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Faculty

Kate Western

Hello, ESL students and colleagues! It is a pleasure and an honor to be working at the American Language Institute. I am an educator who has a strong passion for language and culture, as I teach high school Spanish in addition to ESL courses. I love guiding students of all ages through the journey of language learning and cultural exploration. I believe that all students are diverse and have different learning needs. This serves as the basis of my educational philosophy and is represented daily in my classroom.

In regards to experience, I have been working in multiple capacities at ALI since 2005. Also, I have been teaching at Fairport High School since 2005, where I also coordinate an international high school exchange program with the Carrigaline Community School in Ireland. I currently hold NYS certification in Spanish (7-12) and an M.S.Ed. in inclusive education.

My husband Dan and I live in the suburb of Webster with our cat Mittens and dog Savannah. In my free time I love to practice yoga, run, play golf, garden and travel.

Avril Blackwood

It's a pleasure working with students from different countries. In 1990, I began my career as an English as a Second Language facilitator. As an educator, I believe that learning should be enjoyable. My goal is to provide learning experiences for students' English language to develop in a natural way as much as possible given our time limit. I have my New York State teaching certification in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. As a Nazareth graduate, I received my Master of Science in Education, May 1994. Other degrees I have are Bachelor of Science with a Health Science major; and an Associate in Science with a Human Services certification. There are not enough hours in the day for me to indulge in my love for reading and writing as I keep very active with my daughter's life events. I do get to listen to music and visit with friends often. To fulfill my childhood dreams I take dance class and piano lessons. Living in Rochester, I look forward to warm sunny summer months and the opportunity to work with students in the American Language Institute.

Julie Brenner

Hello, my name is Julie Brenner, and I will be teaching classes this summer. I am originally from Indiana, where I received my Bachelor's Degree in Spanish Education and ESL at Ball State University. I will be studying International Studies at St. John Fisher College in the fall. I spent two months teaching English to native Spanish speakers in Costa Rica, and I have also spent many hours tutoring migrant workers or their children in either English or in another needed area of study. I currently teach Spanish at Fairport High School, and I spent last year teaching Spanish in the district of Rush-Henrietta.

I am very pleased to be teaching English at ALI this summer! This will be my first summer with ALI, but I am very excited and think that it will be a great opportunity. I look forward to meeting the new students and starting this wonderful experience!

Kathleen Chinchilla

Hi! I'm Kathleen Chinchilla. I just got married this summer so I'm very
excited to now have my new last name! I have taught in the ALI program for 2
years now and I am very excited for this 3rd year to begin.

During the school year I am a teacher at Rochester City School #19. I teach
special education. Before that I taught children Spanish for 4 years at a
local Catholic School. I also work in a playroom with very young children.

I just bought a new house and my husband and I are having fun decorating it
and making it ours. It is a lot of work, but it is very rewarding.

I love language and meeting new students from around the world each year. I
have lived and studied in Spain and Wales. My passion is traveling and my next
big trip will be to Costa Rica to meet my husband's family. Since I haven't
been able to travel recently, I enjoy the academic and social aspects of a
cultural program like ALI.

Can't wait to meet you all this year!

Jack Mould

I hold an associate's degree in chemical technology, a bachelor's degree in English, and master's degrees in both public administration and education. I am proud to be a founding coordinator of ALI. I bring my experience in community organizing, health care, higher education administration and the photographic field to my teaching. My idea of fun is a nice evening of playing either Set or Boggle with my wife Ann and teen-age childre nin my family's home in Rochester's southern suburb, Rush. Sadly, it's not THEIR idea of fun... fortunately, my other idea of fun is helping my fellow world citizens with the ins and outs of our vibrant, expressive language. Welcome to ALI!

Michelle Kirchgraber-Newton

I love teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and am very excited to teach classes at the ALI this summer!

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Plattsburgh State University of New York, and a Masters degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Both degrees reflect my passion for learning about different cultures and languages, and my love for diversity.

During the school year, I teach ESOL to middle school students in the Rochester area. In the past, I have taught English Language Learners of various ages, languages, backgrounds, and proficiency levels, and in a variety of settings in the United States. I also designed and taught English classes at a small university in Oaxaca, Mexico for six months.

In my free time, I enjoy taking walks in the parks with my husband and our dog, LuLu. I also enjoy gardening, hanging out with my friends and family, learning foreign languages, and traveling!

I look forward to meeting my students at ALI and creating a fun classroom community that will provide us all with authentic opportunities to learn and use the English language and explore American culture!

Nate Halloran

I received my MA:TESOL from Portland State University in Portland, OR. I am Primarily an ESL teacher, and have ten years' experience teaching various college courses; college level ESL, survival English, liberal studies courses, linguistics, and improvisational theatre and acting. As much as possible, I incorporate my knowledge of various subject areas into the classroom setting, especially theatrical techniques such as role plays and communicative dialogues.

Louise Borden

I have been teaching ESL in an elementary school for Monroe 2 BOCES for the past 16 years. I really enjoy working with children from all over the world. I have a B.A. in Russian from Vanderbilt University and MS Ed. from Nazareth College in TESOL. This is my second summer as a teacher at ALI and I am really looking forward to all the great new experiences I will have.