Hello.  I am Liz Ganci.  I am a first year Social Studies teacher at Olmsted.  A recent graduate of Canisius College with a Master’s Degree in Education, teaching is a bit of a career change for me.  After studying Economics as an undergraduate at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and spending a semester abroad in Rome, Italy, I worked in the business world first for M&T Bank and later as a Business Manager and Development Director for a local church and school. 

My husband Rick and I live in North Buffalo and spend most of our time trying to keep up with out almost two-year old son Jack.  When not running after him, I enjoy taking advantage of the restaurants on Hertel Avenue, walking, and reading.  I am a big Kennedy buff and have read numerous biographies on members of the famous clan.

This is Mr. O’Malley’s fourth year teaching in the Buffalo Public Schools.  He spent his first three years at the Academy at 44 utilizing a project-based learning model and is excited about bringing this experience to bear on his teaching at Frederick Law Olmsted.  He is also an instructor at the University of Buffalo’s Gifted Mathematics Program as of 2009.  He has a Secondary Mathematics Education degree from Brooklyn College and will obtain his master’s degree in the summer of 2010 from Buffalo State University.  He and his wife had their first child this year, a daughter, and happily reside in East Aurora.

My name is Rosa Ziolkowski and I am the new kindergarten Dual Language Immersion Program teacher. I am originally from Puerto Rico and have previously taught at schools #36 and #18. ?

I have an eleven year old son named Elliott, and an eight year old daughter named Isabella. My husband Michael teaches at SUNY Brockport. ??I love to travel and twelve years ago I had the opportunity to live in Germany and the Netherlands for a couple of years.  My family and I like to walk and read all sorts of literature.  Personally, my favorite genre is the novel. ??I am looking forward to the new school year and hope that we all have a successful one.

Rong Yan is the Mandarin Chinese teacher at Olmsted. With a Master’s Degree of Education in TESOL program in UB, she is honored to become the Chinese teacher at Frederick Law Olmsted in 2009. She has also been working as an English teacher and tutor in Middle Schools in China for years. She received a Bachelors Degree of Business English in China and obtained her Masters here at UB. She has been in Buffalo for two years, and likes Buffalo a lot. Her friends and her boyfriend that she met here make her less homesick, since her family members are all in China. When not working, Rong Yan likes to travel, watch movies and read books. 

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, my family and I relocated to Buffalo in 2006. I am still adjusting to the climate and culinary differences, but feel quite comfortable calling Western New York home.

I hold a B.S. in Biology from Washington State University. Some career highlights include: Food Scientist at Pyramid Brewery, Events Coordinator at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Program Developer at the Seattle Chess Foundation. Science education has always been my passion, however, so in 2005, I decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Education. I completed an M.S. Ed. from Canisius College in 2009.

My husband, Tom, is a working artist, an art professor at Erie Community College and also teaches art at Middle Early College. We spend any available free time being amazed by our two children.

Hola~ Me llamo Jessica Cassick.

I hold a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Niagara University, and I also hold a Master's degree in Education.  My certification is in Spanish for grades 5-12.  I have had previous work experience in the Niagara Falls City School district teaching Spanish levels 1-3, and I also have experience from Frontier Middle School and Grand Island Middle/High School teaching middle and high school level Spanish.

I have been a lifelong resident in WNY, and I am thrilled to be teaching here at Olmsted.  I love teaching Spanish and I feel blessed to have this great opportunity.

I recently got married this year.  My husband Jason and I live in Youngstown, and we both enjoy spoiling our 2 rottweilers and playing sports in our free time.  Jason has been enlisted in the USAF for 11 years now and I myself have been a member of the Air National Guard for 7 years at the Air Force Base in Niagara Falls.  We are both very proud to serve our country.

Education

• B.A. in French from the University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria
• B.A in Social Sciences from the University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, U.S.
• Post Baccalaureate French Education from Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY, U.S
• MS in Special Education from Buffalo State College

Certifications

• French Education 7-12, Initial Certification from the State of NY, U.S.
• Students with disabilities 7-12 French from the State of NY, U.S.                    

Background

• I grew up in Nigeria where I was born. I have visited many countries, and lived in Senegal and France for a few years. I am a citizen of the United States, and I live in Lockport with my beautiful family.

Why Teach a Foreign Language

 There is  great need for increased global understanding. Learning another language gives the learner the ability to step inside the mind and context of that other culture. I enjoy teaching, and taught in Nigeria for eight years.  It is always amazing to see students start the year with no French, and finish it with the ability to converse and write on a given topic al in French!  I am able to do what I do because of great mentors and the fun I get out of it.

Jennifer has taught in the Buffalo Public Schools for ten years.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from Buffalo State College, and a Master of Science in Education degree from Buffalo State College.  She also holds certification as a School District Administrator.  Jennifer works at both #156 and #64.

When she isn't working, she can be found spending time with her husband and five year old son (probably watching one of them playing hockey!), doing something computer-related, or riding her horse.

Marguerite has been teaching in Buffalo for over 22 years, 15 years in high school and 7 years in middle school. She earned both her B.S.Ed. and M.S.Ed. degrees at Buffalo State College. She is very happy to join the faculty at Olmsted.

Marguerite was raised in Buffalo and can appreciate all the wonderful things the city has to offer.  While not teaching she enjoys being a wife and mother, gardening, reading, decorating and shopping.

This is my third year teaching English.  Prior to coming to Olmsted, I taught at Cheektowaga Central High School and East Aurora.  I hold a BA in English and an MA in English Education from the University at Buffalo.    

 My wife and I live in Kenmore with our cat and our American Bulldog/Pitbull.  When not working, we enjoy reading, projects around the house, and following the Buffalo Bills and Sabres.

I have been teaching science in the Buffalo Public Schools for a long time.  Every year truly feels like a new start and the time passes too quickly.  I am a proud product of the BPS’s and can thank many excellent teachers for my constant love of learning.  I can also thank my past and present students who regularly taught me and who continue to teach me…. I went to UB and received a BA with a double major in Geology and Psychology.  I then received a graduate teaching fellowship to study gas well problems in NYS, and received a Masters degree in Geology.  At the time I was finishing my graduate work, NYS wanted to get science and math majors interested in teaching.  I received an Empire Challenger Fellowship to complete my teacher certification and I began teaching and loved it.  After the unfortunate diagnosis of cancer in my mom and brother, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the disease.  I received a research fellowship from Roswell and began studying for my MS degree in biophysics (also from The State University of NY at Buffalo).

The most important message I want to convey to my students, other than instilling a love (or at least an appreciation for!) science is that ones’ future is very dependent on ones’ education.  We could all lose jobs, health, family, money, position, etc… but our ability to think and wonder and reason and formulate our own opinions and understandings and to exchange ideas about our world and our place in it, is a precious gift that cannot be taken away, nor should be taken for granted.  It is never too late to learn.  We must maintain a constant and child-like state of wonder -- about all aspects of our incredible lives and earth!

Aside from teaching and learning, I love to read, garden (planting native species and looking at weeds and insects), play with my cats and dog, weave and learn about other textile arts (knitting and spinning, oriental rugs…) and attend Bible studies at various area churches.  I am blessed to live in a small cottage in Parkside.  It’s fun to hear the peacocks and seals jabbering, and even the lions roar when they are being fed their dinner!