Chelsea
Director
Enrichment Class: Ocean Awareness
Chelsea founded TIDE Academy in 2011 in her own backyard. She wanted to create a schooling program that allowed students to learn at his or her own pace and to allow students to focus on other priorities without being penalized. Since the first year the school has been gradually growing and now how reached its maximum enrolment of 42 students. Chelsea is very excited with the 2016-2017 staff, students, and families. Her goal is to continue to make TIDE better and better in all aspects: Academics, Enrichment Program, and TIDE Abroad. With the amazing support of the staff, family, and students there is no doubt this will happen! When Chelsea isn’t at TIDE she is organizing local surf contests, running Circuito Guanacasteco de Surf (CGS), Playing field hockey, or chillin with Moxie.
Ali
Administrator
This will be Ali’s third year at TIDE Academy. Ali and her daughter Ava are excited to continuing the Admin role at TIDE. Ali, enjoys the office environment and working with all the amazing families who are part of the TIDE. We are sure you will be hearing from Ali at some point this year, please stop by and say hello to her and Ava any time!
Emily
Teaches Math and Sciences
Enrichment Classes: Dance and Stretch
Emily is a British Citizen born in Durban, South Africa. When she was 4 years old her and her family immigrated to the United States where she spent my childhood growing up in Houston, Texas. She is a registered nurse with her certification from the St Bartholemew’s School of Nursing ( City University) in London, England. She specializes in HIV and Infectious disease.
Emily teaches mathematics from basics to advanced, Government and Economics and Life Sciences such as Anatomy and Physiology.
She also teaches dance. She is starting her third year at TIDE and she is excited for all the new changes and things to come with the school! Emily firmly believes in the philosophy behind TIDE and that every child learns in his or her own way. “Every child deserves the chance to learn in a way that is comprehensible and exiting for them!”
Kate
Teaches: 1st and 2nd Grade
Enrichment Class: Art
Katie is originally from New York City. She lived in Madrid, Spain for 4 years where she pursued her undergraduate degree and fell in love with the Spanish language. Katie has volunteered in Spain and Costa Rica as an ESL teacher. She just finished her second year as a certified elementary school teacher in Washington, D.C. She loves to incorporate the arts as much as possible into her teaching practice! In her spare time, she loves cooking exotic dishes, running, and traveling. She is so excited to be back in Costa Rica to join the TIDE Academy family.
Alana
Teaches: 3rd and 4th Grade, 5th and 6th Social Studies and Science
Enrichment Class: Homework Club
Alana is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana but has lived many places including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and for the majority of her life in South Carolina. She spent the last 10 years in Colorado before moving to beautiful Tamarindo. Alana will be teaching 3-4 grade Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies along with 5-6 grade Science and Social Studies. Her after school program includes homework club where she will work with students who may need extra support understanding concepts, organizing and completing work or may need differentiated in a variety of ways to let their academic strengths shine and flourish here at TIDE Academy. Alana graduated with an undergraduate degree with a B.S. in Science with a concentration in exercise science from the University of South Carolina. Go Gamecocks!! From there she was accepted into the Occupational Therapy Masters program at Colorado State University where she completed her graduate studies and thesis to earn an M.A. in Occupational Therapy specializing in pediatrics both clinically and in the school setting. Alana so excited to continue working at TIDE because of the students she is given the opportunity to interact with everyday. Each and every one of them are so unique in personality and learning style that she really feels at home as an Occupational Therapist in a teachers role. She is able to use her scope of practice as an Occupational Therapist understanding growth and development and the multitude of supports available for all varieties of learning styles while teaching TIDE students.
Ileana
Teaches: 7th to 12th Grade Spanish and Social Studies
Enrichment Class: Spanish
This is Ileanis’s first year at TIDE and we are very excited to have her join the team! Ileanis is a widow and has 13 years old son named Manuel. She is from San José, Costa Rica where she studied Law. Ileanis came to Guanacaste two years ago and began working at the CPI language school in Flamingo. Now she lives her in Guanacaste with her family. She is honored and excited to teach at TIDE!
Lori
Teaches: 5th-12th Language Arts, World History
Enrichment Class: Future Prep
Lori received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA., and her Masters of Teaching from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. She has been teaching for five years, four of those years were in Washington State and one year in Costa Rica. Her teaching experience covers grades kindergarten through 12th grade, with the main focus being in History, English/Language Arts, Research Skills and Digital Citizenship/technology. She is passionate about helping every student succeed and strive to facilitate students becoming life long learners. Lori is excited to work at TIDE and help her students grow in their knowledge while continually striving to improve her teaching. Her and her husband have two daughters and they are excited to live in Guanacaste and be part of the TIDE community.
Mariel
Teaches 3rd-6th Grade Spanish, 3rd-7th Grade Cultura
Mariel is from Santa Rosa, Guanacaste. She studied at Universidad Latina where she received her Degree in Education and Computer Education. Mariel is excited to teach at TIDE where she will be focusing on helping the students learn and speak Spanish as well as have a better understanding about the Guanacaste, Costa Rican, and Latin cultures.
