Faculty and Staff

Room: 205
Office Hours: request by email 

This is Alyssa Taylor second-year teaching Physical Education at B-SMART. She believe that all students can be successful regardless of their ability, because PE is about improving personal skills and learning to have a healthy lifestyle within your limits. She attended Brooklyn College, where she received her Bachelor's of Science. My favorite sports include Basketball, Swim, Cross Country, and Volleyball. 

Room: 304 & 306 
Office hours: Request by email 

Catandra Saunders was born and raised on the island of Grenada. Although she was born and raised on an island she cannot swim! 

She holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in English Language Arts from the Relay Graduate School of Education. Moreover, she has been an educator for over four (4) years. Ms. Saunders teaching philosophy is that students' imagination can go wherever she takes them with the use of questioning. As such, she takes pride in providing multiple opportunities for students to explore deeper knowledge of content and the world. Her love for children and her passion for learning are two reasons she became an educator. Within the classroom, Ms.Saunders is given an opportunity to help students find, or re-discover their unique voices. She understands that learners thrive when they feel seen, heard and understood. She aims to create an environment where students can share their voices and listen to the voices of others. Also, she aims to create a warm and affirming environment where students can feel safe to learn. Furthermore, Ms. Saunders believes that when a learning community believes in honoring stories and voices, vulnerability becomes its greatest asset and to find empowerment in vulnerability is to open portals of connection, intellectual risk-taking, and transformation. In her classroom, everyone will embrace a growth mindset. 

Room: 307
Office Hours: request by email 

Chantelle Paguandas attended SUNY Oswego for her bachelor's in communications majoring in Journalism and then went onto CUNY Brooklyn College graduating with a master's degree in Education. She chose to work in the education field because she highly enjoys working with the high school population and finds the job to be rewarding. She believes this career is transformative and loves to see her students grow academically as well as impacting the lives of our future. Altogether she has been teaching for 7 years, however she has been at BSMART for 1 year. One fun fact about her is that she studied abroad in Belize for 2 months. 

Room: 310
Office Hours: request by email 

Elizabeth Moerer received a B.A. in Fashion Design from Iowa State University, and recently graduated with her M.A. in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute. Prior to pursuing her Masters, she worked in the fashion industry for several years. This is her first-year teaching! She teaches Visual Arts and Advanced Arts, where you’ll explore a variety of art mediums. Since her time at Iowa State University, she has always aspired to become an educator. At B-SMART she provides students with a creative and collaborative space where they can explore their identity, develop their voice as an artist, and engage with new materials to advance their technical art skills. Her primary art discipline is ceramics. She practices wheel throwing and hand building ceramics at her studio in Brooklyn. She’s originally from the Midwest and primarily grew up in Northeast Iowa. 

Office hours: request by email
Room: 202

Emily Chen is in her 8th year teaching. She’s a licensed ENL teacher, co teacher in ELA and Statistics. She became a teacher because young people are inspirational. More importantly, she loves seeing people learn and grow! Who knows who could be the next great leader of America? Why not YOU? She graduated from Penn State University. She grew up in Southern California. 

Fun Fact about her is she believes in fairies and pots of gold at the end of every rainbow 

Room 216 

Room 324 
Office Hours: request by email 

Dr. Julius Buh Mbi teaches 9th-grade Physics and Chemistry. Along with 12th grade Earth Science. He's proud to be part of the BSMaRt family. He sees himself as a tough but kind teacher and expects a lot from his students. He's excited to teach the young minds of BSMaRt and looks forward to meeting you. 

Room: Library
Office Hours: Lunch (7th Period) in Library, Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-5:30 PM in the Math Lab

Mr. Carmody is from Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont. He received his Master's degree in Adolescent Social Studies Education from Hunter College. This is his second year teaching social studies at BSMART. He has worked at a non-profit on criminal justice reform in Washington DC, as a house painter in Arizona, as a carpenter in Vermont, and as a bartender here in New York. 

Room: 324
Office Hours: request by email 

Kevin O’Hanlon teaches science, mathematics and is a member of the special education department He’s Been working at BSMaRt since January 2020. He chose to be a teacher because He’s one of the kids! He’s a product of the NYC public education system. (shout outs to PS107, PS 230, MS 51 and HSTAT). He’s an educator because he believes that the only way to improve society is to elevate all people. We have to empower our youth, especially ones from marginalized groups, so they can contribute to the greater good in the most meaningful way possible. He wants to be on the ground level and work with young people so they can accomplish this goal.

Room: 305
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 1:15 pm to 2:05 pm

Littleton Scott has been teaching Social Studies (SPED) at BSMaRt since 2015. He always loved working with children. He went to the University of Guyana and Long Island University. He’s from Guyana. A fun fact about him is that he was a sports jock in high school. 

Room: 321
Office Hours: request by email 

Ms. Li graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and Chinese Language Literature and with a Master degree in Adolescent Math Education 

Melissa Ojeda was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She’s been teaching ENL for the last 4 years. She became a teacher because as a parent it starts with us first so she feel as though her students are getting the best of both worlds. She went to Clara Barton High School then went to Boricua College to earn her teaching degree. Fun Fact about myself is she’s a United States Navy Veteran which was her first career choice and now she’s a Teacher giving back to my community. 

Room: 308
Office Hours: request by email 

Ms. Rodriguez is BSMART’s Speech-Language Provider and this will be her second year teaching. After graduating with her Speech Language Pathology Degree she knew she wanted to provide services to children in an educational setting.Ms. Rodriguez was born in Flushing, Queens then moved to Valley Stream, Long Island where she grew up and attended Valley Stream South High School. She then went on to continue her education and received a bachelor's degree in Queens college and a Master’s Degree in St. John’s University. A fun fact about Ms. Rodriguez is that she has a twin sister. 

Room: 333
Office Hours 1:15-2 pm every day except Wednesday

Noelle Charter is a Special education teacher from Brooklyn. She has over ten years of experience working with children and in education. Currently, Ms. Charter is co-teaching in the science department. Some of Ms. Charter’s passions are Computer science, Art/Design, and Mental health. Ms. Charter likes to play video games, watch anime, code, paint, and playing with her dog. 

Mr. P has been teaching for 11 years. Out of those 11 years, 10 years have been right here at BSMARt. He joined BSMARt in 2012. He teaches physics, robotics, and AP Biology. He became a science teacher because he loves science and he considers himself to be a lifelong learner. He grew up in Sri Lanka. He moved to the U.S when he was 14. He went to Harry S. Truman High school in the Bronx. He went to Hofstra University and Lehman College for his Undergrad and graduate degree. Fun fact about him is that he has an identical twin. 

Hello, Ms. Qiaozhu Li has been teaching Chinese in Bsmart since 2005. Welcome to my class and happy learning! 

Room: 228
Office Hours: request by email

Welcome to BSMart, Quibin Chen has been teaching math in BSMART since 2013. He teaches Math technology, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus the current school year. He has liked math since he was child, and he decided to teach math as a career in his senior year of high school in Brooklyn. He was born in China, and moved to the U.S when he was a junior student in high school. He’s a passionate and energetic mathematical certified educator who is willing to invest time in students in and out of instructional hours to help them to be successful in learning math. 

Room: 307
Office Hours: request by email 

Rodinei Rodrigues' early childhood dream was to be a teacher, since he loves to inspire, help and promote academic growth. Since 2017 he has been working at BSMaRT, where we have this amazing school community focused on bringing academics, socio-emotional and human development to our students. His background as a Brazilian immigrant and being able to speak 5 different languages is a gift to be used towards helping his students. 

Room: 229
Office Hours: request by email 

Saralina Deratus is a Math Teacher and this will be her 5th year teaching.She have taught all subjects of math from Algebra 1 to Pre- Calc. She became a teacher because she love interacting with kids and building rapport with them, and she get the opportunity to do that while teaching them math. She attended Hunter College for her undergrad and for her Masters in Education, She attended Saint John's University. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY but then her family moved to Long Island. She is always in Brooklyn for either work, family/friends, or church so she's still a Brooklyn girl at heart. Fun fact about her is that the first time she went hiking was in a rainforest in Puerto Rico, she jumped off a cliff into the water. It was scary and exciting at the same time. She's afraid of heights, so during that excursion she was definitely conquering her fears that day. 

Room: 305
Office Hours: request by email 

Shamonique Jefferson is a social studies teacher at BSMaRT. Ms. Jefferson supports young minds in learning history, geography, and human civilization, including how people interact, govern themselves, and solve conflicts. She believes high school education is essential to creating life-long learners. She looks forward to working with your child. 

Room: 324
Office Hours: request by email 

Ms. McNair has been teaching for almost ten years. She teaches chemistry and living environment. She became a teacher because of her love for science. She enjoys researching, exploring, investigating, and asking questions. She attended NYU as an undergraduate and studied Math and Chemistry and she attended NYU for graduate school as well where she studied Science Education. She was born and raised in Brooklyn. A fun fact about her is that she loves Science Fiction movies. 

Room: 331
Office Hours: request by email 

Vinessa Coles has been teaching for 14 years and has a BS in Mathematics, MA in Teaching Mathematics. Be respectful, Be prepared, and Be responsible. 

Room: 206
Office Hours: 7:00 am – 8:00 am (Before 1st period);1:15-2:00 pm (Students’ Lunch Period); 3:00-5:30 pm (After-School). Appointment preferred. 

This is Zhixing Jason Chen second year in his teaching career. He’s proud to be a member of the B-SMaRt family. He believes what John C. Maxwell states, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” And he believes that Education improves decision-making ability. A Fun Fact about him is he's considered an English Language learner. He’s learning English from his students on a daily basis. 

He was born and raised in China. He came to the United States when he was 18 years old. And he went to Fort Hamilton High School (20K490). Furthermore, he graduated from Brooklyn College (CUNY) with a bachelor’s degree. His major is Math Teacher (7-12). He is planning to go back to college later to get a master’s degree. 

He is teaching Statistics, Algebra 1, and Geometry this year

Room: 205
Office Hours: request by email 

This is Alyssa Taylor second-year teaching Physical Education at B-SMART. She believe that all students can be successful regardless of their ability, because PE is about improving personal skills and learning to have a healthy lifestyle within your limits. She attended Brooklyn College, where she received her Bachelor's of Science. My favorite sports include Basketball, Swim, Cross Country, and Volleyball. 

Room: 304 & 306 
Office hours: Request by email 

Catandra Saunders was born and raised on the island of Grenada. Although she was born and raised on an island she cannot swim! 

She holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in English Language Arts from the Relay Graduate School of Education. Moreover, she has been an educator for over four (4) years. Ms. Saunders teaching philosophy is that students' imagination can go wherever she takes them with the use of questioning. As such, she takes pride in providing multiple opportunities for students to explore deeper knowledge of content and the world. Her love for children and her passion for learning are two reasons she became an educator. Within the classroom, Ms.Saunders is given an opportunity to help students find, or re-discover their unique voices. She understands that learners thrive when they feel seen, heard and understood. She aims to create an environment where students can share their voices and listen to the voices of others. Also, she aims to create a warm and affirming environment where students can feel safe to learn. Furthermore, Ms. Saunders believes that when a learning community believes in honoring stories and voices, vulnerability becomes its greatest asset and to find empowerment in vulnerability is to open portals of connection, intellectual risk-taking, and transformation. In her classroom, everyone will embrace a growth mindset. 

Room: 307
Office Hours: request by email 

Chantelle Paguandas attended SUNY Oswego for her bachelor's in communications majoring in Journalism and then went onto CUNY Brooklyn College graduating with a master's degree in Education. She chose to work in the education field because she highly enjoys working with the high school population and finds the job to be rewarding. She believes this career is transformative and loves to see her students grow academically as well as impacting the lives of our future. Altogether she has been teaching for 7 years, however she has been at BSMART for 1 year. One fun fact about her is that she studied abroad in Belize for 2 months. 

Room: 310
Office Hours: request by email 

Elizabeth Moerer received a B.A. in Fashion Design from Iowa State University, and recently graduated with her M.A. in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute. Prior to pursuing her Masters, she worked in the fashion industry for several years. This is her first-year teaching! She teaches Visual Arts and Advanced Arts, where you’ll explore a variety of art mediums. Since her time at Iowa State University, she has always aspired to become an educator. At B-SMART she provides students with a creative and collaborative space where they can explore their identity, develop their voice as an artist, and engage with new materials to advance their technical art skills. Her primary art discipline is ceramics. She practices wheel throwing and hand building ceramics at her studio in Brooklyn. She’s originally from the Midwest and primarily grew up in Northeast Iowa. 

Office hours: request by email
Room: 202

Emily Chen is in her 8th year teaching. She’s a licensed ENL teacher, co teacher in ELA and Statistics. She became a teacher because young people are inspirational. More importantly, she loves seeing people learn and grow! Who knows who could be the next great leader of America? Why not YOU? She graduated from Penn State University. She grew up in Southern California. 

Fun Fact about her is she believes in fairies and pots of gold at the end of every rainbow 

Room 216 

Room 324 
Office Hours: request by email 

Dr. Julius Buh Mbi teaches 9th-grade Physics and Chemistry. Along with 12th grade Earth Science. He's proud to be part of the BSMaRt family. He sees himself as a tough but kind teacher and expects a lot from his students. He's excited to teach the young minds of BSMaRt and looks forward to meeting you. 

Room: Library
Office Hours: Lunch (7th Period) in Library, Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-5:30 PM in the Math Lab

Mr. Carmody is from Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont. He received his Master's degree in Adolescent Social Studies Education from Hunter College. This is his second year teaching social studies at BSMART. He has worked at a non-profit on criminal justice reform in Washington DC, as a house painter in Arizona, as a carpenter in Vermont, and as a bartender here in New York. 

Room: 324
Office Hours: request by email 

Kevin O’Hanlon teaches science, mathematics and is a member of the special education department He’s Been working at BSMaRt since January 2020. He chose to be a teacher because He’s one of the kids! He’s a product of the NYC public education system. (shout outs to PS107, PS 230, MS 51 and HSTAT). He’s an educator because he believes that the only way to improve society is to elevate all people. We have to empower our youth, especially ones from marginalized groups, so they can contribute to the greater good in the most meaningful way possible. He wants to be on the ground level and work with young people so they can accomplish this goal.

Room: 305
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 1:15 pm to 2:05 pm

Littleton Scott has been teaching Social Studies (SPED) at BSMaRt since 2015. He always loved working with children. He went to the University of Guyana and Long Island University. He’s from Guyana. A fun fact about him is that he was a sports jock in high school. 

Room: 321
Office Hours: request by email 

Ms. Li graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and Chinese Language Literature and with a Master degree in Adolescent Math Education 

Melissa Ojeda was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She’s been teaching ENL for the last 4 years. She became a teacher because as a parent it starts with us first so she feel as though her students are getting the best of both worlds. She went to Clara Barton High School then went to Boricua College to earn her teaching degree. Fun Fact about myself is she’s a United States Navy Veteran which was her first career choice and now she’s a Teacher giving back to my community. 

Room: 308
Office Hours: request by email 

Ms. Rodriguez is BSMART’s Speech-Language Provider and this will be her second year teaching. After graduating with her Speech Language Pathology Degree she knew she wanted to provide services to children in an educational setting.Ms. Rodriguez was born in Flushing, Queens then moved to Valley Stream, Long Island where she grew up and attended Valley Stream South High School. She then went on to continue her education and received a bachelor's degree in Queens college and a Master’s Degree in St. John’s University. A fun fact about Ms. Rodriguez is that she has a twin sister. 

Room: 333
Office Hours 1:15-2 pm every day except Wednesday

Noelle Charter is a Special education teacher from Brooklyn. She has over ten years of experience working with children and in education. Currently, Ms. Charter is co-teaching in the science department. Some of Ms. Charter’s passions are Computer science, Art/Design, and Mental health. Ms. Charter likes to play video games, watch anime, code, paint, and playing with her dog. 

Mr. P has been teaching for 11 years. Out of those 11 years, 10 years have been right here at BSMARt. He joined BSMARt in 2012. He teaches physics, robotics, and AP Biology. He became a science teacher because he loves science and he considers himself to be a lifelong learner. He grew up in Sri Lanka. He moved to the U.S when he was 14. He went to Harry S. Truman High school in the Bronx. He went to Hofstra University and Lehman College for his Undergrad and graduate degree. Fun fact about him is that he has an identical twin. 

Hello, Ms. Qiaozhu Li has been teaching Chinese in Bsmart since 2005. Welcome to my class and happy learning! 

Room: 228
Office Hours: request by email

Welcome to BSMart, Quibin Chen has been teaching math in BSMART since 2013. He teaches Math technology, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus the current school year. He has liked math since he was child, and he decided to teach math as a career in his senior year of high school in Brooklyn. He was born in China, and moved to the U.S when he was a junior student in high school. He’s a passionate and energetic mathematical certified educator who is willing to invest time in students in and out of instructional hours to help them to be successful in learning math. 

Room: 307
Office Hours: request by email 

Rodinei Rodrigues' early childhood dream was to be a teacher, since he loves to inspire, help and promote academic growth. Since 2017 he has been working at BSMaRT, where we have this amazing school community focused on bringing academics, socio-emotional and human development to our students. His background as a Brazilian immigrant and being able to speak 5 different languages is a gift to be used towards helping his students. 

Room: 229
Office Hours: request by email 

Saralina Deratus is a Math Teacher and this will be her 5th year teaching.She have taught all subjects of math from Algebra 1 to Pre- Calc. She became a teacher because she love interacting with kids and building rapport with them, and she get the opportunity to do that while teaching them math. She attended Hunter College for her undergrad and for her Masters in Education, She attended Saint John's University. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY but then her family moved to Long Island. She is always in Brooklyn for either work, family/friends, or church so she's still a Brooklyn girl at heart. Fun fact about her is that the first time she went hiking was in a rainforest in Puerto Rico, she jumped off a cliff into the water. It was scary and exciting at the same time. She's afraid of heights, so during that excursion she was definitely conquering her fears that day. 

Room: 305
Office Hours: request by email 

Shamonique Jefferson is a social studies teacher at BSMaRT. Ms. Jefferson supports young minds in learning history, geography, and human civilization, including how people interact, govern themselves, and solve conflicts. She believes high school education is essential to creating life-long learners. She looks forward to working with your child. 

Room: 324
Office Hours: request by email 

Ms. McNair has been teaching for almost ten years. She teaches chemistry and living environment. She became a teacher because of her love for science. She enjoys researching, exploring, investigating, and asking questions. She attended NYU as an undergraduate and studied Math and Chemistry and she attended NYU for graduate school as well where she studied Science Education. She was born and raised in Brooklyn. A fun fact about her is that she loves Science Fiction movies. 

Room: 331
Office Hours: request by email 

Vinessa Coles has been teaching for 14 years and has a BS in Mathematics, MA in Teaching Mathematics. Be respectful, Be prepared, and Be responsible. 

Room: 206
Office Hours: 7:00 am – 8:00 am (Before 1st period);1:15-2:00 pm (Students’ Lunch Period); 3:00-5:30 pm (After-School). Appointment preferred. 

This is Zhixing Jason Chen second year in his teaching career. He’s proud to be a member of the B-SMaRt family. He believes what John C. Maxwell states, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” And he believes that Education improves decision-making ability. A Fun Fact about him is he's considered an English Language learner. He’s learning English from his students on a daily basis. 

He was born and raised in China. He came to the United States when he was 18 years old. And he went to Fort Hamilton High School (20K490). Furthermore, he graduated from Brooklyn College (CUNY) with a bachelor’s degree. His major is Math Teacher (7-12). He is planning to go back to college later to get a master’s degree. 

He is teaching Statistics, Algebra 1, and Geometry this year