Mrs. Diana Abdi has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with minor in Business Administration from Richmond University in England.  She has 19 years of Administrative and sales experience.  Her Community work includes the establishment of the first Islamic school in Austin and starting the High School program at APA.  Since 2007, she has been working as administrative assistant to the Principal.  She has attended numerous educational workshops and received several certifications in Continued Education such as ‘Learning for Change’, ‘Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement’,  ‘The Role of Assessment’ and ‘High school summit change’. In 2010 she received her Director certification for Pre-school . In addition, she is currently enrolled in a Master of Education program at Grand Canyon University with emphasis  in Educational Administration and School Leadership will graduate in December 2011 .


Mr. Alex Pritchard comes to APA from Westwood High School in Austin where he was the Director of Forensics since 2002.  He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics, and later attended the University of Nebraska for graduate work in Communication Studies. He obtained a Masters degree in Communication Studies from Baylor University in Waco, TX. He has worked for the past 30 years at several public and private schools as Director of Forensics. His students have been accepted at the many of the prestigious universalities in the country. He has numerous teaching and coaching awards to his credit, including Speech Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Speech Teachers Association, Debate Coach of the Year by Nebraska Coaches Association, and Baccalaureate Speaker and Teacher of the Year awards at the Creighton Preparatory School.  He has been inducted into Coach Society Hall of Fame at Emory University, and the University of Kentucky. His professional associations include Kappa Delta Pi, National Forensic League Double Diamond Coach, and the National Debate Coaches Association. He has given presentations at several conventions and universities nationwide.  Speech and debate teams coached by Alex have won at every major tournament in the country including Harvard Round Robin, Stanford Round Robin, and the University of Texas Round Robin. He has authored several publications in industry publications and journals.  He has been ranked among the Top 10 Debate Coaches of the Century.


Mrs. Shawana Jamal has a passion for working with younger children. She was a teachers aide in prek-2 for one year, and in kindergarten for two years. She has completed her child development associate degree (CDA). During her course, she worked at a lab school in the summer. She has also attended several educational workshops focusing on preschool care giving. This will be her fourth year at APA.


Ms. Tammy Meiners Amin joins APA with a wealth of teaching experience from around the world. Tammy received her Bachelors of Science degree from Southwest Texas University in Family Science and Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the American Graduate School of Education in Arizona graduating with honors and was chosen to be on the Dean's List . She received a Gold Star International Teaching Certificate and a Certificate in English Reading from Houghton Mifflin. Tammy has taught kindergarten in the Bedayia International American School, the Cairo Modern American School for Girls, and the Manarat El Mostaqbal School. Prior to her career in education Tammy was a Specialist Three in Family and Child Protective Services. She is currently working on several certifications which include, Generalist EC-6, English as a second language, and EC-12 special education. This is her first year at APA.


Ms. Nadia Abdalah comes to APA from Purdue University in Indiana where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education.  She is a certified teacher through the state of Indiana and Texas.  Nadia has served in a wide variety of capacities in several public school districts working with elementary and preschool children. She has coordinated fund raising drives through the Children’s Miracle Network and has organized groups to host underprivileged Head Start children in Indiana. During the summer,  Nadia is a reading specialist for two YMCA kinder camps in which she coordinates activities and assessments to four and five year old children to enhance their enthusiasm and abilities in reading.  She has a strong background and love for movement and coordination which she incorporates into her daily classroom activities that also enhance our elementary school physical education program.   She has attended multiple professional development seminars to better assess her diverse class of students such as Tools for Teaching and First Days of School.  She believes that with a fun and intriguing environment, sparks creative and capable minds.  This is her second year at APA.


Mrs. Andrea Stolle is passionate about helping all children to succeed. In middle and high school, she spent five summers in St. Petersburg, Russia working with orphans who had mental,  physical, and emotional disabilities. She believes every child is valuable and has the ability to learn and achieve. In college, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010. She has certifications in Early Childhood through Grade Six and English as a Second Language. She worked as a volunteer tutor in the HOSTS program for primary reading, student taught and substituted in various classrooms in Austin ISD, and worked as an elementary school tutor at Sylvan Learning Center before becoming a full-time teacher at APA.


Mrs. Rebecca Myers has a B.S. degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Arts and Applied Sciences from Texas State University, San Marcos, TX and an Associate of Science degree from Austin Community College. She has worked as an elementary school teacher for several years at Round Rock and Leander ISD.  She has several certifications related to education including the Talent and Gifted program, and has training in DRA (Development Reading Assessment), Texas Primary Reading Inventory, and TekTeams–Rethinking Elementary Math.  She was recognized as the ‘APA Teacher of the Year’ in 2007-08.  She is in her fifth year at APA.


Ms. Heather Swanson is in her third year at APA. She has a BS from the University of Washington in Seattle, with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry, as well as an Associates in Culinary Arts from Kendall College in Chicago. She is certified in both Science 4-8 and Science 8-12, and has completed seven hours of training on Safety in the High School Science Classroom. She is a member of the National Science Teachers Association and Science Teachers Association of Texas. She was selected to participate in NSTA's “New Science Teacher Academy” this academic year, a rigorous online professional development program for beginning science teachers. She was recognized as the ‘APA Teacher of the Year’ in 2010 – 2011.


Mrs. Maisaa Hawana this is her fourth year at APA. with a B. S. degree in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University and a diploma in Communications Engineering from Public Authority of Applied Education and Training, Kuwait. Prior to joining APA, she worked for the State of Texas as a TAKS exam scorer and as a teacher’s aide at a childcare center. Her qualifications include certified math teacher, childhood development training and several computer certifications.  In addition to teaching mathematics is school, she is in charge of the finances in school.  Mrs. Maisaa has attended many workshops including Thinking Maps,  training in using "Mimio Interactive projectors" in the classrooms and the summer UT Summer Institute for teaching Pre-AP Mathematics for Middle school and High school.

 
Mrs. Guyna Elabiad is in her fifth year at APA.  She has previously taught at Al-Manar Islamic School, Lebanon.  She is fluent in Arabic and French.


Mrs. Nahed Abou Galala has a degree in Computer Science from Mu’tah University in Jordan and also holds a diploma in High Educational Skills.  She is also certified in computer science for 8-12 grades. She worked as a computer programmer in Jordan and as a teacher in chemistry and computer technology in Indiana. In addition to teaching science and computer classes in middle and high school, she is the school  main IT support for both software and hardware areas.  Ms. Nahed has attended several educational workshops in using "Mimio Interactive projectors" in the classrooms and the summer UT Summer Institute for teaching Pre-AP Scinece for middle school. She was rewarded the "Principal's Award" for meeting and exceeded all standards in 2010 - 2011. This is in her fifth year at APA.


Mrs. Amna Rahman is in her second year of service at APA. She graduated from the Law School at the London School of Economics after which she completed her Masters specialising in eighteenth century literature from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London.  Mrs. Amna also completed a Certificate in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies with Distinction. Mrs. Amna has experience with working in University admissions and has years of experience volunteering in the Austin Muslim community schools. Most recently, Mrs. Amna has attended educational workshops in using technology in the classroom, using 'Learning Trees' and the UT Summer Institute for teaching AP English to name but a few.


Mr. Syed Ejaz Fareed has taught Math and Science in middle and high schools at the AISD for five years, and is SBEC certified in Math for grades 4th thru 8th.  He has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and has completed M. Ed. (Curriculum & Instructions) from Concordia University in Austin in Feb 2009.  He has passed numerous teacher development courses and is certified in Talent and Gifted program.  He is in his fifth year at APA and was teacher of the year for 2008-09 academic year.


Ms. Emily Glankler graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina with degrees in International Studies and U.S. History. She is certified to teach Social Studies for grades 6-12 by the Texas Teachers Alternative Certification Program. Emily comes to APA after working in Eanes ISD, as well as working for a variety of non-profit organizations in the Austin area. She has a long history of community service and also teaches SAT prep classes to high school juniors and seniors. This is her first year with APA.


Ms. Laura J. Khalil studied at Yale University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. After graduation, Laura did post graduate work at Starr King School for Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Prior to joining the APA family, she was the Program Director and teacher of various academic and extracurricular subjects at KIPP: Austin College Prep, a charter middle school in Austin. Laura also taught at AspiraNet in Oakland, California where she was responsible for curriculum development and teaching. This is her second year at APA. She is excited to teach her 'dream' class, AP Literature, for which she attended AP Summer Institute this summer at UT Austin.


Mrs. Jennifer Campbell Burdett graduated from Baylor University in 2007 with a BA in International Studies where she was a member of the Deans List. Prior to teaching, she worked as a youth counselor and coach for many years before beginning her career in 2009. She is certified in Social Studies in grades 4-8 and Generalist Education 4-8, and has passed the TeXES Professionalism Exam. Before teaching 5th grade, she taught Social Studies to grade 5-11 for two years.This past summer she attended many workshops including:  "Algebraic Reasoning," "Teaching Grammar in Writing," and "Bones in Schools: Texas Ice Age in the classroom." She is a recipient of the 2011 A+ Federal Credit Union Educational Grant. This is her fourth year at APA.


Ms. Michele Plumb is starting her fourth here with us at Austin Peace Academy. She is a graduate of the University of Texas Dallas with a Bachelors of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies EC-4th grade.  She is a Texas certified teacher in the content areas of EC-4th grade general and K-12 Special Education.  She has 2 years of experience teaching in
special education classrooms, 2 years of experience teaching pre-k and 2 years of experience teaching 4th grade.  This will be her 3rd year teaching 4th grade for Austin Peace Academy.  She has received training in 6+1 Writing Traits, Guided Reading Instruction, Linear Math (including area, volume and measurement), and the new Science TEKS.  She is also active in our PTA, planning our Spring Carnival fundraiser for the past 3 years.


Shaykh Umer Esmail is a Canadian born, traditionally trained scholar who started his quest to acquire Islamic knowledge at a young age and continued formal studies of the Sciences of Shari`ah in different parts of the world for thirteen years. He initially studied Urdu and Arabic as well as other traditional Islamic Sciences at the Institute for Islamic Studies in Dewsbury, UK.  There he acquired an Ijazah (teaching certification) in Hanafi Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, Tajwid and the Ten Qur’anic Qira'at. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, where he studied under some of the greatest living scholars of our time; including Justice (Rtd) Shaykh al-Islam Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him). There he received an Ijazah in ten major books of Hadith.  He also spent two years specializing in the science of Fiqh and Ifta’(giving legal verdicts) and during this time he published hundreds of Fatawa (legal verdicts).  Furthermore, he was blessed with the opportunity to study Islamic Finance under the tutelage of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani. He has an Ijazah in Hadith from world renowned Hadith scholars including Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Sarfraz Khan Safdar, Shaykh al-Islam Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani,  Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani (Grand Mufti of Pakistan), Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Mufti Sahban Mahmood, and Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Zahid-ur Rashidi. After graduating, Mufti Umer Esmail worked six years as the Imam at the North Austin Muslim Community Center in Austin, Texas. In addition to leading prayers, he taught classes in Islamic Sciences, including Arabic, Tajwid, Islamic Finance, Fiqh, Aqidah, Hadith and Tafsir. He has been the spiritual Advisor for the Austin Chapter of MYNA since 2003. He is in his second year at APA


.Mrs. Loretta Kamara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Paine College in Augusta, GA., where she graduated with honors. While there, she received acknowledgement from the Lower Savannah River Authority for ‘Excellence in Math’ as well as recognition in ‘Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities’.  Her other work experiences include administrative assistant in the financial sector, writing essay scorer, and teacher at an Islamic summer program. She has completed many educational workshops and is in her ninth year at APA, She was recognized as the ‘APA Teacher of the Year’ in 2005-06.


Dr. Nehal Khadr has been teaching Arabic & Islamic Studies at APA and ICGA since 1998. She is a graduate of Alexandria University, Egypt, and holds a degree in Medicine. She has been teaching at APA for the past eleven years.


Mrs. Najiah Hassuneh has taught Arabic and Islamic Studies for over 20 years at schools in Jordan and Kuwait as well as at Virginia Tech University.  Prior to joining APA, she taught at Dar al Arqam Islamic School in Houston. She earned a B. S. degree in Education/Islamic Studies (Sharia) from Kuwait University and has attended numerous workshops including ‘Teaching Students to Think’, and Tajweed.  She is in her third year at APA.


Mrs. Eman Kallash has worked as a Family Therapist for the past 16 years.  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in Developmental Psychology, both from Cleveland State University.  She has provided therapeutic intervention services as well as counseling to children and adolescents, and has spoken at schools and community organizations about parenting and adolescent issues. She has taught for many years at Sunday Islamic schools and Islamic Summer camps, including past several years at ICGA. She has also memorized the Holy Quran.


Ms. Lena Zohny : Lena joins APA with vast experience in education. She earned both a BS in Biochemistry and a BA in Political Science from the State University of New York in Stony Brook. She was an active member and leader in WISE, the Women in Science and Engineering program. Lena has a strong background in service to the Muslim community with her work in the Muslim Students Association for two years, and a four year member of the Muslim American Society in Long Island. She has been a professional tutor and has worked as a volunteer in the Nursing and Rehabilitation field for several years. She also served as Copy Editor of the Minaret Newsletter for two years. She is in her second year at APA.


Ms. Emily Lejeune graduated from Texas State University and is certified in Physical Education from Kindergarten through 12th grade. She is also Red Cross and First Aid certified. Emily has a minor in Biology and graduated as a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society.  Throughout college Emily participated in nearly every major
club sport. She has interned extensively with Austin ISD and San Marcos ISD. She has completed multiple trainings in the discipline strategies such as Tough kids toolbox,
CHAMPS, RAMP, and Smart ISS. She is in her third year at APA.


Mrs. Shabana Tabassum has a Bachelor of Science degree from Bangalore University, India and has completed Diploma in Software Applications.  Her prior experience includes teaching at elementary school at International School in Saudi Arabia as well as computer system administration.She is her fourth year at APA.


Mrs. Sarah Shalab studied Sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design and later attended Temple University to learn bronze casting.  She attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for two years and then transferred to the University of Texas, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Art History. She is her third year at APA.

 
Mrs. Huda Qerqez is very passionate about the Arabic language and has been teaching Arabic at different levels for many years.  Prior to joining APA, she worked at an Islamic school in Knoxville, Tennessee, as well as taught Arabic and Islamic Studies in her native Gaza, Palestine.  She attended the College of Saarland in Germany.  She is in her fifth year at APA.

Mrs. Samia Ahmadi has a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Fatih, Libya, and studied Islamic Studies at University of Tripoli. 
Since 2003, she has taught Qur’an and Islamic Studies and coordinated youth activities in Austin.  She facilitated a girls’ activity program at Brushy Creek in 2010-2011
with a focus on tafsir. She has earned certificates in Seerah and Fiqh from the Islamic American University and is well versed in Tajweed (Qur’an recitation). 
Samia recently completed three semesters of CDA (Child Development Association) from Austin Community College. She is in her fourth year at APA