Southside's Arts Teachers
Who We Are
Amber Richter
Art
​Hi Panthers, my name is Amber Richter and I am excited to be your new Art Teacher! I grew up in North Carolina and moved to Englewood, Florida when I was 10. I graduated from FGCU with my degree in Art in 2011. I taught at Sutherland Elementary (Pinellas County) for 7 years. I have two children (2 and 4). I love to travel and visit art museums wherever I go. My husband is a Major in the USMC. My favorite mediums in art are drawing, painting and fabric
Tessa Cockrell
Dance
Tessa Scanlan Cockrell has been teaching dance for twenty years, and specializes in dance performance art forms; such as, ballet, contemporary, jazz and composition. Tessa received her BFA in Dance from Florida State University, attended the Maratha Graham School, and is Floor-Barre certified. Dance and choreography opportunities have taken her internationally to Europe and Japan as a performer and teacher. She has taught professional dancers, young children and adult classes alike. She is a founding member of The Pineapple Tree Dance Company and has danced professionally with Dance Repertory Theatre, Tallahassee Ballet and the NWA Ballet Theatre. She has choreographed over sixty original staged works in prestigious venues as The Walton Art Center, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre, Asolo Theatre, Sarasota Opera House, and a Youth America Grand Prix choreographer Finalist. Tessa is the mother of five children and believes movement is the best educator of self.
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Sergei Glushonkov
Music
A fourth-generation educator, Sergei Glushonkov is a native of Ukraine. He began playing classical piano at the age of 5. Soon after, Sergei found himself performing with a local pops orchestra. There he first got exposed to Jazz. Sergei's passion for music continued in the New World as well. Here he had fortune to study with Per Danielsson, Jack Wilkins, and Sarasota's own Mike Markaverich. Meanwhile he had countless opportunities to perform solo and with local bands, playing a variety of genres and events. Sergei graduated with Ed degree from University of South Florida (Tampa) and began teaching at Lamarque Elementary. Being there for 6 years, he formed and developed multiple performance groups such as Jazz Combo, Marimba Magic Percussion Ensemble, and Flamenco Guitar Group. Success of the students has earned Sergei Lamarque's Teacher of the Year award. Sergei feels very fortunate to become a part of Southside Elementary. Inspiring the next generation of young musicians while working hand-in-hand with utmost collective of Arts-driven staff has now become a thrilling task at hand.