Jackie Breen teaches English, Lifetime Fitness, and Personal Fitness at El Puente. She graduated in 2015 from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with a degree in Advertising and Communications. After a few years in the field she decided to pursue a career in education and went back to school to become a teacher. In 2022, she completed her Master’s of Teaching. Jackie also is a Certified Personal Trainer as well as Nutrition Coach and has a true passion for all things fitness and health related. Her favorite part about working at El Puente is the opportunity to build real relationships with students.
Nate Crawley is a science and math teacher at El Puente. He teaches classes such as Pre-Algebra, Physical Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, and Physics. Nate enjoys having high expectations regarding knowledge acquisition and proper student conduct in his classroom. Nate earned his bachelors in physics and secondary education from Marquette University. He has been a teacher at El Puente for 13 years. Nate’s favorite part about working at El Puente has been increasing our expectations for student behavior, work ethic, and skill development.
Trinity Stanford teaches English and special education at El Puente. Along with teaching, she is trained to work with students that are a part of SNSP. Trinity has a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. She began working as a substitute teacher in the Milwaukee area in 2018 and began working at El Puente as an English teacher in 2021. She has an Leadership and Success award from the Sigma Alpha Phi honor society. Her favorite thing about working for El Puente is how much she gets to work one on one with students to give them a more individualized education.
Dan Gray is a social studies and physical education teacher. Classes he teaches include Civics, World History, African American Studies, Latin American Studies, and Current Events. Dan earned a BA in history from Illinois Wesleyan University, completed work for a social studies education certificate at Purdue University, and acquired a masters in Adult and Continuing Education at Carroll University. Dan taught at high schools in Indiana and Minnesota before moving to Milwaukee where he led outdoor trips and taught environmental education programs at the Urban Ecology Center. After a stint leading Carroll University’s outdoor recreation program, he returned to high school teaching at El Puente in 2015. Dan’s favorite thing about El Puente is the small size, the ability to be creative and flexible with the programs and opportunities that are offered, and playing ultimate frisbee in gym class.
Molly Imbrie is one of El Puente High School’s two co-directors. She is responsible for overseeing guidance counseling, student scheduling, and the dual-enrollment program. Molly earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Education (EA-A), her Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies, and her Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction: Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Molly started working in education as a special education paraprofessional in 2012. In 2015 she began her English teaching career at El Puente, and in 2021 transitioned out of the classroom and into administration. Molly’s favorite part about working at El Puente is the small community and the relationships it allows her to build with families and their students.
Julio Fuentes is the head of IT at El Puente. He is responsible for managing the technology needs of staff and students, as well as teaching a section of Computer Programming. Julio earned a bachelors of computer science from Saint Norbert College in 2017. He started working as technical support soon after, helping people with their technology, computer and software issues in Green Bay. In early 2020 he moved to Milwaukee and eventually found his way to working at El Puente later that year. Julio loves learning, helping people and solving problems and his favorite part of working at El Puente is being able to do just that, in a non-profit setting.
Renee Morrow is one of El Puente High School’s two co-directors. Renee’s responsibilities include enrollment, overseeing the Special Needs Scholarship Program, and working closely with families and students to help everyone find success. Renee earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Michigan Technological University and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University. In 2002, Renee started working in education as a math teacher. In 2015 she began at El Puente as a math teacher, and in 2019 transitioned from the classroom into administration. Renee’s favorite part about working at El Puente is helping students prepare for their futures.
Ashley Parrish is a teacher’s aide at El Puente. She has been a part of the team since 2017, and primarily works with SNSP students. Ashley’s favorite part about working at El Puente is seeing the students she works with walk across the graduation stage each year.
Andrea Senske teaches math, including Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II at El Puente High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance from Florida Atlantic University in 2004. After a few years working in the business industry she moved to Wisconsin and decided to go back to school at UW-Milwaukee to study math secondary education with a minor in bilingual education in 2016. Andrea’s favorite part of working at El Puente is building meaningful relationships with students and helping them succeed in math.
Tim Steen is one of El Puente High School’s two social studies teachers. He teaches U.S. History, Health, World Geography, Psychology, Sociology, History of War, Economics, and American Legal System. Tim earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education (EA-A) from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Tim completed his student teaching at Alexander Hamilton High School in Milwaukee. In 2017 he began his social studies teaching career at El Puente. Tim’s favorite part about working at El Puente is that it gives him the opportunity to provide individualized education to help students earn their high school diplomas and start the next chapter of their lives as young adults.
John Surges is one of the Co-Founders of El Puente High School. He is responsible for teaching science and art and overseeing building maintenance. John earned a bachelor’s degree in Broadfield Science and Earth and Space Science from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point and has a Masters’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Saint Mary’s. He has been teaching for thirty-three years and still enjoys being in the classroom. John’s favorite part about teaching at El Puente is having the opportunity to create his own curriculum and working to positively impact youth in our community.
Jaquelin “Jacky” Zaragoza is the student support specialist at El Puente High school. Jacky provides support to the students and families of El Puente by helping in every process from admissions to after graduation. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a bachelor of science in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience and a minor in medical Spanish. Before coming to El Puente she worked as a residential case manager for UCC. In 2022 Jacky went back to school and is currently completing her master’s in Educational Psychology with a concentration in cognition and development. Her favorite part about working at El Puente is helping students reach their full potential and helping them work on both academics and their mental health.