Palmer Trinity School

8 W W W. PA L M E R T R I N I T Y. O R G KRISTEN BALKE MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH Ms. Balke is a Texas native, but has lived in Miami for the past five years. She came to us from Everglades Preparatory Academy after earning a degree in Mathematics. is will be her fifth year as a teacher. She owns a Braque Francais named Piper, who thinks that she is a human. Kristen loves traveling and the outdoors, and has really enjoyed meeting everyone here at PTS. JULIO CARASSOU UPPER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH Mr. Carassou came to Miami from Cuba two years ago, and this year will mark his tenth year as a teacher. Julio holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, specifically in teaching English as a second language. In Cuba, he taught English as a Second Language for five years and then spent two years as a tutor and counselor at the International School of Havana. During his last three years at ISH, he worked as an Extra Curricular Coordinator and as both an ESL and Spanish teacher. Outside of the classroom Julio is a huge sports fan, particularly of baseball. He is also a music lover with a special passion for Cuban music. CHARLES CASSINI UPPER SCHOOL RELIGIOUS STUDIES Mr. Cassini was born in New York City, but moved to Florida at the age of 10, and has forty- three years of teaching experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in drama from the Catholic University of America, a Master of Engineering from FAU, an Master of Arts from both the University of Miami and Florida International University. When he is not teaching, he loves boating, motorcycling, and carpentry work. ALEX DUGARTE LIBRARY ASSISTANT AND STUDENT MEDIA ASSOCIATE Ms. Dugarte was born and bred in Miami. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and minor in Chemistry. Afterwards, she spent a gap year traveling across the continental United States and China. Her wanderlust and fondness for History and Gothic Literature led her to move to London to pursue a Master of Arts in Creative Writing. She has spent the last year working with Breakthrough Miami as an AmeriCorps member here at PTS. She is an avid fan of mortuary sciences, books, and writing. CLAUDIA JOLIVERT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING Ms. Jolivert comes to us from Ransom Everglades. She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia and has worked at independent schools for eleven years, first as an admissions counselor at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, and then as a college counselor at Ransom Everglades. She has also worked as an admissions officer at Georgetown University, her alma mater, and completed a Master's degree in International Affairs at Columbia University. Last year, she and her family rescued two dogs – Picasso and Chuleta. DAYANARA MARTINEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE Ms. Martinez comes to us from New York. She was born in Colombia, where she lived until she was 14. She is a seasoned teacher with fourteen years of teaching experience. She recently completed a Master of Science in Adolescent Science Education. She has two daughters and is passionate about traveling and learning about other cultures. N E W FA C E S P T S FA C U LT Y A N D S TA F F

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