School Director Anastasia Michals was formerly the founding dean of students responsible for shaping and sustaining the school’s distinctive culture and ensuring that scholars internalize Canarsie Ascend’s values and aspirations for academic excellence. Previously, Michals taught math in the middle grades and third-grade guided reading at Belmar Elementary, while serving as a youth program manager, fitness coach, and personal trainer at the Atlantic Club in Manasquan, NJ. Previously, Michals taught 7th-grade mathematics for several years at KIPP AMP Academy in Brooklyn, and also taught math at Manasquan Elementary School, one of the highest performing K-12 schools in New Jersey. Michals began her career as a Teach For America corps member at Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory Middle School in Atlanta, GA, where she was recruited to be a founding member of The B.E.S.T. (Business, Engineering, Science, Technology) Academy, a single-gender academy within the school. Michals holds two master’s degrees in education from Columbia University and Mercer University, a post-master’s certification endorsement as a supervisor from Monmouth University, and a bachelor’s from Bryn Mawr.