Mark has been teaching Humanities at High Tech High since 2001. He began his teaching career at Point Loma High School and Scripps Ranch High School. Raised in the small town of Fillmore, California where his family raised oranges, Mark is the oldest of ten children. He graduated from Cal State-Chico where he received his bachelor’s degree in history, with the focus being on Classical Civilizations. In 1987, he earned his teaching credential from San Diego State. Mark has three children- Joshua a postman in Denver, Jacob a contractor in Lake Havasu and Jessica a student at Smith and two grandchildren. His passions include playing poker, reading books about classical history and listening to be-bop jazz.

Rachel enjoys helping teens navigate through rocky roads to reach their potential. As a former social worker and career counselor, she offers a wealth of resources to the Resource Room. When not at HTH, Rachel can be found having fun in the sun, surf, and sand...making up for the long years land-locked in Texas.

Marcus has over 10 years of experience working with urban youth at the Middle school and High School levels. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, (his hometown) he worked as a Counselor, where he helped supervise and develop activities for teens and pre-teens at risk. Soon after he went on to become a Youth Counselor Coordinator and then an admistrator for Student Affairs at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School his Alma Mater. He loves listening to all kinds of music -- from Rock to Soul to Rhythm and Blues. In his spare time he also enjoys skydiving, bicycling, cooking, going to the movies and walking his pit-bull/mastiff named Chica.

Born and raised in San Diego, David graduated from Point Loma High School and attended the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA where he graduated with a BS in Marine Engineering Technology, a minor in Computer Science and an Unlimited Horsepower USCG 3rd Assistant Engineers License. An avid seaman, David has fished all over the North and South Pacific for Albacore tuna aboard a 90 ft. fishing vessel built by his father, worked on three different factory trawlers in the Bering Sea as a 1st Assistant Engineer, and, also with his father, built a 58 ft. steel salmon fishing boat. David began working at High Tech High in the fall of 2001 as an Engineering Instructor. He launched High Tech High’s FIRST Robotics team in 2004 which has grown to achieve national recognition. David holds a California Designated Subjects credential in Engineering Occupations.

Amy earned her Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin, then taught at Travis High School in Austin for 2 1/2 years. She then moved to Berkeley, California, where she stayed home with her first son and wrote math curriculum part-time. After 1 1/2 years in the Bay Area, Amy moved to San Diego and continued to stay home with her two sons, Harrison and Quentin. Amy taught mathematics at Grossmont Community College in the summer and fall of 2005. She joined the High Tech High community in January 2006

Joanna Clark, a San Diego native, has worked in the field of education for over 11 years. She began working as a Special Education Technician at Lindbergh Schweitzer Elementary. She instructed elementary-aged children on the use of augmentative devices and computer software. Later with the San Diego Community College District, she worked in the Welfare-to-Work program developing programs for working mothers to complete their education through distance education courses. Joanna holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential. Currently she is working towards her Doctorate in Education, emphasis in Technology and Learning.

Aaron was born and raised in Rochester, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University before deciding that cold weather was an unnecessary burden and moved to Southern Florida to finish college. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Florida Atlantic University along with his teaching credential. After graduation, he moved to San Diego where he has been teaching since 1999. Aaron lives in Clairemont with his wife Tracy and son Parker.

My name is Julio Delgado and I am a Spanish teacher at High Tech High. I have an undergraduate degree in education and Spanish literature from the National University of El Salvador. I also have a California credential to teach literature and Spanish language at a high school level and two years of graduate courses in Special Education. I have taught bilingual elementary school for almost five years and Spanish language and literature at a high school in Los Angeles. I also have over 10 years experience coaching soccer, from my children´s teams to a varsity high school team.

Before becoming a teacher I had the privelege to work with many different communities. In college, I designed and implemented a literacy project for adults and children in a Mayan community in El Salvador. I also conducted an oral history project about the struggles of refugees fleeing from a war zone within El Salvador. As a member of the Central American Refugee Comittee in Los Angeles, I traveled across the US participating in a national educational campaign for peace and human rights in Central America. Also, I have worked in a homeless children´s shelter for the International Human Rights Center in Los Angeles and worked with adults with severe disabilities as an independent leaving skills coach in San Francisco.

I grew up in Denmark but have lived in the San Diego area since 1989. I received my Bachelor's degree in chemistry from UCSD. After acting as an undergraduate teaching assistant at UCSD, I fell in love with teaching. I chose to stall my doctoral degree in chemistry and pursue a Master's degree in chemistry (also at UCSD) while researching teaching options at various levels. Upon completing my Master’s, I went to what my chemistry lab colleagues called “the dark side” when I chose to pursue a doctoral degree in math and science education instead of organic chemistry. I have been teaching in various capacities since 1995 with ages ranging from Kindergarten science outreach, 4th & 5th grade math enrichment to organic chemistry students in college. I know that I have found a satisfying career not just because I love teaching math and science at all levels but because I would do it for free. Shh. That’s our little secret.

Tom Fehrenbacher grew up on a cattle ranch in Eastern Oregon, attending Crook County High School a.k.a. Crook County Cowboys. After earning a degree in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame, Tom Fehrenbacher served as a Peace Corp volunteer in West Africa. Upon return, after working for several years in finish construction and wallpaper hanging, Tom Fehrenbacher completed a Masters in Anthropology from San Diego State University. Upon graduation, Tom Fehrenbacher entered State's student teaching program, working the next fourteen years at Hoover High School. In 2003, Tom Fehrenbacher joined the faculty of High Tech High, where he currently teaching 11th Grade Humanities and Sociology.

Cortney Golub moved this summer from New York City to San Diego and is excited to be part of the High Tech High community. She hold a B.A. in History from Yale University and an M.S. in Secondary Education of Social Studies from CUNY Queens College. As an Americorps participant and New York City Teaching Fellow, Cortney has spent the past four years working in inner city public schools as a history teacher and varsity basketball coach.

From 2003-2005, Cortney participated in a pilot program launched by the Annenberg Foundation entitled the Civic Education Initiative aimed at revamping the high school government curriculum through project based learning. Students completed year long Citizen Action Projects which effectivley changed several local public policies in Brooklyn communities. Through this professional opportunity both in and out of the classroom, Cortney became passionate about project-based learning and decided working at High Tech High would be an ideal place to continue to grow as an educator. She is thrilled to be part of the High Tech High faculty this year and looks forward to learning from all of her students and colleagues.

Julia Gordon joined the High Tech High faculty this year, Fall 2007. She will teach 11th grade mathematics (Math III). Born and raised in Belmont, California, she moved to San Diego to attend University of California, San Diego, where she earned a B.A. in Pure Mathematics, a B.A. in Economics, and a Minor in Education. Julia is currently enrolled in a M.A. Program in Mathematics Education at San Diego State University and will complete the program in June 2008. She is so excited to be a part of this school, and she looks forward to meeting and working with all of you.

Stuart grew up in upstate New York where he received his B.A. in English Writing from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. After a brief stint working as a Medical Investigator for the NYS Department of Health, he decided it was time for a life change and moved to California where he began tutoring at High Tech Middle.

Stuart is currently enrolled in a M.A. program at Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English and a credentialing program through HTH Graduate School of Education. He is very excited for his first year teaching at High Tech High. In his free time, Stuart enjoys reading, traveling, and kicking around a soccer ball.

I have been teaching since 1987. Subjects have included Biology, Health, Physical Education, Computerized Graphic Design and Multimedia Production. I have settled on a very comprehensive subject and feel that Multimedia can serve as the bridge between disciplines. I am supported by the ROP program at San Diego City Schools. After 15 years at Patrick Henry High School, I now teach at High Tech High because of the school's commitment to project based learning, internships, and presentation based assessment.

Rachel joined the High Tech High team in August of 2007. After holding the title of Operations Manager for an Information Technoligies company in Sorrento Valley for the last few years, Rachel is very pleased to have the opportunity to work in a capacity much closer to her heart. Her educational background is in Photography and she is currently pursuing a degree in Art Education. Rachel has several years of experience working with students of all ages from pre-school to college level. Rachel is the mother of one child that she absolutely adores and strives to offer each and every one of your children the same consideration and care she would offer her own child.

Joe started at HTH in June of 2007. Joe has worked in the IT Industry for over 10 years. He has done technical support for the Navy and Marine Corps Help Desk, been an IT Director at Lowes Coronado Bay Resort, tested software at Intel and been a Work Flow Manager with Managed Solution, a local IT Consulting company. Joe is a graduate of Coleman College and holds an MCP as a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician and a COMPTia A+ Certification. Prior to entering the IT Field, Joe worked in various aspects of the automotive repair industry.
Joe has 2 sons, one who graduated HTH in 2008 and one who will graduate from HTHMA in 2009, so he has been around HTH for quite a while. He has lived in San Diego for most of his life, spending a year in Oregon and 1 ½ years traveling the US in a motor home with his family - getting to all 48 contiguous states. Joe thoroughly enjoys his position at HTH, and the many students who stop by his office to chat. When not working Joe enjoys boogie boarding, attempting to learn to surf, dancing, traveling and auto racing.

I'm a San Diego native who was educated at San Diego State University and the Claremont Graduate School. One of the highlights of my life as a student was living in Paris, France, where I had the opportunity to study the language and meet a wide variety of people from around the world. I have also taught on deployed Navy warships as a community college instructor. My passions include listening to a wide variety of music, baseball, cinema (including HBO series!), and spending leisurely Sunday mornings with the newspaper. At High Tech High I sponsor the chess X-Block and have taught an intersession on U.S. History and Culture through the genre of western films.

David Jean received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. With the boom of the internet industry his visual arts career launched with companies including Booktech.com, Canon Business Solutions and Recycled Paper Inc. Throughout his tenure in the industry, he wore such hats as production artist, graphic designer and multi-media artist. David has dabbled in the area of musical event promotions with a stint in founding his own design business, Fourthsun Studios.

His innovative spirit brought about more community-focused endeavors through collaboration with youth-based nonprofit organizations as a visiting artist and media educator. He furthered his passions for media education landing his current position as the Graphic Design Instructor of The Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High; a project-based, public charter school in San Diego, CA. Outside of the classroom, David is an aspiring filmmaker preparing for his debut documentary: Bridgewords. This is a culture-driven film featuring those hip hop artists and poets who share in his urban, black experiences of coming up in the academically concentrated city of Cambridge, Mass.

As a life-long learner David enjoys enhancing his knowledge of his Haitian heritage and other cultures through travel and social interactions.

Isaac Jones is incredibly excited about joining High Tech High this year. Raised in Encinitas, Isaac has spent the last 15 years bouncing around the United States. Over the past 5 years he has been teaching science in New York City at Vanguard High School, a small public high school in Manhattan. Before teaching, he spent close to 5 years studying evolutionary genetics, obtaining graduate degrees in Reproductive Biology from Johns Hopkins University and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona.

As a teacher, Isaac is committed to facilitating students’ investigations into their own questions and creating an atmosphere that encourages students to question the world around them. In addition to being excited about the possibilities at High Tech High, he cannot contain his smile over the opportunity to swim in the Pacific Ocean after work.

Born and raised in San Diego, California, Darrell came to High Tech High in 2004 to teach Principles of Engineering, and Senior Project.

Darrell was formally a Director of Engineering in Motorola' s CDMA Handset Development Group, heading up Product Development for mid/high-tier CDMA handsets for North America. Additionally, he served as Site Director for Motorola PCS' s San Diego Design Center, managing the software development for a variety of Qualcomm chipset-based CDMA1X handsets. In this capacity, he was responsible for all aspects of product definition and execution for these products.

Prior to this role Darrell has held various product leadership and discipline management roles in a number of companies including; Vice President, Research and Development with Computer Associates.

Darrell enjoys spending time with Lisa, Kelly and Blair and golf.

Neil is a new teacher at High Tech High and new to teaching in general. He received a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from UCSD in 1994, worked as a computer programmer and division head at Infotech Systems Management until 2001, and then returned to UCSD to join the doctoral program in the Computer Science Department, where he has been studying Ubiquitous Computing. Neil received his M.S. and advanced to candidacy in 2005, and expects to earn his Ph.D. in December. Neil is married and has two young children. He loves learning, discovery, and inquiry, and he can't wait to infect his students with this same bug.

Paul served four years in the US Coast Guard where he developed a passion for mathematics and science through hands on training. After his tour was up he attended San Diego State University earning a degree in mathematics. Coming from a technical field Paul has a passion for applied mathematics and strives to help students understand the relevance of math in their future careers.

Jade Mohr grew up in Santa Barbara and moved to San Diego for her undergraduate work. She attended UCSD, where she earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in European Studies (specifically Italian culture and language). Upon graduation, Jade entered UCSD’s Masters/credential program where she earned her Master’s in Education and teaching credential. This will be Jade’s third year at High Tech High where she will be teaching 9th grade math and physics.

Over the summer Jade got a new puppy and she enjoys playing with her pup; taking him on long walks and playing tug-o-war. She also enjoys going to the beach, cooking, traveling, and wants to become fluent in Spanish.

Phi Nguyen graduated from San Diego State University in 2006 with a degree in mathematics. As a private SAT tutor, Phi realized his interest in education and decided to pursue a teaching career. Phi started as a tutor at the HTH Resource Center in 2006. He officially joined the HTH family in the Fall of 2007 as a teaching intern. Since then, Phi has been able to share his passion for mathematics with students in his twelfth grade class. Phi hopes to inspire his students to join the field of mathematics. When Phi is not teaching he enjoys traveling and the outdoors. This past summer, Phi backpacked through Asia where he stopped by, China, Vietnam and Thailand.

Colleen came to High Tech High, Pt. Loma in 2005. She started her career as a ninth grade teacher where she taught courses in Ancient Greek and Roman history, as well texts on literature, culture and history of these ancient Mediterranean civilizations. After two years at the ninth grade level, Colleen transitioned to the 12th grade where she introduced theoretical concepts and interpretive methods found in literature. Students explore form, structure and ideas, as well as historical, political and social influences; and how these components invigorate their learning. Colleen loves High Tech High because it is a place for ALL learners. It is a place where we as teachers and students personalize, create adult and real world connections, and become innovators, designers, and managers. This is not place where one can become complacent and sedentary—it is a place where one is inspired by the constant chaos and creation we deem true learning. Colleen feels very lucky to have come from a close-knit family. She has two brothers who live in New York City; her father is retired and lives with his wife in Venice, Florida. She spent her undergraduate years at the University of Maryland, College Park and her graduate years at Middlebury College, Vermont. She loves to read, paint, and cook.

Brett came to the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High in 2002. Though he has taught several courses here ranging from German to World Religions, his passion for history has never diminished. In addition to enjoying his time as a Humanities teacher, Brett was named the Director of HTH in the spring of 2007.

His belief that teaching and learning go hand in hand guided him as he earned a Master’s in History from the University of San Diego and a Master’s in Curriculum Design from UCSD. Before coming to San Diego he earned a BA in History from the University of Notre Dame (Go, Irish!).

When not updating his bio, he enjoys spending time with friends and traveling this small world of ours.

Spencer Pforsich joined the High Tech High faculty in 2006 teaching 10th grade Humanities. He holds a credential from the University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature/Writing from University of California, San Diego. Before teaching at High Tech High, Spencer worked as a concert producer for UCSD; a disc jockey at KWMR FM; a graphic designer for Scott Architectural Graphics; an editor for Cheese+Liquor Literary Magazine; and a recording/performing artist for Ampersand Recordings. In 2007 he enrolled in the inaugural cohort of the HTH Graduate School of Education. You can find him at High Tech High in Project Room 10.

Stacey develops and facilitates workshops on resumes and interviewing. She also works with employer mentors to design and evaluate relevant projects for interns.

Stacey holds a MS in Educational Counseling, with a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential, and a BA in Sociology. She belongs to the California Career Development Association and the San Diego Association of School Counselors.

I have been working at High Tech High since the beginning, out in the trailers, where we tried to figure out what we are about and what we are doing here. The school has changed a lot but we still remain a progressive liberal arts school with some science and math.
I went to California College of Arts and Crafts to get my Masters in Fine Arts. That was the first and only place I have taken formal art classes, and I think that experience prepared me to work at High Tech High because we teach like a graduate school. Students work in the area that they are interested in and have experts in each field to help guide them. I am a guider not a teacher or a lecturer.

“Enlightenment . . . did not become yours through teachings!”
-- Herman Hesse (Siddhartha)

Juli has been teaching Humanities at High Tech High since 2007. She began her teaching career while working with the Peace Corp and living in Armenia. Since that point, she has taught in many different settings, including a boarding school for gifted artists, the swamps, rivers and Everglades of Florida on canoes, a public school in northern Idaho, and a private school specializing in students who like to throw themselves off of large jumps on skis and snowboards, and then twist their bodies in flips through the air, usually landing upright. Juli received here bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College in English and art and her teaching credentials in English, art and social studies from Lewis Clark State College. Taking after her grandfather, Juli is a hobby person, and recently built a classical guitar, started a vegetable garden and spends great amounts of time with her husband and wonderful Golden Retriever.

Karen is a native San Diegan who is most often found surfing, rock climbing, or doing yoga. After high school, she attended UCSB, receiving a B.S. in geology as well as a MEd and a teaching credential. While at UCSB she had the unique opportunity to assist with geological research projects in Antarctica and Nepal. She spent the last three years teaching Earth Science at Poway High School and is now currently teaching 9th grade physics/math at High Tech High.

Jay Vavra grew up in San Diego and returned home after a range of experiences abroad and throughout California. He graduated from Stanford University and has a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from USC. Dr. Vavra also has experience working as a biologist in the field of biotechnology and as an environmental consultant. This is his fourth year teaching at HTH where he loves conducting original research with his students. He leads the science fair program at HTH and also a successful integrated ecology study of San Diego Bay. He and his wife have two young boys, Evan and Trajan.

Hi! My name is Jesse Wade. I grew up in San Diego, and moved to Santa Cruz, California for college. At UCSC, I completed a degree in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology. From Santa Cruz, California, I traveled to Santiago, Chile, where I lived for six months. After my travels in South America, I returned to San Diego, where I reside today. In San Diego, I earned my teaching credential from San Diego State University. Currently, I enjoyed teaching at High Tech High during the school year; during the summer months I beach lifeguard for the City of San Diego. In my spare time I like to swim, run, surf, read and listen to live music.

Chris White began his role as the Director of College Advising at High Tech High in the fall of 2002. He was brought on board in time to work with High Tech High's first graduating class of 50 students which graduated in the spring of 2003. Prior to this, Chris worked as a school counselor at Bainbridge High School outside of Seattle and prior to that he was the senior assistant director of admissions at the University of San Diego for 6 years. He has also been on the external reader committee for the University of California at San Diego admissions office since 2002 and he is a lead instructor for the College Counseling Certificate Program offered through UCSD extension. He lives in Poway with his beautiful wife and three children.

I grew up wearing over-sized sweatshirts, jeans and running shoes. Playing sports was a way of life and discovering the mystic beauty of the Pacific Northwest was my pastime. I spent the first 18 years of my life in Beaverton, Oregon, (a sleepy community nestled just outside of Portland), until one day my parents opened a door of opportunity that forever changed my life. The door led to the world beyond my cozy existence and allowed me to travel to the seaside village of Malaga, Spain, the summer of my junior year in High School. When I returned from the trip I was not the same person as before. I had grown in ways I did not know I could and looked at my life and the life of those around me, through different eyes. This experience inspired me to travel to places I had never before heard of before, such as San Pedro de Atacama Chile, Fez, Morocco and Cuzco, Peru. My passion for travel lead me to the teaching profession where I now enjoy spreading the knowledge of Latino culture as a Spanish teacher at High Tech High.

My education includes a Bachelors Degree in Spanish from the University of Arizona and a Masters Degree in Spanish Literature from Portland State University.

I am an Oregonian, a traveler, a sister, a daughter, a gardener, a reader and a friend. However the title I use when in the Spanish classroom is that of a teacher; educating a new generation of students about what I have had the privilege to learn and experience thus far.