Teachers eager to welcome students back for another year have prepared their classrooms and coursework. Thursday, Aug. 10 marks the first day of school for pupils who will see some new teachers and staff leading the charge. The Upper Keys Weekly had the chance to gain a little insight into the newest educators’ teaching styles, hobbies and how many lobster tails they can eat.
TARYN CZECH
Ocean Studies Charter School
Fourth and Fifth Grade Sharks
Where did you get your degree? Saint Cloud State University (Minnesota).
Living in the Keys for almost 2 months.
Teaching style? Student-centered and hands-on.
Special talent? I love making homemade pesto!
How much lobster can you eat? I do not like shellfish; however, I love catching lobster!
Hobbies? I love to snorkel, paddleboard, snowboard and play tennis.
TRACY DiCHIACCHIO
Key Largo Middle School
Eighth Grade English
Where did you get your degree? Bachelor’s from Towson University in Maryland and master’s from NOVA Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale.
Living in the Keys on and off since 1992. I have taught at Coral Shores High School on and off since 1995. I took this past year off to help with family and am thankful to be able to return to the Keys.
Teaching style? Relaxed, comfortable atmosphere where everyone feels welcome to learn about life lessons through literature and write and share ideas.
Special talent? Finding humor in unfunny events.
How much lobster can you eat? As much as I can — as long as I have warm butter.
Hobbies? Being a mother to two adult daughters, a golden retriever named Sullivan and three cats. I love to be on the water. I also enjoy reading, eating and laughing.
SHAWN THRASHER
Key Largo School
Eighth Grade World History
Where did you get your degree? Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Living in the Keys for … I am new to the Keys.
Teaching style? Socratic, personal, engaging, and passionate.
Special talent? Music production.
How much lobster can you eat? Three at one sitting.
Hobbies? Barbecuing, music, reading, traveling and hanging with my family.
TONY ARCURI
Coral Shores High School
11th-12th Grade Reading and English
Where did you get your degree? Hanover College and Northern Kentucky University
Living in the Keys for … oh, about 3 weeks!
Teaching style? I am a “student’s teacher.” I want to develop a strong academic culture and foster life-long learners while involving them in the process.
Special talent? I am a professionally trained chef.
How much lobster can you eat? Who knows? I never tried. I’ll say a few pounds.
Hobbies? I coach football; I love reading. I am also a movie buff.
NATALIE “LEXI” SOSA
Treasure Village Montessori
Sixth through Eighth Grade Mathematics
Where did you get your degree? Bachelor’s in psychology and minor in education from the University of Florida. Master’s in criminology and criminal justice from Florida International University and Ph.D (pending) in criminology and criminal justice from FIU.
I travel down here from Homestead.
Teaching style? I would describe my teaching style as interactive, engaging, eclectic and student-centered. When I teach mathematics, I understand that everyone processes information in unique ways, so I explore a variety of methods of teaching concepts that cater to visual, kinesthetic, and acoustic learners.
Special talents? I can recite the United States in alphabetical order in under 15 seconds. I can palm a basketball, too!
How much lobster can you eat? All of it! Lobster is actually one of my favorite foods.
Hobbies? I am an avid Call of Duty player (though my K/D ratio can be better!), I enjoy playing and watching sports (basketball, football, volleyball, baseball, and soccer), I love traveling and enjoying new cuisines with my family, I teach myself new languages (I speak English and Spanish fluently and am learning German and Arabic), and I frequently read criminology articles and news reports.
CAROLINE ROSENBALM
Treasure Village Montessori
First and Second Grade
Where did you get your degree? Palm Beach Atlantic University
Living in the Keys for … my family and I moved down to the Keys when I was 2 years old. After graduating high school, I moved up to West Palm Beach to attend PBA for my education degree. I taught 4 years in West Palm before moving back to the Keys over the summer.
Teaching style? The best way I would describe my teaching style is focusing on the students’ learning strengths. I like to incorporate all kinds of learning strategies (tactile, music, movement, words, etc).
Special talent? I danced from ages 2-22! I even have my minor in dance from PBA.
How much lobster can you eat? Well since lobster is my favorite seafood, probably too much!
Hobbies? I love to spend the weekends playing board games with my family. We love all kinds of strategy-based board games.
KAREN LUGO
-DEAN
Plantation Key School
Fifth Grade Math and Social Studies
Where did you get your degree? Master’s degree from Webster’s University. Teacher Ready Online Certification Program (University of West Florida).
Living in the Keys for five years.
Teaching style? Hybrid style, I prefer a mix of the facilitator, coaching teaching methods where I can demonstrate and then help the students figure things out.
Special talent? I think leadership skills (came from spending a long career in the U.S. Army as a leader), I can read lips, be the peacemaker, this one is hard!
How much lobster can you eat? I like lobster, I can eat it until I am satisfied.
Hobbies? Traveling, shopping, movies, hanging out with my family and friends, and painting.
LEE HARTNETT
Plantation Key School
Seventh Grade Civics and Government
Where did you get your degree? I received my bachelor’s in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I taught at Sugarloaf School for the past seven years.
Teaching style? I try to make my civics class very engaging for the students. I have high expectations, but I hope students will describe me as firm but fair.
How much lobster can you eat? I am not sure how many lobsters/bugs I can eat. I’m sure I have eaten eight or nine tails in one sitting.
Hobbies?I enjoy mountain biking, skiing and kayaking. As I get older and a little less motivated, I travel a great deal. I finished the seven new wonders, 50 states, 32 National Parks and six of the seven continents.
DEBRA WARD
Coral Shores High School
Assistant principal
Where did you get your degree? I received my bachelor’s from Barry University (exceptional student education), master’s degree from Nova Southeastern (curriculum and instruction) and American College of Education (educational leadership)
I have been commuting from Homestead since I began my teaching career in the Keys at Key Largo School in 2006.
Leadership style? I would describe my leadership style as an integration of shared leadership and servant leadership. This approach prioritizes the collective wisdom of the team and values each member’s contribution, while I also focus on serving and meeting the needs of the team members.
Special talent? As an educator, one of my special talents is the ability to connect with students on a personal level. I am able to build strong relationships by understanding their unique backgrounds, interests, and challenges.
How much lobster can you eat? That would depend on how much was available! A lot!
Hobbies? Running (I’ve completed 10 marathons including the New York City Marathon and Chicago Marathon), camping and sewing.
AMBER VALDES
Coral Shores High School
10th grade World History
Where did you get your degree? I received my associate’s from Santa Fe College and transferred to the University of Florida for my bachelor’s in history with a minor in education.
Living in the Keys for … my family moved to Key Largo full time when I was in first grade because of the fantastic school system. I am a product of Key Largo School and Coral Shores! After college I stayed in Gainesville for two years teaching. The past four years I have taught at Key Largo School. So, a lot of years!
Teaching style? Very Socratic. I think asking questions and discussion is the best way for any student no matter the age to understand a topic.
Special talent? My special talent is trivia; I hold a lot of random facts in my head.
How much lobster can you eat? Depends on if it was caught by family/friends or if bought in this economy!
Hobbies? Reading and painting. I am much better at reading, however.
ANDREW HOCHHEIMER
Coral Shores High School
Algebra 1
Where did you get your degree? Towson University.
Living in the Keys for … three weeks now.
Teaching style? Collaborative and fair.
Special talent? Music.
How much lobster can you eat? There is only one way to find out.
Hobbies? Playing/coaching lacrosse. Watching sports on TV. All things food. Cooking, eating, watching cooking shows.
JOSIE GOSS
Coral Shores High School
Ninth and 11th Grade English Language Arts
Where did you get your degree? I attended Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama for my degree. There I received my degree in the teaching field of English Language Arts.
Living in the Keys for a year.
Teaching style? I would say I like to be adaptable when it comes to my teaching style. Routines are essential, but I also like to adjust and grow with my students throughout the year depending on their needs.
Special talents? I can crochet simple things like blankets and scarves.
How much lobster can you eat? I love lobster rolls so I could eat quite a lot of them!
Hobbies? Reading, spending time with my family and traveling to all of my favorite fictional destinations.
ROCIO LINDBACK
Key Largo School
Fifth grade
Where did you get your degree? National University of Agriculture of La Molina – Lima-Peru.
Living in the Keys since 2002.
Teaching style? Kind and firm.
Special talent? Baking delicious juicy turkeys
How much lobster can you eat? Four tails.
Hobbies? Reading, swimming, cooking and dancing.
Rileigh Kurre
Coral Shores High School
11th grade AP U.S. History & U.S. History
Where did you get your degree? The University of South Alabama.
Living in the Keys for about 3 weeks.
Teaching style? I love to do hands-on activities and help students connect what they’re learning to their own personal lives and the world around them.
Special talent? I am fantastic at headstands.
How much lobster can you eat? Probably around 37 pounds, depending on the day.
Hobbies? Swimming, snorkeling, chasing iguanas and listening to music!
ANA MARIA WELLS
Coral Shores High school
Geometry & Math College Statistics
Where did you get your degree? I am from Honduras and got my diploma (civil engineering) at the Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC)
Living in the Keys since October 2020.
Teaching style? Coaching is my preferred teaching style. I try to ask proper questions and with the help of visuals and group activities they can determine the answers.
Special talent? I am a good photographer.
How much lobster can you eat? I can eat a lot of lobster, prepared in every delicious way.
Hobbies? I love fishing, hiking, reading and traveling.
AMY AREVALO
Key Largo School
First Grade
Where did you get your degree? Valdosta State University
Living in the Keys on and off in the Keys for 15 years.
Teaching style? Hands-on, structured, organized and engaging.
Special talent? My hidden talent is that I love to paddleboard.
How much lobster can you eat? I can eat one lobster.
Hobbies? Enjoying time on the water in the beautiful Florida Keys.
MEGAN SMITH
Plantation Key School
ESE Teacher
Where did you get your degree? Florida Atlantic University – psychology degree.
Living in the Keys for three years.
Teaching style? Relationships and respect first! I love to create a positive and safe environment in my classroom first before teaching anything.
Special talent? I drive manual transmission and have for the last 10 years. My current car is manual.
How much lobster can you eat? I like lobster but I don’t have it that often.
Hobbies? I enjoy running, hiking, boating/jet skiing, snorkeling and hanging out with my friends.
ERIN HAMILTON
Key Largo School
Seventh Grade Support Facilitation
Where did you get your degree? I have a master’s in education from The Ohio State University.
Living in the Keys for 11 years.
Teaching style? My teaching is very student focused. I believe in mutual respect between myself and my students. I do my best to get to know the person so I can support them the best I can.
Special talent? I am a Level 2 USA weightlifting coach.
How much lobster can you eat? Gross. I don’t eat seafood. Hobbies? Working out and weightlifting are my main hobbies outside of spending time with my daughters. I also sell wine for charity and love being able to help raise money for different charities!
