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About the center
Built by the teacher who ran RSM Marblehead.
When the Marblehead branch closed, Jelena Liholiopa opened Zelta in Swampscott so North Shore families could keep the same in-person instruction — and she brought her teachers with her.
How Zelta started
Jelena Liholiopa was the principal of the Russian School of Mathematics branch in Marblehead. She led open houses, evaluated students for placement, and taught North Shore families a European approach to mathematics — sequential, conceptual, and patient about fundamentals.
Then RSM moved its curriculum online and the Marblehead location closed. Rather than let that instruction disappear from the North Shore, Jelena opened Zelta Learning Center in Swampscott to continue it in person — and brought experienced staff with her, including Ella Bromberg.
A parent writing publicly about the change described being genuinely pleased to see it: a center that fills a real gap in math instruction locally, challenging children in an engaging way well beyond the rudimentary math taught in schools.
Who we teach
Zelta accepts students age five and above as of September 1, through grade 12. Families usually arrive for one of three reasons: they want enrichment beyond what school offers, their child needs a stronger foundation before the next course, or a high schooler is preparing for the SAT, ACT or AP Calculus.
What those students share by the time they leave is a disposition more than a score. Parents describe children who, handed a problem they've never been taught to solve, will still work toward it in a logical and coherent way.
Where we are
444 Humphrey Street, Unit 6, in Swampscott — a short drive from Marblehead, Salem, Lynn and Nahant. We're open weekday afternoons and evenings, and weekend mornings.
Founder & director
Jelena Liholiopa
A teacher whose former students describe her, years later, by what she changed rather than what she covered.
One wrote that Jelena is the best of the best — always a kind and very understanding teacher, who sparked a passion for math she hadn't known she had and is the reason she's pursuing an engineering degree.
Another, who studied with her for several years alongside his sister, said she prepared him thoroughly for the SAT and ACT and built the critical thinking that later served him at Northeastern. He described her teaching as effective and concise, and reinforcing what students are doing in school.
- Founder and director, Zelta Learning Center, Swampscott
- Former principal, Russian School of Mathematics — Marblehead
- Teaches from elementary through SAT, ACT and AP-level preparation
Ella Bromberg
An experienced teacher who came with Jelena from Marblehead. A parent wrote that her daughter absolutely adored Ella, and that her son was excited to see her join Zelta.
She teaches elementary classes at the center, including the Grade 4 group that meets Monday afternoons.
What we hold to
Six commitments.
Understanding is the product
A method a child can't explain is one they'll lose. We treat explanation as the test of whether something has genuinely been learned.
Small enough to notice
Classes run only with three or more students and stay small. A teacher should know within a single lesson which child is quietly lost.
The long arc
Our sequence is built for students who stay for years — which is what makes it possible to repair a foundation rather than route around it.
Honesty with parents
If a class is the wrong fit we'll say so, including when tutoring or waiting a year would serve your child better than enrolling now.
Warmth and rigor together
Demanding and kind aren't in tension. Our students' own words are the evidence we care about most on this point.
Local and accountable
One center, one director, no call center. When you email the office, the person reading it knows your child's class.
Let's find the right class for your child.
Tell us their grade and what they're working on in school. We'll suggest a starting point — honestly, even if that means waiting a year or starting with tutoring instead.