Ted Cleary has been teaching at Elite Academy since near the very beginning.  He holds three degrees from Columbia University, including a B.A. and M.A. in English and Comparative Literature.  He graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University and was granted a fellowship to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  At Elite, in addition to preparing students for the Hunter C.H.S. Exam and the Specialized H.S. Exam, he specializes in SAT Reading and Writing.  Mr. Cleary has taught thousands of students at Elite and has his own tutoring and consulting business for SAT and college admissions.  Regarding college admissions essays, he has given seminars, authored materials, and edited the essays of hundreds of students, both local and international, who have gone on to attend many of the top universities in the nation.  In addition to teaching, Mr. Cleary’s interests include writing, reading, music, art, hiking, travel, and photography.

Benny D’Aquila has been an instructor at Elite Academy since 1987.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Queens College in Mathematics and a graduate degree from Columbia University School of Engineering.  He began his career as an engineer with AT&T Bell Laboratories.  After working several years in industry, he decided to fulfill his passion for teaching.  He started teaching mathematics at Benjamin Cardozo High School and advising students in the DaVinci Mathematics Research Program entering the prestigious Westinghouse Competition (now known as Intel).  Mr. D’Aquila then pursued a degree in School Administration and worked as an Assistant Principal of Supervision at Queens Vocational and Technical High School and then at Bayside High School.  He also served as the President of the New York City Interscholastic Mathematics League.  In addition, he worked at Queens College as an Adjunct Professor in the evening, teaching all levels of mathematics.  He then went on to become the K–12 Director of Mathematics for the Jericho Public Schools and then to serve as an Assistant Principal in the Jericho Middle School.  Mr. D’Aquila is currently a Principal in the Jericho District.

Doreen has been at Elite Academy since it was founded in 1986.  She has taught all levels of mathematics during her tenure at Elite Academy.  Since 1988, Doreen has been part of the NYC Board of Education.  Doreen has a M.S. in Operations Research and a B.S. in Math and Computer Science.  She enjoys playing the violin, swimming, gardening and is fluent in Chinese.

Caroline Kim has been an instructor in English and writing at Elite Academy since 2002.  She began teaching the middle school grades (6-9), but has been the SAT Critical Reading and Writing instructor during the summer for the past several years.  Ms. Kim is currently an English teacher at the United Nations International School (UNIS) for grades 8-12.  Previously, she taught English (AP Level) at the Bronx High School of Science to students in grades 9 thru 12.  Ms. Kim received her B.A. in English Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University, and her M.A. in English Literature from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University.  Caroline’s interests include art, specifically oil painting, writing and fashion.

Maria Simonian has been an English teacher at Elite Academy since summer 2003 and has taught reading and writing to 3rd -10th grade students.  She also has years of invaluable experience coaching 8th graders to receive high marks on the verbal section of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT).  Ms. Simonian is currently a college advisor at Flushing High School and is involved in the Y.A.B.C. program where she teaches English and offers college advising to teens at risk who need credits to graduate high school.  Before her transition to college advisor, she was an English teacher at Flushing High School from fall 2003 to spring 2008.  Ms. Simonian has a B.A. in English and a M.S.Ed in Counseling K-12 from Queens College.  Her hobbies and interests include the theater, reading, traveling and kickboxing.

Nicole Vasquez is a dedicated English teacher who joined Elite Academy’s teaching staff in summer 2003.  She has taught reading and writing to students in grades 3-8 over the years, but during the summer and fall semesters, she teaches 6th graders who are eligible to take the Hunter College H.S. entrance exam.  Better known as Ms. Nicole, by her students, she helps students improve their reading comprehension, grammar and writing skills not only for the sole purpose of passing this rigorous exam, but also to enrich students’ overall verbal knowledge and reasoning.  She has a unique teaching style which makes English fun for students in all grade levels.  Ms. Nicole is currently a school-based coach and develops the curriculum at P721Q in Elmhurst.  She has a B.A. in Theater Arts and Anthropology from NYU and a M.Ed. from Teachers College at Columbia University.  She is a published author and contributing editor in Kweli, a literary journal, and is fluent in Spanish and French. When she is not teaching, Ms. Nicole enjoys acting/theater, writing and traveling.

Cynthia Cameron has been teaching reading and writing to 3rd-8th graders at Elite Academy since summer 2003.  She has prepared students to excel on the Statewide E.L.A. tests and the SAT for the Johns Hopkins CTY program.  Ms. Cameron also has many years of experience coaching students on the verbal section of SHSAT for the NYC specialized high schools (SHSAT).  She is currently a reading specialist at JHS 185 (District 25) and has over 11 years of previous teaching experience in both elementary and junior high schools.  Ms. Cameron received a B.A. in Elementary Education & Speech and a M.S. in Reading K-12 from Hofstra University.  She has her second masters, a M.S. Ed. in School Supervision from Queens College.  In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, shopping and traveling.

Benny Suh has been at Elite Academy since July 2004 when he joined the staff as a teachers’ assistant and substitute teacher.  Since July 2006, he has taught math to 4th-8th graders and coached 6th graders to receive top marks on the math section of the Hunter test and gain acceptance to Hunter College H.S. and 8th graders to enter the Specialized High School of their choice (SHSAT).  Mr. Benny, as he is known by many Elite students, has been teaching at P.S. 175 Lynn Gross Discovery School in Rego Park since 2004 where he is currently a 4th grade teacher.  He received his B.A. in Elementary Education from Bucknell University and is currently finishing his M.A. in Adolescent Education at Hunter College.  Outside the classroom,  he enjoys playing the role of third baseman for his baseball and softball leagues and the position of point guard and shooting guard in his basketball league.  He also enjoys reading; the last book he read was "Common Sense" by Glenn Beck.

Matthew Suhu has been a math teacher at Elite Academy since summer 2006.  Each summer he teaches Integrated Algebra and problem solving strategies to students in grades 7-9 and specializes in instructing 8th graders math test preparation strategies for the SHSAT.  Mr. Suhu is currently a 7th and 8th grade math teacher at M.S. 308 in the Bronx, where he has been teaching since September 2003.  He is the lead math teacher and was responsible for developing and implementing the Impact Mathematics 8th grade curriculum for the school.  Mr. Suhu has a B.S. in Financial Economics from Binghamton University and a M.S. in Middle and High School Mathematics Education (7-12) from Lehman College.  He became a NYC Teaching Fellow after many years of experience as a research assistant in Applied Economics Research.  In his spare time, Mr. Suhu enjoys putting together PCs and Japanese robot models.

Kay Park joined the Elite family in April 2006 as a teachers’ assistant and began teaching in September 2006 while working on her masters.  She has since taught math, reading and writing to students in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade.  She strongly believes that children should enjoy learning at an early age and thus instills a love of learning in her own classroom.  Ms. Kay currently teaches kindergarten at P.S. 307 in Corona and has previously taught pre-K at P.S. 205 in Bayside.  She also has over 10 years of experience tutoring grade school students in math and reading.  Ms. Kay received her B.A. in Psychology from Stony Brook University and her M.A. in Childhood Education from Queens College.  When she is not teaching, Ms. Kay enjoys reading, golfing, snowboarding and rock climbing.

Sara Liu became an integral part of Elite Academy’s math teaching staff in summer 2007 and has since taught math to students preparing for the SAT, PSAT, SHSAT, and Hunter entrance exams.  Ms. Liu currently teaches Integrated Algebra II/Trigonometry and AP Calculus at Townsend Harris High School, where she has taught since September 2005.  She has a B.A. in Mathematics and Education and a M.A. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Queens College.  Ms. Liu is fluent in Fujianese and Mandarin, and in her spare time, she enjoys playing sports, especially volleyball and tennis.  Her pastimes also include biking and leisurely walks around the park.

Simi Minhas joined the Elite Academy teaching staff in summer 2008 and has taught elementary school math for grades 3-5, writing and grammar for grades 3-6 and the Statewide E.L.A. test prep for grades 3-5.  Ms. Minhas has been working as a math coach and Data Specialist at P.S. 165 in Flushing since September 2007, but has extensive experience instructing the elementary grades.  She has been at P.S. 165 since 1997, when she began her career in teaching as a paraprofessional while working on her degree in education.  Since then she has taught students in the first, fourth and sixth grade. Ms. Minhas received her B.A. in Elementary Education and Mathematics and her M.A. in Elementary Education with specialty in Mathematics from Queens College.  She then earned 30 credits after her Masters in Teaching and Differentiating Instruction from Knowledge from KDSI.  Ms. Minhas is fluent in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu and loves to read and write poetry in her down time.

Zee Kang has been an E.L.A. and writing instructor for 6th-9th graders at Elite Academy since summer 2008.  She currently teaches 2nd grade at River East Elementary School in Manhattan.  Ms. Kang received her B.A. in Public Communications with a minor in English from American University and her M.Ed. in Elementary Education and Special Ed from Teachers College, Columbia University.  Ms. Kang has been a member of Kappa Delta Pi, an international Honor Society for Education, Teachers College, Columbia University chapter since 2004 and has earned her certification to teach the Lucy Calkins Reading/Writing workshops and the Wilson Literacy Program.  Before receiving her M.Ed., Ms. Kang lived overseas teaching English and working as an interpreter in South Korea during the 2002 World Cup.  She has recently published a collection of poetry with a patent from the Library of Congress, and an exhibition of her work will be on display this summer in August.  Ms. Kang is bilingual in Korean and English, and her interests include writing workshops, chess, and playing the piano and the violin.

Jeannie Yuen started at Elite Academy as a substitute math teacher in spring 2008.  She joined our teaching staff in summer 2009 and has since taught math and writing to students in grades 5-7.  Ms. Yuen is currently a 6th grade teacher at West Prep Academy in Manhattan. She received her B.S. in Applied Math from U.C.L.A., where she also doubled majored in French and minored in Asian American Studies, and her M.A. in Math Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.  Ms. Yuen’s interests include snowboarding, yoga and jogging in Central Park.

Michael Moy is working on his B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Secondary Education at Queens College and is expected to graduate Spring 2011.  He worked as a teachers’ assistant at Elite Academy in Summer 2004 and 2005 while he was a college student at SUNY Albany.   He returned to Elite in the Fall of 2007 as a teachers’ assistant when he decided to change his career path and work on becoming a high school math teacher.  He has many years of experience tutoring and substitute teaching math to 6th-11th graders here at Elite Academy and has received great reviews and positive feedback from the parents of many of his students.