Striving Toward Equitable Communities - Employee Recognitions
Striving Toward Equitable Communities
At East Side, perhaps now more than ever, we need to strive toward Equitable Communities as we pivot toward distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does this mean? It means that we are continuing to strengthen our understanding, actions, and policies in order to continue building capacity among all staff members to ensure that equity and inclusion are essential principles of our school system.

It is incumbent on each and every one of us as employees of East Side to be committed to these principles, from myself as superintendent, to our teachers, PCIS, attendance clerks, directors, maintenance and operation, and so forth. It takes all of us to achieve success for our students! As coined by philosopher Aristotle, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which aptly describes us as a team joined together in this monumental effort.

Every month, we will be recognizing our employees in order to showcase the people behind our student success! Below are examples of our employees creating Equitable Communities at East Side Union High School District.

Thank you for all that you do!

With gratitude,
Chris D. Funk
Superintendent
Mae Hiatt
Independence High School
Science-Marine Biology Teacher

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Independence High School? 18 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? I love being able to teach students about the environment, about Marine Science. I love interacting with wonderful young adults in our community, watching them grow and develop into thoughtful critical thinkers who are curious and question the world around them and begin to open their eyes about human impact on our planet.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? It's when you see that "light bulb" go off in their head, that sparkle in their eyes start to shine when they come in and ask a million questions about the topics we're learning. I know I've made a difference when I hear from alumni years down the road reach out to me and tell me they were inspired to pursue environmental science or marine biology in higher education or that they took an Oceanology class at their community college or that they now volunteer to do Coastal Clean-up every year at the beach to help our environment.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? I'm a mother of two wonderful children, happily married to my high school sweetheart. My family and I love the outdoors, camping, hiking, swimming. I am a COVID-19 survivor, developed it almost 6 months ago and was hospitalized for about a week. It's taken months to recover and I'm still on the path towards healing. Being a COVID-19 survivor definitely puts things into perspective, it makes you realize what's important and what really matters. I'm thankful for my family and the health that I do have.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Ms. Hiatt is the backbone of our Marine Biology program. She is a caring and resourceful teacher, and well loved by our students and staff. She has built an extremely popular program and is a core member of our outstanding science department." - Principal Bjorn Berg
Mirra Shernock
Pegasus High School
English Teacher

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Pegasus High School? 12 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? I like seeing my students, many of whom have had very little academic success, begin to see themselves as students. I cry real tears every year at graduation.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I don't think teachers are the ones who make a difference. We get to be here when students turn their lives around. It's amazing!
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? I collect bookmarks!

Kudos from the Principal:
"Ms. Shernock is a caring and devoted educator who helps students find success at Pegasus High School. She's committed to meeting them where they are and helping them achieve their goals while celebrating their voices." - Principal Bjorn Berg
Toan "Tony" Dang
Calero High School
Custodian

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Calero High School? 7 years (10 years total for ESUHSD).
  2. What do you like most about your job? I like working at Calero because it is a family here. I feel like everybody knows me and I know everybody pretty well, too. People trust me to get the job done, and I have a lot of autonomy in how to do that.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I have made the difference whenever I see people smile on campus. I especially enjoy overhearing visitors say how beautiful and clean the campus is.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? People may not know that I was a refugee from the Philippines. That was 1989 to 2005. I believe in trustworthiness, a positive and caring attitude, and working hard. I love my family, cooking, and listening to music.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Calero High School is lucky to have Tony as our custodian. For the past eight weeks, as we have been hiring our head custodian, Tony has been the only custodian on campus. He has a positive attitude and has done a phenomenal job keeping the campus clean and safe. He is an invaluable part of our community and I am happy to recognize him for his work on campus." - Principal Liz Gutierrez  
Justine Kunkel
Piedmont Hills High School
Student Advisor and 504 Coordinator

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Piedmont Hills High School? 7 years (10 years total for ESUHSD).
  2. What do you like most about your job? What I like most about my job is working closely with students who typically struggle socially, emotionally, and academically in school. I enjoy being able to build a rapport with these students, and becoming someone who is an additional resource and support throughout their high school journeys.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I know I have made a difference when a student is able to push through their obstacles and find success. It is when a student excitedly tells me that they figured out what they want to do with their lives after high school, with an understanding of the requirements and exactly what it will take for them to pursue that path. It is when a student who barely made it walks across the stage for graduation. It is when a student seeks me out because a friend of theirs told them that I was someone trustworthy that they could confide in. It is when a parent becomes more understanding of their child, and works to support and accept them for who they are, and the goals that they hope to accomplish.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? Something that people may not know about me is that I am a bit of a romantic. I love sappy movies, poetry, and fresh-cut flowers.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Justine is a former academic counselor who in the past year, switched over to being a student advisor. Justine is an outspoken and passionate advocate for students and for the staff. She works tirelessly to help all students find success in all of their classes. She walks the walk and talks the talk for the work we are doing as a school and a district. To me, she is the embodiment of what is meant "Equitable Communities." Principal Ginny Davis 
Antonio Centeno and Laura Taylor
Santa Teresa High School
Special Education, Co-chairpersons and Teachers

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  • How many years have you worked for ESUHSD?
  • Antonio: 19 years.
  • Laura: 16 years.
  • What do you like most about your job?
  • Antonio: Enjoying the working and trusting relationship established with all my students and families, which is made possible by the constant collaboration kept with a network of professional school staff members who provide input and feedback to help me provide the most appropriate education and the best school experience possible for each one of my students.
  • Laura: The feeling of being part of a wonderful family. Santa Teresa has the most unique staff. We truly come together to support one another in all areas of life. We laugh, cry and root for one another. The students catch on really quickly and know that ST staff want what is best for them, academically and socially. Our community is one of a kind!
  • How do you know when you have made a difference?
  • Antonio: When I see students realize and express, to celebrate, reaching their short-term goals, as well as when alumni reach out to let me know how they are doing and want to share their accomplishments or to ask for help or guidance.
  • Laura: For years I questioned how I've made a difference, and year after year I would have students return to say thank you or return just to chat. I've come to realize that sometimes you might not "see" the light bulb moment, but when you get the visits, it's like my light goes off. Students are truly amazing!
  • What is something that people may not know about you?
  • Antonio: Few people know that Education is not the field I specialized in. It all changes when I obtained a temporary substitute assignment in a class for students receiving Special Education Services. Three days became weeks, weeks became a whole academic year. The Special Education field became my calling.
  • Laura: I am a graduate of Santa Teresa, c/o 2000. During my high school career my family moved home to Sicily, Italy where I got to experience a different educational system, but returned in time to graduate. I am grateful to know how to speak Italian and Sicilan, and I can't wait to visit Sicily and show my husband and 2 boys where I lived for part of my upbringing. Many don't know that I chose to be a Special Education teacher because I witnessed first hand the struggles of my mother who is visually and hearing impaired. With her "can do" attitude I knew that disability did not equate to "not being able to" but rather to embrace the challenges head on.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Mr. Centeno does an amazing job supporting our Special Education Staff, Students and Families. He goes above and beyond to ensure that our Moderate/Severe Program runs smoothly- that curricular needs are met, that parents' concerns are addressed in a timely manner, that the utmost care for our students is exercised daily. This school year, a new Life Skills course was integrated into the overall design or our Moderate/Severe Program. Essential daily living skills are presented to students with highly engaging, hands-on activities, and these lessons will help our students ultimately transition from high school to early adulthood. Mr. Centeno is constantly collaborating with staff and our ST Families to improve our special services. He is extremely knowledgeable, dedicated, and an absolute joy to work with! 

We are so excited that Ms. Taylor joined our Instructional Leadership Team (Team of Department Chairs) this school year! She hit the ground running as a first-year Co-Department Chair. She was integral in ensuring that all students receiving special services were placed in the correct classes this fall. With school closures last spring, and limited opportunities to meet with our feeder schools, she collaborated with our feeder school contacts and Specialist to persistently acquire student files, to review students' progress to ensure appropriate leveling, and reached out to families to make sure that any concerns they had about fall opening were addressed to great satisfaction. Ms. Taylor is a role model for how excellent IEP Meetings are conducted, is an advocate for streamlining and communicating systems and processes for improving services, and brings a level of enthusiasm to her work everyday that is positively contagious." - Principal Vivian Rhone-Lay
Wendy Holtz and Joseph Frankina
Oak Grove High School
Student Advisors

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

How many years have you worked in education and in what capacity?
  • Wendy: I've worked in education since 1991. I got my start teaching English in Spain. I worked in private schools before coming to Oak Grove in 2004 as an ELD teacher. I have been a Student Advisor since August, 2017.
  • Joseph: I have taught high school English for 20 years. I have been an advisor of an art and literary magazine, wrestling coach, and baseball coach. This is my 6th year in ESUHSD, and my first year at OG as a Student Advisor.
What do you like most about being a part of Oak Grove's Talon Team? How do you know you've made a difference?
  • Wendy: Of course, it's the kids that make the job more than a job. When there is a connection to a student, whether academically or socially, I feel I've made a small difference. 
  • Joseph: I enjoy that each day is different and brings new challenges. Working through the challenges is rewarding. One of the greatest ways I know that I've made a difference is when students “grow up” and want to contact me to let me know about their own families, carriers, and children. The fact that they want to share this with me as adults makes me feel like I have impacted them in some way. I love to think that I helped in the process of developing them as responsible citizens who play an important role in our society. I get to see the fruits of my labor, so to speak.
What is your "why" for being a Student Advisor?
  • Wendy: I am a Student Advisor because I like being able to see students outside of the classroom, and seeing other sides to them.
  • Joseph: I want to help the underserved, underrepresented, struggling, and most needy students. I strive to make a positive impact on their lives—an impact that might last a lifetime.
What is something that people may not know about you?
  • Wendy: One thing people may not know about me is that I got my degree in fine art. During the shutdown and summer, I started oil painting after not doing it for a long time.
  • Joseph: I play keyboards and sing in a blues/rock band. We play all over the Bay Area at festivals, restaurants, bars, parties, etc.
What about working at Oak Grove brings you the most joy?
  • Wendy: One thing about Oak Grove is the intradepartmental feeling of comraderie among all staff.
  • Joseph: I love that this is my community. I live a mile away and my own children go to OG. I am excited to make a difference where I live!

Kudos from the Principal:
"Wendy Holtz and Joseph Frankina are Student Advisors, and key members of Oak Grove's Talon Team. In the seven weeks that they have worked together, they have done an amazing job with the following:
  • Offering individual support for students struggling to engage in distance learning, whether due to technology constraints or outside obstacles;
  • Conducting home visits to ensure the well-being of students and seeing if students have the resources they need to engage in distance learning;
  • Creating "how-to" videos to help staff with tech issues and to aquaint students with people and resources on campus
  • Providing support to the bookroom
  • Assisting administrators with reopening protocols
Wendy and Joseph are friendly, outgoing, and eager to meet the needs of staff, students, and families." - Principal Martha Brazil
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If you have positive stories about teachers, staff, students and exciting events at your site, we'd like to know about it. Email Linda Ornelas at [email protected].