Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Creve Coeur

Larry Martinek

Larry has spent his entire career finding a better way to teach math. From inner city to public schools, to acclaimed magnet schools, to leading private and parochial schools, Larry has served as both a classroom teacher and as an educational consultant. He has designed curriculum, teaching strategies, and teaching materials designed to help students and teachers learn math more effectively, He has trained teachers in the art and science of boosting students' ability to "do" math, thereby increasing students' math scores and feeling of self-worth. Larry is the developer of Mathnasium's educational program - one of the most comprehensive and innovative curricula ever produced for teaching math. While Larry is not an instructor at our center in Creve Coeur, he is a valuable asset and we can call on him to ask specific student's scenarios for guidance and advice.

Stuart Klamen

Mr. Stuart Klamen received his Bachelor's degree in Pure Mathematics from Hebrew University. He has taught math in the classroom from elementary school through high school. His favorite number is 32, which was also his high school basketball jersey number. He enjoys cooking and is known for cooking for a lot of people.

Deena Rishmawi

Ms. Deena Rishmawi completed her first two years of school at community college and finished her Pure Mathematics degree at University of Missouri-St. Louis in May of 2016. She finished her Master's degree in Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Her favorite number is 7 because it is a great number. She also knows numerous languages including Arabic, German, and Greek.

Renee Fredman

Ms. Renee Fredman has over 15 years of experience in public education and nearly 20 years of experience in marketing research. She completed her Missouri teaching certification in mathematics in 2017 and expects to finish her graduate degree in middle school math education in 2019. Her undergraduate degree is in business administration. Renee’s favorite number is 18 because it is the average of her two sons’ birthdays.

Tyler Wiederhold

Mr. Tyler Wiederhold is pursuing his degree in Engineering. He is particularly interested how Engineering and Cybersecurity intersect and hopes to have a career in that field one day. Tyler's favorite number is 4,294,967,296 which is 232 . He enjoys punds and fencing.

John Moritz

Mr. John Moritz received his undergraduate and graduates degrees in Engineering Management from Missouri Science and Technology University. After a lengthy business career, he earned his mathematics teaching certificate from the American Board in 2018. John is excited to be part of the Mathnasium team, and is committed to providing the best instruction possible to its dedicated students.

Melissa Lopresti

Ms. Melissa Lopresti received her B.A. in both Mathematics and in Intelligence Studies. Her favorite number is 2 since it is the only even prime and number. She is an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) from Lesotho. Her weekends are spent geocaching, playing volleyball, and travelling.

Sahi Jilakara

Ms. Sahi Jilakara is a high school senior at Rockwood Summit and an upcoming medical student at UMKC's School of Medicine. Her favorite number is 9 just because it has always been lucky for her. She is also a professional dancer and teacher at a family-owned school for the arts.