Project Description
Jason Wagner, Fellow
Pelham Lab High School
The Bronx, NY
Jason Wagner is the Principal of Pelham Lab High School, District 8, Bronx, New York. Since 2002 Jason Wagner has been an educator with the New York City Department of Education and taught high school English in District 8 in the Bronx for ten years, becoming a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teacher as well as a lead teacher and the school UFT chapter leader. He has an A.B. in English from Duke University, an MSTE in Adolescent English Education from Fordham University and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Rose. In 2013, he wrote a proposal and was approved to found Pelham Lab High School on the Lehman Educational Campus in the Bronx. As founding Principal of Pelham Lab he has led it into its eighth year of existence and the school currently has almost 300 students and a staff of 50 adults dedicated to the mission that all students can learn and can achieve at high levels through rigorous questioning and engagement in project-based learning. From the beginning, he has led Pelham Lab to grow and develop through its core values of equity, communication, collaboration, character and connections.
Melinda Atkinson, Ally
Assistant Principal, I.A.
Pelham Lab High School
The Bronx, NY
Since 2017 Melinda Atkinson has been an educator with the New York City Department of Education. She taught High School English in District 8 before transitioning to her current role as Assistant Principal of Pelham Lab High School. Ms. Atkinson received her B.A. in English and her M.S. in Adolescence and Special Education from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. She then went on to receive a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Rose. Ms. Atkinson has spent the last 5 years at Pelham Lab High School in the Bronx where she is dedicated to helping students and staff achieve their full potential, while contributing to the diverse, mission - driven culture of the school.