Past Initiatives

GWATFL History of LILL Advocates 

We want to recognize our LILL Advocates

​​Biography

Chiara is an Italian mom, wife, teacher, gourmand and self care enthusiast. She has taught in the greater DC area since 2007, and landed in DCPS in 2012. Chiara has faced teacher burnout at various times in her career, and has made sharing her experience a priority in her working and mentoring practice. She embarked on a journey of self discovery and self love that encompasses every aspect of her life to this day. 

Chiara is a Selfcarefully™ certified expert, holds a Master of Science in Teaching Italian Language and Culture, a Master of Science in Education Program, and a Masters in Mediation and Conflict Resolution. She collaborates with organizations focused on teacher retention, whole child and whole teacher approaches.

Chiara has presented at several conferences about teachers' self care. She is also the recipient of multiple awards, including the DCPS 2021 World Language Teacher of the Year, and the Global Programs Copeland Award for Teacher of the Year in 2020.

CONTACT

Email:  2profmonticelli@gmail.com 

Twitter: @ProfMonticelli 

Instagram: @profmonticelli 

​Biography

Luis Deocares joined GWATFL in 2013 and currently serves as president. He has 28 years of language teaching experience, from elementary, middle, and high school to adult learners. He began his career as an EFL teacher in his native Chile, where he worked for several years at the British Institute and in private schools. He is currently a Spanish teacher at the National Cathedral school where he has been a Spanish teacher since 2008. He holds a B.A. degree, Licenciatura en Educación mención Inglés and a postgraduate degree in Educational Technology from the University of Concepción in Chile.

​Biography

Vicky Masson has 20 years of experience teaching Spanish as a second language from PK to high school in the United States. Vicky is passionate about education, education technology, professional development, and global competence. She has served as a GWATFL board member since 2017. In 2018 she became a Smithsonian Edu Fellow with SCLDA. Then, in 2019 she was designated as a #TeachSDGs Ambassador and later she was selected for the ACTFL Leadership Initiative for Language Learning 2019-2020.  GWATFL MAP is the result of the project as LILL Cohort 3. Vicky also became a 2020 #HPTeachingFellow. In 2021 she started Language Teaching Lab All about the what, how, and why of language teaching and learning @VickyMasson21