SCIENCE/MATH SPECIALIST: MICHAEL MANGIARACINA

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About

Mr. Mangiaracina is thrilled to be entering his ninth year as Brent’s science teacher, and his 22nd year teaching full-time. He has taught in a variety of settings, having taught middle school math for ten years at area private schools, as well as a year as a fourth grade teacher at a local charter school, and a year of teaching English at a high school in Japan.  

In addition to teaching, Mr. Mangiaracina serves as the District Course Chair for elementary science in DC Public Schools. In this role, he delivers professional development sessions and leads a cohort of elementary science specialists from throughout the district.  

Mr. Mangiaracina is a published author as well, having contributed articles about teaching to Science and Children and Friends Journal, as well as regular contributions to the blog Teaching with Heart, Fire and Poetry.

In 2016, Mr. Mangiaracina was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for science and math teaching.  

At Brent, Mr. Mangiaracina teaches science to 1st-5th grades, and has taught many different math classes, including 4th, 6th and 7th grade math for small groups of advanced students.  He also leads several annual events, including Brent’s Math Night in October and the Ward 6 New Year’s Bird Count for Kids in January.

He sees the opportunity to teach science as one of life’s greatest thrills, and he revels in the time he gets to spend with children exploring their world together. His goal is that all students feel comfortable calling themselves scientists and that he can help students learn more, not just about natural phenomena, but about how they think as well.

Mr. Mangiaracina lives in Takoma Park, MD with his wife Alisa and his five year old son Milo, who will begin Kindergarten this year.