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
Yerba Buena High School
Counselors

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

Melissa Gunn
  • How many years have you worked at Yerba Buena High School? 7 years.
  • What do you like most about your job? I love getting to know my students and being able to serve as a trusted and reliable source of support for their educational journey. 
  • How do you know when you have made a difference? I know that I've made a difference when I witness students have that "aha moment" and they realize that something is possible that they previously thought was impossible. 
  • What is something that people may not know about you? People may not know that I am the youngest of six siblings.

Vernise Gutierrez
  • How many years have you worked at Yerba Buena High School? 1 year.
  • What do you like most about your job? Helping students create their educational plan and guiding them in accomplishing their goals in higher education. 
  • How do you know when you have made a difference? When students repeatedly seek me out for help, that's when I know I am making a difference in their life. 
  • What is something that people may not know about you? I am a first generation high school and college graduate. 

Sayako Uchida
  • How many years have you worked at Yerba Buena High School? 6 years.
  • What do you like most about your job? I love that I am given the opportunity to build relationships with the diverse student population at Yerba Buena High School so I can learn how to best support each one throughout their high school journey.
  • How do you know when you have made a difference? The most important thing to me is that every student on my caseload knows that I am someone they can go to when they need help, which is difficult to measure. Throughout the years, it feels like there has been a steady increase in the number of students and the diversity of students who visited my office or sought my help.
  •  What is something that people may not know about you? I am an avid ultimate frisbee club player.  

Lina Vasquez-Martinez
  • How many years have you worked at Yerba Buena High School? 7 years.
  • What do you like most about your job? I like building rapport with students throughout the years and help guide them to reach their goals.
  • How do you know when you have made a difference? When students return several years after graduating and reminding me of how much my guidance helped them.
  • What is something that people may not know about you? I come from a farmworker family. Growing up, I used to spend the summers in the strawberry fields helping my parents.

Kudos from the Principal & APED:
"Yerba Buena High School has the best counseling team. Ms. Gunn, Ms. Gutierrez, Ms. Uchida, and Ms. Vasquez are amazing in their roles of supporting Yerba Buena students. Their dedication and hard work by contacting each student and their families to ensure that the students' needs are met and educational goals are set despite COVID-19 pandemic." - Principal Mary Pollett 

"Overall the counseling team is proactive and effective in responding to our students and community needs during these challenging times." - APED Dr. Marron

From left to right: Melissa Gunn, Vernise Gutierrez, Sayako Uchida, Lina Vasquez-Martinez
Nancy Kennett
Piedmont Hills High School
English Teacher/CSF Advisor

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Piedmont Hills High School? 33 years (34 years for ESUHSD).
  2. What do you like most about your job? The students at Piedmont Hills have an incredible work ethic and a passion for community service that make it an ideal place to work.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I know that I have made a difference when students who have had my class sophomore year are elated to be back in F-25 as a senior! I even had a special "club" for "threepeat" students who spent 3 years in my English class. The smiles I get from those students on day one say it all!
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? I am also so proud to serve as a Co-director of the San Jose Area Writing Project Invitational Summer Institute, at SJSU, where I get to direct and coach some of the Bay Areas brightest language arts teachers, kindergarten through college. I have been involved in the SJAWP and the National Writing Project since my first years of teaching and through this program, I believe I have made a great contribution to the teaching of writing and to the profession of teaching.

Kudos from the Principal:
“Nancy is a teacher who truly cares for her students. She is always looking for new ways to support her students and her colleagues. She has worked with the CSF Club to find a way to support the students with their technology questions with distance learning. She is passionate about the PHHS Heritage Fair as a way to recognize the vast variety of heritages and cultures that make up the PHHS community.” - Principal Ginny Davis 
Annette Jones
Andrew P. Hill High School
English Teacher

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked for ESUHSD? 17 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? Learning from the students, sharing ideas with colleagues, and having the opportunity to give back to the community.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I am still trying my best to make a difference but I have been lucky enough to have alumni come back and tell me that they appreciated what I was able to share with them. I never expect it, but when students give thanks, it makes all the challenges feel worthwhile.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? I love to travel, especially to tropical places.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Annette Jones redesigned her English class structure and format to shift towards a "choice model". Students study the same English theme and have a choice between 3-5 novels/reading samples with choices on possible assessments. Mrs. Jones has been our Puente Coordinator for a number of years that is focused on supporting first generation students to enter college. Puente provides structural, social emotional and academic support that will help first generation students to be college and career ready. Annette continues to provide choices and opportunities for all students. She continues to be a positive energy in our AHHS community." - Principal Jose Hernandez 
Greg Duarte
Independence High School
Safety Team/Campus Monitor

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Independence High School? 14 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? I love being a positive role model for students by doing what it takes on campus to make sure our students and student-athletes succeed.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? When past and current students, as well as past and current staff members, keep in close contact with me, whether it is a phone call or an in-person visit.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? That I have been together with my wife for over 40 years and married 37 years.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Mr. Duarte is an active member of our campus community, knowing our students and families, helping guide and support as needed. He takes pride in helping keep our campus safe and focused as an educational institution. GD knows that every day we are helping our students to find their Passion, Purpose, and Path." - Principal Bjorn Berg
Cristina Guerra
Andrew P. Hill High School
Counseling Tech

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Andrew Hill High School? 22 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? I like working with everyone...staff, students, and teachers.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I know I make a difference when students and families come in concerned and upset but leave with a smile.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? My mother, two sisters, and I all graduated from Overfelt High School.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Cristina Guerra is the first person that all community members meet in the Counseling with a friendly smile. She took on the challenge to learn about EARMS and is now able to help any student logging into their DL classes. Mrs. Guerra has been helping students in-person, via School Loop and the phone since Distance Learning began. Her positive energy and willingness to help others is a huge addition to our Falcon community." - Principal Jose Hernandez  
Jose Solis
Mt. Pleasant High School
World Language/English Teacher

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Mt. Pleasant High School? 4 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? The thing that I like the most about my job is inspiring students. Helping students realize that they can be the trailblazers in their families by going to college.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? Making a difference comes in different forms, with students, staff, and administration. I believe that I start making a difference or become a catalyst of change when students seek my assistance on issues or topics beyond my subject, when colleagues enjoy collaborating with me, and when the administration seeks my opinion.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? Something that people may not know about me is that I enjoy live music, especially classic rock.

Kudos from the APED:
"Students and colleagues highly respect Mr. Solis because he is an advocate to the students and has been instrumental in strengthening our services for EL students. In addition, he has also taken on the MTSS leadership, and he is already working hard to include the voices of all stakeholders as we work towards the achievement of a more equitable community. We are delighted that he is part of our Cardinal family!" - APED Adriana Rangel  
Marialicia Serna
Calero High School
Principal's Secretary

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Calero High School? 4 years (15 years total for ESUHSD).
  2. What do you like most about your job? I love that I get to interact with everyone: staff, students, and parents. I like to help problem-solve issues that come up and to help translate for our Latino community.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I know I've made a difference when parents, students, and staff continue to trust me to give them continuous support.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? Something people don't know about me is that I was a makeup artist and traveled to different venues for special events. I also like signing up for 5K and I have 7 medals.

Kudos from the Principal:
"Mari is always willing to go out of her way to help students and staff members. It is obvious that she cares for others. Her positive attitude, patience and kindness make Calero a better place." - Principal Liz Gutierrez  
Rachel Ruiz-Teeple
Evergreen Valley High School
Attendance Secretary

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Evergreen Valley High School? 3 years.
  2. What do you like most about your job? What I like most about my job is working at a school site where all staff have the same objective for all of our students; to make these 4 years of high school, that seem to go by so quickly, as successful, positive and memorable as possible. I also enjoy making a connection with the students and learning what their goals are for the future. The school spirit by both students and staff is refreshing and brings unity within our EVHS community.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I know I have made a difference when a parent or student calls our office for assistance and tells me how much they appreciate that I took the time to listen to their concerns and answer their questions.
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? I am an alumni of ESUHSD...Go YB Warriors!

Kudos from the Principal:
"Rachel has been at EVHS for three years, and during that time, she has formed countless meaningful connections with students, staff, and parents. Parents report that she is responsive, compassionate, and quick to address their concerns. Students and staff appreciate her efforts towards keeping the attendance office organized and helping them when they need it.. Most of all though - Rachel helps connect students to campus and provides support and a compassionate ear, often when they need it the most. Everyone at EVHS is so happy that Rachel is on our staff. She embodies ROAR!" - Principal Kyle Kleckner
Marcela Parrilla
Calero Adult Transition Program
Special Education Teacher

People Behind ESUHSD's Success:

  1. How many years have you worked at Calero High School? 2 years (6 years total for ESUHSD).
  2. What do you like most about your job? What I like most about my job is seeing my students faces when they achieve steps, or a step, that brings them closer to being more independent.
  3. How do you know when you have made a difference? I know I have made a difference when a student says, "I'm having a bad day" or "I'm bored". It is such an accomplishment for our students to speak out and speak up. When they advocate for themselves, I consider that a win!
  4. What is something that people may not know about you? Something people might not know about me is that I am a 2nd generation East Side employee. My dad was a night custodian at Independence High School when I was growing up.

Kudos from the Principal & Adult Transition Program Coordinator: 
 
"Marcela has done an excellent job during distance learning and engages each student in her classes. She has also done a remarkable job with her case management and IEPs." - Principal Liz Gutierrez, Principal

"Marcela has been an incredible addition to the ATP team. She has high expectations for her students and colleagues and is a natural leader. In only her second year, she shows exemplary skills and has cleaned up an overdue caseload left to her. Her students love her and are reaching new heights!" - ATP Coordinator Aaron Lott
Join Us on LinkedIn!
ESUHSD LinkedIn
Help us celebrate our staff and students on our ESUHSD LinkedIn page.

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].