Academy welcomes new faculty, offers summer camp
On target for the start of classes this August, the Academy at King has announced the hire of leading faculty members. Karen Cross, an award-winning regional educator with global experience, and Paul Ojanen, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and degree candidate at Harvard, are among those ready to welcome students for the Academy’s inaugural year.
“We are delighted that Karen and Paul are helping craft the Academy’s educational environment,” said Susan Melkowski, head of school. “Their backgrounds offer tremendous depth to our curriculum, and they exemplify, in wonderful ways, what it means to be lifelong learners. It’s exciting to see what marvelous academic and cultural avenues they will open for our students.”
Cross, who is serving as dean of students and social studies instructor, is a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of numerous honors, including the McGlothlin Award for Teaching Excellence and the Virginia Lottery Teaching in Excellence Award. For nearly two decades she served as teacher of social sciences with the Washington County and Bristol, Virginia School Systems, receiving multiple Teacher of the Year awards. Her international educational experience includes journeys to Israel, Peru, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Italy, and Greece. Cross holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from King College and a Master of Education degree from Tusculum College.
“The Academy is being founded on many decades of collective insight,” said Cross. “This, combined with ongoing support from our community, has created a very exciting educational opportunity. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our first classes this August and serving as a regional resource for years to come.”
Ojanen, who is serving as mathematics instructor, received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT. He is a current candidate for a Master’s degree in Mathematics for Teaching at Harvard University.
Previously, the Bristol native has served as a tutor with Dorchester High School in Massachusetts, taught software engineering principles to Israeli and Palestinian students through the Middle East Education through Technology (MEET) program, and organized MIT’s Autonomous Robot Design contest. Ojanen’s background also includes active duty with the United States Air Force, coordinating with allied countries to provide communications and engineering support throughout Europe. For his service he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, among other decorations.
As one of his first duties with the Academy, Ojanen will be leading a Mathematics and Science Summer Camp. The camp is scheduled from 9 a.m. to Noon, Monday through Friday, July 14-18. The camp is open to all rising eighth, ninth and tenth grade students, regardless of their enrollment at the Academy. Cost of attending is $100 and includes a camp t-shirt and daily snacks. The registration brochure is available at www.academyatKing.com/summercamp.pdf.
“This will be an engaging week of hands-on science for participants,” said Melkowski. “Paul has led similar programs for the Duke University Talent Identification Program, and his experience in coordinating robot design competitions will add an extra dimension of fun. I’m glad to say that as an additional benefit for the community, Paul serves as an educational counselor and interviewer for any area students interested in attending MIT, so this will be a wonderful opportunity for future MIT applicants to learn more about the process and expectations involved.”
Additional Academy faculty will be announced in the coming days. Questions and requests to be included on a mailing list can be sent, via e-mail, to info@academyatking.org.