentor Teacher for AUSL. Ms. Patton also serves outside of the classroom leading professional development and consulting on numerous curriculum design teams. Ms. Patton is a Golden Apple Nominee and has received Rochelle Lee and Donors Choose grants to provided books and other material to enrich her student’s educational experience.