English
Email: kklempnauer@seq.org
Phone Ext. 77302
Room: 4
Kristin Klempnauer
A native of Santa Cruz, Kristin Klempnauer joined the Sequoia Union High School District faculty in 2018. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education from UCLA. During her 25+ -year career, she has taught in International Baccalaureate, community college, alternative education, private bilingual and traditional public school programs. A former Bay Area Writing Project consultant, Critical Friends Group facilitator and IISME Fellow, she has presented interdisciplinary writing workshops for educators, served as a professional coach to novice teachers, and designed and implemented new courses to better meet students’ needs. Her favorite part of being a teacher is interacting with students and helping them navigate the challenges of adolescence. Besides teaching, Kristin loves travel, word games, reading and languages. She attended elementary school in Germany, and she taught English in Colombia and Bahrain as an adult. She speaks Spanish and German and has traveled to over 25 foreign countries.
Email: jmass@seq.org
Phone Ext. 77310
Room: 3
Jessica Mass
While she grew up in New York City, Ms. Mass moved to San Francisco in the ‘90s and began her teaching career at Sequoia High School in 1999. She has loved the challenge and reward of teaching English ever since. In 2015, Ms. Mass moved to Redwood High School and now enjoys the cleverness and creativity of the students here. She works to incorporate current events and popular culture into her teaching, which includes vocabulary, writing, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. She sees teaching and learning as the best ways to make sure everyone in our society has a voice and is heard because participating in class and in society are what makes them work. Before she began teaching, Ms. Mass liked traveling and had great adventures in Egypt and Greece. She played guitar and sang in bands in San Francisco and still plugs in a guitar or picks up a ukulele once in a while. She hopes that someday her wife and son will make her dream come true and form a family band.
Email: svergara@seq.org
Phone Ext. 77312
Room: 4/9
Sarah Vergara
I have been teaching my entire life. When I was in elementary school, I would play school, with my little brother and sister. In high school I would help my friends with their homework. In college I volunteered as an instructor for recent adult immigrants to our country. Each of these experiences brought me joy and taught me so much. I knew I wanted a job where I could learn and grow all the time and that brings me joy. By the time I graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in anthropology, I had no doubts about what I wanted to do for my career - teach! Subsequently, I earned a masters in English at SFState with an emphasis on teaching. I have taught every grade from kindergarten to college as well as a wide array of different subjects. The year I taught in Mexico gave me insight into what many of my students go through when learning a new culture and language. I see education as a source of individual and collective empowerment. I want my students to be empowered by and through their education in the same way that education has empowered me and inspired me to be a teacher - the majority of my career is at a place I am so proud to call home - Redwood High School. Finally, I’d like to end with some words from Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Bilingual Resource Teacher (BRT)
Email: evalencia@seq.org
Phone Ext. 77324
Room: 15
Evelyn Valencia
Evelyn Valencia has dedicated over twenty years to helping young men and women realize their academic, professional and personal dreams. In her current role as Redwood’s Bilingual Resource Teacher, Evelyn works around the clock to support, challenge, and advocate for our district’s most vulnerable students and families. A graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School, Evelyn feels a close bond with her students, many of whom are growing up in similar neighborhoods and facing similar challenges to those she herself faced as a teen. Before graduating in 2008 from San Francisco State University while working full time, Evelyn worked at Sequoia as an Instructional Associate from 2001-2003 and then returned in 2007 as the Instructional Vice-Principal’s Secretary. In 2010, while pursuing her teaching credential at Notre Dame De Namur, she was promoted to Principal's Secretary and SAFE Coordinator where she was a key player in transforming the school to the highly-sought-after public school that it is today. She then taught AVID and Spanish for a number of years before being recruited to work full time leading our critical SAAP and Team Ascent programs. Evelyn feels fortunate to work with our district’s wonderful staff who share her dedication to helping all students succeed. She especially loves building relationships with first-generation college-bound students, making sure that they understand the importance of their education and what options and resources are available to them. A busy mother of five, Evelyn is always on the go, somehow finding time for her own children while also being "mom" in many ways to her family of so many teenagers each year. In May of 2012, Evelyn received a Kent Award for her leadership role in developing and implementing an exemplary after school program at Sequoia High School. In September of 2017, Evelyn was celebrated for her tireless work by the Chan-Zuckerberg Foundation.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
English Language Arts
English Language Arts is a six-week course designed to help students improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English according to the California ELD Standards. Students participate in skills-based activities centered around various high-interest topics. The thematic, integrated curriculum provides students with a balanced approach to learning English through authentic literature, informational texts, vocabulary development, and writing paragraphs and essays. The goal is that by improving their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, students will be better prepared for the workplace and for college.
English III
In English III, we analyze a multitude of topics. As a class, we tackle narrative writing, dystopian literature, and current events. To explore these topics, we learn and refine skills that will help one navigate through life beyond high school. These skills include identifying themes, figurative language, robust vocabulary, and more. Additionally, our class focuses on developing writing by constructing a strong thesis, topic sentences, analysis, and interpretation. Therefore, critical thinking is an important element needed to engage with writing and reading. This element is one of the pillars for English III. Students learn to observe, think, and question the literature and the world around them. Community is the other pillar within English III. Each student has valuable knowledge. English III welcomes students' interpretations as important insights. This appreciation creates a community within the classroom. Overall, English III strives to prepare young adults for life after high school by providing the necessary skills one will need upon graduation.
English III & IV
In this course, students work to become critical thinkers, strong readers, and skilled communicators who can adapt their writing and speech to different audiences and purposes. Curricular units cover a variety of high-interest topics ranging from politics to nutrition to the brain, with a focus on informational reading and writing across disciplines like history, science, and psychology. Students develop digital and traditional literacy in a blended learning environment designed to prepare them for various post-secondary paths.