Welcome to the new school year! We are so excited to be your administrative team and support system here at school.
We have an open door policy, and welcome your input. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us if you have a concern, or if you would like us to celebrate something with you. As a school community we know by working together we can accomplish our goals.
Our children are our greatest treasure and our goal is to provide each child with the tools they need to grow academically, emotionally, artistically, physically and socially. We thank you so much for sharing your children with us and we welcome the opportunity to be educational partners with each of you. Warmly, Sarah Saluta, Executive Director Kathy Osterhout, Principal Bernie McFarland, Vice Principal
Teachers
Ms. Sarah Saluta
Executive Director
I am honored to be the Executive Director of San Diego Cooperative Charter School! I have been working at this school since 2005. Over the years, I have seen the school grow just as I have. My teaching career brought me from Michigan to California via Arizona. I have taught
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Ms. Kathy Osterhout
Principal
I love being a part of the community at SDCCS, and to be your Principal. I have worked at SDCCS since 2010, when I joined the team as a school counselor. I began my career as a counselor in my hometown, just off the Navajo Reservation. My husband and I
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Ms. Bernie McFarland
Vice Principal
The SDCCS mission statement is what brought me to this community and the teachers, leaders, and parents who work to keep the mission statement front and center, has kept me here for 11 years. I feel so fortunate to be part of a team of educators who are passionate about
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Teachers
Teachers
Ms. Deb Schabel
TK (Transitional Kindergarten)
This is my 21st year as a teacher. I was born and raised in Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in December of 1992. In 1993, I began my teaching career as a 1st grade teacher in Waco, Texas. The following
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Ms. Savonia Guy
Kindergarten
My name is Savonia Guy, and I am one of SDCCS’s Kindergarten Teachers. I have been teaching all ages of early childhood since 2012 and have been a Kindergarten teacher at our incredible school since 2019. I am a Reggio-inspired educator and have been teaching for many years. I began
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Ms. Jocelyn Calica
Kindergarten
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Ms. Abby Stephenson
1st Grade
I studied Elementary Education at Purdue University and graduated in May of 2001. My husband and I moved to beautiful San Diego in 2002 where I soon began teaching at a small private school. I completed my Master’s at Loyola Marymount University, majoring in Child and Adolescent Literacy in 2007.
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Ms. Jaki Henry
1st Grade
My name is Jacqueline (Jaki) Henry. I am one of the first grade teachers at SDCCS. I graduated from San Francisco State in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Elementary Teaching. In 2021 I moved to San Diego to attend the University of San Diego.
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Ms. Gabby Ray
2nd Grade
I have been a part of the SDCCS family since my son started kindergarten in 2006. He has now graduated and moved on to high school, but SDCCS is still family and I am honored to continue to teach, learn, and love here. I believe that nurturing relationships with my
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Ms. Jessie Witt
2nd Grade
Jessie Witt is a first grade teacher who recently received her Masters of Education degree from the University of San Diego. She is passionate about applying learner-centered teaching practices in the classroom. Jessie brings research in educational neuroscience into her teaching, using brain-friendly strategies to maximize engagement and retention of
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Ms. Anu Hazzan
3rd Grade
Hello there, everyone! I am Anu Hazzan. Back in 2020, I earned my bachelor's degree in Special Education, and for the past couple of years, I have taught Financial Literacy and Algebra I at a therapeutic boarding school in Connecticut. The summer of 2022 brought a new chapter in my
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Ms. Kaitlyn Ledgard
3rd Grade
Hi! My name is Kaitlin Ledgard and I am beyond excited to join the SDCCS family.
I am a native San Diegan who graduated with a Bachelors in Liberal Studies from California State University San Marcos. I currently continuing my education within Point Loma Nazarene University’s Master of Arts in Teaching
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Ms. Danika Hochberger
4th Grade
Hi! I’m Danika Hochberger and I am so excited to be a third grade teacher here at SDCCS! I feel so lucky to be a part of such a beautiful community. I am a recent SDSU graduate and love to explore the world around me! I love working with kids
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Ms. Ana Bedoy Medina
4th Grade
Hello Everyone. I am Ana Medina and go by Ms.Ana. I graduated from SDSU with a B.A. in Chicana/o Studies and have a California teaching credential. I have been teaching elementary for the past 15 years. My husband Bob and I decided to give international teaching a try in 2009.
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Ms. Whitney Schulze
5th Grade
I am a native San Diegan, who left home to explore the world after graduating from Point Loma High School. I received a degree in International Business from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and pursued a career in Human Resources in Washington, D.C. After 4 years of training adults I
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Ms. Nicolette Stebbin
5th Grade
I grew up in Orange County, California, before moving to San Diego for college. Once here, I never left. San Diego is my home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I studied Communication and Social Psychology in my undergraduate before pursuing a Master’s in Education at UCSD. I
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Ms. Sophia Flores
Middle School (Humanities 6th)
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Mr. Jeff Plapp
Middle School (Humanties 7)
2020-2021 marks Jeff Plapp’s 17th year with SDCCS and his sixteenth total as a teacher. Jeff graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. He continues to paint and sculpt as time allows.
Jeff earned his teaching credential and Masters Degree through National University after a
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Mr. Julian Rico
Middle School (Humanities 8)
This is Julian’s eighth year teaching Humanities at SDCCS. Before he became a part of the SDCCS family he taught English at San Diego High School. On his journey to become a teacher he taught in a number of different settings: from in-home tutor, to ESL teacher and long term
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Ms. Taylor Davis
Middle School (STEM 6)
After graduating with a BA in International Relations and Human Rights from UC Davis, I began a career in university development. I planned events and raised money to support research and education in energy efficiency and sustainable transportation. After about four years I realized that though I loved supporting the
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Mr. Jared Gualtieri
Middle School (STEM 7)
I have been teaching 7th Grade Math and Science since 2019, after doing my student teaching here at SDCCS. I love being a teacher and encouraging students to embrace their curiosity to explore the world around us.
I enjoy exploring nature, playing and listening to music, reading, and spending quality time with
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Ms. Jean Dugan
Middle School (STEM 8)
Hello and welcome. I am the 8th grade Math and Science teacher and SDCCS Math Lead, K-8. I joined the SDCCS family in 2010 when my son entered kindergarten. In 2015, I became a classroom teacher and loved teaching Math and History to Bridging (5th Grade). In 2020, I transitioned
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Ms. Mayra de Alba
Dance/Music Teacher
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Ms. Janel Kerr
Art
Hello SDCCS Families! My name is Janel Kerr, and I am so excited to be your child's art teacher. I have been a teacher from preschool through college over the past 20 years, but I have only lived in California since 2015.
I am originally from Idaho, and earned a BFA
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Ms. Lizeth Ricon Corzo
Music Teacher
Hi, SDCCS community. I am Lizeth Rincon and I recently joined this
beautiful team to be the music teacher K-8. I studied my bachelors
degree in music education in Colombia, which is where I am from. Last
year I came to the United States to continue developing my
professional career.
In regards to education, a
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Mr. Anthony Destino
PE Teacher
My name is Anthony “Tony” Destino and this will be my first year teaching Physical Education at SDCCS. Previously I worked at a private Montessori school in San Diego where I taught P.E. for the last 11 years for students from 2 years old through 6th grade.
A native of Western
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Mr. Rocco D'Eugenio
Gardening
My name is Rocco D'Eugenio, I am our school's Science and Gardening Specials teacher. I left Connecticut in 2000, after having been a middle and high school teacher for several years. From then until recently, I have been working in the horticulture industry, from wholesale nurseries to being a project
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SPED Team
Teachers
Ms. Amy Spitler
Director of Special Programs
Amy Spitler joined SDCCS in 2018 after working in Non-public Schools for 20 years. She enjoys the creative aspect of Special Education that allows her to work collaboratively with staff, faculty, students and parents to find solutions for students’ unique learning needs. She has a degree in Comparative Literature from
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Mr. Ben Werner
Education Specialist & Adapted PE Teacher
My name is Ben Werner and I moved to San Diego from Boston in 2015 (Though I grew up in the DC area). I joined the SDCCS family in 2016 after earning my dual credential in teaching Multiple Subjects and Special Education and have been working here as an Ed
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Ms. Evelyn Ingraham
Education Specialist
My name is Evelyn and I am an Education Specialist/Case Manager here at SDCCS. This will be my 3rd year teaching here and I truly love this community! This is my 5th year teaching special education. My practices really align with our mission here at SDCCS and working with students
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Ms. Maddie Marusarz, M.S. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
My name is Maddie Marusarz and I am a speech-language pathologist. I grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin and have since lived in Colorado, Germany, and Oregon. I earned my B.S in Communicative Disorders and Sciences at San Jose State University and then earned my M.S. in Speech and Hearing
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Ms. Tiffani West
Education Specialist
I started as an elementary school teacher in 2006 and over the years I have worked with a variety of students in different age levels and abilities. My favorite thing about being an educator is to help children to discover those "ah ha" moments and to feel confident in themselves.
When
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Support Staff
Teachers
Ms. Janna Roper
Business
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Ms. Nahomi Rosas
Psychologist
Hello, I am Nahomi, the School Psychologist at SDCCS. I joined the SDCCS family in 2019. I received my B.A. degree in Liberal Studies from SDSU in 2013, and earned my Masters of Special Education with a specialization in Autism in 2015. I was a Special Education teacher for five
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Ms. Jocelyn McCullough, Ph.D
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Instructor
Welcome! My name is Jocelyn McCullough but most of the students know me as Mrs Jo. We are a relatively new family, joining SDCCS in October of 2020, amid Covid and virtual learning. We have a third grader at the school and a fifth grader who attends Children’s Workshop, a
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Ms. Betsy Mousavi
Dean of Students
This will be my fifth year as a Counselor at SDCCS and I am also the SST / 504 Coordinator on campus. I enjoy working with students, teachers, and families as a team to support student needs. I received my Masters of Science and PPS Credential from SDSU as a
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Ms. Clancy Rickard
MTSS/ELD Support
ClanSea is my nickname, I love all things ocean and I love to be in nature. I have been with SDCCS for 8 years and I have been teaching for 28 years in various grade levels and states. I am a passionate reader and writer. I love to hike, swim
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Ms. Ellen Berg
MTSS/ELD Support
Ellen Berg has taught English and history at SDCCS since 2005 and is currently Lead Humanities Teacher. Prior to that, she taught sixth grade for nine years in St. Louis, Missouri. Ellen has been published in several professional journals including Middle Ground and Education Week and was a longtime teacher