Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 29, 2014 FLOW Area Regional district introduces new staff members by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education welcomed multiple new staff members at a recent public meeting. Superintendent Beverly MacKay welcomed the new staff members, saying she looks forward to working with them to help the school district grow stronger. Ramapo High School Principal Lou Moore, and Indian Hills High School Principal Joseph Collins made the introductions to the board of education. A list of the new staff members at Ramapo follows. Diane Belinfanti has joined the district’s special ser- vices department teaching English. She received her BA from Boston University in government and her MA from Central Michigan University in education and curriculum. She previously worked in the Union Township School Dis- trict. Steevi Brandt attended Ramapo College, where she earned her degree in literature. She subsequently com- pleted her student teaching at Ramapo High School, during which time she assumed responsibility for sections of Eng- lish 2 and English 3. She is currently teaching two sections of English 1 CPE, one at Ramapo and one at Indian Hills. Tanjushree Desai received her BA from Rutgers Uni- versity and her MA from Montclair State University. As a teen, Desai came to the United States from India. She previously worked at the West Orange School District. In addition to English, she speaks Gujarati and Hindi. Laura Hall received her bachelor’s degree at Penn State and attended graduate school at Long Island University, where she also worked in the admissions office. Upon graduation, she worked at the Mental Health Association of Rockland County until she obtained her first guidance counselor job at the Nyack High School in Nyack, New York. Allan Jauregui studied the sciences at Rutgers and earned a degree in biology. Upon graduation, he became a chemist/biologist in industry in both research and product development capacities. He later realized that his true call- ing is education. He has been teaching secondary science for seven years. He comes to the district from Northern Valley and he will be teaching chemistry CP and CPE at both Ramapo and Indian Hills this year. Kelly Keane has joined the guidance office at Ramapo High. She was previously a counselor at Clarkstown North High School in New City, New York for seven years. Since then, Keane has continued with her graduate work. She recently completed a mental health counseling degree at Manhattan College. Damla Kocacepel has joined the World Languages Department as a teacher of French. Kocacepel received her BA in French language and literature from the Hacettepe University, in Ankara, Turkey. She has experienced living and teaching in France, Turkey, and the United States. Christina Merritt graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and holds a master’s in nursing from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Along with working full-time at Ramapo High, she currently works at St. Clare’s Hospital on an as needed basis in the evenings as the assistant director of nursing. Lona Ozrek is a supplemental math teacher who sup- plements instruction in Algebra 1 and 2 CP classes. He received his BS from William Paterson University and has worked in the Hoboken and Wayne Hills district. He has coached women’s soccer at Dominican college for the past seven years. Robert Petrella is a science instructor and presently teaches biology and integrated physical science. He received his BS from the University of New Haven with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. He played col- lege football and then worked in the Ridgefield Park School District, where he is currently coaching freshman football. Anna Zalokostas is a school psychologist. She received her BS from Rutgers University and an M.S. Ed. from the City University of New York, Queens College. Zalokostas worked in the Union City School District. She speaks Eng- lish and Greek. The listing of new staff members at Indian Hills High follows. Laura Dantoni joined the IHHS Family & Consumer Science Department after many years of experience teaching foods and other courses. A graduate of Seton Hall University and Mont- clair University, she has years of teaching experience from James Caldwell High School and Wayne Valley High School. Sunita Dewnani is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Tech- nology and holds a master’s degree in both physical and organic chemistry. In addition to teaching at the junior college level, Dewnani has been working in research in medicinal chemistry with Mercke Laboratories and holds several pharmaceutical pat- ents. Edith LaChac is a media specialist. She graduated from Tufts University with an undergraduate degree in computer science. She later obtained a master’s in library and infor- mation sciences with a 4.0 grade point average from Rut- gers University. She previously served as media specialist in the Moonachie School District. Terence Lennon is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. In addition to spending summers as a lifeguard cap- tain in Long Branch Township, he also gained experience teaching physics and chemistry with his former district of Cresskill. Michael Paravati is teaching American Studies, sociol- ogy, and the University Program in finance. Most recently, he completed his M.A. at Columbia University’s Teacher College in the field of teaching of social studies. Paravati also holds a master’s in the classics from University of Washington-Seattle, a BA in classics from Rutgers, and dual bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from Montclair State University. Jessica Peterson is an English teacher. She is a 2013 graduate of The College of New Jersey, where she majored in English secondary education. She is a full-year mater- nity leave replacement this year. Joanne Sidoti is an English teacher who graduated from (continued on page 10)