Julie Parham

Principal

Julie Parham has lived in many exotic locations: Kansas, Des Moines, London, Cincinnati, Poughkeepsie, Darien, and currently Fairfield. Along the way, she has earned an MA in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in theatre and sociology from Drake University. Before joining CGS, she taught at the high school level in Ohio, New York, and Connecticut. She and her husband were the house parents for A Better Chance in Darien for 8 years, where they lived with six young women who attend Darien High School on academic scholarships. Julie, her husband, and their two sons spend their free time hiking and longing for pizza. For the past ten years, she has been almost finished writing her first middle grade novel. Her favorite writers include Lorrie Moore, Virginia Woolf, Ishmael Reed, and Mark Bittman. She regrets never learning other languages in her youth, but is delighted that she can finally count to ten in Spanish, French, and Japanese.

Jennifer Spero

Assistant Principal

Jennifer Spero grew up just outside of Chicago, Illinois and has called Connecticut home for 20+ years. Her travel bug has taken her throughout New England, parts of the west coast, western Europe, and now thanks to CGS, Morocco and Malaysia. She has experience teaching English and Communications at both the high school and college level. She is also a Connecticut Writing Project - Fairfield fellow and has participated in numerous workshops across New England with a focus on writing to learn what we know and think. Jennifer earned her B.A. in English from Loyola University Chicago, an M.A. in English Education from New York University, and her 092 Certificate in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University. When she isn’t parenting three spectacular kids, she dreams to one day earn a doctorate in education, become a yoga instructor, raise a herd of alpacas, or finish writing a novel.

Tonia Greene

Administrative Assistant

Tonia Greene has over 14 years of experience as an Executive Assistant. Prior to coming to CGS, she worked for the City of Stamford for eight years as an Elementary School Secretary. Tonia was also a Corporate Travel Consultant for over 16 years but after 9/11 decided to change careers. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Serenity, and she has one fur baby, Topaz. He is an official ESA (emotional support animal) and has brought so much joy to her family. When she is not handling the day-to-day demands at CGS, you will find Tonia slinging her BLING as she is the CEO/Owner of Jewelz In My Closet and an Independent Consultant for Paparazzi Accessories. It is Tonia’s desire to complete her B.A. in Psychology in the near future.

John Castelluzo

School Counselor

John Castelluzzo was born and raised outside of New Haven, Connecticut. He attended the University of Connecticut for both his undergraduate and graduate education, and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a focus on Childhood and Adolescence. He then went on to receive his Masters of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology through the Neag School of Education. Before working at the Center for Global Studies, John was a school counselor at West Haven High School for two years. For the past several summers, John has also worked as a summer adviser and instructor at Fairfield University's Upward Bound program. John has traveled twice to Greece, where he has strong family ties, and also traveled to China through CGS's Study Tour in 2013. In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially his two young nephews. He is also an avid runner, and has run seven half marathons and three full marathons as of October 2019.

Special Education Teachers

Amanda Meyerson

Special Education Teacher

Amanda Meyerson was raised in Simsbury, CT and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a focus in journalism from the Pennsylvania State University. After working as a paraprofessional at Canton High School, she decided to go back to school and get her Master of Arts in Special Education from the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Amanda worked at Windsor High School and Brien McMahon prior to joining CGS. She enjoys volunteering as one of the BMHS cheerleading coaches and is a huge New York sports and Penn State fan. Amanda would love to do more traveling; however, her favorite place she has traveled so far is Israel.

Lilliana Murillo

School Counselor

Lilliana Murillo is a Norwalk local and experienced Norwalk Public Schools firsthand for her K-12 education. Like Ms. North, she attended Marvin, Nathan Hale and Norwalk High School. She attended the University of Connecticut and earned a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She then went on to receive her Master of Arts degree in School Counseling at Fairfield University. She interned at Roton Middle School and Weston High School, which has given her different educational perspectives and experiences to prepare her for her role at CGS. She has travelled with the school on a few study tours and is excited to continue expanding her perspectives through travel. Her favorite place she has traveled to is Scotland as she is an avid Harry Potter fan and actually rode the real-life Hogwarts Express (she may or may not have cried happy tears the whole ride!) She looks forward to her future travels and hopes to one day bungee jump in New Zealand!

Danyelle Williams

Special Education Teacher

Dr. Williams is a native of Norwalk and a proud Norwalk High School Class of 1993 graduate. She attended Xavier University of Louisiana where she graduated in 1997 with a bachelor of science degree in psychology and a minor in African-American Studies. In 1998, she graduated with a masters degree in education from The University of Bridgeport. Dr. Williams has had the pleasure of teaching in Stafford, VA, as well as several schools in Norwalk. She has also served as a Specialized Learning Supervisor, as well as the principal of The Academy, an alternative high school program in Milford, CT.  Dr. Williams accepted the opportunity to return home to Norwalk in 2023, where she is currently serving as a part-time special education teacher for Center for Global Studies and the Norwalk Public Schools Inter-District Facilitator supporting Norwalk students who are currently attending magnet schools in Stamford. She is a very proud single-parent to 10 year-old Aliyah, enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and spending time with family and friends. Her love of students and giving back to the community that shaped so much of who she is, is one of her greatest joys and accomplishments.

Jennifer North

Social Worker

Jenny North was born and raised in Norwalk, CT, with her family and much of her extended family. She attended Marvin, Nathan Hale, and Norwalk High, where she played field hockey, viola, and was a member of the string orchestra and the pit orchestra for the spring musicals (favorite high school memories were the musicals!) Jenny grew up exploring her neighborhood with her brothers and cousins, playing sports, musical instruments, theater and enjoying lots of time with friends and family. Jenny received a BA of Sociology & Anthropology with a minor in English Literature from Fairfield University. Jenny earned her Master of Social Work degree from Southern Connect State University, with a concentration in clinical social work for children and adolescents. Jenny is a certified school social worker, although new to working in a school! Jenny interned at Roton Middle School, and then went on to work for five years at Family and Children’s Agency in Norwalk as a clinician and a program manager/supervisor. Jenny is super excited to work with students in a school environment, which stems from her passion for education and mental health. In her spare time, Jenny tries to spend as much time as possible with her dog, Jordan, reading (especially her favorite genres – non-fiction and historical fiction), cooking with her husband, going for long runs and walks, and spending time with family. Jenny plans to take many more global adventures in her future, but so far the best place she has visited outside of the United States was Barcelona, Spain.

Mervat Yakout

Instructional Aide

Ms. Yakout was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Helwan University. From 2009-2017, she taught Arabic at Concordia College Language Villages. She piloted a program at Roton Middle School to teach Arabic language and culture to 6 & 7 graders. She joined Joining CGS in 2016, her home base is in Room 1028. She is currently pursuing her teaching license in Connecticut to become a certified Arabic teacher. Ms. Yakout lives in Norwalk with her husband, Mr. Eldigwy, the CGS Arabic teacher, and her four beautiful children.

Language Teachers

Kanako Itano-Malstrom

Japanese Teacher

Kanako was born and raised in Japan and graduated from Kobe City University with a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Studies. She is dually certified in TESOL and World Language Japanese and received her Master's degree in Special Education from Sacred Heart University. From her experience of teaching at preschools, elementary schools, and high schools in Japan, New York, and Connecticut, she believes education should focus on approaches based on each student's unique ability and background. She is excited to share her passion for language learning as well as Japanese culture. 

Sean Driscoll

Japanese Teacher

Sean Driscoll received his M.A. in Asian Studies with a concentration in Japanese language and literature from Seton Hall University in 2004. He received a B.A. with a double major in East Asian Languages and Cultures (Japanese language) and English from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in 2002. Sean has been a dedicated member of the CGS faculty since the fall of 2004. He has been a collaborator and chaperone on over a dozen study tours and visits from our sister schools in Japan. In 2017-18, two of his dreams were finally realized. First, he earned his English Certification and began teaching sections of World Literature -- officially becoming the first CGS “hybrid” instructor. Second, his first son, David Joseph-Michio was born. He resides happily in a small town near New Haven, CT with Michio and his loving, beautiful wife, Toni. Fun fact -- he is indeed half-Japanese and is NOT Hawaiian or Italian.

Emad Eldigway

Arabic Teacher

Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Emad graduated from Ain Shams University, faculty of commerce, with a major in accounting. He taught Arabic and Middle Eastern studies at the Metropolitan Learning Center Magnet School in Bloomfield, Connecticut from 2002-2005. He then joined the Alternate Route to Certification program and graduated in May of 2006 with a teaching certification in world languages. Emad earned his M.Ed. in World Language Instruction from Concordia College in 2015. He was also the Dean of the Concordia College Arabic Village from 2009-2017. Emad holds a third degree black belt in Judo and was the heavy weight champion of Egypt, Africa, and the Middle East for 12 years. He was on the 1988 Egyptian Olympic team in Seoul, South Korea, and he won 5 gold medals in all North East Championships here in the USA. ​

Social Studies

Mina (Michelle) Rasmussen

Mina Rasmussen was born in Seattle and spent her childhood moving between Seattle, Tokyo, and Bangkok.  She obtained a bachelor’s degree in foreign policy at the International Christian University in Tokyo and MA in Education from UConn. She worked for a think tank researching East Asia's political economy and for a Japanese news agency as a foreign correspondent in Beijing, China before moving into the classroom. Mina and her family moved to Connecticut from Japan in 2021. In her spare time, Mina enjoys spending time with her husband, dog, and new daughter Emi, as well as running, skiing, and hiking. 

Nick Banas was born in West Virginia and raised in Pennsylvania and Mystic, Connecticut. He earned a BA in History and MA in Education from UConn. Upon graduating, Nick moved to Shanghai where he taught Word Studies, U.S. History, and AP World History at Shanghai High School International Division. From China, Nick was able to visit many countries in Asia. Nick returned to the U.S. in 2014 and has since worked at Ridgefield High School and Darien High School. At DHS, Nick led the China Exchange program and had the opportunity to return to China on four exchange trips. At CGS, Nick teaches 10th grade U.S. History and IB seniors (the history of modern China and Japan). He is also the coach of the C.G.S. Fencing team.

World Literature

Paula grew up in Westchester and Fairfield Counties and earned a BS from St Lawrence University in Psychology and English. After working for several years at Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, Paula went to Sacred Heart University to get a master’s degree and become certified as an English teacher. Prior to joining the faculty at CGS, she taught at Washington Irving High School in NYC and New Canaan High School. Paula is an enthusiastic learner of world cultures, has been a grant recipient and fellow at the Connecticut Writing Project, Fund for Teachers, Norwalk Education Foundation & National Council of Teachers of Asia, and has travelled to 65 countries. The recent graduates presented Ms. Fortuna with the student-voted “Most Globally-infused Curriculum” Award. In addition, Paula is interested in animal conservation and environmental sustainability. Two of her three children have attended CGS, and she lives in the neighborhood.

Amy Gentile has experience teaching English at both the high school and college level.  Before coming to CGS, she taught at several high schools in Connecticut. She also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Housatonic Community College where she has taught a variety of courses for many years. Amy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in English Education from the University of Connecticut and recently completed a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction. In her free time, she likes to write poetry, short fiction, and the shards of a novel. Over the years, she has made hundreds of dollars recording commentaries on public radio and through other forms of freelance writing. She enjoys running, planting butterfly gardens, building patios, and spending time with her family.

Diana Martinez was born into a large Puerto Rican family of nine children in which playing school was a daily occurrence, thrusting her into the role of teacher at a very young age. She taught handwriting and enjoyed marking her younger siblings’ answers wrong in red ink as a child, but her studies in English at The University of Connecticut and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College would greatly change her pedagogical practices. As a member of The Connecticut Writing Project, she worked to guide students through writing in more organic ways, including writing-to-learn strategies and teaching writing as a recursive process, in which students are always understanding more about what they think through writing, and in which revising and generating ideas are part of a continuous loop. Diana was a bilingual student herself and received a cross endorsement in bilingual education and TESOL. Scaffolding literacy tasks for her English Language Learners is a very personal passion of hers. So are her husband and children. Diana is the mother of two boys and lives in Cos Cob with her husband. Someday they will all play in a band together. Her husband plays guitar, one son plays drums, and she and her other son love to sing.

Math

Joe SantaLucia lives right here in Norwalk. He attended Brookside, Roton and Brien McMahon. See if you can find out when he graduated – his picture is in the gym hallway for career athlete. Santa, as he is referred to most often, went to Trinity College, NCC, Graceland College (in Iowa) and finally The University of Bridgeport. He is very excited to be a part of CGS, having taught math at McMahon for.. well, more than 20 years. Santa is the wrestling coach and an assistant football coach. His older son just graduated McMahon and his youngest son is now attending Roton Middle School taking Chinese! As a good, well-rounded nerd Santa enjoys doing challenging math problems, playing music (and listening), singing (not very well), puzzles, movie watching and collecting – all genres, reading (fantasy/sci-fi), cooking, playing video games and decades of D&D.

Born and raised in Stamford CT, David spent most is young life in a pool and around water swimming. His enjoyment for Summertime activities brought him to earn a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and religion from the University of Miami. “It’s all about the U”. After perfecting his golden tan and golf game, he moved back to CT where he earned a MS in Mathematics from Fairfield University and a MA is Mathematics Education from University from Bridgeport. Dave lives in his hometown of Stamford and has 4 children Summer, Stratton, Stella, and Suzannah who share in his passion for the beach, pool, and sun. If Dave is not striking up a conversation about Math or 90’s Music, you’ll find him on the pool deck coaching swimming which he has happily done for more than 20 years. He has also dusted off is old googles and in his free time swims for exercise and fun himself. Dave is excited to be a part the CGS community and working with the talent staff and peers around him.

Leonel Deandrade has been an active member of the Fairfield County Community. He has resided in Bridgeport, Naugatuck and Stamford. He has obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and Applied Mathematics from the University of Connecticut. In addition, he has earned two Master’s Degrees from Fairfield University: Secondary Education and Teaching and Mathematics. Before joining the CGS team, Leonel taught at Trinity Catholic High School, Ponus Ridge Middle School and Brien McMahon high school.

In his spare time, Leonel enjoys hiking, kayaking, roller coasters, reading, movies and Doctor Who. When he puts his kayak in his TARDIS he travels to upstate New York, and various parts of the Northeast to boat and hike. he His favorite authors are Douglas Adams, Lewis Carroll, Chuck Palahniuk. His favorite directors include Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers. Leonel is very excited to embark upon his next chapter of teaching at the Center for Global Studies

Jesse Wagenberg

Jesse Wagenberg enjoys taking the road less traveled. He attended five different colleges, including Columbia University and Williams College, exploring many different majors until graduating from Manhattanville College with undergraduate degrees in Math and Psychology, a minor in Philosophy, and a Master's Degree in Secondary Education. He taught in Westchester, New York, at Westfield Day School before coming to teach in Connecticut at Brien McMahon in 2017, where he taught a variety of math classes, a logic class and IB Theory of Knowledge. While at Brien McMahon, out of his love for many forms of gaming, he started the Board Game Club and was brought on to co-advise the Video Game Club, which he has brought to CGS, where both continue to grow. Whenever Jesse gets the chance, he loves to travel and explore the world with his partner, which in turn, fuels the rich and engaging stories with which he regales his students.

Melissa Ryan

Health & Physical Education

Michael began traveling at a very young age and made his first trip abroad when 14 months old. He has traveled extensively in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. When Michael was 13, he circumnavigated the globe on Semester at Sea, a “floating university”, where he visited 12 different countries, including Japan, Cuba, Kenya, India, China, South Africa, and Malaysia. Michael received a BA in History from Southern Connecticut State University and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Connecticut NEAG School of Education. Michael still loves to travel and he hopes to pass on his passion for international education and history to his students. Michael coaches lacrosse, plays the drums, and loves Arsenal Football Club, Radiohead and Grateful Dead. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two beautiful sons, Miles and Wes.

Holli Oberacker

Art

Holli Oberacker grew up on a small farm in upstate New York. She currently lives in Milford with her wife and daughter. She has a BA in Visual Arts from SUNY Oneonta and a master's degree in Art Education from Manhattanville College. She started her teaching career teaching elementary students in Ledyard, CT. Before joining Norwalk Public schools, she taught at Ansonia Middle School for two years. Prior to joining CGS, Holli taught at Brien McMahon High School and transferred to CGS for the 20-21 school year. She has taught all levels of art (K-12) and enjoys teaching at the high school level the most. Outside of being an art teacher, she is also an artist who enjoys printmaking, painting, digital art, and photography. One of her goals in life is to fill up her passport with many stamps from different countries as well as visit all 50 states. She has been to 10 countries in Europe so far and her favorite places she visited were Australia and New Zealand.