Welcome New Poly Faculty and Staff!

Beatriz Ascencion will join our Lower School faculty team as a third grade teacher. Beatriz comes to us from Westside Neighborhood School in Los Angeles. In her role, Beatriz shared teaching responsibilities with the first grade teachers such as planning and teaching differentiated learning groups, communicating with parents, and leading whole-class lessons in subjects such as social studies. Since the transition to distance learning, Beatriz has taken-on additional responsibilities to help further support the differentiation of instruction, provide community building, and highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion. Beatriz most recently helped to provide safe spaces for students in Middle School to discuss issues that affect the Latinx community. Beatriz earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and has her certificate in Early Childhood Educations from UCLA extension. We are very excited to welcome Beatriz to the Poly community!

Evelyn Barrientos will teach Upper School Spanish and join our World Language Department this fall. Evelyn comes to Poly from Saint Monica Catholic High School where she taught Spanish II, II, Honors III, and Spanish IV. Evelyn uses comprehensive input strategies to increase student language uptake and has successfully transitioned students from college prep Spanish courses to Honors and AP courses. Evelyn earned her M.A. in Spanish from California State University, Long Beach and her B.A. in Spanish from California State University, Long Beach. Please give Evelyn a warm welcome when you see her on campus!

Benjamin Cherel will join our Upper School World Language Department and teach French. Benjamin is a native speaker and holds dual citizenship with the U.S. and France since 2014. Benjamin previously served as a Lecturer in French at Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr College. Benjamin’s passion for French is nurtured by regularly attending professional development training in foreign language pedagogy and technology as a learning tool. As a teacher, Benjamin likes to enrich the classroom textbooks by exposing his students to complex, carefully selected social and cultural materials. Benjamin earned his M.A. in French as a Foreign Language from the Universite de Grenoble, France, in addition to an M.A. in Sociology from the Universite de Grenoble. Benjamin also earned his Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies in Sociology and French Literature from the Universite de Grenoble.  

 

Elaine Chiu joins the Lower School faculty and will teach fifth grade. Elaine comes to us from St. Luke’s School in New York City where she served as an Associate and Lead Teacher for third grade. In this role, Elaine co-planned and co-taught with peer teachers in all academic areas (reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, math, social studies, science and social emotional learning that were Common Core aligned). Elaine collaborated with other teachers by implementing cross curriculum studies in art, social studies, reading, writing, and science. Elaine also created and implemented a unit on social justice for third grade. Elaine earned her M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Hunter College, City College of New York and her B.A. in English from Binghamton University, State University of New York. Please welcome Elaine to the Poly community! 

Brady Frome joins the Poly faculty as the Lower School/Middle School Theater instructor this fall. Brady comes to us from the Millikan School in Sherman Oaks, CA where he has served as Chair of the Performing Arts Department. During his tenure at Millikan, Brady produced two musicals and several student showcases each year, and was responsible for the directing, set design, working with musical directors and choreographers, fundraising, lighting and sound, publicity, and merchandising of every production. Brady also taught novice through advanced acting classes and hands-on stage and technology courses, including theater lighting, sound, and operation. Brady earned his M.A. in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles and his B.A. in Theater Education from Emerson College in Boston, MA. Please welcome Brady to Poly this fall!

Caitlin Fuller joins our Middle School and Upper School as a one-year Visual Arts teacher. Caitlin previously taught at Hermosa Valley School in Hermosa Beach and designed and implemented Visual Arts curriculum informed by the California Arts Standards for Public Schools for students in grades 6-8. Caitlin engaged students in a wide-range of 2D and 3D media and incorporated technology in her curriculum using Google Classroom, G-Suite and 21st century-skills. Caitlin's student-led curriculum focused on leadership and community engagement and included a partnership with Sandy Hook Promise. Caitlin earned her B.A. from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Please warmly welcome to Caitlin to Poly!

 

Zariah Ivory will join our Middle School faculty team as a long-term Science instructor while Maria D’Amato is on maternity leave. Zariah comes to us from the Manhattan Court for Science and Math in New York City where she served as a Special Education Teacher. In this role, Zariah instructed students individually and in groups using various teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations and would confer with staff, parents and students. Zariah actively observed, recorded and updated behavior journals and grade books. Zariah planned and conducted activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provided students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate. During her time at Manhattan Court, Zariah successfully improved students’ participation in the classroom through varied instructional methods. Zariah earned her M.S. in Education from St. John’s University, Queens, NY and her B.A. in Business Administration from CUNY Lehman College, Bronx, NY. Please give a warm welcome to Zariah when you see her on campus.

 

Ricki Pai joins our Upper School faculty this fall as our one-year Mandarin instructor. Ricki has taught elementary to college level Mandarin for a number of years in both independent and public schools including Cate School in Carpinteria, CA. Ricki believes it is important to provide students with a well-designed systematic target language curriculum and a culturally enriched environment for learning. Ricki earned her B.A. from Tunghai University, Republic of China, Taiwan and recently earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (English Learner Authorization) and Single Subject Teaching Credential (Mandarin) from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.  We are very happy to welcome Ricki to Poly!

Anushka Rai joins our Lower School faculty as a fourth grade teacher. Anushka comes to Poly from Ribet Academy in Los Angeles where she taught kindergarten. Anushka engaged in a variety of activities (songs, stories, media, structured games, art, outdoor activities) and instructional methods (including online learning) to motivate and inspire children’s innate abilities. Anushka also assessed student progress on a regular basis and created lesson plans based on each student’s needs. Prior to Ribet Academy, Anushka taught at the Lentera Kasih School in Jakarta, Indonesia where she was a first grade teacher (English and Science) and a second and third grade teacher (Science). In this capacity, Anushka trained new teachers with an emphasis on classroom control and provided weekly updates to parents to ensure regular feedback. Anushka also taught at the Singapore International School in Jakarta as a third grade teacher of English, Science, and Math and a fourth and fifth grade instructor for Science. Anushka earned her B.A. from Curtin University of Technology, in Perth, Australia.   

 

Barry Vargo will teach Upper School Mathematics in the fall. Barry comes to us from Westtown School in West Chester, PA. In his former role, Barry taught Geometry, Geometry Essential, Geometry Advanced, Algebra II, and Algebra Advanced. Barry also designed and implemented project-based learning modules that included Election Theory Unit, Sequence & Inductive Proofs Unit, and Cross-divisional unit on the intersection between geometric street design and cultural segregation. Barry also led a professional cohort and a faculty working committee to facilitate ongoing faculty education in their field of study and produced community presentations on a variety of topics, including set theory, the experience of Asian Americans, and the biochemistry of the adolescent brain. Barry also coached boys’ soccer and scenic art design. Barry earned his B.S. in Physics with a Math Minor from Lafayette College in Easton, PA. We are thrilled to welcome Barry to the Poly community!

Bree Waterstradt will teach Upper School Science. Bree comes to Poly from Colegio Nueva Granada, a bilingual international school in Bogota, Colombia. Bree brings a wealth of teaching experience, having taught AP Biology, Pre-AP Biology, Earth Science, and Anatomy and Physiology. At her previous school, Bree also led a team of seven science teachers by planning department meetings and serving as a liaison between administration and the faculty. Before joining Colegio Nueva Granada, Bree taught Mathematics at Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA. Bree earned her M.A. in Biological Instruction from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, UT. We are excited to welcome Bree to the Poly community!

 

Rachel Will joined the Communications team as the Marketing Copywriter in July 2020. Rachel comes to Poly from the University of California, Riverside as an experienced teaching assistant where she inspired student interest and improved their analytical writing in a safe, constructive, and supportive environment. Rachel also served as a Managing Editor for “US–China Today” a publication of the University of Southern California where she taught a team of 20 USC student writers about the fundamentals of feature writing and reporting for an international audience. Rachel edited innovative news articles including digital features, video packages, infographics, and social media analysis. Rachel believes in community involvement and has lead free college essay workshops for under-resourced students in the greater Orange County area and annually organizes Queer Youth Voices workshop for students writing toward their LGBTQIA+ identity. Rachel earned her B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Southern California. Please welcome Rachel to Poly!