
Faculty
Tess Leverenz
Third Grade Head Teacher
Tess Leverenz is a certified Responsive Classroom educator, as well as a part-time consulting teacher for the Center for Responsive Schools. After studying childhood education and Spanish in college, Tess moved to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where she taught English as a North American Culture and Language Assistant. In 2016, she received her master’s degree in dual language education and students with disabilities from Bank Street College in New York City, her hometown. Tess worked at The Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn for two years before moving to Buffalo, NY to be closer to her husband’s family. While in Buffalo, Tess became a founding teacher at Elmwood Village Charter School, where she taught second grade for five years. She and her husband moved to Oakland this spring and it already feels like home. A few of Tess’s passions are biking, teaching yoga, cooking, traveling, seeing live music, and singing with her husband Eric. Tess is very excited to join the BPC community this year as the new third grade head teacher.
Why I Work with Children
I feel honored to spend time with, teach, and learn from these creative and curious sparks of energy as they grow toward becoming kind and compassionate adults.
A Favorite Book
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Quick Fact
Took three and a half months to bike across the country with my husband