We are In this Together!
They're All Our Students
EL Summit 2022
 Director of the Bilingual and World Languages Department |  ELL Instructional Specialist Beglad CAT SIOP Trainer |  High School ESL teacher BeGlad CAT EL Summit Webmaster |
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 TESOL k-8 Blackham School |  K-8 ESL Teacher |  ESL Program Assistant |
 Elementary School ESL Teacher |
Director of Bilingual Education & World Languages in Bridgeport, CT
Ana Sousa-Martins has over 20 years of experience in the field of education. She is the Director of Bilingual Education and World Languages for the Bridgeport Public Schools for K-12. She holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Southern CT State University, a M.A.T. in Elementary Education from Sacred Heart University, a Sixth Year in Bilingual Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Fairfield University, and a certification as a Literacy Specialist and Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University.
She has conducted many workshops on a variety of topics that include curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment, Professional Learning Communities, SRBI, Data Teams, and Data-Driven Decision-Making. Her quest for educational challenges has led to involvement in many committees and task forces as well as being an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University.
She has received the following awards: Milken Educator Award, Bridgeport Teacher of the Year, and BPEF Outstanding Teacher Award.
Shirley Ricart Underhill
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Shirley Ricart Underhill is the BPS EL Instructional Specialist in Bridgeport, CT. She is a certified BeGLAD trainer, a district trainer in Language Acquisition Instruction, a site facilitator/coach for the UCLA ExcEL Leadership program, a certified SIOP trainer, and a Licensed trainer in Facilitating Restorative Conferences through the International Institute for Restorative Practices.
Shirley has a Master’s degree in Bilingual Education and a Master’s degree in Education Leadership. Shirley has a background in Early Childhood Education Leadership and Non-Profit leadership. She has had success in program management and leadership in both state and federally funded programs. Shirley is highly committed to the field of education; she believes in contributing to empowering students, families, and professionals.
Kiria Cruz Wang
Kiria Cruz Wang is a certified ESL teacher who currently teaches ESL at Harding High School. She is tech-savvy and loves to integrate technology into the classroom. Cruz started her teaching career in 2006 in Puerto Rico as an English teacher and has offered workshops in technology integration in Puerto Rico and Connecticut. She has a Bachelor's Degree and 25 graduate credits in TESOL from the University of Puerto Rico. Kiria Cruz Wang graduated from Saint Joseph University in May 2017, where she completed a Master's Degree in Educational Technology.
Additionally, Cruz is a certified agency trainer for BeGLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) and the school webmaster. She was featured on the CT Mirror and TeachersofCT.org. Her goal is to contribute significantly to her school, the Bilingual Department, and the community in Bridgeport, CT.
Cristina DaSilva-Novotny
Cristina DaSilva-Novotny, who originated from Lisbon, Portugal, is currently an English to Speakers of Other Languages teacher at Blackham Elementary School. Cristina has taught art K-8, Early Childhood K-2, TESOL K-12, and self-contained Bilingual Portuguese 7-8. As both an EL and a 25-year veteran of the Bridgeport School System, Cristina has always focused on advocating for all second language learners by participating on curriculum committees, School Governance Council, SRBI, data teams both at school and district levels, and as a Teacher Liaison for the Blackham PAC (Parent Advisory Council). Cristina is also a teacher mentor and a reader for the Connecticut Teacher Education and Mentoring Program.
Brenda L. McVetty
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Brenda McVetty received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education/ English at Western CT State University. She received her Master's from Sacred Heart University. She taught 3rd/4th grade at Winthrop School for 19 years. Her love and dedication to her EL students guided her to become an ESL teacher and for the past two years, she serves the K-8 student population at Waltersville School. Brenda always does her best to motivate and encourage her students to be successful and self-confident learners.
Dalila DaSilva Lynch
Dalila DaSilva Lynch was born in Lisbon, Portugal. She is currently an English to Speakers of Other Languages Program Assistant at Blackham Elementary School. Dalila has been an Instructional Assistant in Early Childhood Pre Kindergarten (12 years), in a self-contained Bilingual Portuguese 7-8 and Spanish 6-8 (9 years). As both an EL and a 20 year veteran of the Bridgeport School System, Dalila has always focused on advocating for all second language learners by participating in the School parent Leadership Group and Blackham PAC (Parent Advisory Council).
Mayra Medina
Mayra Medina received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Certification in Elementary Education from Sacred Heart University. She received a Master's Degree and 6th-year credits from Southern CT State University and Fairfield University. Mayra Medina has been teaching in the Bridgeport Public School System for 30 years where she has served as a classroom teacher for eight years and Mathematics Coach for thirteen years. She was an English Language Learner herself as an early elementary student in Bridgeport and knew she would one day pursue a career in TESOL. She received a cross-endorsement in TESOL and is currently teaching ESL at Madison School to students in K - 6th. Mayra is a committed teacher and an active community member