About Us :: Support Staff

We have a number of speciality teachers at SBCS to help students on an individual basis.

Mary Rebecca Thomson (Ms. Becky) Click here for Ms. Becky's bio and art page.

Lauren Lipcon (Ms. Lipcon) is a native of Massachusetts. She has been in Baltimore since 2005 and has been part of the SBCS team since the school first opened. She has a bachelors degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University. After college, Ms. Lipcon taught in Chicago as part of the Teach For America program. She has taught first and second grade and is now teaching art. Her professional interests include early literacy and arts integration, and she feels these interests are strongly supported by the mission and vision of SBCS. In her free time, Ms. Lipcon enjoys traveling, running, surfing, painting and reading. She loves children and is proud to call SBCS her professional home!

Gay Claudio (Ms. Claudio)

Dawood Thomas (Mr. Thomas) is a native of Baltimore who believes his dream has come true in finding a job that he loves! He has over 15 years experience working with youth as our student support coordinator as well as a community activist. He also works in the parks and recreation department in his spare time. He earned his AA at Baltimore City Community College in general studies and 48 credits in Behavioral Science at Mt. Aloysius College in Pennsylvania. In his free time, he loves sports (especially basketball), seafood, cartoons, and reading non-fiction books. Mr. Thomas has two daughters; one in high school and the other is a current student at SBCS.

Beth Clark (Ms. Clark) is originally from New York, where her family still lives. She went to school in Upstate New York, then moved down to Baltimore to teach and attend graduate school. She loves reading, swimming, hiking, and sailing.

Shawndella Taylor (Ms. Taylor) is originally from El Paso, Texas. She grew up primarily in Georgia where she graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor's Degree in Speech Communication and Theater Arts. Before teaching, Ms. Taylor worked in the Television, News, and Music Industry in New York City for almost 10 years. During that time she volunteered at the YMCA, worked with youth at summer camps, and ultimately joined AmeriCorps while still working full time in Corporate America. Feeling compelled to make more of a positive contribution to the world, she was given the opportunity to change careers and teach through the Baltimore City Teaching Residency in affiliation with The Johns Hopkins University. Her formal teaching career began at Fallstaff Elementary School #241 in Baltimore, Maryland where she successfully taught 3rd grade for four years. She attained her Masters Degree in Teaching from The Johns Hopkins in 2007. She is very excited to join the wonderful, creative staff at SBCS where she will be specializing in teaching Mathematics to all 3rd and 4th graders.

Dan Sliwinski (Mr. Sliwinski) has been at SBCS since its inception in 2005 and has done just about everything around the school during this time. He came to us with an extensive background working with children. He coached youth baseball and basketball in the Chicagoland area since the age of 16, where he was the youngest coach ever to win a playoff game in his league. He earned his BA with honors in Graphic Design at Robert Morris College and worked at a printing company for three years where he designed some promotional items for the Broadway play Chicago among other things. He still is a freelance designer in his spare time and recently created the logo for an AIDS relief effort in Zambia. He is currently attending classes at Johns Hopkins in the lead math teacher program. He enjoys coming to work everyday and is looking forward to the many roles he has during this new school year. Mr. Sliwinski has a wife, Marie Anne, and a two year old daughter, Tiggy. In his free time, he likes to ride his bike, teach himself rock music on the electric guitar, and create computer art.

Beynu Osagyefo (Mr. Osagyefo) is a graduate from Morgan State University. His background includes 2 years teaching mathematics at Maarifa Elementary & Middle School, managing an Aquatic Center for three years, as well as experience as a personal trainer, aquatic trainer, and martial arts/movement instructor. He has always worked with children and been involved with athletics. Mr. Osagyefo has a fiance and a one year old daughter named Khepra-Ani Osagyefo. In his spare time, his interests include swimming, playing basketball, physical conditioning, as well as researching cross-cultural warrior systems and traditions.