Olivia Occelli

Olivia is a fifth year New York City public school teacher and a twentieth year martial artist. Growing up, Tae Kwon Do was O's biggest passion. O would train 5-7 times a week, relishing in the discipline, fun, and various ways students were asked to move their bodies. This year Olivia is teaching a bridge 2nd and 3rd grade class full of children who love to move. O has always sought ways to incorporate movement into daily classroom life, whether it be through dance, yoga, calisthenics, or martial arts. These activities greatly help the children to focus, reduce their anxiety, and enables them begin to learn how to master their own bodies. It is Olivia's hope that more educators and administrators see the value of movement in and out of the classroom and make it an irrevocable part of each and every school day.