New Faculty Members at The Ellis School
The Ellis School is pleased to announce new faculty members for the 2018–2019 school year. Please join us in welcoming these accomplished and talented teachers to our community. The School is thrilled to add these passionate intellects, scholars, and artists to our team.
James Ashton, Ph.D.
Upper School History Teacher
James Ashton, Ph.D., joins The Ellis School as an Upper School History Teacher. He received his Ph.D. in History from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 2015, and also holds a B.A. in History from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He also holds a Masters Degrees in Arts Administration and Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and College of Business. Before coming to Ellis, Dr. Ashton taught history at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland.
Upper School History Teacher
James Ashton, Ph.D., joins The Ellis School as an Upper School History Teacher. He received his Ph.D. in History from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 2015, and also holds a B.A. in History from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He also holds a Masters Degrees in Arts Administration and Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and College of Business. Before coming to Ellis, Dr. Ashton taught history at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland.
Amanda Banachoski
Middle and Upper School Physical Education/Health Teacher
Amanda Banachoski joins The Ellis School as a Middle and Upper School Health and Physical Education teacher. She received her B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Slippery Rock University. Prior to Ellis, Ms. Banachoski spent time in long-term substituting positions in Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Plum, and New Brighton.
Joanne Buchbinder
Future City Coach
Joanne Buchbinder will be the faculty coach for our Middle School Future City Team. Ms. Buchbinder graduated from St. Mary’s College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Master of Arts in Teaching and has taught mathematics, life sciences, and biology in Chicago Public Schools and The Chicago Jewish Day School. Additionally, she has also served as a Lead Teacher in the Trapezium Math Club, an extracurricular enrichment program in Philadelphia.
Simon Cummings
Middle School Strings Teacher
A teacher in the Ellis Music Academy, Simon Cummings joins the Middle School faculty as a strings teacher in the Performing Arts Program. Mr. Cummings graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and performs as a cellist with Attack Theater, Alia Musica Pittsburgh, and is a co-founder, owner, arranger ,and a performer with Cello Fury.
Middle and Upper School Physical Education/Health Teacher
Amanda Banachoski joins The Ellis School as a Middle and Upper School Health and Physical Education teacher. She received her B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Slippery Rock University. Prior to Ellis, Ms. Banachoski spent time in long-term substituting positions in Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Plum, and New Brighton.
Joanne Buchbinder
Future City Coach
Joanne Buchbinder will be the faculty coach for our Middle School Future City Team. Ms. Buchbinder graduated from St. Mary’s College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Master of Arts in Teaching and has taught mathematics, life sciences, and biology in Chicago Public Schools and The Chicago Jewish Day School. Additionally, she has also served as a Lead Teacher in the Trapezium Math Club, an extracurricular enrichment program in Philadelphia.
Simon Cummings
Middle School Strings Teacher
A teacher in the Ellis Music Academy, Simon Cummings joins the Middle School faculty as a strings teacher in the Performing Arts Program. Mr. Cummings graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and performs as a cellist with Attack Theater, Alia Musica Pittsburgh, and is a co-founder, owner, arranger ,and a performer with Cello Fury.
Pamela Gordon, Ph.D.
Upper School Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher
Pamela Gordon joins The Ellis School as an Upper School Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher. Prior to Ellis, Mrs. Gordon was a Teaching Assistant and then Graduate Teaching Fellow at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. She received a B.A. in Mathematics with Teaching Certification and a Computer Science minor from Messiah College. At Lehigh University, Ms. Gordon earned an M.S. in Mathematics and is completing her Ph.D. in Mathematics this August. Her dissertation is titled Structural Considerations for Interval Orders with Length Constraints. Ms. Gordon is excited to share her love of mathematics with the Ellis community.
Upper School Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher
Pamela Gordon joins The Ellis School as an Upper School Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher. Prior to Ellis, Mrs. Gordon was a Teaching Assistant and then Graduate Teaching Fellow at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. She received a B.A. in Mathematics with Teaching Certification and a Computer Science minor from Messiah College. At Lehigh University, Ms. Gordon earned an M.S. in Mathematics and is completing her Ph.D. in Mathematics this August. Her dissertation is titled Structural Considerations for Interval Orders with Length Constraints. Ms. Gordon is excited to share her love of mathematics with the Ellis community.
Amy Hieber
Lower School Reading Specialist
Amy Hieber joins The Ellis School as the Lower School Reading Specialist. Prior to Ellis, Ms. Hieber was a reading specialist in Norwin and Franklin Regional School districts. She has been involved in children's literacy her entire career, previously teaching English and language arts in Louisville, Kentucky, and preschool in Murrysville. Ms. Hieber has also done children's library programming in Lakewood, Ohio, and has recently become a Teacher-Consultant for the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project. She received a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Masters of Education from Edinboro University, and has her Elementary and Reading Specialist certification.
Zana Previti
Upper School English Teacher
Zana Previti was born and raised in New England. She earned her B.A. in English at Wellesley College, an M.F.A in fiction from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.F.A in poetry at the University of Idaho. She is the author of Providence (Finishing Line Press, 2017), a chapbook of poetry, and the forthcoming novel The Chilling Simple (Livingston Press, 2018). Ms. Previti has also taught English at private secondary schools across the country, including Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C. and The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California. Recently, she served as the Emerging Writer-in-Residence at Penn State Altoona, and taught a variety of English and humanities courses for Fairmont State University and the Community College of Vermont.
Zana Previti
Upper School English Teacher
Zana Previti was born and raised in New England. She earned her B.A. in English at Wellesley College, an M.F.A in fiction from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.F.A in poetry at the University of Idaho. She is the author of Providence (Finishing Line Press, 2017), a chapbook of poetry, and the forthcoming novel The Chilling Simple (Livingston Press, 2018). Ms. Previti has also taught English at private secondary schools across the country, including Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C. and The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California. Recently, she served as the Emerging Writer-in-Residence at Penn State Altoona, and taught a variety of English and humanities courses for Fairmont State University and the Community College of Vermont.
Envision Her at Ellis
If you're interested in exploring Ellis for your daughter, let's connect! Request information about enrollment, attend one of our upcoming events, or hear about Ellis from those who know it best: our students.
