Staff

Catie Montalvo joined the Atlantis Academy L.I.F.E. Program team in 2018 as a teaching assistant and later transitioned into the role as administrative assistant after spearheading L.I.F.E.’s afterschool program Pages 2 Stages, a local non-profit organization. She remains active in the organization, serving as the program director and volunteer coordinator and directing student productions, including “Cinderella.” Catie is also a full-time student at Florida International University in Boca Raton, seeking to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in communication arts, with a focus in art and performance studies. Catie is proud to be a member of the L.I.F.E. Program team and loves to watch her students grow and develop over time.

Christopher Lopez is a life-long athlete with a passion for sports. His love of sports and desire to impact others the way his coaches impacted him led Christopher to become a coach with the Atlantis Academy Miami L.I.F.E Program. He currently coaches bowling and soccer for L.I.F.E.’s Special Olympics team. Previously, Christopher served as a Special Olympics coach for the City of Doral and led his team to three gold medals. A Miami native, Christopher attended Miami-Dade College before joining the Atlantis Academy team.

Joseph Castaldo joined the Atlantis Academy Miami L.I.F.E Program, as our instrumental Job Experience Training coach. After leaving a career on Wall Street, Joseph became a teacher for the Miami-Dade County Public School system, working with elementary and middle school students, as well as students with special needs. This experience sparked his passion for working with children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder and led Joseph to join the L.I.F.E. staff to provide job experience training to our students. Though originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Joseph attended Florida International University in Boca Raton, Fla., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology.