The task that remains is to cope with our interdependence to see ourselves reflected in every other human being, and to respect and honor our differences - Melba Patillo Beals (Member of the Little Rock Nine) I believe passionately in the importance of this interdependence. It is my life’s goal to teach in a way that inspires students to see themselves reflected in every human being, while inspiring them to see the possibilities that lie within themselves. This will be my third year working for the High Tech High Community and my sixth year teaching. Before coming to HTMMA as an inclusion specialist I received my BA and Teaching Credential from the University of San Diego. Then it was on to Point Loma Nazarene University to receive my M.A. in Teaching and Learning and my Special Education Credential. My teaching practice has been enriched by these educational opportunities; however my most profound influences have been my students and traveling abroad. Last summer I traveled to Northern Uganda as part of an international teacher exchange program and last year I was able to travel with 37 incredible students to China. When I am not traveling or teaching I love to run, surf, practice Bikram's yoga, and shop at farmer's markets.

Josh is the Associate Director of IT at HTHMA. He is originally from the great state of Idaho and earned his BA in English at BYU in Utah. He grew up on a farm and knows how to handle heavy equipment and raise livestock but he has always had an affinity for computers. He likes to study philosophy, psychology and comparative mythology and enjoys wide open spaces in nature. Fair-minded and essentially a non-conformist, he cannot tolerate injustice, whining or bad manners. He has been married for 14 years and has no children (yet!)

Kristine Coleman graduated from Stony Brook University on Long Island where she received a Bachelors of Science in Physics with a minor in Anthropology. As part of the Women in Science & Engineering Program at the university, she came to realize how important it is that young women are encouraged to succeed in math and science classes during high school. This has led to a desire to work with students of various ages.  Working as an Academic Coach with the 9th graders at HTHMA for two years has allowed her to share her enthusiasm for learning, especially math & physics. This year she will be moving up to the 10th grade as the new Resource Intern. 

When not trying to convince high school students that math is fun, she can either be found wandering the streets/trails with her camera or sitting in the shade with her nose in a book. She’ll even admit to playing WoW, and sees a unique opportunity for student learning in the realm of MMORPGs.

 

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, I never really enjoyed school and frequently asked myself, “Why are we doing this?” as I fiddled and daydreamed in the back of the class. I couldn’t wait to graduate and leave school forever. I stuck it out and eventually graduated from UC Riverside with a BA in English and another in Political Science. I dabbled in Law, Music and Small Business before returning to school for my Masters in Psychology at Pepperdine University. Midway through my program, after observing a SDC class at Malibu High, I came down with the teaching bug and I’ve been teaching ever since. An avid passion for education reform, I’ve worked in various school reform settings such as a Dual language K-8 Charter School, Reopened Urban Middle School and a Restructured Comprehensive High School, earning a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Pepperdine University and a M.A. in Mild/Moderate Education Specialists from San Francisco State University along the way. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife Cate, my dogs Dudley and Sugar, Hiking, Kayaking, Traveling, and obsessing over the 49ers

William Arthur Ward once said, “The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates…the great teacher inspires.” As a Chemistry/Math II teacher at High Tech High Media Arts, I hope to inspire students to think critically and creatively. I received my BS degree in Chemistry at SDSU and worked in the Pharmaceutical Industry for three years as a Medicinal Chemist.

Although I enjoyed being a scientist conducting research, and occasionally starting fires while using air sensitive chemicals, my true passion has always been helping students develop a genuine interest in such a fascinating subject. These innate interests left me with the choice to maintain my career as a research associate (by day) and obtain my credential and master’s degree in education (by night). Yes, it was crazy but worth it! I eventually decided it was time to pursue teaching full time so I joined the HTHMA team in August 2006 and have absolutely no regrets about my decision to change careers. When I’m not at school, you can usually catch me hanging out at dog beach with my lab named Belle.

Johanna Jorfald was born in Fribourg, Switzerland and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received her BA in Communications, spent a semester living and studying in Madrid, Spain, and then she moved to San Diego to receive her Masters in Education at the University of San Diego. She has two younger sisters, a Colombian mother, and a Norwegian father who she adores and admires with all her heart. Johanna has 3 passions in life: her family, traveling, and teaching. Her multi-cultural background has given her opportunities to travel all over the world and to get to know and experience numerous different cultures. She loves teaching her students at HTHMA about these cultures and hopes not only to be able to teach her students how to speak, read, and write in Spanish, but also to teach them the importance of cultural awareness, and maybe even bring them to a different country to experience it themselves!

Although I was born in San Antonio, Texas, I was raised in Fairbanks and Eagle River, Alaska. I moved to San Diego when I was seventeen and received my B.A. in International Relations from the University of San Diego. I double minored in French and Spanish. During my time in college I was lucky enough to study in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oxford, England and Managua, Nicaragua. I taught Spanish in Mexico and the United States. After graduating I spent a year teaching English in the north of France before returning to San Diego to work in real estate development for three years.

After working in the corporate world I decided to go back to teaching and have been working at HTHMA since the fall of 2007. My time abroad has greatly influenced my teaching style. I focus on looking at learning through a global lens and emphasize understanding concepts from multiple perspectives such as language, culture, government and ethics.

In my spare time you can find me sailing, traveling, reading, practicing yoga, hanging out with my family and playing MMORPGs (I\'m a WoW fan!)

As a fine artist, Joshua Krause has exhibited his art in over 125 shows since 2000. His illustration and design work has landed him such clients as Scion, The New York Times, and Fuel TV, as well as inclusion in books, magazines, and DVDs. Born in NYC in 1977, and raised in Florida, Joshua has lived in San Diego since 2003 and is in his second year at HTHMA. He has a BA from the University of Florida in English, his favorite movie is Safe Men, he listens to Norwegian Black Metal, drinks a double-short Americano, and has dogs called Zola and Zeus. 

In my heart I am a farm boy. I carry a hard work ethic along with a desire to plant seeds, cultivate ideas, enjoy flowers, and ultimately reap a harvest. Though my roots still draw from the rich soil of Northern Illinois, the wind has taken me to live, teach, and learn in Vienna, Austin, Caracas, and San Diego. The journey, I believe, truly is the destination.

I was born and raised in San Diego. I went to college at the University of Colorado at Boulder where I studied Mathematics and began my careers in both competitive skiing and biking. As I got more involved in my studies, I decided I wanted to explore something more academic and took a position at the Aeronomy Laboratory at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder where I studied Atmospheric Dynamics. I did research for about two and a half years, during which time I realized that I was doing better as a bike rider than a researcher. For the next four years, I traveled the country riding mountain bikes for a living. I was racing on the national circuit, doing photo shoots for magazines and videos and teaching instructional bike racing clinics. Eventually the risk of injury outweighed the rewards and I hung up the bikes while I searched for my next endeavor. My brother went to High Tech High for all four of his high school years and graduated in 2005. I saw what an amazing experience he had going to such an incredible school and was inspired to be a part of something that can have such positive impacts on people’s lives.

Edgar Montes began his role as the Director of College Advising at High Tech High Media Arts in the fall of 2006. Prior to this, Edgar worked as an admissions counselor at the University of San Diego. During his time in the admissions office, Edgar worked with various outreach organizations in the San Diego and Imperial counties to encourage and inspire students of all ages to attain a higher education. He is an active member of professional national and regional college admissions organizations.

I am from Bloomington, Indiana.  Like most Hoosiers, I love to watch and play basketball.  If given the opportunity, I will try to convince you that basketball is the greatest game ever invented (and my evidence will be the movie Hoosiers).  I moved to San Diego in the fall of 2008.  I am still trying to adjust to the terrible weather here...

I have had the pleasure of teaching high school English for the last eleven years both in Indiana and New York, and have had a number of great experiences in education outside the high school classroom, too. I feel very grateful to all of my former students and colleagues for all that they have taught me, and I look forward to learning from and working with HTHMA students and colleagues.

When I am not teaching, I love to be involved in athletics, both as a coach and as a participant.  I have coached one United States Olympian, several teams of Special Olympians,  and lots of other athletes as well.  I enjoy all types of sports and any impressive display of effort and dedication.  I  love to read, travel, watch films, and play all types of games.  When school is not in session, you will probably find me running with my beloved dog, Scout, relaxing at an outside cafe, or traveling with my spouse, Meg.   

Margaret Noble started her career in the sound-arts as an electronic music DJ in the underground club community of Chicago in 2002. From 2003 to 2004, she traveled as a performance DJ throughout the United States. In 2004, she branched out from dance floor DJing into more experimental interests and created a monthly sound arts showcase in Chicago called, "Spectacle". Throughout this period she received multiple press write-ups including UR, Newcity, The Sun Times, The Chicago Tribune and Vogue. From 2005 to 2007, she completed an MFA in sound art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During this time she performed as an experimental composer using synthesizers, drum machines and acoustic instruments.

Her collaborative works include short experimental films, video installations and audio recordings which have been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2007, she received the Hayward Prize to study multi-media at the Salzburg International Academy of Fine Art.

Concerned by the broad separation between academic and urban art, Margaret decided to teach audio arts to inspire new artists to bridge the creative gap between the universities and cultural communities. She hopes to demonstrate in this ever-evolving technological culture that artistic and musical expression should be not be limited to the ideology established by the canonical icons and that work which is genuine is above all the most valuable.

\\"Cerca Trova\\" Welcome! Growing up in San Diego I\\\'ve developed a passion for the ocean environment. I love to swim, snorkel, SCUBA, and especially surf! My passion for the ocean has brought me all over the world and has exposed me to diverse environments and cultures. I attended high school at Mount Carmel and completed my Bachelor of Science in Biology at UCSD. At UCSD I studied abroad at James Cook University in Townsville Australia. This was where I got to research the diverse rainforests and coral reefs in one of the seven natural wonders of the world, The Great Barrier Reef! Following my studies in Australia I came back to UCSD and had the pleasure of researching thresher sharks with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Throughout my education at UCSD I worked with a local biotech company conducting automated chemistry. All of this was good and fun but was not my passion any longer. I needed to utilize my strengths and my continuous desire to learn. Naturally, I went back to school and achieved a Master\\\'s in Education from UCSD. Following this I\\\'ve have had the pleasure of teaching science and technology North County San Diego and now here at High Tech High Media Arts! Helping people gives meaning to my life and when I\\\'m not teaching in the summer I\\\'m a lifeguard at Mission Beach and Pacific Beach so come say hi! I am a lifelong learner and hope you are too. I look forward to learning with you this year!

I was born in New York and grew up in West Chester Pennsylvania. I studied for my Bachelor of Science in Agriculture majoring in entomology and applied ecology at the University of Delaware. After graduation in 1996, I took three months to drive out to California, where I have lived on and off ever since. I have since worked as a barista, a wilderness ranger in the Eastern Sierras, an organic farmer, a naturalist teacher, carpenter, veggiebus driver and student. l trained at the University of California Santa Cruz farm and garden in organic agriculture. I then moved to the Marin County Outdoor School at Walker Creek Ranch where I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to develop the organic agriculture program there and teach outdoor education for five years as a naturalist teacher. I left the outdoor school to drive a veggie bus. I bought an old school bus, recycled the interior, converted the inside to an RV with found and recycled material, and converted the engine to run on recycled vegetable oil from behind restaurants. I traveled the country talking with my fellow Americans, giving presentations to schools about alternative energy and helping to convert other vehicles to biofuels. My newest adventure is being a father to my son Michael.

Chris received a B.A. in Broadcast and Electronic Communications, with an emphasis on Writing for Media from San Francisco State University. Upon graduation, Chris worked various television production jobs -- the pinnacle of his television career came when he operated the radar gun behind home plate in the 1998 NLDS between the Padres and the Braves (which the Padres won). Chris is ecstatic about his career switch to teaching. He is currently working towards his CA teaching credential through the High Tech High Teacher Credentialing program. When not working, Chris enjoys camping and surfing in Baja with his wife, Amy.

Diana Cornejo-Sanchez is a San Diego native. She attended the University of San Diego where she received her Bachelors degree in English and Spanish, as well as her credentials. She also attended USD where she received a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Language Literacy and Culture. She has previously taught at Serra High School and works every summer for the USD Upward Bound Program that houses Kearny High School students. Diana knew teaching was the route for her and has done so since she graduated with her B.A. in 2004. On her free time she loves to hang out with her husband Adan and her family. Her favorite part about teaching is getting students to experience the power of the word; hearing their stories is what keeps her moving.

I was born and raised in Honolulu, HI in Nu`uanu valley and on the mountain of Tantalus. I grew up playing in streams, going to the beach, and catching my own rain water! I am passionate about mathematizing, reading, soccer playing, cycling, hiking, beach going, knitting, dancing, eating, and music making. All my passions led me to the mainland (yes, it is called the mainland) to attend Harvey Mudd College in Calfornia where I received my B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in Music. Following college I worked in Los Angeles as a teaching assistant at a school for students with special needs and then went on to earn my teaching credentials in both math and physics and an M.Ed. from UCSB. Although I live on the mainland, I continue to live by the Hawai`i state motto: Ua mau ke ea o ka `aina i ka pono Let the land be preserved in righteousness.

Randy Scherer teaches Humanities at High Tech High Media Arts. Prior to joining the HTH Village, Randy was the Production Manager for three national magazines in New York City, published two nonfiction books  (The Antiwar Movement and Political Scandals) and taught English at San Marcos High School. At HTH, Randy was a founding member and editor of the academic journal UnBoxed. He received his M.Ed. from the High Tech High Graduate School of Education, his teaching credential from University of San Diego and his B.A. in Political Science and Creative Writing from Binghamton University. When he's not at school, Randy is probably out playing with his dog, traveling or shaping surfboards.

I was born and raised in St. Paul Minnesota where I attended the traditional public schools getting very little out of them. The counter culture of skateboarding influenced my early education and this gave me the unique opportunity to see the world through a different set of lenses. After graduation I was fortunate enough to come across a few books that inspired a true interest in the world around me. I couldn’t put down Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, for example. This spark of intellectual curiosity led me to the UCSD physics department where I realized that math and physics are fundamental in explaining the wonders of the world. Before coming to High Tech High Media Arts I worked for the Mineral Physics Institute where I performed theoretical calculations of the high pressure behaviors of deep earth minerals, especially Magnesiowustite (MgFeO). Now that I’m at HTHMA I feel so fortunate to be teaching mathematics. My goal is to inspire a future generation of thinkers who are not afraid to tap into their own curiosity as well as tackle some of the real world problems that humankind will have to face in the future.

Chris teaches 9th grade Math/Physics at High Tech High Media Arts.  Prior to coming to HTHMA, Chris worked as a Golf Course Engineer for 3 years and taught Physics for 5 years at various public and charter schools in Virginia and California. Chris earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia and a Masters Degree in Education from George Mason University. When Chris is not teaching you can find him singing his favorite Madonna songs on Youtube, falling off his surfboard, biking around on his beach cruiser or watching his beloved Washington Redskins and Virginia Cavaliers.

Karl grew up in Northern California and East Tennessee. He spent a lot of time taking things apart and building things with his father. He was always interested in innovation and invention. As a young student he was often frustrated by the "one size fits all" approach to education.

While in industry Karl began to reflect on his educational experiences. He felt that he could make a bigger impact on the world by getting involved in education. He left his career as an Industrial Designer  to study education at Vanderbilt University. While completing his masters degree Karl discovered High Tech High schools and it's project based learning. He is looking forward to making a difference and changing the world one student at a time.

Dawn the Dean was born and raised in St.Louis, Missouri and earned her Bachelor's degree from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. While in college Dawn had the amazing experience of spending a semester in London studying at Regents College, as well as studying in Turkey and traveling all over Europe. After college, Dawn began to pay off her college debt by serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Youth Volunteer Corps in Seattle, Washington for two years and found this so rewarding that she then volunteered in Mexico City for a year with a program called Visions in Action. It was after this year in Mexico that Dawn decided to live and teach in San Diego, California. She began her teaching career at Granger Junior High in National City, spent a year teaching in Watsonville, California and then returned to San Diego to teach at HTHMA. Family is a very important part of Dawn's life. She has a husband, a twin sister that lives in Minneapolis and an older sister living in Santa Cruz. Both of her sisters have children so Dawn has the joy of spending her vacations with 3 nephews and one niece!