Leily Abbassi is from the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to San Diego in 2004. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in International Relations in 2003. She received her teaching credential from San Diego State University in 2005. She is currently enjoying her second year at HTM teaching 8th grade Humanities. She is also starting a master’s program in political science this fall. In her spare time (hah) she enjoys traveling, the beach, and visiting San Francisco.
Andrea Barrett grew up in the cute little beach town, Falmouth, MA and ever since she can remember she wanted to be an art teacher. She attended The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University Collaborative program. Ms. Barrett received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in 2002 and her Master’s Degree in Art Education in 2004. Ms. Barrett moved from Boston to San Diego to get away from the snow and humidity, and continue living by the ocean. This is her fourth year teaching at High Tech Middle School and her third year teaching art. Ms. Barrett enjoys drawing, painting, visiting museums, watching live music, going to the beach, cheering on the Boston Red Sox, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog, Rudy.
Miss Costa is originally from Baltimore, Maryland where she studied at the University of Maryland and graduated with a degree in Environmental Science. Before life at High Tech Middle, Miss Costa worked for the Orange County Department of Education Outdoor Science School for two years as a naturalist. Miss Costa enjoys traveling and has spent time studying in Hawaii and living in Australia. When not in the classroom you can find Miss Costa enjoying the outdoors, running, juggling, hula hooping or painting. This will be Miss. Costa's third year teaching 6th grade math and science at HTM.
Melissa Daniels comes to High Tech Middle from seven years of teaching at international schools in Cairo, Egypt and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While overseas, Ms. Melissa was fortunate enough to travel to many fascinating places. Some of her most memorable experiences include swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon, cruising down the Nile River, snorkeling in the Red Sea, trekking the hills of Thailand, and horseback riding in the Chilean Andes. Originally from North Carolina, Ms. Melissa earned her B.A. in English Education from UNC-Chapel Hill, and she recently completed her M.Ed in Teaching English as a Second Language. When not in the classroom, Ms. Melissa enjoys traveling, running, reading, hanging out at the beach, and watching basketball games featuring her beloved UNC Tar Heels.
DeAnna Driscoll is honored to have been running the drama department at HTM since the school opened in 2003.
Ms. DeAnna grew up in Colorado's Apen Valley and went on to New York City where she graduated with honors from the National Shakespeare Conservatory. After acting in professional productions around the country she eventually ended up in San Diego.
DeAnna is a proud member of both the Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association.
She enjoys working on stage and in film and television when she is not enjoying her time with her students at HTM.
She loves live music, museums, cooking, hiking and most of all spending time with her 10 year old daughter
Jennie Ganesan is very excited to start her first year teaching at High Tech Middle. She earned her BA in History and Secondary Education at Hofstra University in NY. Jennie received her NY & NJ teaching credentials and has taught for six years in NYC, Long Island, & NJ public schools. After getting married in 2004, Jennie & her husband decided to venture out to the West Coast and are loving every minute of their new lives in San Diego. When she's not teaching, Jennie is usually running after her twins Ava & Vik and spending time with her husband. She also loves to travel, visit museums, and be at the beach. Some of Jennie's favorite places to visit are Belize, India, Singapore, and her family back east.
Janie Griswold has worked at the High Tech Village since High Tech High opened in fall of 2000. Janie graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in biology. She then attended the University of Washington where student taught 7th grade and earned a master’s degree in teaching. Janie and her husband Ryan have lived in San Diego since 2000. She taught humanities at HTH for three years and then (eager to get back to middle school) moved to HTM when it opened in 2003. When not at school, Janie enjoys camping in Baja, visiting her family in the Pacific Northwest, going to the beach by her house in OB, reading, cooking, and just spending time with friends and family, especially her son, Neal, who was born in March, 2008.
Bryan was born on the east coast in New Haven, CT. He attended Indiana University and Southern Connecticut State University and earned a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. Bryan has worked as a computer programmer and also managed a landscaping company before moving towards a career in teaching. When not working he enjoys spending time with his fiancée Elizabeth and their cat Simon, running, biking climbing rocks and playing chess and Go.
Mrs. Carrie Interlandi (aka Ms. I) is a SoCal native, born in Orange, CA. She lived in Reno, NV, for most of her childhood, where she grew up being a competitive gymnast. She earned a BA in English with an emphasis in Teaching and Creative Writing from UC Davis in 1995. She also received her MA in Education, Secondary Curriculum and Instruction, in 2001 from SDSU, and is proud to be a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent English Language Arts. Ms. I spent 7 years teaching 7th and 8th grade humanities and English at Clark Middle School in San Diego before coming to join the HTH community in 2006. When she's not working, Ms. Interlandi loves hanging out with her family, which includes her husband, her three-year-old son, Joey, her pitt bull, Diva. Soon the family will welcome a second baby boy as well. Ms. I is excited to work with Mr. Terronez, who will be taking over for her while she will be out on maternity leave from September 15th until the start of second semester. She also loves reading historical fiction (especially about Henry VII!), rollerblading, riding her bike, and hanging out at the beach and the zoo.
Karina Morales is the Spanish teacher at HTM. She was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. She moved to San Diego a little over 7 years ago and attended San Diego State University where she received a BA in Spanish as a Single Subject and a Minor in Psychology. She has spent time living and studying in Madrid, Spain, as well in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is her second year at HTM and she is very excited to share her knowledge and passion for Spanish. Some of her biggest passions besides teaching are traveling, exploring other cultures, visiting her family and friends and buying shoes!
In an interesting turn of events, Gabe Ogilvie found himself at High Tech Middle School after attending the Brooks Institue of Film in Ventura, California. He brings his love of film to HTM in conjuncture with tutoring, ASB, Yearbook, and After School Programming. In addition to his day to day events, he also continues with his passion for film as he travels from LA, to Frisco, to Florida pursuing his list of goals in the field of movies.
Heather Riley grew up in a one-stoplight town in the mountains of Colorado but moved to the big city of San Diego in 2003. She graduated from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO where she received a BA in English and her teaching credential. This will be her fourth year at HTM. After working as a tutor, this is her second year teaching 7th grade Humanities. Heather loves to travel and has spent time teaching, hiking, scuba diving, bungee jumping, and exploring throughout Guatemala, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Peru, and a large part of the United States. Apart from teaching and traveling, Heather will be very busy this year as a part of the HTH Graduate School of Education and planning her upcoming wedding. She enjoys running, playing with her puppy, reading, and backpacking.
Paul was born and raised in Northern California, his native town is Fairfield and there he spent 20 years of his life. Paul moved to San Diego to pursue his college degree in Computer Engineering but fell in love with Psychology. Paul graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a BA emphasizing in cognitive and behavioral psychology in 2005. Paul's hobbies include keeping up on new technologies for computers and software, but also has a great appreciation for music. Paul enjoys playing guitar and learning new styles of music—and teaching. In his free time Paul enjoys visiting with friends and family, but never hesitates to grab a good book from time to time.
Lisa brings over 20 years of experience from a variety of Education related positions. This is her third school year at High Tech Middle. Before life at HTM, she worked in Human Resource Services for San Diego Unified School District concentrating on Middle School staffing support. Lisa is a native San Diegan, attended San Diego City Schools, graduating from Madison High. She went on to San Diego State University to pursue a degree in Liberal Studies. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, swimming, traveling, cheering on our hometown football team - GO CHARGERS!!! and most importantly, spending time with her husband, two daughters, family and friends.
Casey Salmon graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara with her B.A. in Liberal Studies. She is the resource specialist for HTM and spends her day working with both teachers and students to ensure that all students are successful. For fun she enjoys going to the beach, reading, playing with her dog Zephyr, sailing, scuba diving, traveling, and cooking.
Mr. Shaddox believes that diversity is the spice of life. If you traced his path to becoming a teacher it would most closely resemble a zigzagging spider's web. He studied art at SDSU and received his B.A. with an emphasis in graphic design in 1998. Shortly thereafter, he worked as an in-house designer at several large companies and also freelanced for an array of clients. Although he spent many long hours staring at a computer screen, Mr. Shaddox found time to play drums with his band and even tour up the coast of California, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. In 2004, he left the world of design to pursue teaching English in Mexico. A year at the University of Guanajuato confirmed that teaching was what he really wanted to do. After traveling and volunteering in Guatemala, Mr. Shaddox returned to San Diego to receive his teaching credential and work at King-Chavez Academies. A year later he joined the HTM family. He looks forward to another exciting year of discovery with his students in humanities.
This is Marc’s 1st year at HTM, but his 8th year as a teacher. He has taught on the east coast in Maryland and Washington, D.C and most recently at HTMMA and has brought his art and skill of teaching to us. We are all so lucky to have him here in the High Tech system! His smile and laughter is contagious ~ you can see his students smiling a mile away. He is learning to surf and is still awful at it and could use some help. He loves living in San Diego and according to him never plans on leaving.
Sarah Strong is entering her third year teaching sixth grade at High Tech Middle. Raised in the SF Bay Area, Mrs. Strong moved to San Diego in 2001 to attend college. She graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2005 with her BS in Mathematics. She went on to get her teaching credential from PLNU as well. She is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Teacher Leadership Program in the High Tech High Graduate School of Education and this year she will be writing her thesis on the use of open-ended math problems! Mrs. Strong loves the beautiful outdoors and one of her favorite places is Yosemite where she goes every summer. She also loves running and has competed in three marathons! This summer Mrs. Strong celebrated her two-year anniversary with her husband, Mike, who teaches seventh grade at HTMMA. They are very happy to be a part of the High Tech Village and can sometimes be seen after school coaching and running with the High School Cross Country athletes!
After completing his Bachelors and Masters degree at the University of Los Angeles, Azul Terronez began his career in education in inner city Los Angeles teaching in a 6th grade bilingual/ESL classroom. He taught for 5 years, Humanities, Reading and U.S. History. He served as assistant principal at middle schools in Los Angeles and Texas and as a high school grade level principal. He was the principal of Hopewell Middle School in Round Rock ISD, where he took the school from near unacceptable to Recognized. He worked as an Associate Programs Officer for the Texas High School Project and served as a consultant for New Technology Foundation. He is passionate about school climate and worked with several groups nationally with the Boomerang Project and Learning For Living, Inc. training counselors, teachers and principals on how to transform their schools. He has also consulted with several districts on how to build capacity in the schools. He has served as the Curator of Media for the Southwest Museum in Highland Park, California, the Director of the Nosotros Youth Theater in Hollywood, and was the Theatrical Director for Cat skills West in Beverly Hills. He was recently awarded the honor by the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers, Honorary Life Membership. Azul has been with the High Tech High Family in several capacities since 2005, Regional Director in Austin, 6th Grade teacher and Director at HTMMA. He is passionate about reading and learning currently on the faculty for the HTH Graduate School of Education. When Azul is not teaching he loves to spend time with his son Josiah, daughter Sklyar and their dog Scooter.
Dan Thoene has been with High Tech Middle since its inception in 2003. He graduated from UCSB in 1992 with a major in communications and a minor in mathematics. Dan actually started his professional career in broadcasting, working as a sportscaster for 11 years. After winning an emmy in 2001, Dan decided to switch careers to his true love; teaching. He grabbed his multiple subject credential at SDSU, along with a single subject credential in mathematics. His wife Kira is also a teacher, in Poway. They've been married for 11 years and have two children; a 5 year old daughter named Courtney, and a 2 year old son named Cooper.
Michael Vasquez escaped the climate extremes of his hometown desert, California City, in order to follow his love of running and biology in San Diego. It was at UCSD where he earned his degree in Biology: Ecology, Behavior and Evolution and where he developed a greater appreciation for nature. The latter was mostly the result of learning and applying Leave No Trace practices while leading kayaking courses in Baja California, Mexico and backpacking courses in the Sierra Nevada. In his free time Michael enjoys taking his dog Larry to the dog park, riding his bike, and finding ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
