Faculty News and Notes

John Landicho, in his first year as head coach of the girls' volleyball program, not only led the Lancers to a 37-2 record and a State Championship, but he was honored by the San Diego Hall of Champions and the CIF as the 2012 San Diego Section Coach of the Year.

He guided Parker to a #1 ranking in the state for Division IV teams and #2 in the nation for similar size schools. Overall, the team finished with the #6 ranking in California and #22 in the country for all schools.

On Wednesday, November 28, Dr. John Lown presented at the Taste of Opera event at Bice Ristorante. During the fusion of dining and opera, Lown led a spirited discussion of Murder in the Cathedral.

The San Diego Opera produces Taste of the Opera events as a fun way for opera fans to combine their passion with delicious local fare. Read more about upcoming events here >> 

Faculty members Rene Caracoza, Ana Goldberg, and Alex Gomez received a grant over the summer to write a book for Parker's Spanish IV class. This is the second e-book published by members of the department. The book title is Advanced Grammar for Spanish IV level. The book is already being used by Spanish IV students on campus. 

This summer Dr. Joshi presented at the BCCE (Biennial Conference on Chemical Education). Her presentation was titled "America's Next Top Model: Chemistry Edition."

She explains, "This is a project that I have done with my students here at Parker for the past three years. I made it up one day when I was grading papers in my living room while watching America's Next Top Model.

In this project, groups of students build molecular models of medicines or drugs that they have chosen to study. They give presentations in which they discuss the structures, biological functions, societal impacts and uses of the drugs. They do 'runway entrances' with their models. Some of them get very creative and use costumes and music as a part of their entrances! My presentation at BCCE included lots of video footage of my students' presentations. The people in the audience were teachers and professors of chemistry, and they seemed to enjoy themselves!"

Patt Adloff passed away on the week of August 26, 2012. She joined Parker as a Lower School teacher in 1970 and had a variety of roles, including as a Third Grade Teacher, Resources Teacher and member of the front office staff. She was a well respected member of the School during her time at Parker. All services were held privately.

Upper School Teacher Philip Trotter has contributed to a A Mother's Love, a book about Ghana's athlete and activist, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. He is a member of Yeboah's board and is working directly with him to build a school for the abled and disabled of Ghana. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to build the school. It is mostly a story book and most suited for middle school readers.

Book description:

Born disabled with a severely deformed right leg in the impoverished African nation of Ghana, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah began life as an outcast, shunned by most of society and abandoned by his own father. Against all odds, Emmanuel not only changed society's perception of himself, but of all disabled children and adults in his country and throughout the world due in part to the driving force in his life-his mother's love.

Known to Emmanuel as Mama Comfort, Emmanuel's mother gave him the love and tools he needed to believe in himself, as well as the fortitude to create social and political change for disabled citizens throughout Ghana. Refusing to be labeled or limited by his disability, Emmanuel completed a 400-mile bike ride across Ghana to raise awareness of the plight of disabled individuals in his home country.

Emmanuel's efforts did not go unnoticed, and he was later awarded the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage by Oprah Winfrey at ESPN's 2005 ESPY Awards. This led President Kufour of Ghana to bring the Disability Bill to the floor of Ghana's Parliament. Six months later, the bill passed-guaranteeing equal rights for disabled persons in Ghana in education, public access, and employment, and changing lives in that country and attitudes around the world.

A Mother's Love is a heartwarming story of unwavering love and support of a mother and the unlocked potential found in her son, despite his perceived limitations. A Mother's Love will serve as a reminder to adults and children alike that obstacles in the path of life are not an excuse to judge nor a reason to surrender, but merely a challenge to overcome. A Mother's Love is part of Reflections Publishing's "Kids Helping Kids Through Books" series and is written by child author, Anthony Mazza, in collaboration with Emmanuel.

New faculty members for the 2012-2013 school year

Ran “Sophia” Dalton 
Teacher of Lower School Chinese

Joining the Lower School as their new Teacher of Chinese is Sophia Dalton. Sophia has taught Chinese at UC San Diego Extension, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego State University, and San Diego Huaxia Chinese School. Sophia earned her B.A. in Teaching Chinese as Second/Foreign Language at Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, China and her M.A. in Linguistic from San Diego State University.

Tamara Paige
Teacher of Lower School Violin and Co-Director of the Lancer Orchestra

Tamara Paige will be joining the Lower School as their new Teacher of Violin. She is a dedicated music teacher, who brings with her a wide variety of experience in the music field, including Broadway musical theatre experience, conducting the student Pit Orchestra for “The Who’s Tommy” (2012) and “Hairspray: The Musical” (2011). Most recently, Tamara served as the Music Department Chair and Music Director at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. Tamara has a B.A. in Music Education from Arizona State University.

Sergina Bach
Teacher of Middle School Science

The Middle School welcomes Sergina Bach as their new Teacher of Science. Sergina received her B.S. in Physical Education from Bowie State University and her M.A. in Education (with a specialty in Technology) from the University of Alaska. Sergina has over 16 years experience as a middle school math, science and physical education teacher. Most recently, she taught at the Academy of Holy Names in Tampa, Florida.

Nicole Mondello
Teacher of Middle School History and 8th Grade Advisor

Parker is pleased to announce that Nicole Mondello will be the new Teacher of Middle School History and 8th Grade Advisor. Nicole has been a familiar face at the School, most recently serving as a Long-Term Substitute Teacher for Heather Heilman while she was on maternity leave. Prior to coming to Parker, Nicole was a Sixth-Grade Teacher at Holy Trinity School in San Diego. She has a B.A. in History from the University of San Diego and a M.A. in Teaching and History, also from the University of San Diego.

Melanie Taylor
Teacher of Middle and Upper School Art

Melanie Taylor will be joining both the Middle and Upper Schools at the new Teacher of Art. Melanie brings over 20 years experience to Parker, most recently serving as an Upper School Visual Arts Teacher at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to that, Melanie was the Middle and Upper School Visual Arts Teacher at Tasis England, located in London, UK. Melanie received her B.F.A. in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and her M.A. in Fine Art from the University of Southampton, UK and Spain.

Antoinette Allen
Teacher of Upper School Math

Antoinette will be joining the Upper School as a Teacher of Math. Most recently, Antoinette was a Mathematics Teacher at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, PA. She is also active as a Field Hockey and Lacrosse Coach. Antoinette received her B.A. in Economics – Political Science from Columbia University and her M.A. in Mathematics Education, also from Columbia University.

Additional Faculty New Hires

• Jaclyn Erck - Visual Arts Gallery Curator and Photography Assistant
• Emily Gates - Learning Center Teacher and Middle School Language Arts Teacher
• Lindsay Gross - Junior Kindergarten Teacher's Assistant
• Connie Kocherga – Associate Teacher (5th Grade)
• Xiaoqing Liao – Teacher of Upper School Mandarin
• Keven Ford – Teacher of Upper School Pep Band
• Miguel Cembrano – USD Fellows (Middle School)

New staff members for the 2012-2013 school year

Quoc Vo
Director of Technology

Francis Parker is excited to welcome Quoc Vo to its team. Quoc is the new Director of Technology for the School. Quoc brings with him 16 years of experience, most recently serving as the Director of Technology at The Pingry School in Martinsville, New Jersey. Prior to that, Quoc was the Director of Technology at La Jolla Country Day School, here in San Diego. Quoc has a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego, and an M.A. in Education (with an emphasis on technology), also from the University of California, San Diego. Quoc is also an MCSE, Apple Certified Technician.

Shane Schaetz
Manager of Technology

Shane Schaetz will be joining the Technology Department as the Manager of Technology. Shane has been working the in IT field for 16 years, most recently as the Director of Technology at MARCOA Publishing, Inc. for the past 5 years. Shane received his B.S. in Economics and Finance at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Mary Harris
Staff Accountant

Mary Harris will be joining the Business Services Department as the Staff Accountant – a new position on the Finance Team. Mary comes to Parker from La Jolla Playhouse, where she served as the Assistant Director of Finance for the past five years. Mary has a B.A. in Nutrition from San Diego State University and an M.S. in Accountancy from the University of Phoenix.

Rosemary “Rosie” Lopez
Cafeteria Manager

Rosie Lopez will be joining the Cafeteria Team as the Cafeteria Manager at the Mission Hills Campus. Rosie comes to Parker from Tri-City Christian School in Vista, where she served as the Food Services Director for 18 years. She also received her certification as a Certified Food Safety Manager from the National Registry of Food Safety Professional.

Margaret “Maggie” West
School Nurse

Parker is excited to announce that Maggie West will be joining the team as the new School Nurse, serving both the Mission Hills and Linda Vista campuses. Maggie has been working in the nursing field for over 30 years, most recently at Scottsdale Unified School District in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was the School Nurse for 19 years. Maggie has a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Arizona and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.

Bridgett Besinger, Ph.D.
Psychologist

Bridgett Besinger will be joining the Parker Team as the new Psychologist, working with students on both the Mission Hills and Linda Vista campuses. Bridgett is a clinical psychologist, specializing in working with children and families. She recently relocated to California from Ohio, where she worked as a Psychologist for Mount Auburn International Academy, a charter school, and Saint Aloysius-Gonzaga, a private school. Bridgett earned her B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Emory University, her M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University, and her Doctorate of Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Cincinnati.

Additional Staff New Hires

• Monique Vargas – Library Assistant
• David Conner – Assistant Cook (Food Services)
• Victor Corona – Receiver, Delivery and Server (Food Services)
• Dayana Hernandez – Server (Food Services)
• Glenisha Murray - Campus Attendant
• Chesed Reyes - Middle School After-School Aide Supervisor
• Amber Speicher - Middle School After-School Aide
• Eddie Virgen - Middle School After-School Aide
• Jennifer Williams - Middle School After-School Aide

Promotions

• Ana Carapia - Business Operations Associate
• Damara Crone –  Director of the Lower School After School Program
• Adelina Leyva – Catering Coordinator
• Christine Cole – Middle School Dean
• Daniel Lang – Head of Middle School
• Michelle Adelman – Upper School Dean
• Paul Esch – Upper School Dean

Retiring Faculty and Staff

We are grateful for their service to Francis Parker School, and wish them well in their retirement!

Judy Coker                         Judie McDonald                 Armando Torres
Violin Teacher                     LS Technology Teacher       LS Kitchen Supervisor

New Roles on Campus

Congratulations to these faculty on their new posts:

• Michelle Adelman, 12th Grade Dean
• Christi Cole '86, Middle School Dean of Students
• Paul Esch, 11th Grade Dean
• Jeremy Howard, 8th Grade Level Coordinator
• Ceri Keith '86, full-time Middle School Math Teacher
• Dan Lang, Head of Middle School
• Lisa Roudebush, Director of 6-12 Strings and Orchestra

We Bid a Fond Farewell...

...to the following faculty, and wish them all the best in their new endeavors!

• Sarabeth Berk, Middle and Upper School 2D Art Teacher
• Diana Lang, Upper School Math Teacher
• Grant Lichtman, Chief Operating Officer
  
• Pat McKenna, Head of Middle School
• Jennifer Miranda, Network Administrator
  
• Mary Ong-Dean, Middle School History--sabbatical
• Zane Thompson, Lower School Afterschool Director
  
• Lesley Underwood, Middle School Science Teacher

New Faces Coming to Campus this Summer/Fall

A warm welcome to:

• Anoinette Allen, Upper School Math Teacher
• Sergina Bach, Middle School Science Teacher
• Bridgett Besinger, School Psychologist
• Mary Harris, Staff Accountant
  
• Gina Hass, Library Assistant
  
• Nicole Mondello, Middle School Teacher of History and 8th Grade Advisor
• Glenisha Murray, Campus Attendant
  
• Tamara Paige, Lower School Teacher of Violin and Co-Director of the Lancer Orchestra
  
• Sophia Ran Dalton, Lower School Chinese Teacher
• Melanie Taylor, Middle and Upper School Teacher of Art
  
• Quoc Vo, Director of Technology
• Maggie West, School Nurse
  

The future is here! Señor Gomez has created an interactive "textbook" for his Spanish class that is available on iTunes. Latin American Culture Through Media contains 14 chapters filled with many multimedia resources.

Señor Gomez created the book with the help of iAuthor over a period of six months. The final product is 1.2 GB in size and is also being used by San Diego State University.

Each chapter has a film clip intro, from a variety of documentaries and feature films in Spanish.  The chapters also feature photo slide shows, glossary of terms and loads of hyperlinks Internet resources for students to use. 

Plus, there's never an excuse for students to not have their textbook when they come to class--it's even accessible on their iPhones!

With many exciting program changes on the horizon for the 2012 - 2013 year, the Lower School is also announcing teaching transitions for faculty who have expressed interest in taking on some new challenges at other grade levels.  

Next year, Mrs. Christine Watson will move from teaching second to the fourth grade and Mrs. Jennifer Hayman will move from fourth grade to the second grade. We congratulate them on their new team roles.