Faculty & Staff
Click on a Faculty & Staff name below for additional biographical details. Looking for a particular person? Use our Directory Search to search by name or department.
Matt Acton
Learning Management System Administrator - AIM Institute
Sami Alam
Robotics Intern
Kattreena Amodeo
Part Time Institute Facilitator
AIM in the News
![Transcend Education Logo]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1663816554/manayunk/y6c7bmqn5nunxpro7gcc/transcendeducation.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1663816554/manayunk/y6c7bmqn5nunxpro7gcc/transcendeducation.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1663816554/manayunk/y6c7bmqn5nunxpro7gcc/transcendeducation.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1663816554/manayunk/y6c7bmqn5nunxpro7gcc/transcendeducation.png","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1663816554/manayunk/y6c7bmqn5nunxpro7gcc/transcendeducation.png","width":1579}])
Transcend Education's newest resource, The Innovative Models Exchange, features AIM Academy's Integrated Literacy Model as part of a tool designed for education communities inspired to embrace innovative approaches to learning.
![MS Department of Education]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1654024897/manayunk/mmww39wqj8qlo4f77nxe/MSDOELogo.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1654024897/manayunk/mmww39wqj8qlo4f77nxe/MSDOELogo.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1654024897/manayunk/mmww39wqj8qlo4f77nxe/MSDOELogo.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1654024897/manayunk/mmww39wqj8qlo4f77nxe/MSDOELogo.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1654024897/manayunk/mmww39wqj8qlo4f77nxe/MSDOELogo.jpg","width":1255}])
AIM Institute for Learning & Research is excited to announce a new partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education and the North Mississippi Education Consortium to provide 1,600 Mississippi teachers and education leaders with customized literacy training to help schools support a culture of literacy and provide teachers with tools, resources and support to implement new techniques into classroom practice.
![North Dakota Pathways Partnership]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1652112359/manayunk/thvbgbyjrkkwzvzposil/NorthDakotaPathwaysPartnership.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1652112359/manayunk/thvbgbyjrkkwzvzposil/NorthDakotaPathwaysPartnership.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1652112359/manayunk/thvbgbyjrkkwzvzposil/NorthDakotaPathwaysPartnership.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1652112359/manayunk/thvbgbyjrkkwzvzposil/NorthDakotaPathwaysPartnership.png","width":922}])
The AIM Institute for Learning & Research is excited to announce that it is partnering with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) and ND Regional Education Association (NDREA) to provide all North Dakota educators with access to professional development on the science of teaching reading to help all North Dakota students achieve proficiency in reading. The state's new NDSOR: Reaching All Learners course will include a custom collection of content from AIM Pathways literacy training courses.
![New AIM Institute Team Members Image]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1652283732/manayunk/p1ut566ns5xymkprx0di/InstituteTeam.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1652283732/manayunk/p1ut566ns5xymkprx0di/InstituteTeam.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1652283732/manayunk/p1ut566ns5xymkprx0di/InstituteTeam.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1652283732/manayunk/p1ut566ns5xymkprx0di/InstituteTeam.jpg","width":1080}])
AIM Institute is excited to announce three additions to our rapidly growing team of individuals committed to transforming literacy training for educators and schools.
Stephanie Stephens recently joined AIM as Director of Client Professional Development and AIM will welcome Dr. Megan Gierka as Senior Content Developer and Facilitator and Ernesto Ortiz Jr. as Senior Literacy Engagement Specialist in the near future.
Learn more about these individuals who will help AIM meet the growing demand for evidence-based literacy training for both administrators and teachers.
![Haskins Lab Visit with Students]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1651111007/manayunk/fpvj4a2sywquvkuvvltv/haskinsvisit.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1651111007/manayunk/fpvj4a2sywquvkuvvltv/haskinsvisit.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1651111007/manayunk/fpvj4a2sywquvkuvvltv/haskinsvisit.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1651111007/manayunk/fpvj4a2sywquvkuvvltv/haskinsvisit.png","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1651111007/manayunk/fpvj4a2sywquvkuvvltv/haskinsvisit.png","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1651111007/manayunk/fpvj4a2sywquvkuvvltv/haskinsvisit.png","width":2200}])
In 2018, AIM Academy became the first education partner in the Haskins Global Literacy Hub which seeks to improve literacy outcomes for at-risk children of all cultures and languages. This unique partnership featured the creation of an in-school EEG lab to support literacy research endeavors with AIM student volunteers. Last week, the Journal of Research in Reading published an article by Haskins Laboratories researchers and members of AIM’s team and Windward School about the promise of in-school partnerships for furthering neuroscience literacy research.
![Celebrating our Success - Middle School Wilson Reading]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1645133909/manayunk/gfbjrtq63fh93ygijvwd/CelebratingourSuccess-MiddleSchoolWilsonReading.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1645133909/manayunk/gfbjrtq63fh93ygijvwd/CelebratingourSuccess-MiddleSchoolWilsonReading.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1645133909/manayunk/gfbjrtq63fh93ygijvwd/CelebratingourSuccess-MiddleSchoolWilsonReading.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1645133909/manayunk/gfbjrtq63fh93ygijvwd/CelebratingourSuccess-MiddleSchoolWilsonReading.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1645133909/manayunk/gfbjrtq63fh93ygijvwd/CelebratingourSuccess-MiddleSchoolWilsonReading.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1645133909/manayunk/gfbjrtq63fh93ygijvwd/CelebratingourSuccess-MiddleSchoolWilsonReading.jpg","width":1920}])
As a WILSON® Accredited Partner, AIM provides daily Wilson Reading instruction to our Lower School students. Last year, one of our Wilson instructors suggested that we honor the students who complete the Wilson Reading System® program by creating what we call "the Wilson Wall of Fame." Recently 11 of our Middle School students were presented with their certificates of completion, bringing the total number of AIM Wilson "graduates" to 130 since 2006. Read some of our graduates reactions to completing the program.
AIM Institute for Learning & Research's Director of Partnerships and Engagement Deborah Lynam just returned from three days in Washington DC with dyslexia advocates from 17 states as part of the 5th annual Dyslexia Hill Day organized by Decoding Dyslexia parents. This three day gathering of families, professionals and policy-makers on Capitol Hill focused on discussing current trends and upcoming federal legislative efforts impacting individuals with dyslexia.
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month so it's fitting that we congratulate Erin DeVault, our Director of Speech and Language, on her recent award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Erin was recently granted an Award for Continuing Education (ACE) for her rigorous commitment continuing education in her field. ACE awards are provided to Speech-Language Pathologists who complete 7 ASHA continuing education units over a three-year period.
AIM Academy Middle School Science Teacher Chrissy Mellon has been selected by the Philadelphia Phillies as one of their Top 10 Teacher All Stars for 2017. Mellon, who was nominated by an AIM parent, will be honored along with nine other Teacher All Stars in a pre-game ceremony prior to the Friday, May 5 Teacher Appreciation Night game. The nomination letter written by the parent of one of Mellon's current students highlights the focus and education the teacher herself undertook to find the best way to connect with a child with a specific hurdle that impeded being able to learn: "Chrissy Mellon embodies AIM Academy's vision - innovative teaching driven by fearless dedication in the teacher."