Teachers

Steve Walker

Steve Walker has been Director of the LIFE School since 2015. He has been teaching in the LIFE School since 2006 and has been a social studies teacher at Greeley since 1999. Before becoming a teacher, Steve was a US diplomat and activist, from 1993-98, Steve helped lead the first successful anti-genocide campaign. Steve is originally from Boston and is a big Red Sox fan. In addition to Advisory and Community, Steve teaches US History and Economics.

"I am grateful for Steve- Even though this has been such a stressful semester, he has still taught us so much, and I love how much he cares about bringing the community together."

Melissa Lugo

Melissa Lugo began teaching at Greeley in 2004, and she has been an English teacher at the LIFE School since 2006. In addition to Advisory and Community, she teaches American Mythbusters, World Literature, and Writing Communications. The focus of her master’s degree was creative writing, and she is dedicated to helping students to discover their unique voice and develop their creativity. She is passionate about literature and other media that promote social justice, and she strives to inspire her students to research and analyze current issues deeply in order to create their own media in which they advocate for positive change. In her leisure time, she enjoys singing, dancing, and writing fiction.

"I am grateful for Melissa for being an outstanding teacher and empathetic."

Dan Cohen

Dan Cohen joined LIFE School in 2022 where he teaches an Advisory and helps run our Community. He is a psychologist on the main campus. Before coming to Greeley, Dan worked for 6 years as a psychologist at a high school in Westport CT and before that, worked in consulting. As an educator and counselor, Dan is passionate about mental health, psychology, and getting to know his colleagues and students on a personal level. In his spare time, he enjoys outdoor trail running, playing disc golf and frisbee as well as spending time with his family. He is a big New York Rangers fan and goes to a lot of their games with his father in law

Marilyn Walker

Marilyn Walker (no relation to Steve) joined LIFE School in 2020 as a Special Ed/Social Studies teacher. Before that, she taught Latin and English at Yorktown HS. Marilyn is a career-changer, having worked 1998-2017 as an adjunct professor while being a mostly stay-at-home parent. Her Ph.D. is in Middle Eastern History with a focus on medieval Islam. Marilyn is originally from Tulsa, which explains her love of country music and football. At the LIFE School, Marilyn teaches Learning Center, Social Justice, Economics, Advisory, and Community.

"I would like to express gratitude for Marilyn Walker because she is extremely kind and really supportive and a great person to get to know."

Nicholas Ritter (Potter)

Nick Ritter (formerly Potter) joined the LIFE School in 2020. He teaches Topics in Algebra 2/Trigonometry and SUNY Statistics and Public Policy in the LIFE School. He is also a math and computer science teacher on the main campus. In the summer of 2020, Nick moved to NYC from Rochester, NY. He plays a lot of chess, bikes frequently, and finds interesting problems to solve. He spends his summers in the Finger Lakes with his family.

"I would like to express gratitude to Nick. Nick made me love and enjoy math again, while making me learn new concepts, which I am incredibly thankful for."

Christina Provenzano

Christina Provenzano has been teaching science since 1998 and started at Greeley in 2005. Christina’s classroom integrates scientific concepts with fabrication of models to illustrate understanding. Her classroom represents a community of reciprocal learning where students and teachers share best practices and use multi-media, coding and art to model science.

Christina and her students work together in the design process to better reflect the scientific concepts they are representing. Final projects are evaluated using rubrics which incorporate

aesthetic (craftsmanship), content (knowledge) and other common LIFE school skills. Explaining patterns in the natural world using models and connecting the content to students lives are the foundational components in her classroom. When not in school Christina can be found hiking and canoeing with her family.

“The lens of curiosity focuses on the journey of knowledge"

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