Jared Krinsky teaches Interactive Media at High Tech High School. He has worked on various films and games within the industry. A graduate of The College of New Jersey, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Interactive Multimedia. Mr. Krinsky is also a High Tech alumn; as such, he strives to bring a mixture of technology and art to the classroom.

jkrinsky@hcstonline.org

Eric VanZanten holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from FIT and SUNY-Purchase, where he studied Woodcut printmaking with world renowned Master Printmaker Antonio Frasconi. His classroom goal is to offer students a traditional visual arts education by combining drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture while also incorporating relevant technology in order to better prepare students for 21st century vocations. His interests include cinema, art, music, and brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

evanzanten@hcstonline.org

Stephanie Mintzer is Teacher-in-Charge for the Academy of Performing, Visual + Media Arts Academy. A graduate of Stockton University, she also holds a Master’s degree in Education Technology from New Jersey City University. She has been with the district since 2007; for the past 9 years, students in Ms. Mintzer’s classes have participated in SkillsUSA advertising design competitions. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Mintzer enjoys spending time with family, and traveling the world whenever she can.

smintzer@hcstonline.org

Gregg Ascolese teaches Audio/Visual Production and is a graduate of Temple University's School of Communications where he majored in Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media. Mr. Ascolese is currently finishing up a Master's Degree in Education Administration from Saint Peter's University and has been teaching at High Tech High School since 2006.  Mr. Ascolese's goals in the classroom are to teach students how to work effectively as a crew, and to give them both the basic and advanced understandings of film. This is Mr. Ascolese's fourth year teaching Radio, Television, and Film. Over the past three years, Mr. Ascolese's students have been selected to over 20 film festivals and have taken away over 24 top prizes, including: First Place at the AT&T Film Awards, Best Writing and Best Editing at the SNY Future Filmmaker's Festival, Filmmaker of Tomorrow at the Golden Door International Film Festival, and both the Gold and Bronze medals at the SkillsUSA Television Production Category. Mr. Ascolese is currently working on a few web-related projects with his students, which are supported by 21st Century Fox. "Teamwork is key!" is something that Mr. Ascolese emphasizes in every classroom he enters.

gascolese@hcstonline.org

Chris DePierro teaches Broadcasting at High Tech, where he has been a teacher for six years. A graduate of William Paterson University, Mr DePierro is currently at work on his Master’s Degree. Prior to becoming a teacher, Mr. DePierro spent fifteen years as a video editor for NBC Universal and the SyFy Network. In the classroom, Mr. DePierro subscribes to a hands-on, project-based learning philosophy. Beyond the halls of HTHS, Mr. DePierro hosts the podcast, “LIVE from Jersey with Silvana Mastrolia and Chris DePierro.” He is also an award-winning independent filmmaker, a AEA Union Broadway actor, and has created, written, and directed 4 Off-Broadway shows.

cdepierro@hcstonline.org

Vincent Nardiello teaches Writing for the Media and earned his BA in Journalism at The College of New Jersey. In addition to teaching writing, Mr. Nardiello has worked professionally as a stand-up comedian and also founded the Comedy Workshop class at High Tech High School. His written work has been performed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and his play, The Boom, enjoyed a successful run at Theater for the New City. Mr. Nardiello has served on the writing team for Paulie, a television pilot starring Paul Sorvino and Janeane Garofalo and he is creator of his own produced pilot, Radio Gods, starring Paul Provenza and Rick Overton. His work is heard on programming as diverse as SNL's Weekend Update, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ESPN, the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Show, Sirius XM radio and he has appeared on air as a panelist on the Fox Business Channel.

vnariello@hcstonline.org

William Kennon is a painter and printmaker. He holds a BA in Comparative Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA in Art History from Columbia University. He studied drawing, painting and anatomy at the Art Students League of New York. Mr. Kennon is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and his work has won awards from the Butler Institute of American Art, the National Arts Club, Allied Artists of America, Audubon Artists, the Salmagundi Club, the American Artists Professional League, the Art Students League and the Society of American Graphic Artists. He has been affiliated with Hirschl & Adler Galleries and the Westbeth Gallery in New York and the Galerie Albert Benamou in Paris. His work is

represented in numerous private collections. In addition to High Tech High School Mr. Kennon has taught at the New York Academy of Art.

website: williamkennonartist.com

wkennon@hcstonline.org