Life Academy's Administration:

Erik Rice: School Principal;

                 Teacher: Psychology

      email: erik.rice@ousd.k12.ca.us 

   Mr. Rice is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and has been educator for almost fifteen years. Before becoming principal, Mr. Rice taught in the Humanities department and continues to teach courses such as Psychology, outdoor education, and service learning. 

.

Preston Thomas: Assistant Principal;

                             Teacher: Biotechnology, Biology

Mr. Thomas is a graduate of UC Davis. He is a founding member of Life Academy, and has been teaching in Oakland for more than thirteen years. As well as being our Assistant Principal, Mr. Thomas continues to teach in the Science department. His exemplary work as Assistant Principal earned him the title of “Oakland Unified School District’s Assistant Principal of the Year (2007)”.

.

Alicia Garibaldi: Administrative Office-Manager, School Secretary

    Alicia grew up in Oakland, and has spent much of her professional career working for the Oakland school district. She does an extraordinary amount of tasks to keep the administrative side of Life Academy functioning, working closely with staff, teachers, parents and students to make sure that all administrative needs are met. Alicia is an outstanding school secretary: she was recently awarded the title of “Oakland Unified School District’s Secretary of the Year (2007)”.

.

.

Venus Mesui: Site Coordinator, SART Chairperson, Community Liaison

   Venus is a founding staff member of Life Academy, and her title of Site Coordinator does not adequately describe her level of service and dedication to the school. Venus advocates for parents and students, helps with administrative tasks, organizes community and student events, counsels and supports students, supports teachers and staff, and creates opportunities and positive experiences for our students. She is also our front-of-house manager, representing Life Academy to visiting officials and community members.

.

.

Parent Coordinators: Alma Ramos and Patricia Medina

Both of them parents of Life Academy students, Mrs. Ramos and Mrs. Medina provide invaluable support to Life Academy. This includes coordinating parent involvement on school-based events and committees, contacting parents to provide information about school, acting as an immediate contact/intervention for students who arrive late, and enriching student-centered, cultural programs here at school

.

.

Antonio Acosta: Spanish for Spanish-Speakers (EPH), Reading,

                           Physical Education

                email: tito3099@yahoo.com

   Mr. Acosta is a graduate of UC Riverside. He has had more than thirty jobs before becoming a teacher, and the many skills he gained in those professions helps to enrich his students' experiences: his previous involvement with forestry and environmental research comes in handy during extended field trips into State and National Parks. Mr. Acosta teaches boxing in the after-school program, and coordinates cultural events and displays for holidays like Día de los Muertos.

.

.

Richard Boettner: Calculus, Geometry, Math Analysis, Trigonometry

                   email:  richlizalex@sbcglobal.net

Mr. Boettner went to Arizona State University, and has been teaching for more than fifteen years. In previous years, his love of cycling lead him to teach cycling and triathlon classes, while his passion for social justice developed into an elective on the media and its influence on society, culture and politics. 

.

Mica Bumpus: Biology

             email: mmbumpus@gmail.com

    Ms. Bumpus is an Oklahoma native and a graduate of Texas A&M where she studied Allied Health and Asian Studies. Her commitment to public education and the small schools movement brought her to Oakland. She is incredibly excited to join the team at Life Academy and share her passion for science and discovery learning. In addition to her love for science, she enjoys the outdoors, cooking, running and exploring her new home, the Bay Area. 

.

,

Toai Dao: Chemistry, Advanced Biology; School Testing Coordinator

       email: toaidao@gmail.com

Mr. Dao is a graduate of the University of Illinois, majoring in Science and Sociology. He has been teaching in Oakland for almost ten years. As well as being a member of the science department, Mr. Dao has taught electives such as gardening and welding.  He often spends his summers participating in science-education programs, or working in laboratories and research centers around the Bay Area.

.

.

Brooke Fitzgerald: Resource Specialist, Special Ed Coordinator

                                Teacher:  Reading, CaHSEE Prep (ELA), Life Skills

                                Website Administrator; Read 180 Coordinator

                     email: bhfitzgerald@gmail.com

   Mrs. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, and is currently completing her Master’s at San Francisco State. She loves to travel and has explored thirty-six countries so far. Last year, Mrs. Fitzgerald's students traveled around the Bay Area and blogged all about it on www.whysupoakland.blogspot.com. She has also taught classes in service learning, working with Habitat for Humanity and the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

.

Carlos Herrera: Spanish, Reading

Mr. Herrera is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, and has a Master’s from the University of San Francisco. He grew up in Oakland, and has been in Oakland for his entire teaching career.   Outside of Life, he is a director of Education Without Borders International, a non-profit organization focused on cross-cultural education: in summer 2006, four Life Academy students went to Costa Rica as part of that program.Mr. Herrera has also taught cooking, backpacking, hip-hop, swimming and Documentary Filmmaking.

.

Suneal Kolluri: Humanities (11th-grade), Economics, US Government, 

                         Life Skills

              email: mr.kolluri@yahoo.com

.

Yumi Matsui: Humanities (11th-grade), English (12th-grade),

                       Life Skills; 11th- and 12th-grade Program Coordinator

            email: yumimatsui@yahoo.com

   Ms. Matsui went to UC Santa Barbara for her undergraduate degree and Stanford University for her Master’s.   She often uses Digital Storytelling in her classroom, and has also lead workshops for other teachers and schools.  She has been teaching at Life Academy for five years, and has also taught drama and outdoor education.

.

Steven Miller: Physics, Physical Education

Mr. Miller is a graduate of Antioch College in Ohio, and has been a teacher in Oakland for more than twenty years. He has also been a union representative for many of those years, and was recently a guest-speaker on the subject at a conference in British Colombia.  In previous years at Life Academy, Mr. Miller has taught many different classes within the Science department, coached a girls’ soccer team, and lead classes on martial arts, hiking and swimming.

.

.

.

Federick Ngo: Geometry, Advanced Algebra, Trigonometry

                        CaHSEE Preparation (Math)

             email:  mrfngo@gmail.com

    Mr. Ngo attended Stanford University for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition to his work in the math department, he has also taught a dance elective at Life Academy for the last three years and is a coordinator of the AZN Club.  Mr. Ngo often spends his summers in Cambodia as part of a program to increase children's access to healthcare and education.

.

Emily Rigotti: Health and Bioscience, Biotechnology, Physiology;

                       Internship Co-coordinator

             email: emilyrigotti@gmail.com

Ms. Rigotti is a graduate of UC Berkeley, and a passionate fan of the Cal Bears. She is currently earning her Masters of Education from Alliant International University. In addition to her classes in the Science department, she has taught a cooking class at Life Academy, conducted service-learning activities, and coordinated student involvement in health-awareness programs around the Bay Area.

.

.

.

Adam Roberts: Algebra, Geometry

               email: adarob@gmail.com

     Mr. Roberts earned degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He was drawn to Life Academy due to his interest in computational biology, a subfield of biotechnology and the topic of his undergraduate thesis. Mr. Roberts also has a passion for books, music, film, dance, and other media. His current social interests lie in social justice, economic policy, and the educational achievement gap.

.

.

Jill Thomas: English (9th-grade), Reading and CaHSEE Prep (ELA)

          email: ms.j.thomas@gmail.com

  Ms. Thomas received her undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University, and her Master’s in Education from UC Berkeley. She is a published poet and writer, and she encourages all of her students to participate in Poetry Slams and enter poetry competitions. Ms. Thomas is dedicated to recycling, sustainable agriculture and energy conservation, and last year taught a class where students participated in organic gardening and reforestation projects.

........

.

Kimberly Young: Humanities (10th-grade), Life Skills

                   email: ms.kimberly.young@gmail.com

Ms. Young gradated from UC Berkeley and earned her Master’s at Stanford University. She was the first person in her entire family to go to college, and strongly believes that education is a right, not a privilege. She has helped run summer intervention programs and attended summer conferences in order to ensure her students get all the opportunities they deserve.  Ms. Young has also taught Creative Writing, yearbook editing and Documentary Film-making.

      After School Programs and Academic Enrichment:

.

.

Ariana Schoellhorn: Coordinator

   Ariana has a BA in Outdoor Education and a Master’s in Education, both from San Francisco State. She’s been working in Youth Programming for 8 years, 2 of which were served in Oakland with Alternatives in Action: HOME Project. She feels a very strong connection Oakland, the community she loves and now calls home. Ariana has also worked as a white-water river guide, an international service-learning leader, a snowboard instructor, and a sea kayak naturalist. She loves the outdoors, traveling, and performing, as well as good food, pedicures, interior design, and sunshine.

.

Dania Caballo:  Internship Coordinator,  Academic Liason

   Dania is a graduate of UC Berkeley where she also played soccer for the Division 1 Women's Soccer team. She was born and raised in Oakland and has maintained a strong connection to her family's home country: Chile. Dania enjoys laughing, traveling, writing poetry, and working with youth from all over the world. Outside of Life, she works as a Youth Outreach Consultant for OUSD.

.

  CCIC staff: Nanci Roman (Director), Leticia Fierro, Adriana Perez,

                  Erika Denise Garcia and Sannah Rahim

The CCIC has been a part of Life Academy since we opened in 2001, and has been a huge support in assisting our graduates to enter higher education. The CCIC supports Life Academy students by finding pathways to colleges, internships, and jobs in their chosen fields, as well as assisting students with applications, personal statements, resumes, and interview preparation.

.

.

    METS Affiliate: Javarte Bobino

METS works with the CCIC to provide and college and career training, on-site work-experience and field trip opportunities.