Specialists

List of 12 members.

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  Lani Bass 

  Emotional Wellness Counselor

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  Lani has worked in school settings as a school counselor; providing academic and social/emotional support to students in grades K-12 for over ten years. Lani has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential with a specialization in School Counseling from Sonoma State University. In her role as a school counselor she worked with students 1:1, in small groups and classroom settings. Lani enjoys exploring new places, hiking, cooking and spending time with her family. 
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  Wyatt Bessing 

  MSLAT Specialist

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  Wyatt began his journey at Star Academy in 2005. He earned his MFA in Writing in 1999 and loves putting his passion for writing into practice as a member of the Multisensory Language Arts Team. He has taught high school Language Arts, Creative Writing, and Literary Magazine classes. A publish short story writer and essayist, Wyatt facilitated the inaugural issue of Star Academy's Shining Star Literary Magazine in 2022. Wyatt enjoys hiking and travel, reading, and especially playing games of all kinds.
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  Jessie Drake 

  Occupational Therapist

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  Jessie received her master's in Occupational Therapy from USC in 2010. Since then she has worked with children in a variety of settings, including home, clinic and school. What she loves most about being an OT is helping children feel strong, confident, and learn how to move and connect with their bodies. She is thrilled to be at Star Academy and join a strong team of specialists and teachers. She is looking forward to being a part of such a wonderful community, collaborating with staff, and connecting with all the amazing students. Outside of work, Jessie loves to do yoga, be outside and explore parks, go to the beach, and spend time with her family.
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  Lou Ellsworth-Yow 

  Structured Literacy Specialist

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  Since earning his Multi-Subject teaching credential in 2012, Lou has been working in classrooms in West Contra Costa, Oakland and Marin Counties. His professional focus, since 2016 has been on Literacy and providing intervention level reading support to general education students. Lou has been trained in the Orton-Gillingham methodology and was mentored in 2020-2022 by a certified Slingerland instructor. Most recently, Lou earned his Masters of Education degree and Special Education credential from the University of the Pacific in July 2023. Lou and his wife live in San Rafael. They have twin daughters in college, both pursuing education degrees.
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  Chris Greenslate 

  MSLAT Specialist
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  Christina Jarema 

  Speech Language Pathologist

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  Christina earned her Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from California State University, Sacramento. She is particularly interested in utilizing a variety of methodologies and modalities to incorporate a therapeutic and learning experience. She feels lucky to be able to closely collaborate with other professionals and involves families to provide a holistic approach to treatment. Outside of Star, Christina enjoys traveling, spending time with her son and husband by going hiking, camping, fishing and exploring new restaurants.
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  Marina Karam-Wijelath 

  Emotional Wellness Counselor

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  Marina graduated with her Master's in Social Clinical Psychology from New College of San Francisco and has over 20 years experience in mental health counseling with youth and families in the Bay Area. Marina taught Psychology classes through City College of San Francisco, and her last job before coming to Star Academy was as an Educationally Related Mental Heath Services counselor at a SFUSD public high school. Marina has worked at Star Academy since 2019, lives and grew up in San Francisco, and has a beloved Corgi dog named Smores. She is the mom of two teenagers, one bound for college this year.
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  Stephanie Kelsey 

  MSLAT Specialist

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  Stephanie has completed five years at Lindamood-Bell® Learning Processes® supporting struggling students with Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, cognitive impairment and other learning differences. She has taught reading, writing and math in both individual and group settings. Stephanie has utilized her degrees in Psychology and Communications by supporting her students in building independence with challenging emotional/social interactions. She comes from the world of banking and finance, but switched to Education in seek of a more fulfilling experience. She considers this choice one of the best she has ever made.
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  Nicole Lewis 

  Speech Language Pathologist

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  Nicole earned her Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Eastern New Mexico University, as well as a Graduate Degree from Florida Institute of Technology to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Nicole is passionate about integrating multi-modalities into her speech and language sessions and believes each student's learning profile and personality benefit from diverse teaching approaches. Nicole is also an Autism Fitness Specialist and volunteers at a Pulmonary Rehabilitation clinic for patients with chronic lung illnesses. She spends her free time horse-back riding, swimming, talking about her dachshund (Pawter), reading and traveling.
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  Jane Schwartz 

  Occupational Therapist

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  Jane received her masters in occupational therapy from Dominican University. She has worked for many years with people with varying developmental disabilities, but has found the perfect setting in the non-public school environment of Star Academy.  She loves working in a multidisciplinary program because it affords a wonderful opportunity for collaboration and the ability to provide therapy to students in the clinic, classroom and community enhances skill building and generalization. When not working at Star, Jane loves to hike, travel, garden and spend time with family and friends.
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  Kati Skulski 

  Assistive Technology Coordinator

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  Kati Skulski M.S.-CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist has provided consultative AT Services at Star since 2016. Kati received her B.S. in Psychology from Humboldt State University, and earned her M.S. in Communicative Disorders from Cal State East Bay. Outside of Star, Kati works with a variety of schools and organizations as a private contractor and with her non-profit organization, The Nika Project.  Kati is originally from Maryland and lives with her husband and two cats in Oakland. In her downtime, she enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, and music.
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  Maribeth Walsh-Villa 

  Occupational Therapist

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  Maribeth holds a master's degree in Recreation Therapy (SF State) as well as Occupational Therapy (Samuel Merritt University). She completed her OT internship with both the San Francisco Unified School District and Albany School District, has worked in private pediatric practices, and has worked at Star Academy in the role of OT since 2014. She recently earned her proficient level certification in DIR:Floortime. She loves Star Academy for its small, nurturing, collaborative and creative environment and amazing students. In her free time Maribeth loves being active in the outdoors - camping, hiking, backpacking, skiing and paddle boarding.