Sonoma Valley welcomes 20 new elementary teachers

In a record year of hiring, Sonoma Valley elementary schools have brought on 20 new teachers on five campuses. The new staff gathered last week for their orientation, to meet each other and to enjoy a lunch at the district offices.

There is a great buzz about the new and exciting programs launching in Sonoma Valley schools,” said schools superintendent Louann Carlomagno. “And it is enabling us to attract a great group of new teachers to join our faculty.”

Dana Bernard has joined Sassarini Elementary School as a teacher in the grades K-2 special day classroom. Previously she taught middle school students with profound developmental disabilities at Lindwood Monroe Arts Plus in Minnesota.

• College of St. Catherine, B.A., elementary education, 1993

• University of St. Thomas, M.A. special education, 2014

Darren Cain has joined Dunbar Elementary as a speech pathology teacher. He was a student teacher at the school last year.

• Santa Rosa Junior College, A.A. social and behavioral sciences, 2012

• Sacramento State University, B.S. speech pathology and audiology, 2014

• CSU, Northridge, A.A., speech language pathology, 2014

Jenny Cavins has joined Flowery Elementary School as a third grade teacher. Last year she was a student teacher at Penngrove Elementary.

• Regent University, B.A. communications, 2013

• Sonoma State University, multiple subject credential, 2015

Amber Francis has joined El Verano Elementary School as a special programs teacher. Most recently, she taught first and second grade at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. She is a SVHS graduate, class of 1995.

• Chico State University, B.A. and teaching credential, 2001

Prestwood Elementary has welcomed Katie Grimes as a new fourth grade teacher. Grimes is a first year teacher but she taught summer school at Adele and at El Verano this summer. She is a graduate of SVHS, class of 2005.

• Concordia University Irvine, B.S. communications, 2009

• University of Phoenix, M.A. education, 2015

Katherine Hahn has joined the Dunbar Elementary School faculty as a fourth/fifth grade classroom teacher. Previously, she taught fourth grade at Plymouth Elementary School and at San Ramon Valley Unified.

• U.C. Santa Barbara, B.A., religious studies, 1997

• Chapman University, multiple subject teaching credential, 2000

Gina Irvine is a new fourth grade teacher at Sassarini Elementary School. Most recently, she taught fifth grade at Vallejo Charter School.

• University of Oregon, B.A., MEd. CLAD teaching credential

Margaret Jacobson has joined Dunbar Elementary as a new second/third grade multiage classroom teacher. She has 21 years of experience, and most recently, teaching third grade at the Healdsburg School.

• Norfolk State University, B.S. interdisciplinary studies/early childhood certification, 1994

• Graceland University, M.A. education, 2009

Karla Kvam has joined the district as an elementary school teacher of music to grades kindergarten through five. Most recently, she taught music at Greenrock and Central Elementary schools in Penn.

• University of Southern California, B.M., 1991

• Duquesne University, M.A. music, 1995

• Seton Hill College, music certification, 2001

• California University of Pennsylvania, reading specialist certification, 2014

Kristine Lely will split her time as a new PE teacher between Prestwood and El Verano elementary schools. She is in her first year of teaching and played Division 1 soccer in college.

• University of New Mexico, B.A. elementary education, 2008

• University of Phoenix, M.A, curriculum and instruction, 2010, single subject teaching credential (PE), 2014

Matthew Mensch is a new fourth grade teacher at Sassarini. Most recently, Mensch taught third grade at Gravenstein Elementary School in Sebastapol.

• Santa Rosa Junior College, art certificate, 1993

• U.C. Santa Cruz, B.A. art, 1995

• Sonoma State University, multiple subject and art teaching credential, 2010

Marilou Montanez is a new bilingual kindergarten teacher at Flowery.

• Sonoma State University, B.A. in Spanish, B.A. in human development, 2013; and multiple subject teaching credential, 2015

April Nield was a long-term sub at El Verano last year and this year she has joined the faculty heading up a first grade classroom.

• San Francisco State, B.S. biology, 2003

• Sonoma State University, multiple subject teaching credential, 2014

Mary Patane has joined the Sassarini faculty as a new pre-K and special education teacher. Most recently, she taught a pre-k/kindergarten special day class at Nohl Canyon Elementary in Orange, Calif.

• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, B.S. liberal studies/multiple subject teaching credential, 2004

• Cal State Fullerton, M.A. and credential in special education/early childhood certificate, 2009

Mekiele Perkins is a new special day classroom teacher for grades three, four and five. Most recently, she worked at Sonoma Developmental Center for 10 years. She is a graduate of SVHS (class of 1993).

• San Francisco State University, B.A. psychology, 2000

• Sonoma State University, multiple subject teaching credentials, 2009; M.A. education, 2009

Kellyne Peterson is a new kindergarten teacher at Prestwood. Most recently, she was a student teacher at McNear Elementary in Petaluma.

• Sonoma State University, B.A., biological anthropology, 2010; teaching credential 2014; M.A. curriculum, teaching and learning, 2013

Adam Thomas is a new PE teacher who will split his time between the Sassarini, Dunbar and Adele school campuses. Previously, he taught PE at Everett Middle School in San Francisco.

• University of Louisville, B.S. and M.A. in teaching, 2001

Barbara Vance has joined Sassarini has a resource specialist serving all grades. Vance was previously in the same role at Madrone Elementary in Santa Rosa and at Haiku Elementary in Maui.

• U.C. Berkeley, B.A. native American studies, 1975

• University of Hawaii, Manoa, special education certification, 2011

Wendy Vega is a new third grade teacher at Flowery Elementary. This is her first year teaching.

• C.S.U. Chico, B.A. 2104 and BCLAD bilingual teaching certification, 2015

Liliana Zepeda has joined the Flowery faculty as a new kindergarten classroom teacher.

• C.S.U. Long Beach, B.A. and preliminary multiple subject credential, 2012.

Alison Zuehlsdorff is a new first grade teacher at Sassarini Elementary. Previously, she taught first grade at McPherson Elementary in Napa.

• C.S.U. San Francisco, B.A. speech and communications, 2004

• Dominican University, multiple subject teaching credential, 2010