Life Academy's Administration:

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Preston Thomas: Principal                            

     Mr. Thomas is a graduate of UC Davis and has been a teacher in Oakland for more than fifteen years.  He was a founding member of Life Academy and remains committed to providing transformative learning experiences for our students.   As well as being our principal, Mr. Thomas is a member of the 9th-grade team and the Science deparment.  In his previous position as Assistant Principal at Life Academy, Mr. Thomas earned the title of “Oakland Unified School District’s Assistant Principal of the Year (2007)”.

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Janice Lord-Walker : Assistant Principal

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     Ms. Lord-Walker is a graduate of McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in Microbiology and Immunology with a minor in Chemistry. She earned a Masters Degree in Science Curriculum and Instruction from Hayward State University. This is her first year at Life, but Ms. Lord-Walker has four years' experience in administration, and more than 20 years as a chemistry teacher, biology teacher.  She is dedicated to the academic success of all students and was awarded the Oakland Civic Pride Award for her work with mathematic students, science students and Special Education students. She also earned the Kingsley W. Wrightman, Science Education Award for secondary science teaching. She loves to read about science and education, swim and workout.

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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's exemplary work and dedication earned her the title of “Oakland Unified School District’s Secretary of the Year (2007)”.

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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.

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

                           Reading (10th grade), Physical Education

                email: acostatitohidalgo@gmail.com

   Mr. Acosta is a graduate of UC Riverside, and this is his fifth year at Life Academy. He 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 while teaching outdoor education on field trips into State and National Parks. Mr. Acosta also teaches boxing in the after-school program, and coordinates cultural events and displays for holidays like Día de los Muertos. .

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Richard Boettner: Calculus, Geometry, Math Analysis

                   email:  richlizalex@sbcglobal.net

Mr. Boettner went to Arizona State University, and has been teaching for more almost twenty years. In previous years, his love of cycling lead him to also 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.  Mr. Boettner has also taught classes in outdoor education, hiking, boxing and fitness.

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Mica Bumpus: Biology, Biotechnology

             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. This is her second year at Life Academy, where she aims to share her passion for science and discovery learning.  She also enjoys the outdoors, cooking, running and exploring the Bay Area, and has also taught a class in outdoor education and fitness.

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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 like gardening and welding.  He often spends his summers participating in science-education programs, or working in laboratories and research centers around the Bay Area.

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Brooke Fitzgerald: Special Education: Resource Specialist,

                                Life Skills;

                                Website Administrator; Read 180 Coordinator

                      email: bhfitzgerald@gmail.com

   Mrs. Fitzgerald earned her BA from Griffith University in Australia, and her Master's from San Francisco State. She loves to travel and has explored thirty-seven countries so far. Last year, Mrs. Fitzgerald taught a cultural studies class where students explored history, dance, media and food from all around the world.  Another class focused specifically on the culture of the Bay Area and wrote about it on their class blog. She has also taught classes in reading and in service learning, where students worked with Habitat for Humanity and the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

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

                         Life Skills

              email: mr.kolluri@yahoo.com

     Mr. Kolluri earned a BA in Political Science from UCLA and a Master's degree in education at Stanford University.   In his senior year at UCLA, he wrote an honor's thesis on the involvement of government institutions in the development of ethnic conflict.  He also spent time studying abroad in Spain in order to improve his Spanish language abilities.  He grew up in the Bay Area, has taught in small schools around the Bay Area, and has dedicated his time to youth outreach and education. Mr. Kolluri has also taught a cultural studies class here at Life Academy, where he shared his enthusiasm for world cultures.

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

                       Independent Study;

                       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 in Education. She often uses multimedia and Digital Storytelling in her classroom, and has also lead Digital Storytelling workshops for other teachers and schools.  She has been teaching at Life Academy for more than five years, and has also taught drama, gender studies, yoga, physical fitness and outdoor education.

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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, as well as coaching a girls’ soccer team, and leading classes on martial arts, hiking, swimming and digital photography.

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Jessica Oya: Biology, Earth Science, Physics, CaHSEE Prep

Ms. Oya is a graduate of Scripps College and UC Berkeley, and grew up in Hawaii and Southern California.   Before coming to teach at Life Academy, she served two years in the Peace Corps as an HIV/AIDS health educator in Swaziland.  She enjoys hiking and being outdoors, and loves teaching all kinds of subjects like geography, math, and - of course - science!

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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 also has 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.

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Gina Russell: Algebra, Advanced Algebra

           email:  ms.g.russell@gmail.com  

     Ms. Russell majored in Political Science and Economics at Smith College in Massachusetts. Originally from Iowa, she has lived in several places including Washington, D.C., where she did research on health economics.  She is delighted to be joining the Life Academy community this year, and hopes to share her excitement about math and its use in answering important questions.  She loves music and being outside, and spends her free time discovering the wonders of Oakland.

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Chris Saden: Advanced Algebra

           email:  csaden@gmail.com

     Mr. Saden joins Life Academy from Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended Emory University.   He studied Mathematics and Chemistry, then spent the past year working for Emory's Undergraduate Admission Office.  His commitment to collaboration and the small public schools movement lead him to Oakland, where he plans to share his passion for mathematics and interdisciplinary study.  He also enjoys running, movies, and music.

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Jill Thomas: English (9th-grade), Reading (9th Grade)

          email: ms.j.thomas@gmail.com

  Ms. Thomas earned her undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University, and her Master’s in Education from UC Berkeley. She is a published poet and writer, with her most recent article appearing in the The Education Report. Ms. Thomas speaks Spanish, plays soccer, and takes public transit to school a few times a week to help spare the air.

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Kimberly Young: Humanities (10th-grade), Spanish for Beginners

                   email: ms.kimberly.young@gmail.com

     Ms. Young has no idea who to root for at the Big Game each year between Stanford and UC Berkeley: she gradated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Ethnic Studies and then went to Stanford University to earn a Master's in Education. She was the first person in her entire family to go to college, and strongly believes that a good education is a right for all people: "knowledge is power and we should all be powerful".  Ms. Young has also taught Creative Writing, Yearbook, Documentary Film-making, Dance and Life Skills.

      After School Programs and Academic Enrichment:

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Alejandra Vila: Programs Coordinator

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Krystina Jackson: Internship Co-Ordinator

                   email:

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  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.

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