Rayhan Ahmed teaches chemistry and develops interdisciplinary, project-based curricula connecting science, environmental justice, research, and the arts. His nationally recognized curriculum units explore topics including the Flint, Michigan water crisis, PFAS contamination, and nuclear energy, helping students connect scientific inquiry to pressing social and environmental issues. Rayhan has played a central role expanding post secondary pathways for students by establishing a four-year advisory structure, organizing visits to more than 25 colleges, coordinating the College and Career March, and helping launch the school’s first Advanced Placement courses.

Rayhan has built research partnerships with organizations including the Billion Oyster Project, Dartmouth College, NYU, and City Tech DNA Lab. He has organized fieldwork visits and educational travel to Italy, Japan, Greece, and civil rights sites in Alabama, helping students see themselves as active participants in civic, academic, and global communities. He mentors early-career teachers through NYC MenTeach and contributes to the NYC STEM Education Framework, supporting hundreds of educators nationally through his widely adopted project-based learning curriculum.

Alexa Gutterman is a journalism teacher and advisor to The Verdict, the school’s student newspaper. Under her leadership, Cardozo’s journalism program serves close to 1,000 students. Alexa led The Verdict’s transition to digital and guided students to publish stories several times a week, helping earn The Verdict the New York Press Association award for Best High School Online News Website.

Beyond the classroom, Alexa serves as the school’s Public Relations Coordinator, helps organize major events like the Career Fair, mentors students through the Cardozo Connect program, and sits on the Principal’s Council. As a Big Apple Awards District Champion, she also leads professional development focused on reducing non-instructional barriers to learning and on supporting new teachers.

Jason Passalacqua teaches social studies and leads the Law and Justice Academy at Tottenville. Over seven years, he has transformed a standalone elective into a comprehensive three-year law curriculum focused on constitutional law, criminal law, legal writing, and civic engagement. He creates hands-on, project-based learning projects through mock trials, courtroom simulations, debates, and public forums on issues such as AI in education, and opportunities for students to engage with the legal field through seminars with judges, attorneys, and FBI agents.

In a groundbreaking accomplishment, Jason became the first non-attorney social studies teacher in New York City to obtain a legal studies credential required for Career and Technical Education certification. He advises the chess club, mock trial, moot court, and debate programs and helped students launch a chapter of The Innocence Project to support individuals who were wrongfully convicted.

Deborah Reich teaches biology and environmental science, along with two electives she designed, Art and Ecology and Introduction to Forensic Science. Her teaching is rooted in place-based learning, bringing students into the environments they study. Through a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation's Plastic Avengers program, she brought students on a boat in the Long Island Sound trawling for microplastics and tracing pollution washing up on local beaches. She has also partnered with the Billion Oyster Project, and Teens for Food Justice.

Focused on sustainability infrastructure, Deborah founded the school’s Green Team and its first recycling program. Through a Teens for Food Justice partnership she created, students grow produce in a hydroponic farm that supplies the school cafeteria, local families, and food banks. Deborah also serves as Science Department Chair, leads inquiry-based professional development for colleagues, and co-chairs the NYC Public Schools Climate Education Leadership Team.

Shaude Tyson is a third-grade special education teacher and creates a learning environment grounded in collaboration, confidence-building, and experiential learning. As part of an ICT classroom, she works closely with her co-teacher to differentiate instruction, analyze student data, and ensure all learners feel supported and challenged. Shaude incorporates affirmations, music, hands-on projects, and real-world simulations into her daily instruction. An Election Day simulation helps students connect classroom learning to their lived experiences and develop confidence as learners and leaders. She also runs the Minecraft Education Club and the school garden committee.

Shaude is the school’s UFT Chapter Leader, advocating for teachers and collaborating with her principal to advance school initiatives, such as transforming P.S. 262 into a PROSE (Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence) School, allowing it to change the UFT contract and New York City Public School regulations to create school community driven innovations. She is the Student Council coordinator and was chosen for the UFT AI Ambassadors cohort.

Ian Weissman teaches social studies and combines history, civics, performance, and technology to create immersive project-based learning experiences. In one government unit, students design and present their own political parties through campaign materials and conventions. He has also used AI tools to create interactive historical simulations in which students interview recreated figures from the Berlin Conference of 1884.

Ian advises the Guitar Club and the Jewish Student Group, and is Exchange Manager for the American Exchange Project, helping students participate in cross-country exchange experiences. Ian is the teacher leader of the school’s Equity Team and leads professional development on AI integration and mastery-based grading. As part of the Manhattan High Schools AI Fellows initiative and the Modern Classrooms Project, he also contributes to conversations about responsible AI use and innovative instructional practices across New York City schools.