Ms. Amal Hamad, PK-1 Teacher:

This is Ms. Amal’s second year teaching at Alhuda Academy. She previously taught Kindergarten as a homeroom teacher at Al-Mutanafisun School in Quincy. She has also taught Arabic at the same school. Ms. Amal taught Arabic and Religion at Alhuda Academy’s Arabic after school program. Her goal in PK-1 is to prepare every three year old for a great start to their lifelong journey of earning. Ms. Amal uses gentle kind techniques and creates a warm and rich learning environment making students comfortable and ready to learn. Ms. Amal is certified in CPR and First Aid.

Mrs. Hala Jahed, PK-2 Teacher:

Mrs. Hala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a Master’s in Computer Science from Boston University.  For five years, Mrs. Hala ran the Daycare for the kids of Alhuda Academy’s faculty.  Mrs. Hala has thre years experience teaching preschool. In the past she has tutored students in Math at Wentworth Institute of Technology.  She is fluent in Arabic, English and capable of communicating in French.

Mrs. Rouba Yaghmour, KG Teacher:

Mrs. Rouba holds a Bacherlor´s degree in Early Childhood Education. She is also OCCS (Office of Child Care Services) certified.  Sr. Rouba has eight years experience as an early childhood educator.  Her creativity makes the Pre-K classroom buzz with exciting learning activities.

Mrs. Aquilah Shakir, Grade 1 Teacher:

Mrs. Shakir has a B.S. in Elementary Education and is a certified teacher.  She has over 15 years of teaching experience as well as one year in school administration.  During the school’s first year, in 2001-2002 she served as Principal and is one of its founders as well as one of the founders of Alhamra Academy in Shrewsbury.  She is a certified Massachusetts English Language Oral Assessor for ESL students, trained mentor and is a trained Teacher Consultant by the Central Massachusetts Writing Project and the National Writing Project.

Ms. Ayesha Osmany, Grade 2 Teacher:

Ms. Osmany joins Alhuda Academy as a second grade teacher. She has a Masters in English Literature and has completed the coursework for a second Masters in Communications from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is certified by the state of Massachusetts to teach elementary grade English and the Social Sciences. Ms. Osmany previously taught second grade in Pakistan. She also has seven years of experience as a marketing writer in the Greater Boston area. She looks forward to integrating her Islamic background and knowledge in her teaching methodology.

Ms. Faiza Riaz, Grade 3 Teacher:

Ms. Riaz has her Master’s in Public Administration. Her passion for education and teaching brought her to this field in 1995 just after her Bachelor’s degree. In 1999, after getting her Master’s, she joined professional teaching and has been serving the world of education ever since. The opportunities of having served in different roles and capacities have enriched her experience and have given her a unique perspective about teaching and education. Besides a two years experience teaching at the school level, she also served for four years (2002- 2006) with Intel Corporation as a teacher trainer and regional coordinator of the Intel Education Program, training thousands of teachers in Project Based Learning through effective use of technology. It was one of the most exciting experiences that she is pleased to bring to Alhuda Academy and share with students, teachers and parents. Before joining Alhuda, she also served for a year and a half as a Communications Specialist with New Haven Public Schools. Her ultimate aim in life is to play a part towards making good education accessible to every child in the world, and also to spread the message of Islam to the next generations and the wider world as a hope for spiritual and collective peace for humanity. In her free time, she enjoys interacting with her son and explores the world through his little mind.

Mrs. Nana Abdelkader, Grade 4 Teacher

Mrs. Abdelkader received her B.S. degree with High Honors (4.0 overall GPA) in Biochemistry with Pre-Med training. She has done her Master’s graduate work in Immunology. She has worked in the pharmaceutical research industry for seven years; as well as biotechnology research for an additional four years prior to getting involved in Islamic schools. She has co-authored several scientific papers which were published in pharmaceutical research and medical journals. She has also held teaching posts at the high school and middle school level, in addition to being a teaching assistant at the university level.  She has five years teaching experience.

Mrs. Abdelkader was involved in the original setup of Alhuda Academy. She has worked in administration as well as teacher and curriculum support throughout Alhuda’s history. She is extremely committed to the Islamic schools movement and philosophy due to her realization of the importance of youth preparation for upholding their faith.

Mrs. Aisha Siddiqua, Grade 5 Homeroom Teacher, Grades 5-8 Math and Science Teacher:

Mrs. Siddiqua holds a BS degree in Chemistry from California State University, Dominguez Hill.  Before joining Alhuda she was a Research Scientist at Arqule for five years.  She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for ten years. She was a proctor and tutor in a community college in LA Harbor College.  Some of the college level subjects she tutored were Chemistry, Biology, Math, and Statistics.  As Proctor she used to conduct test for new incoming college students and placed them in the appropriate English and math classes.  Mrs. Siddiqua spent time last year with the grade 5 homeroom teacher and Math teacher for training in preparation for her new position.  In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her two kids and husband.

Mrs. Sherin Ashkar-Nayfeh, Grade 5 Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher:

Mrs. Sherin Ashkar-Nayfeh holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts.  This is her second year teaching at Alhuda Academy.  She taught 9th and 10th grade social studies during the inaugural year of Al-Noor Academy in Quincy, Massachusetts.  She is currently working on her Master’s in Education.  She also served as director of the 1998 summer camp of the Islamic Academy of New England.  She has coordinated various Islamic and Arabic children’s activities.  Mrs. Nayfeh enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her three young children and husband.

 Mr. Yusuf Toropov, Grades 6-8 Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher:

Mr. Toropov is the author or coauthor of over a dozen published books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Koran, The Encyclopedia of Cold War Politics, and The Olympics for Beginners. He teaches creative writing and business-writing courses as part of his ongoing mission of helping people express themselves on paper and engage with the world around them. You can learn more about Mr. Toropov’s work by visiting his website, iWordsmith.com. Mr. Toropov took Shahada in March of 2003; he brings an upbeat, contemporary, and distinctively American perspective to teaching.

Mrs. Omneya Nabih, Grades 2-8 Computer Teacher:

Mrs. Nabih holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Alexandria University, Egypt.  She worked for one year in IDSC (Information and Decision support Center) in Cairo, Egypt as a network engineer.  For the last three years she has been volunteering at Alhuda Academy as a Computer system/network administrator.  She participated in the design and the implementation of the Alhuda Academy web site.  She is fluent in English and Arabic.

Mrs. Sobia Andleeb, Grades 2-8 Art Teacher:

Mrs. Andleeb joins Alhuda Academy as the art teacher for grades 2 to 8. She is an artist who experimented with a variety of media. She received her Bachelors Degree from RLAK in 2000. She has done extensive work in arts, child development, interior designing, food and nutrition, among other interests. She has taught art applications to children in the past and has been working as an artist for many years.