I grew up in southern Florida in the little town of Deerfield Beach located just north of Fort Lauderdale. Living less then a mile from the beach and a few hours from the Florida Keys, most of my free time was spent in and around the very warm Atlantic ocean.

I attended public schools including a pre-engineering magnet high school where I learned the basics of design. It is during this time that I met my best friend and wife.

After high school I attended the University of Florida where I received my Bachelor in Science of Engineering with a specialization in Environmental Engineering. I worked as a project and field engineer for a division of Halliburton designing systems to clean up hazardous and petroleum contaminated sites throughout the country.

I found myself drawn to my wife’s elementary school classroom and the students who inspired me to bring the wonders of science and technology into the classroom. In 1996 I transitioned into teaching high school AP Physics, Earth Science, and Pre Engineering at the same pre-engineering magnet school that I attended as a student. Additionally, I was fortunate to mentor a nationally acclaimed pre-engineering design team.

In 2000 we relocated to the San Diego area where I was again fortunate to be involved in several innovative programs. Through the creation of the Design and Technology Academy (D.a.T.A.) at Madison High School, the concepts of design and engineering were brought into the classroom.

D.a.T.A. spawned a robotics program that supported an international award winning robotics team. Through the teams’ efforts, school based robotics programs were introduced to schools throughout the region. It is through these efforts that I had the opportunity to work closely with students and teachers at High Tech High Point Loma for the past four years.

I am honored to be part of the High Tech High North County team.

Toni has worked in the field of education for more than thirteen years. Prior to her administrative experiences, she worked at an elementary school for several years as a school clerk and in human resources assisting in hiring for secondary staffing. She is especially thrilled to continue the opportunity to work at High Tech High North County and to be able to use her background and experiences in such an exciting and innovative setting. Toni loves taking classes, traveling, reading extensively and spending time with her seven year old granddaughter.

Michelle Sadrena Clark earned her Master’s in Pacific International Affairs, with a career concentration in International Development and a regional specialization in Latin America at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego. Prior to entering graduate school, Michelle lived in Bisai, Japan for two years, teaching English and American culture at public junior high schools while engaging in performance dance and theater. Michelle received her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Irvine, with a major in International Studies and a minor in Clinical Psychology. During this time she also attended La Universidad Catolica Pontificia in Santiago, Chile for one semester. Proficient in Spanish, conversational Japanese and Portuguese, Michelle enjoys international travel and leaves the country at least once or twice a year. As a member of the renowned public speaking organization, Toastmaster’s International, Michelle has won numerous accolades for competitive public speaking. Currently Michelle is pursuing a degree in Dance at Palomar College. With a dual passion for education and dance Michelle embraces an energetic teaching style that truly motivates students to learn.

Samantha Fisk is very excited to be a part of the High Tech High North County faculty this year as a 10th grade humanities teacher. For the past five years she has been coaching and teaching history in Memphis, TN. Before that, she was not only a history teacher but also dorm staff for one year at a boarding school in Madison, CT. She received her BA from Emory University, double majoring in History and Educational Studies. Then obtained an MA in Secondary Social Studies Education from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. Samantha grew up in San Diego and is very excited to be back home.

I began teaching Math II and Chemistry at HTHNC in 2008. My goal at HTHNC is for my students to be empowered by an understanding of the mathematical beauty and scientific order in the world around them. I narrowly avoided a career in Architecture, Art and Design and I strive to integrate those disciplines into the learning in my classroom. I have an MA degree in Teaching from Stanford University and a BS degree in Chemistry from Berkeley. At some point in the distant past I attended - and somehow graduated - Torrey Pines High School in Del Mar. I’ve worked at UCSD’s Scripps Institute of Oceanography and at Berkeley’s Lawrence Berkeley Cyclotron, but neither job was as fun as the two years I worked in an artisanal cheese shop or the four years I worked in a literary book store. I live in Encinitas with my wife, who like me is a Stanford graduate and a lifelong North County resident. In our spare time we listen to jazz albums, watch Star Trek, read about modern art and plan trips to France and Italy.

Kali has been teaching World History and Model UN for 4 years. She started her teaching career in Queens, New York. Although she loved living in Brooklyn, California weather, beaches, and mountains are more enticing then the tumultuous climate of the east. She received her undergraduate degrees from New York University and the University of MN and her Master's from Pace University. Her studies have focused on civil and ethnic conflict specifically in South East Asia and Central Africa. When she's not teaching Kali is traveling, reading, running, cooking, and/or arguing about intervening on some humanitarian crisis or how to depose rogue dictators.

Tom has been honored to teach many subjects at many levels throughout his career in education. He has lived and traveled throughout Spain, South America, México, Europe and Indonesia. Tom earned his B.A. in International Relations at the University of San Diego. During his junior year, he studied at La Fundacion Ortega y Gasset in Toledo, Spain to complete his A.A. in Spanish Language. Tom went on to the University of Southern California to complete his M.A. in Geography. He completed his M.A. thesis fieldwork while studying at the University of Santiago in Santiago, Chile. Tom loves spending time with his wife and two children, as well as surfing, mountain biking and outdoor adventure. Music is one of Tom's loves as well. You can catch him in coastal north county leading his band The Wheelhouse. This is Tom's second year at HTHNC.

My name is Anne Gloag and I am a 10th grade teacher at High Tech High North County. I teach Mathematics and Environmental Chemistry.

I have been a teacher with the High Tech High schools since 2001 and I really love being here. I love mathematics so much that I can't stop learning it and doing it. I loved it so much in school, that I got a Doctorate in Applied Mathematics in 1996. I particularily like to see the applications of math to other sciences, to finance and to everyday life. Last year I also started teaching Chemistry because I am interested in science and how we can use science to understand or enviroment and to help our environment.

What I teach in the classroom is guided by what makes me excited and what makes my students excited. Students in my classes solve a lot of math problems that have applications in real life and they learn about big and current environmental issues and how chemistry can be used to understand these issue and how to come up with scientific solutions to our most pressing problems.

On a personal side, I have a wonderful husband who also teaches at High Tech High and I have two great children Nadia (6) and Peter (3). Most of my spare time is spend hanging around with my family at home, at the beach or in the park. I am a very homey person and I love reading, baking cookies with my kids or hanging around and chatting with my husband and friends.

Shani grew up in Northampton, a college town in Western, Massachusetts. Throughout her life, Shani aspired to find a career where she could be creative and work with kids. Shani loves traveling and learning from other cultures. She studied abroad at The University of Legon in Accra, Ghana during her junior year in college. In 2001, she earned her B.A. in Child Development and Studio Art from Tufts University in Medford, MA. Shani realized that her love of art and children combined well and she went on to get her Masters in Art Education from Tufts and The Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston. Needing to get away from the New England cold, Shani moved to San Diego in 2003. She began teaching at High Tech Middle School that same year and continued teaching there for three years. Teaching middle school was an amazing experience which showed her that she had a natural ability to inspire young artists. Shani taught Art at High Tech High Media Arts during the 2006-2007 school year and was continuously amazed by the work her high school students created. Knowing that high school students could be so creative when given the opportunity, she jumped at the chance to open another High Tech High in North County San Diego. Shani also saw this as a chance to challenge herself by helping start a new school and learn by working with an energizing leader and innovative staff.

Opening this new school, Shani took on leadership roles by being the Community Connections Coordinator for North County as well as the Art Teacher. Although Shani is passionate about teaching art she was given another chance of a lifetime in 2009. She accepted the Dean of Students position with the hope of building a uniquely positive student run culture at High Tech High North County. Shani loves being an educator and working with a community that encourages people to teach and learn from their passions. In addition to being a teacher, she loves surfing, yoga, painting, traveling and being around wonderful people.

Nicole Hinostro is a native to San Diego and grew up in Encinitas. After graduating from San Dieguito High School she attended the University of Notre Dame and received a double major with a bachelor of arts in Psychology and Computer Applications. During her time at Notre Dame she also played on the Women’s soccer team. Upon graduating in 1998 worked in East Los Angeles as a 5th grade teacher and soccer coach through a two year teaching program called ResponseAbility. During her time in Los Angeles she also attended Loyola Marymount University where she received her Masters of Education.

After two years in Los Angeles she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and began teaching 5th and 6th grade at Benjamin Banneker Charter School where students were offered a rigorous education with a focus on math, science and technology. She also began coaching the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School at that time. In 2002 she transitioned into the Cambridge Public School District and worked as a middle school math teacher for Fletcher-Maynard Academy. There she also worked as co-leader of the middle school and facilitated team building and middle school reform in a K-8 school.

In 2004 Nicole returned to San Diego and began working for High Tech High first teaching at High Tech Middle in the 7th grade utilizing project based learning to integrate math and science. In 2005 Nicole became the Director of High Tech Middle Media Arts, and worked with a dynamic staff to build a positive and engaging culture for this school's opening. Most recently, in the Fall of 2007, Nicole and a group of innovative and energized educators have opened High Tech High North County. HTHNC is one of the first State Wide Benefit Charter Schools under High Tech High. As the Director of HTHNC Nicole works to lay a solid foundation for this new school with a very inspirational founding group of staff and students.

Jennifer graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a BA in History, then attended Loyola Marymount for her teaching credential, finally earning her MA in American Studies at Pepperdine University. Born and raised in Orange County, Jennifer moved to San Diego three years ago to follow her husband who is working on his PhD at UCSD. Passions include traveling all over the world; highlights have included riding a camel to the pyramids in Egypt, climbing the Great Wall of China, and attending Oktoberfest in Germany. Attending the theater, reading, and watching movies/TV are a few of my favorite things, along with spending time with my family and friends. I look forward to an amazing year, and getting to know each and every one of my students.

Matthew Leader graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Minor in Psychology. He received a teaching credential from San Diego State University. Along the way he has worked in both marine microbiology and physical oceanography laboratories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He is currently obtaining his M.Ed. at High Tech High Graduate School of Education and is an AmeriCorps teaching fellow. In his spare time he enjoys surfing, scuba diving, sailing and traveling.

Sergio has worked in the technology field for over 14 years. Twelve of those years were spent working for an independent school in several positions. These positions include; Computer and Web Design Instructor, Database Manager and Information Technology Manager. He has also worked as a technology consultant for a variety of businesses in the San Diego area.

Sergio received his B.S. in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix and an A.A. in Business Administration from Southwestern Community College. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing racquetball, and continue to learning about technology integration in an educational environment.

Due to rather inconveniently timed repair work on the streets of San Diego, Ms. M. was born at home in a cozy condominium amidst the beautiful chaos of a frantic Iranian family. After a sunny youth, Ms. M. embarked on her academic career, attending UC Irvine and receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English and Educational Studies. Shortly thereafter, Ms. M. transitioned to a big city girl, living the life of a New Yorker while receiving her Master of Arts in the Teaching of English at Teachers College, Columbia University. Finally making her way back home to the west coast (the best coast), Ms. M. found her place in the educational sanctuaries of High Tech High North County.

Although still relatively naïve and uncertain, Ms. M. is wholeheartedly dedicated to finding meaning in her experiences as a teacher and furthermore, guiding her students to finding and understanding the value of meaning in their individual lives. Ms. M. knows that the Humanities can be a gateway to this pursuit. With that in mind, Ms. M. will work to empower herself and her students with the humanistic knowledge, tools, and language to believe in the magnitude of finding fulfillment in a meaningful life.

When not teaching or thinking about teaching, Ms. M. enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, perfecting her cooking, feigning fitness, and attempting to control her inexplicable love for cleaning and organizing.

Hailing from Schenectady, New York, the invention place of (drum roll please) the broom, Charlene Parsons attended the School of Visual Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, and San Jose State University before finally obtained her BS in Geology from San Francisco State University. The next six years of her life were spent as a member of the Coastal and Marine Geology Team of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. As a Marine Sedimentologist, Charlene dedicated the majority of her professional career studying Hawaiian coral reefs and the Northern California coastline.

In January 2006 Charlene's life was turned upside down and inside out when with the birth of her first daughter, Samara. She essentially spent the next 2 years on "Mommy Leave". Fascinated by how quickly a child's mind develops, Charlene discovered a passion for teaching. She spent those "Mommy Leave" years teaching Geology labs part-time at the Elementary institute of Science. In May of this year, Samara was promoted to Big Sister status with the birth of her sister, Huxley Mei. Charlene then decided it was high time for her husband, Jason, to discover the joys of stay-at-home-fatherhood while she further pursued her passion for education here at High Tech High North County. She is very excited to tie her Marine Science background into her new position as an Environmental Chemistry/Math teacher.

When not teaching HTHNC students, Charlene can be found pondering over just how extensive a 2.5 year old's vocabulary can be, while simultaneously refusing to accept that teething has started already. In the very little spare time she manages to find, Charlene reads like it's going out of style. She hopes to one day finish up her training in Kung Fu and actually get her black belt, and will always hold a special place in her heart for art incorporating both robots and donuts.

Hello my name is Phyllis Perlroth. I have been working with the High Tech High Schools since January of 2000. I started at HTHNC in October of 2007 and have continued in my role as Inclusion Specialist ever since. I have been fortunate in my career to embarked on many different aspects of teaching students with disabilities.

I originally started out working in Ohio, after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a B. S degree with students with students who have severe and profound mental and physical disabilities. After attending graduate school at the University of Maryland and working in different types of geographic settings ( rural and urban) I always longed for something different in my teaching. Then my mentor allowed me the opportunity to work in the school to work transition world, setting up jobs for students with mild to severe disabilities. This was one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs that I experienced in my career. Challenging because I was changing attitudes of not only teachers in the schools but also helping employers to understand that many of the students who looked like they had limited skills actually could become long term valuable employees. Once again I was seeking change and the opportunity to expand my skills and decided to move to San Diego.

I have had many opportunities since moving to California to work on creative and innovative projects that support the rights of kids with disabilities both in school and in the community. I worked for the state of California and then at both San Diego State University and the University of San Diego supervising student teachers and interns who were working on their teaching credential in special education. This has been one of my life long passions to ensure that kids have every opportunity to achieve their goals in the least restrictive environment which for the majority of students it means in general education classes with help and support from a variety of sources. This is only one of my passions as when I am not working I am often on my bike, usually raising money for a worthy charity. I love riding and it has inspired me to support many worthwhile causes like, raising money for cancer and Alzheimer's s research. Participating and giving back to the community in some way is very important to me and I hope to continue to inspire children to do the same.

Jenny was born in raised in San Diego, and graduated from Helix High School in 1999. She went on to San Diego State University to get her BA in Political Science and minored in Sociology. She actively supported her school community and athletic program at SDSU as a member of the cheer squad for three years.

While earning her Bachelors Degree, she spent a summer studying in Guadalajara, Mexico where she studied Spanish and International Relations. The following winter, she attended Oxford University in England, where she continued her studies in Comparative Government. Her senior year in college was spent in Washington D.C. where she interned through The Women’s Leadership Program. Following graduation at SDSU, she went on receive her Teaching Credential and Masters Degree in Cross-Cultural Education from National University.

Jenny has been teaching Jr.High History for four years and loves being not only a teacher but a student as well! She is currently working on her PhD in Education and when she is not studying you can find her watching sports or at the beach with her husband and puppy.

My name is Taryn Roche and I joined the HTHNC community in January of 2008. My interest in education began while I was earning my degree in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. I got involved with the Autism Research and Training Center on UCSB’s campus and gained amazing experience working with children with Autism and their families.

After graduating from college, I moved to San Diego and began working with youth in the foster care system. I provided academic and social-emotional support to foster youth living in a residential facility. This experience was eye-opening for me and really put my behavior management skills to the test as the majority of these youth had serious emotional issues related to their experiences of abuse and neglect. It was while I was working in residential care that I decided to return to school to earn my teaching credential and Masters degree in Special Education.

I have worked in traditional school settings as a special education classroom teacher and as a resource specialist and I am now happily supplying support to our special education students here at HTHNC. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading, scrapbooking, and trying out new restaurants.

Dan grew up in the central valley of California in the town of Clovis, and tries to make the annual visit back for the Clovis Rodeo. He received his BS in mathematics at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. While at Cal Poly Dan was a member of the rugby team and participated in the Cal Poly rodeo. In 2003 Dan followed his wife, then fiance, down to San Diego, and has since then been living and teaching in North County.

What Dan enjoys most about HTHNC is that it has the feel of a small private school where a teacher can really know and connect with his or her students, and yet it has the diversity of the large public school. It really is the best of both worlds.

When not working Dan can be found enjoying the outdoor lifestyle North County has to offer, whether it be surfing, cycling, hiking, fishing, or just hanging at the beach with his wife, his two son's and friends. Life is good in North County and at HTHNC.