Meet the Team

“Education has always been a driving force in my life and I have had so many teachers that have influenced me greatly. My belief that education can transform a family, community and the world is my “Why”. ”

-Marcella Carr-Gay

In June, 2002 Marcella Carr-Gay left her first career in mortgage banking and followed her heart. She became 1 of the 11% selected from over 15,000 applicants to the highly competitive Teach For America Corps. She began her teaching career in September of 2002 at I.S. 172 in District 5, Harlem New York, where she was recognized as having a model classroom, during her first year teaching. At I.S. 172 she led the drama club and was a member of the programming team. In 2004 she accepted a Teacher Leadership position at Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change (TMA). At TMA Marcella has served in a number of roles over a span of 14 years. She taught English grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12, Middle School Writing and Humanities and Middle School Social Studies. She served as the Literacy Coach, Expanded Learning Time Coordinator, the Director of Middle School, English Department Chair and Instructional Leadership Team Lead. After serving 5 years as the Director of Middle School where she is credited for leading the Middle School from low-performance in math and ELA to exceeding standards, she took on the role of Assistant Principal. As Assistant Principal at Thurgood Marshall Academy, Marcella was an Instructional Leader, in charge of Teacher Development, Student Leadership and Community Based Partnerships and Programming. At TMA she successfully developed a shared school-wide vision and implemented a plan for nurturing and expanding systems and culture that promotes students achievement, family engagement, staff empowerment and sustainable community partnerships. She also served on several District level committees throughout her tenure in Harlem’s District 5, where she received accolades from the Community School District Superintendent.

Marcella was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where she attended Public School 335 in District 16, Philippa Schuyler Intermediate School 383 and Boys and Girls High School. She received her Bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College, her Master’s Degree from Columbia University, Teachers College and her Administrative License in School Building Leadership from Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs. Marcella currently lives in Crown Heights with her husband and daughter. She is the Vice President of the Bergen Street Block Association, a member of the Bergen House Community Advisory Board, the Corresponding Secretary and member of the Brooklyn chapter of Jack and Jill of America and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated an organization dedicated to scholarship and service.

Marcella has a deep commitment to her beloved Brooklyn, and great adoration for Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. As a lifelong Brooklynite, she is dedicated to changing the academic and social environment. After 16 years working in her “second love” Harlem, she has returned home to Crown Heights, with a focus on ensuring that families in this community have viable options for their children, moving from elementary to middle school. This focus is paramount to her because when she was in elementary school in this community her parents felt the need to send her outside of the district for middle school. She believes strongly that quality education in every community is the birthright of every child and middle school is the most pivotal time in a child’s life. “We have to get it right in the middle!” In September of 2018 she founded The Brooklyn Green School, in the very building where she attended elementary school. The Brooklyn Green School is a progressive middle school, dedicated to meeting the needs of the “whole child,” committed to culturally responsive pedagogy, eco-activism, literacy excellence, The Sciences and The Arts. Every Brooklyn Green School Scholar will graduate with the confidence and tools to be successful in high school and with the understanding of their responsibility to their communities and the world community.