Director:
Mrs. Janet Roberts

Site Administrator:
Ms. Sophath Mey

Administrative Assistant:
Mrs. Jenna Greene

6th Grade Teachers:
Ms. Jenny Kwon
Ms. Lorissa Zavala
Ms. Shannon Bennett

7th Grade Teachers:
Ms. Nicole Merino
Ms. Allegra Guarino
Ms. Yu Ku

8th Grade Teachers:
Ms. Elizabeth Woepse
Mrs. Debra Olazaba
Mr. Lawrence Wong

Health Educator:
Mr. Daniel Eng

Resource Specialists:
Mrs. Khanh Truong
Ms. Xingyue Wang

Music Instructors:
Mr. Steven Gardner
Ms. Jill Heinke

Advisor Emeritus:
Dr. Ben Chavis

BIOGRAPHIES

Mrs. Janet Roberts grew up near Chicago, IL, before attending Indiana
University in Bloomington, IN. She earned an undergraduate degree in
Elementary Education and taught middle school for over four years in public
school systems. Mrs. Roberts graduated with a master's degree in Curriculum
and Instruction in 2006. She is proud to be part of such a successful school.

Ms. Sophath Mey was raised in Oakland, CA, where she attended public
schools. After graduating from Castlemont High School, she went on to study
at the University of California, Berkeley. At U.C. Berkeley, she earned a
degree in Social Welfare and a minor in Education. Ms. Mey is the oldest of
seven kids and the first to attend and graduate from college.

Mrs. Jenna Greene was raised in Central California, where she attended
public schools. After graduating from Righetti High School, she went on to
study at the University of California, Berkeley. At U.C. Berkeley, she earned
a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Mrs. Greene enjoys spending time with
her family, friends, and husband.

Ms. Nicole Merino grew up in Long Beach, CA and graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley with a double major in English Literature
and Political Science. Teaching in different countries prompted Ms. Merino to
promote wise education and social capital to the next generation of future
leaders in the U.S. She spends her leisure time in the sun, bug catching and
storytelling.

Ms. YuChong Ku born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in the Bay Area. She
studied Art and Films at UC San Diego. She taught preschool and studied
Early Childhood Education. In her free time she enjoys watching movies and
spending time with friends and family. She is happy to be at American Indian
Public Charter School.

Mr. Lawrence Wong is a Bay Area native, born/raised in San Francisco and
educated at UC Berkeley. Prior to joining the faculty of AIPCS, he owned a
business in the financial sector and acted as its Chief Operating Officer. When
he's not trying to raise API scores, Mr. Wong enjoys playing sports, reading,
writing, making lesson plans, and searching for inexpensive meals.

Ms. Elizabeth Woepse grew up in Southern California and attended UCLA
where she majored in International Development Studies and competed in
pole vaulting. Before moving to the Bay Area, she traveled to many locations
around the world, including Cambodia where she taught English.

Ms. Jenny Kwon was raised in the Bay Area and attended UC Santa Cruz
with a major in Business Management Economics. Ms. Kwon enjoys
racquetball and reading. She is pursuing her multiple subject credential
through Alliant University.

Ms. Allegra Guarino was raised in Upstate New York and attended
Skidmore College with a major in Human Behavior and Environmental
Education. She is currently attending USC for graduate school and pursuing a
multiple subject credential.

Ms. Xingyue Wang grew up in the mainland of China and moved to the
United States with her family in 2004 after graduating from high school. She
went on to student at the University of California Berkeley with a B.A. degree
in Economics, with emphasis in accounting and finance at Haas School of
Business. She enjoys the Bay Area and visiting her family living in LA.

Mrs. Debra Olazaba was born in South Africa and grew up in San Jose, CA.
She attended UC Santa Cruz where she studied Anthropology and
Environmental Studies. She spent a semester in South Africa where she
volunteered in the townships. Mrs. Olazaba enjoys attending concerts and has
run two half-marathons.

Ms. Shannon Bennett grew up in North Pole, Alaska before moving to
California to pursue her dream of living anywhere other than Alaska. She
received her Bachelor Degree from the University of California, Berkeley in
2006. In her free time she enjoys various forms of Irish dancing and
performs with the local Irish-Scottish dance troupe, Siamsa le Cheile.

Mr. Daniel Eng was born in Honduras and was raised in San Jose, CA. He
graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Kinesiology
concentrating in physical education. He has been involved in Tae Kwon Do for
over 20 years and was sponsored by Power Bar in a tournament.

Ms. Lorissa Zavala is from the Inland Empire in Southern California, which
was motivation to attend UC Berkeley. After receiving a B.A. in Political
Science, she worked in the hedge fund industry, and later, at a wealth
management firm. Ms. Zavala is delighted to have made a rewarding
transition to teaching, and is proud to work with incredibly motivated students
and staff members. When not teaching, she enjoys traveling to foreign lands
with her sisters.

Ms. Khanh Truong is from Saigon, Vietnam, where she attended the School
of Pedagogy and taught math for 18 years. After coming to this country, Ms.
Truong earned her AA Degree from the College of Alameda. As the Math
Specialist at AIPCS, she strives to help her students understand the basis of
Algebra and Geometry, so they can improve their abilities to solve
mathematical problems.

Ms. Jill Heinke received her Post-graduate Diploma in flute in 2005 from the
Royal College of Music. An Illinois Native, Ms. Heinke earned her Bachelor of
Music from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) with Highest
Honors. In 2006, she completed her Master of Music degree from the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music on scholarship with Timothy Day.

Mr. Steve Gardner was born in Pacific Grove, CA, and studied viola
performance at San Francisco State University and Aaron Copeland School of
Music in New York. He has toured throughout America and Europe. Mr.
Gardner has performed with Sony Music recording artist Danni Leigh,
Culann's Hounds, and was a guest performer with Grammy Award winning
rock group, Blues Traveler.

Dr. Ben Chavis is a Lumbee Indian from North Carolina. He received his PhD
from the University of Arizona. His specialties are administration, business,
and curriculum. His leadership is marked by a no-nonsense approach to
student academic improvement. Dr. Chavis believes in hard work and no
excuses.

AIPCS FACULTY AND STAFF