Dozens of new teachers hired to teach in Morgan Hill, administrators changing positions
Published in the Aug. 5-18, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Morgan Hill Life welcomes the new teachers and administrators who will be starting new positions at the various campuses of the Morgan Hill Unified School District this month. Below is a list of the new teachers at various schools.
Barrett Elementary School
Monika Maes (fourth grade)
Britton Middle School
Francisco Gil (counselor), Thomas Hernandez (P.E.), Yen Nguyen (math), Kathleen Rauschuber (English), Christopher Moore (principal)
Central High School
Spencer Gilford (science/math), Simon Heerdegen (English), Rina Sutaria (special education), Vera Gomez (principal)
El Toro Elementary School
Heidi Racz (special education ECSE), Carrie Williams (TK)
Jackson Academy of Math and Music
Patricia Aquino Lee (elementary), Kristiana Kammann (fifth grade), Corey Liggans (music), Heather Van Holt (sixth grade)
Live Oak High School
Sharilyn Anheier (physics), Andrew Cummings (English/drama), Chelsea Geber (biology), David Kwon (math), Michael O’Neall (biology), Kristen Robinson (math), Ashley Stephenson (special education)
Los Paseos Elementary School
Jen Bajarin (special education), Weig Huang (fourth-sixth grade), Stephanie Maes (fourth-sixth grade), Amanda Postel (fourth-sixth grade), Erika Smith (fourth-sixth grade), Mallory Stovik (fourth-sixth grade)
Martin Murphy Middle School
Juliana Bremer (English), Leigh Culkin (math), Irik Edens (science)
Nordstrom Elementary School
Heather Cardoso (third-fourth grades), Ashley Green (special education K-1), Allyson Parker (fifth grade), Natalie Salberg (fourth grade), Lindsey Scampini (elementary), Bethany VanAlstine (special ed)
Paradise Valley Elementary School
Sabrina Grant (sixth grade), Karen Leary (special ed), Brooke O’Brien (first grade)
P.A. Walsh STEAM Academy
Sarah Ali (first grade), Andrea Avila (fifth grade), Christopher Hjelm (reading), Kara Morrison (special ed)
San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Sciences Academy
Tyler Lack (science), Kathleen McGinty-Ruiz (fourth grade dual-immersion), Barbara Schmidt (third grade dual-immersion), Mara Verboonen Bedo (second grade dual-immersion)
Sobrato High School
Abiam Alvarez Marquez (English), Megan Bridge (English), Jason Carreras (English/social studies), Justin Gyenis (Spanish), Franchesca Kellett (English), Samantha Lima (agriculture), Amanda White (agriculture), Travis Wyrick (agriculture).
District office
Glen Webb (director of curriculum), Ramon Zavala (assistant superintendent of education services)
District at-large
Kristen Curtis (speech), Alma Damo (intern psychologist), Blanca Gomez-Anaya (TOSA migrant), Alicia Hom (TOSA: information technology), Judy Magana (psychologist), Michael Stock (TOSA: IT)
MHUSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Fawn Myers provided the descriptions of the new administrators at various campuses.
Vera Gomes — Principal of Central Continuation High School and Alternative Programs
Vera Gomes is no stranger here in Morgan Hill. She was hired in 1985 as an agriculture and science teacher. She left in 2005 to teach in Hollister, and returned to Morgan Hill in 2011 where she has served for the past four years as an assistant principal at Ann Sobrato High School. In her leadership, Gomes has supported students, staff members and families, viewing her role as a facilitator by connecting information and resources to meet the needs of those she serves. She is excited for this opportunity to continue her leadership in this new role, where she will continue the good work at Central High School as well as supporting the site in the exploration of additional Career Technical Education and other programs. Her contagious enthusiasm and fierce advocacy for students of all ability levels will blend nicely with the work already in progress at the Loritta Bonfante Johnson Education Center.
Vincent Gutierrez — Assistant Principal, Ann Sobrato High School
Vincent Gutierrez is well-known here in Morgan Hill, having been hired in 2010 as an English Language Development and English teacher. Before coming to Morgan Hill, Gutierrez worked as a Title 1 instructional assistant and audio-video tutor, a writing tutor, and middle school English teacher. In Morgan Hill, he has served as ELAC coordinator, coordinator of Britton’s morning intervention program, and creator of Britton TV, a morning-announcement journalism class. In 2014, Gutierrez was named Morgan Hill Teacher of the Year. One of his administrator’s said he is “hard-working, team-oriented, and adaptive — one of the can do people that a school relies on.” Gutierrez will be missed at Britton, but we congratulate him on his first administrative position and welcome him to the Sobrato team where he will continue to serve our students and families.
Namita Kurdekar — Director of Student Nutrition and Record Retention
Namita Kurdekar has a wide range of experiences in the nutrition and hospitality sector. She was trained as a chef in Mumbai, India, and since relocating to the United States, she has worked in various places, including Cupertino Union and San Jose Unified school districts in their nutrition departments, overseeing the child nutrition program, identifying the nutritional needs of children, and designing innovative foods concepts and diverse menu planning to increase student participation. She has also successfully implemented the Food Literacy Campaign and Garden to Table Program to educate students and stakeholders in the community regarding the importance of healthy eating. Kurdekar’s resourcefulness and flair for motivating those around her will be valued contributions in Morgan Hill Unified’s Student Nutrition program.
Courtney Macko — Principal of Ann Sobrato High School
Courtney Macko is well known within the Sobrato community. She was hired in Morgan Hill Unified School District in 2007 as a mathematics teacher at Sobrato, and in 2013 joined the administrative team as an Assistant Principal. She believes that a school’s success “must be built upon a foundation of equity, personalization, high expectations, and safety.” Macko uses data to help drive change within the system and has served on the Common Core implementation team, Secondary Curriculum Council and Student Achievement Leadership Team. She is proud of the results accomplished by the Sobrato staff and the strong culture focused on collaboration and continuous improvement. We welcome Courtney to her new position!
Chris Moore — Principal, Britton Middle School
Chris Moore has most recently served students in his role as Dean of Students at Homestead High School, where he coordinated school safety and student discipline, chaired the Student Assistance Team, and lead professional development on PLCs. During his career, he has been a special education teacher, has served as summer school principal, and has coached wrestling and baseball. Moore’s children attend schools in Morgan Hill Unified, and he appreciates all the wonderful experiences provided them. He says he is eager to join the Britton community because of the “diverse students, innovative technology, unwavering commitment to serve traditionally underserved students, and collaboration among teachers.” We welcome Chris to Morgan Hill!
Theresa Sage — Assistant Principal, Ann Sobrato High School
Theresa Sage is also well-known in Morgan Hill. She was hired in 1995 where she served as an English, Social Studies and ELD teacher at Britton Middle School until 2004 when she transferred to Sobrato for its opening year. Sage has continued at Sobrato teaching social studies as well as taking on additional leadership roles over the years such as department chair and Morgan Hill Teachers Federation president. She has a strong commitment to excellence, pushing herself and others to meet the needs of students. One of Sage’s administrator’s said, “Theresa understands that student learning must be the focus of all teaching. Students know that she cares, and her motto is that no student will fail.” As a founding member of Sobrato, Theresa is a great addition to the administrative team that has built a culture of high expectations coupled with the necessary support to succeed.
Glen Webb — Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Glen Webb was hired in Morgan Hill Unified in 1985 and for 23 years taught science and math and coached football, wrestling, and track at Live Oak High School. In 2008, he took an assistant principal position at Martin Murphy Middle School, and in 2010 became principal at Britton Middle School. Glen has served on various district level committees and is dedicated to improving services and outcomes for students. “I am data driven, results oriented, and deeply committed to our community and district,” he said. He looks forward to continuing his leadership and service to the students, families, and staff in Morgan Hill. Educational Services will benefit from Glen’s longevity with the district, his established relationships with stakeholders, and his problem-solving orientation. We welcome Glen to his new position!
Ramón Zavala, Ed.D. — Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
Dr. Ramón Zavala comes most recently from Compton Unified School District where he has served as senior director of accountability and instruction as well as interim assistant superintendent. Prior to that, he worked in Baldwin Park and San Francisco Unified, where his work included creating a college-going culture with the implementation of AVID, establishing and monitoring initiatives for English learners, establishing and coordinating a dual-language program, and monitoring the Career Technical Education pathways. Zavala currently serves as vice-president of CABE (California Association of Bilingual Education). His extensive background as an elementary principal, secondary principal, principal-mentor, and accountability and instruction coordinator as well as his collaborative servant-leader disposition will be assets for all our school sites.
