Shabazz Faculty

Ms. Michelle Broisman is excited to be returning to OGPS for her third year. For the second year she will be focusing on teaching reading and social studies in the third grade. Ms. Broisman completed her undergraduate education at Northeastern University where she majored in English with a minor in Elementary Education and Biology. She holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Education from Simmons College. Outside of school she loves visiting with family and friends, reading, enjoying the city of Boston, and watching sports especially the Boston Bruins! She can’t wait to see all of the amazing things her students will accomplish this year!

Mrs. Donovan has been teaching third grade at Orchard Gardens for three years now. She currently teaches math and writing.

Ms. Clarke is currently the SEI third grade ELA and Social Studies teacher. She loves to laugh and make learning engaging.

Ms. Goldman is the 3rd grade SEI math and writing teacher. She completed her undergraduate studies at Lafayette College and her graduate studies at Boston College. Ms. Goldman’s hobbies include reading, playing sports, traveling, baking and watching the Red Sox.

Hello! My name is Lauren Witt and I am excited to be joining Orchard Gardens! I’m originally from Michigan and a big Michigan fan (go blue!) and have been living in Boston for the past 3 years. This is my 4th year teaching special education and I’m looking forward to a great year!

Ms. Lynni Nordheim is thrilled to begin her second year teaching 4th grade at OGPS! Before moving to Boston in the summer of 2010, she taught in Las Vegas for six years, mostly in grades 4 and 5. Ms. Nordheim grew up in Madison, WI, then attended college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she majored in Sociology and Women’s Studies. She holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and achieved certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in 2009. Her hobbies include reading, writing, yoga, traveling, cooking, and running. She is training to (slowly) run her second marathon this October. She is super excited for a fantastic school year with the college class of ’24!

Ms. Lindsey Van Dam is excited to be joining the 4th grade team at OGPS! This is her 5th year teaching. She taught 6th grade for three years in New Bedford, MA. Last year, she taught 5th grade at The Academy of the Pacific Rim in Hyde Park, MA. She will be teaching 4th grade Math and Social Studies at OGPS. Ms. Van Dam earned her undergraduate degree at The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She continued her education at Bridgewater State University where she earned her Master of Education in Reading. Ms. Van Dam is thrilled to start the 2011-2012 school year!

Ms. Akosua Osei-Bobie will be teaching 4th Grade SEI Math and Social Studies. Ms. Osei-Bobie’s family is from Ghana in West Africa, but she was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. Prior to moving to Boston, Ms. Osei-Bobie attended college at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where she majored in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Education. Her hobbies include playing tennis, watching sports, eating and dancing. She is thrilled to have an awesome new group of 4th graders and is anticipating a fabulous school year!

Ms. Erica Pastor loves being part of the Orchard Gardens community and is starting her second year here. This year she will be teaching reading and writing in 4th grade SEI. Ms. Pastor has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the College of Notre Dame in Maryland. She started teaching English in Barcelona, Spain, and then taught in Brazil and at community colleges in New Mexico and Maryland. Before coming to Boston, she was the ESL teacher at an elementary school in Columbia, Maryland. Ms. Pastor has two children — Isabella, 8, and Gabriel, 5, who attend a Portuguese-English dual language program at a public school in Cambridge. When she’s not at school, Ms. Pastor is happy when she finds time to do yoga, swim, run, cook (and eat!), and read. She also very much enjoys studying languages and traveling to near and faraway places with her family and friends. Oh, and she also loves planning all the details of her trip to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, which is now less than three years away! In the meantime, Ms. Pastor is looking forward to a year filled with hard work and lots of learning!

Ms. Fabiola Cordano is excited to begin her first year of teaching at Orchard Gardens as a resident with the Boston Teaching Residency. Ms. Cordano got her Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology and is currently enrolled in a Master’s degree program in Education at University of Massachusetts at Boston. For the past 2 years, she has been the Director of Mentoring for Leaders of Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that mentors minority youth in the Boston area and provides training for professional interviews, college options and applications, financial education, and more. Ms. Cordano is also a real estate agent in the Boston area. Her hobbies include cooking, watching sports, shopping, and traveling. This year she will be teaching reading and writing in 4th grade SEI with Ms. Pastor. Ms. Cordano is looking forward to a great year of learning and teaching!

Miss Struckel is returning back to OG for a 4th year teaching 5th grade. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island and her graduate studies at Boston College. Miss Struckel is originally from Rhode Island, but has family all over the country. Outside of school, she loves spending time with her niece and nephew, eating chinese food, and performing with the dance company she is a member of!

Miss Gottshall is thrilled to be returning to Orchard Gardens for her 4th year on the 5th grade team. Before coming to Orchard Gardens, she taught 5th grade in the South Bronx and majored in Elementary Education and Human Development at Boston College. She’s looking forward to reading some of her favorite novels, like Holes and Maniac Magee, with a new class of 5th graders.

Ms Ekhomu is from Charleston, WV by way of Atlanta, GA. Ms Ekhomu earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2008, and her Master’s in Public Health from Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. She is currently completing her Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Teaching at Boston University. She is a member of the 2010 Greater Boston Teach for America corps. She enjoys playing volleyball, basketball and tennis recreationally.

Hello! My name is Lauren Witt and I am excited to be joining Orchard Gardens! I’m originally from Michigan and a big Michigan fan (go blue!) and have been living in Boston for the past 3 years. This is my 4th year teaching special education and I’m looking forward to a great year!

Ms. Pontes teaches 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Cape Verdean Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE).
She is fluent in Cape Verdean Creole, and Portuguese. I am proficient in Spanish.

Ms. Cunningham is a graduate of the Providence College class of 2008. She holds her bachelor degree in Elementary and Special Education and minored in Spanish. She is currently working towards her Masters of Reading at Boston University. Prior to joining the Orchard Gardens staff last year, Ms. Cunningham taught special education in grades 3-6 at Nanaikapono Elementary School in Nanakuli, Hawaii. Ms. Cunningham is extremely excited for another successful year with the students of OGPS!