Meet Our Team - San Diego Cooperative Charter School

Admin

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

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

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

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

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

Ms. Jocelyn Calica

Kindergarten

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Ms. Sophia Flores

Middle School (Humanities 6th)

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

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

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

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

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

Ms. Mayra de Alba

Dance/Music Teacher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Support Staff

Teachers

Ms. Janna Roper

Business

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

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

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

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

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