Who’s Who at TG Morton!

Biographies of Thomas G. Morton Elementary School Staff

Mr. Andrew Brooking – Principal

Originally from New York, Principal Brooking moved across country after high school to continue education at the University of California, Berkeley.  He was awarded dual degrees in Hispanic Languages and Bilingual Issues and in Linguistics.  He also lived, worked and studied abroad at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile.  While in South America, he taught English to children and adults in the informal settlements of Santiago and secured grants up to $100,000 to fund housing projects throughout Latin America.

In 2010, Mr. Brooking was selected as a Philadelphia Teaching Fellow; he entered the school district as a Bilingual Teacher in a Philadelphia Promise Academy.  Over the last decade, he taught Math at KIPP Philadelphia Charter School, coached brand new teachers with TNTP, and was a PLC Leader and SBTL at a district transformation school in North Philadelphia.  While leading teachers, he was trained at Yale with the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education, a two year residential program of study in teacher leadership and mastery of instruction.

More recently, Principal Brooking was chosen to join three Principal Fellows in the Philly PLUS Turnaround Cohort.  The fellowship took him to dozens of schools across the country, from DC to New Orleans, including completion of two pathways at the Standards Institute.  As an Assistant Principal, he developed strong leadership skills that has prepared him for the exciting and new role of Principal at the Morton School.

Below meet our wonderful staff members!

Ms. Kelsey Harryman – Assistant Principal

Originally from right outside Baltimore, Maryland, Kelsey Harryman moved to Philadelphia after graduating from York College of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been dedicated to the field of education for more than ten years. She has taught first grade in various neighborhoods of Philadelphia, coached new and veteran teachers as a literacy coach and served as a school leader in a charter network prior to joining the Thomas G Morton family. As a leader, she feels passionately about supporting teachers to ensure all students receive access to rich, grade level instruction. Throughout her prior leadership, she earned her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Principal Certification through Temple University’s Urban Education Program. Mrs. Harryman resides in Philadelphia and is the proud mother of a toddler who keeps her busy! She enjoys spending time with her loved ones and family pets as much as she can. AP Harryman is thrilled to bring her skills as an educational leader to the Thomas G Morton community and work as a partner in all of our students’ success!

Mrs. Cynthia Moore – School Counselor

Mrs. Moore has been a counselor for the Philadelphia School District since 1993. Mrs. Moore is a member of the Steering Committee which acts a liaison between counselors and the school district. I am also currently a part of a committee that is developing a School, Counselors Plan for the Philadelphia School District. Mrs. Moore is also a Certified Mental Health First Aider. My school counseling repertoire incorporates trauma-informed practices when implementing individual, group counseling and classroom sessions. Mrs. Moore loves her job which has allowed her to help children, parents, guardians, and staff members.

Mrs. Rebecca Elia – Kindergarten Teacher

Hello!  My name is Rebecca Elia and I am so excited to be going back to teaching Kindergarten this year!  I have been teaching here at Thomas G. Morton Elementary School for 11 years.  In my time here at Morton I have taught Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade and spent a year as the Learning Support Teacher.  I graduated from Neumann University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management and returned a few years later to earn a Master’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education.  I live in Aston, Pennsylvania with my husband and three wonderful kids, Dylan, Madelyn and Charlotte.   I love teaching and working with children of all ages.  I am very excited about our new school year and eager to get to know all my students and their families.

Mrs. Kimberly Esposito – Kindergarten Teacher

Hello. My name is Kimberly Esposito. I am proud to be starting my tenth year here at Morton!  This year I have the privilege of joining our kindergarten team!  I received my bachelor’s degree at Kutztown University and my master’s degree in classroom technology from Wilkes University. I love teaching the little kids and watching how much they grow!

Miss Alexa Gryga – Art Teacher

Hello! My name is Ms. Gryga.   I am very excited to bring Art to Thomas G. Morton this school year. This is my 4th year teaching in the School District of Philadelphia and my 1st year at Morton. I graduated from Kutztown University with dual bachelor degrees in Art Education and Fine Arts. I am currently in a master program at Kutztown as well, expecting to graduate in spring 2021.
The beauty of teaching a specialty class in a K-5 setting is that it allows me to experience with students abilities at different age levels and getting to watch the individual grow over the years. The greatest thing about teaching Art is that I can incorporate reading, writing, social studies, and math in visual ways. This way it helps the students not just in my classroom, but with the rest of their classes as well. In addition, art can be used for self-expression. Sometimes people find it hard to express themselves with words and writing. With art you can express yourself in a more abstract way. This way it seems much less intimidating. I have many exciting things planned for the 2019-2020 school year that use a variety of mediums and incorporate all subjects artistically.

Ms. Kimberly Yancy-Jackson – 1st Grade Teacher

Kimberly Yancy-Jackson was born and raised in Philadelphia, a product of the Philadelphia Public School System. Attended Hamilton Elementary, Turner Middle School and Overbrook High School. A teacher in the School District of Philadelphia since 1997, Alcorn Elementary School, McDaniel Elementary and Morton Elementary School. Received a Bachelors Degree from Cheyney University; Early Childhood Education, Masters Degree from Cheyney University; Adult Education and Masters Degree from Wilmington University; Gifted and Talented Teaching. Current teaching certificates include: Early Childhood,Gifted and Talented, ESOL and Educational Technology.

Ms. Melaina Kinsey – Kindergarten Teacher

My name is Melaina Kinsey and I have been a proud member of the Morton Staff since 1999! My first grade teacher, Mrs. Harpel inspired me to become a teacher and my 6 year old self never looked back! I earned my undergraduate degree from Kutztown University. I then moved on to earn two masters degrees.  The first one is from the University of Pennsylvania with an ESL certification, and the second is from Cabrini College with a reading certification.   I have a 12 year old daughter who is a kindergarten graduate of Morton.  When I’m not at school, I love to travel and spend time with friends/family.

Michelle Edwards – Special Education Liaison

Michelle Edwards earned both her Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Elementary Education and Master of Education with a concentration in Special Education from Arcadia University. She has been a learning support teacher within The School District of Philadelphia for 10 years. She spent 5 years teaching high school, starting out at Furness High School and transferring to Dobbins C.T.E. before joining the Morton School community for the 2014-2015 school year. She took on the role of Special Education Liaison beginning with the 2015-2016 school year and has led her colleagues in increasing the special education department’s compliance, rate of student progress, and level of parental engagement. She has been an active member of the school’s MTSS team and Leadership team during this time as well, working to provide all students with resources to support their success. Mrs. Edwards is also a wife, proud mother of 2 young children, and owner of a chocolate Labrador retriever.

Ms. Yvette White – 5th Grade Teacher

My name is Yvette White, and I am a new 5th grade teacher joining the T.G. Morton family for the 2019-2020 school year. I have over 24 years teaching experience for grades k-8. I am certified in elementary k-6, and middle years math. I have high expectations for my students and believe that home and school connection is the key for a student  to achieve academic progress and success.

Ms. Linda Jefferson – 1st Grade Teacher

Hi, my name is Linda Jefferson.  I have a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education.  I’ve been passionately teaching in the district for nearly 24 years.  When working with students, I treat them the way that I would want a teacher to treat my children.  When working with parents, I talk with them the way that I would want a teacher to talk with me about my children.  I pride myself on following best practices, celebrating student success, and teaching students to be good citizens of the world.  Working with parents as my partners, building children up, and providing learners with a safe environment to take risks in, all make this the job I love and feel grateful to be able to do!

Ms. Tara Giovanetti – Reading Specialist

Hello, my name is Tara Giovanetti and I am the Reading specialist here at TG Morton Elementary. I provide small group, pull-out reading and literacy intervention and instruction to our most struggling readers. I am a National Board Certified Teacher. I currently have more than 90 graduate credits and 3 specialty certificates in elementary education making me a senior career teacher with the School District Of Philadelphia. I am a certified Wilson instructor and highly trained in providing Fountas and Pinnell leveled literacy interventions for instruction. To further my education, this year I will be trained in the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling program. This is my 19th year with the district and I am extremely excited to be on this educational journey with our students!

Mrs. Angela Golson – Health & Physical Education Teacher

I am a graduate of the Philadelphia Public School System and Temple University. I enjoy working with the students at Thomas G. Morton School teaching them the value of physical fitness, and developing good health habits. The Physical Department stresses safety in the community and school. At the end of each year our team puts together an annual Field Day which the entire student body and many staff members participate in.

Mr. Donald Lowery – Special Education Teacher

My name is Donald Scott Lowery, but my friends and coworkers call me Scott, my middle name.  I grew up loving basketball, which I played in high school and college. When that career ended, my love of cars and trucks took over and I worked for an international transportation and logistics company as a driver, then supervisor, then station manager.  After 25 years there, God led me to my new passion and calling- being a teacher!  I returned to school and earned a degree in elementary and special education from Eastern University.  Nothing matches the joy of helping a student who has struggled in school and fallen behind, turn it around and start to love school and become a lifelong learner.  That’s our goal at Morton, and I’m proud to be a part of the team here.  I’ve been married 31 years, and have 2 kids-one is currently getting a PhD in public health at UNC and the other is a computer engineer for NBC Universal. God has blessed me greatly and I look forward to being a blessing to our kids and families at Morton.

Mrs. Kay-Conway – Autistic Support Teacher

I have been in the field of education for 23 years. This will be my 8th year teaching in School District of Philadelphia.  I have taught Kindergarten, 6th grade, 3rd grade. I am currently teaching grades 3 to 5 Autistic Support. I earned my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education form Gwynedd Mercy University.  I also, earned Masters degree in Special Education form Cabrini University. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, reading and going to the beach.

Ms. Shawn Davis-Porter – 5th Grade Teacher

My name is Shawn Davis-Porter.  I am a teacher at Thomas G. Morton School.  I have been teaching in the Philadelphia School District for over 30 years. During that time, I’ve taught many different grades, but have fallen in love with fifth grade students.  My desire is to give back to the community, and being personally and professionally fulfilled with every class I teach.

Mrs. Rose Truscia – 3rd Grade Teacher

My name is Ms. Truscia.  I have been a teacher at Morton Elementary since 2009.  I am married with 3 children . Having emigrated to the USA many years ago I am fluent in two languages, English and Italian, and I also understand Spanish.  I love teaching, and I thoroughly enjoy working with my Morton family.

Mrs. Stephanie Sheridan – 3rd Grade Teacher

My name is Mrs. Sheridan.  This is my 14th year as a teacher!  This is my 13th year as a teacher at Thomas G. Morton, so chances are you have seen me around!  Teaching is hard work, but I could not imagine doing anything else in life. One of my favorite things about teaching is when my former students come back to me and share something they loved about me, loved about the classroom or a great memory from their time with me.  When I am not working I am spending time with my family and trying to keep up with my rambunctious son, who is such a funny kid.

Ms. Jaclyn Charrington – 4th Grade Teacher

I began my career with the district as a Kindergarten teacher, and credits those youngsters with my greatest teaching experiences.   I was inspired to earn my Master’s Degree and Reading Specialist certificate while building a solid early literacy foundation teaching grades first and second. My proudest memories include co-chairing the Annex Safety Team, which was recognized by the Philadelphia Phillies J-Roll Aces!   I am also proud of my micro- entrepreneurship experience; creating a “World of Wonder” science venture alongside fellow scholars.   I am honored to join the fourth grade team as the Science and Social Studies Specialist in room 316.