Welcome to KIPP AUstin Beacon Prep!

Shannon Fritz is thrilled to be back for her 6th year as a Reading teacher for Beacon Prep! She's from the small, but tax-free state of Delaware where she lived until college. The summer before she left for college, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf, so she decided to enroll in AmeriCorps *NCCC to volunteer for disaster relief. Ms. Fritz went on to graduate from Messiah College in Harrisburg, PA with a degree in Religious Studies and continued to earn her Master’s in School Counseling from Messiah and is certified K-6th in Reading/ESL. After four years of teaching at a small private school Ms. Fritz and her husband both decided they wanted to move for a new adventure in Austin in 2015. Her son Theo is 3 years old and her daughter Amelia was born in January this year. Both are at school in the KIPP Daycare in our building.

Steve Brown is excited to begin his second year with KIPP and fifth year as a Special Education Teacher. Steve received a degree in Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and he taught Special Education focusing on high school math. He went on to teach Special Education in the elementary setting. Helping people has always been a focus for Steve, and helping students reach their ultimate potential is something Steve is passionate about. KIPP's mission aligns with Steve's personal goals for life and he is excited to be a part of such an amazing culture and team. When he isn't at school, he enjoys hanginng out with his fiancee, Joe, and their two dogs, Max and Carlie, and cat, Lois. He also enjoys the country and their new home in Manor, Texas.

Jonathan Gleason is excited to be back at KABP for his second year! He taught 5th grade reading as a teacher fellow last year, while Ms. Fritz was away on maternity leave, and will be teaching PE this year. Mr. Gleason grew up in Atlanta, GA and graduated from the University of Georgia, in 2014. Before working at KABP, Mr. Gleason owned a company that created educational games for students. In his spare time, Mr. Gleason enjoys reading, playing basketball, and spending time with his Bulldog, Beau.

Juan Gonzalez is a first generation college graduate from El Paso, TX. He moved 8 hours away to the beautiful town of San Marcos, Texas and attended Texas State graduating with his bachelor degree in Exercise and Sports Science and also attained his K-12 teaching certification for Physical Education. Coach Gonzalez loves sports and is the head coach for the Brave Girls soccer team. Coach Gonzalez moved within the KIPP community coming to Beacon Prep from Obras Elementary where he taught a year as a Kinder Spanish Teacher. He is excited to continue the journey in an area he is passionate about and continue to build connections with students as well as a strong culture for the KIPPsters to come.

Mazziel Oliva, is excited to be the 7th and 8th Special Education Reading teacher this year. She joined the KIPP family almost three years ago but her connection to KIPP began before that, when both of her younger sisters attended and graduated from KIPP. Ms. Oliva was born and raised in Mexico but has lived in Austin for half of her life. She attended The University of Texas at Austin where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Hispanic Studies. She has worked as a Teacher Assistant at the UT Child Development Center and Goddard Preschool. She also interned at American Youthworks, a local non-profit organization, where she worked with at-risk High school students and provided resources to the community. In her free time she enjoys playing soccer, hiking, doing obstacle races and going to coffee shops and spending quality time with friends and family.

Rachel Geiger is so excited to be a Special Education Teacher at KABP in Reading. Before starting work in education, Rachel attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and studied English, Poetry, and Women's and Gender Studies. Rachel started her teaching journey in 2012 as a Paraprofessional at an Elementary School in Missouri. From there, she joined Teach for America and relocated to New York City in 2014. For the last five years, Rachel was teaching at a middle school in Brooklyn, New York as a Special Educator in Reading and Writing. While in New York, Rachel continued her own education and studied at Fordham University where she received her Masters Degree in Special Education. Rachel can’t wait to continue her work in education at Beacon Prep this school year! She is fully committed to ensuring that all students receive a quality education and that there are always multiple ways to learn in her classroom! In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, kayaking, hiking, reading and writing, and spending time with her cat and dog!

Sarah Case is so excited to be returning to Beacon Prep for her fourth year! She graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelors degree in Human Sciences & Education. After graduation, Ms. Case returned home to Austin where she worked on her Texas certification in education while working as our building substitute. This year she will be working as our 5th grade math teacher for the second year. The year before that, she worked as our 7th grade math teacher. In her free time she enjoys walking her mini australian shepherd puppy, Ozzie.

Rubi Perez is excited to teach 5th grade science and spark the students’ interest in the STEM field! This will be her 4th year at Beacon Prep where she has taught 7th grade math and 5th grade science. Rubi is originally from Brownsville, Texas and loves to represent the people and culture from the Rio Grande Valley. She graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2016 with a degree in Biology and Education. During her free time, Rubi loves spending time with family & friends, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her puppy, Zen.

Deaven Bean is excited to start his first year as a 5th grade writing teacher at Beacon Prep. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys performative art and creating music with his friends. He's a world-renowned chef according to his family and wears it like a badge of honor. Mr. Bean is determined to learn and grow alongside students and KIPP faculty as he navigates this new world of teaching

Angela Koegler is the Assistant Principal over support services. She oversees the Response to Intervention program, services for students with 504 and the special education department. Angela has been working in Education for 20 years both in classrooms and in leadership. She believes if students can, they will. This value is at her core as she leads educators to do our important work with our most vulnerable students. Outside of school hours, you can find her crafting, playing with her ball-obsessed Chesapeake Bay Retriever and binge-watching fictional crime stories.

Hello I am Ms. Ambar Rojas I work in the front office of Beacon Prep. First of all I am super excited to meet all of you and your parents this upcoming year. I have been with Beacon Prep one year and let me tell you it’s my favorite place ever. I am always available for all the students you will for sure see me every morning with a smile on my face. If you like soccer so do I my favorite players are Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal and Marta from Brazil. I also love listening to music so whenever I meet you let me know your favorite song. Just know you are always welcomed to the front office to say hello or to let me know how your day is going hope to see you soon.

My name is Valeria Rojas and I am Community and Operations Coordinator for KIPP Austin Beacon Prep, I am super excited to start my 2nd year with Beacon Prep and glad to see all the kids and families. I also help run the Parent Task Force and coordinate family events at Beacon Prep, one of my favorite events was Thanksgiving family night and promotion ceremony for our 8th graders. I was born and raised in Austin and enjoy being with my kids and taking them to their soccer games. I like going to sporting events and going to music events.

Kristi Michaels is the Principal at KIPP Austin Beacon Prep and has worked with KIPP since 2012. This marks her 8th year at Beacon Prep and she is excited to welcome our new and returning staff. Ms. Michaels has taught math and science during her 11 year career in education. She graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in 2007 with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology. After graduating, she completed a year with Americorps NCCC, completed a cross-country bike trip with Bike and Build, and also worked at the Outdoor School teaching students about the outdoors and conservation. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, going to Orange Theory, and spending time with her family.