Miami Presents: Recent Grads in the Classroom

Presented on: Tuesday, October 27th at 7:00 PM EDT

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT



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Join us for a conversation about teaching with exceptional alumni, faculty and students at Miami!
The 18 of the Last 9 Award yearly recognizes 18 outstanding alumni who have graduated in the last nine years and connects them with students.  Based on the popular “30 under 30” model and inspired by Miami University’s charter year of 1809, the program is designed to honor alumni who are living out the values inherent in a Miami education. This year's class includes two Education graduates who will be "returning" to campus virtually, including for this special event.  
Miami Presents: Recent Grads in the Classroom
Dr. Tammy Schwartz and current seniors Alexandra Groth and Anna Page will chat with award-winning teachers Alyssa Marcangelo '12 and Andrea Spenny '15 about their careers and advice for students and alumni considering the teaching profession.

18 of the Last 9 Honorees:
Alyssa Marcangelo’12
B.S. in Education
1st Grade Teacher
, Emerson School
Andrea Spenny ’15, M.Ed. ’20
B.S. in Education and M.Ed. in Transformative Education
English Teacher
, Woodward Career Technical High School

Participant Biographies:
Alyssa Marcangelo is a first grade teacher at Emerson School, a private K-8 school in Ann Arbor, MI. Previously she was elementary French teacher at Detroit Country Day Lower School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where she taught since graduating Miami. In 2018, she was named Teacher of the Year by the Michigan World Language Association. Alyssa presents regularly at virtual, state and regional conferences where she shares creative strategies for engaging students in the classroom and how to meaningfully incorporate technology to provide all learners with unique experiences. She has also worked with undergraduate and graduate classes at the University of Michigan regarding creative uses for Google Earth and bringing virtual reality into curriculum across grade levels and content areas. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Alyssa serves on the Curriculum Leadership Council at her school, the Teacher Service Committee for the Association of Independent Michigan Schools and the Professional Service Committee for the Independent Schools Association of the Central States.
Andrea Spenny is a high school English teacher at Woodward Career Technical High School within Cincinnati Public Schools. She is a community-based educator and activist who sees potential and power in every single one of her students. Andrea has pushed the boundaries of what it means to create instruction that goes beyond worksheets and textbooks and, instead, focuses on issues of justice impacting her students’ lives. She is a partner teacher with the Miami University Urban Cohort Youth Participatory Action Research initiative. Through this partnership, she works collaboratively with her students and undergraduate students to expose systems of oppression and organize to respond to that oppression. Outside of the classroom, Andrea volunteers at Hamilton County’s Juvenile Youth Center. Andrea just recently graduated with her M.Ed. in transformative education. She plans to use this degree, in addition to furthering her education, to help abolish the school-to-prison pipeline.
Tammy Schwartz is the Director of Miami University’s Urban Cohort, a
community-based approach to teacher education where faculty and students collaborate with high-need schools and community-based organizations to prepare teachers who are grounded in the life of the community.
Alexandra Groth is a senior Inclusive Special Education major and aspiring teacher for students who need more intensive behavioral support. She is a third-year student in the Urban Cohort and the current President of Urban Leaders. In her studies, Alexandra focuses on cultural relevance, including and integrating all students into general education classrooms, and how to best form personal and lasting relationships with her students.
Anna Page is a senior Science Education and Chemistry double major and a member of the Noyce Scholars program. She is a second-year member of the Urban Cohort and is the vice president of Urban Leaders. Anna aspires to be a high school chemistry teacher and wants to focus on educating her students to be critical thinkers and consumers of scientific media