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- Our team
With a wealth of experience, expertise and talent, our dream team is paving the way and building success for today, tomorrow, and the future
Our staff instills and embraces joy and excellence in our students by teaching character development with a culturally affirming curriculum to foster student’s growth. Our board consists of advisors and advocates for academic excellence, sharing our strengths to support our students, meet them here.
Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
Essence Prep’s SLT is the team that oversees the way our strategic plan and other guiding principles are put into action.
Akeem Brown
Superintendent
Superintendent Akeem Brown (he/him/his) has dedicated his career to serving students living within San Antonio’s Eastside. By founding Essence Prep, he seeks to provide scholars with the pathways to opportunities lacking in many areas of the city.
Mr. Brown ensures Essence Prep scholars will grapple with real-world issues and develop the skills necessary to be effective agents of change. Essence Prep adopts community-building traditions like morning circle meetings and weekly family gatherings and uses a “whole self” curriculum to teach social and emotional learning skills.
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Support Team
The support team is essential in ensuring our scholars are learning in a safe and supportive learning environment.
Dejanique Derry
PEIMS Coordinator and Office Manager
Kiara Harper
Operations Associate
Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)
Under the guidance of the CLO/Principal, the ILT improves instruction by focusing on scholars learning and achievement, as well as build teacher capacity through differentiated support.
Donte Chatman
Literacy Coach and Fourth Grade Literacy Teacher
Keyondra White
Assistant Principal of Instruction
Pam Friesenhahn
Special Education Coorinator
Teachers
Developing our students as leading agents of change in their communities.
Selena Mitchell
First Grade Literacy and Math Teacher
Kim Anderson
Second Grade Math Teacher
Gracie Word
Second Grade Literacy Teacher
Christina Rivera
Third Grade Math and Literacy Teacher
Trishawn Clarke-Taylor
Fourth Grade Math Teacher
Lynette De Vaughn Baker
Fifth Grade Literacy Teacher and TIR Coach
