By Janice Wong, Staff Writer
With the arrival of the 2020-2021 school year, TCHS welcomed 10 new faculty members.
These changes follow after nine teachers handed in their resignation notices last year. They accepted the Supplementary Retirement Plan, which allowed retirees to continue receiving monthly pay.
New teachers in the math department include AP Statistics and Precalculus teacher Hideaki Tokunaga, AP Calculus AB and BC teacher Jeannie Martinez and Algebra 2 teacher Samantha Hong.
“Everyone has been very warm and welcoming,” Martinez said. “I am really looking forward to being back in the classroom making personal connections with my students and colleagues.”
After being a substitute for two years, science teacher and TCHS alumnus Christopher Cunningham replaced former AP Environmental Science teacher Scott Randles.
“I feel at home here at TCHS even though I am relatively new [though] in some ways it feels like I never left,” Cunningham said. “My favorite part about teaching science is passing on the torch of knowledge to the next generation and seeing what they do with it.”
Laura Torres-Rubio is a new Spanish teacher. Reginald Cordero is the new music director, following Bert Ferntheil’s retirement. The district also brought in Tammi Alderman, the new choir teacher for TCHS and Oak Avenue Intermediate. She replaced Matthew Byers and now leads the Brighter Side Singers.
The school hired Special Education instructor Catherine Campanella-Khachatryan. Nairy Aintablian and Raul Acevedo also joined the counseling department. Cassandra Ruiz is the new speech and language pathologist.
Some teachers transitioned into different roles. Former math teacher Nate Slaymaker is currently a campus counselor.
“I have always had a passion for helping students,” Slaymaker said. “I look forward to interacting with students in more meaningful ways, supporting their mental well-being and spurring them on toward their academic goals.”
Brandon Rivas now teaches Government and Economics instead of Special Education. Susan Hook switched from art to Special Education.
“My expectation is that the teachers not only bring the passion of their subject to the school, but they share that passion with our students,” Principal Richard Lohman said. “It’s to ignite that passion within and to share their experiences.”