Meet the Team: Charter Middle School for Applied Technologies

The school where we serve

The Charter Middle School for Applied Technologies (CMSAT) is the middle school portion of the larger Charter School for Applied Technologies, which also encompasses an elementary and high school. The Charter School for Applied Technologies is a Buffalo charter school originally founded as a K-six school in 2001 with the motto, “Every day is Career Day,” and has since expanded into a K-12 school. The CMSAT is focused on preparing students to hold “family-sustaining careers.”

At the CMSAT, they proudly state, “We don’t just have a mission, we are on a mission. We envision success, plan for excellence and understand that the true goal of education is to develop critical thinkers with strong character and leadership skills. Our school is dedicated to meeting the needs of all children through differentiated instruction and many extra-curricular opportunities.” The middle school campus is separate from the elementary and high schools and is located in North Buffalo, right off of Hertel Avenue. The CMSAT was opened in 2014 and is currently led by Principal Patrick Heyden.

About our students

The CMSAT works with students in grades six-eight. Of the 674 students currently enrolled, 38% of students are Black, 25% are white, 19% are Hispanic or Latino, 9% are multiracial, 8% are Asian or Pacific Islander and just over 1% are Native American. 51% of students are male and 49% of students are female.

The City Year Team serving at the CMSAT supports three classrooms through whole class, attendance and social-emotional support. In addition, the City Year team has worked with the educators of the CMSAT to identify 35 students who will get individualized attention and lesson plans throughout the remainder of the school year to support their academic growth. Class structures and supports like these are why 95% of partner teachers agreed or strongly agreed that their City Year AmeriCorps members play a critical role in supporting student engagement at school.

Meet the CMSAT team

The team serving at The Buffalo Collegiate Charter School is led by Impact Manager Bryttni Carpenter, a two-time City Year alum, and Service Leader Tanner File.

Tanner File

Service leader & second-year AmeriCorps member, he/him/his
Tanner File is a service leader in his second year serving at the CMSAT. He is from Marine, Illinois. He majored in general studies at Missouri Southern State University. He serves in an eighth-grade social studies classroom. He is working with the same partner teacher as last year, Tim Kibler. He serves because he thinks youth are the future, and if we want a better world, we need to invest in them.

Quiana Bell

AmeriCorps member, she/her/hers
Quiana Bell is a first-year corps member. She is from Rochester, New York, but went to school locally at Buffalo State University and majored in music. She serves in an eighth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) class with partner teacher Kerry Collins. She serves because making a difference in just one kid’s life will be worth it.

Jenna Diamico

AmeriCorps member, they/them/theirs
Jenna Diamico is a first-year corps member. They are from Hamburg, New York, and studied geomechanics and sustainability at the University of Rochester. They serve in seventh-grade math, science and ELA classrooms with partner teachers Allison Buskey, Abby Sotter and Huffman. They serve because all students deserve to feel like school is a place for them and every child deserves the opportunity for success.

Jacob Weil

AmeriCorps member, he/him/his
Jacob Weil is a first-year corps member. He is from Boston, Massachusetts. He serves in an eighth-grade ELA class with teacher Kristen Lane. He majored in philosophy at American University. He serves because he thinks helping kids learn is a moral good.

Thank you so much for taking the time to find out more about the team serving at the Charter Middle School for Applied Technologies. If you would like to learn more or meet the team, please reach out to Lizz Spangenthal, development manager, at espangenthal@cityyear.org.