Lindsay Cross: Growing up in Santa Cruz, Ms. Cross actually went to PCS.  She graduated in 2005 and went on to graduate from UCSC.  Her last job had her teaching at a lovely preschool in Oakland, but this is her first time teaching at this level.  When she is not teaching, she takes dance classes and cooks delicious vegan food while spending time with her partner. In 10th grade, she lived with a friend of hers in Germany for a year and attended a German public school. She has also spent a summer in Russia in a small children’s village just outside of Moscow. She explained what inspired her to become a teacher: “When I got down to it, it kind of seemed like what I’ve been heading for my whole life. Guiding someone’s education or helping people has always been something that brought me joy and felt right.”

Kristanne Heaton: Ms. Heaton has been a teacher for three years now and has taught in several programs before becoming a teacher at PCS. She went to school at UCSC. She has lived in Nevada City, CA, which is a gold rush town, with old mine shafts and horse drawn carriages. In Nevada City, she taught at Ghidotti High School, which just won the National Blue Ribbon award. Outside of school, she likes to do art, play with her kids, and play the ukulele. She also enjoys art history and cultures in general. She grew up attending military schools in Japan and Germany, which sparked her interest in learning about other cultures.  Due to her studies, she can speak German, French, Italian, and Latin, which is her favorite of the five languages she knows.  She describes herself as a positive person who loves people.What inspired her to become a teacher? She states: “It’s actually my love of the subject. I really love history and I love sharing that with other people and seeing that spark in them too.” Unfortunately, her time at PCS was not as long as we would have hoped. She is now teaching history on a U.S Naval base in Guantanamo, Bay in Cuba . Hopefully, she will one day return.

James Henrick: The scenario where a PCS alumni returns as a teacher has happened three times already (Mr. Hunt, Mr. Nestlerode, and Ms. Cervine).  Now, it has happened once again. This is the first time Mr. Henrick has taught in his entire life. Somehow, he felt that teaching was a calling for him, even though he was last employed as a chef at Pink Godzilla, a sushi restaurant in Aptos. Born in Connecticut after a week-long labor, his family moved to Santa Cruz when he was a year old and has lived here ever since.  As far as family history is concerned, his grandfather was a member of the Jewish mafia and his grandmother was friends with Sammy Davis, Jr. of the Rat Pack. He started PCS as a sophomore and went on to major in philosophy in college, though he regrets that he cannot juggle. He can, however, play the guitar and ride a skateboard. When he has time, he writes his own stories and songs.  He also likes to retreat to his personal hermitage in the Himalayan mountains with his pet goat, Bimmy. Mr. Henrick is interested in cinema and his taste in music goes all the way back to the 1930s.

Ken Alley: A teacher for 25 years now, Mr. Alley decided to become a teacher while he attended college. He believed that he could help kids fulfill their dreams and realize their own potentials. Since then, it became his primary goal for his career. His passion lies in photography and Mr. Alley takes as many photos as possible when he is not teaching at PCS or at Cabrillo College. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons. Another interesting fact about Mr. Alley  is that he likes to read contemporary poetry.

Kate Reynolds: Before Ms. Reynolds was hired by PCS, she taught in many places throughout Europe and Asia for over 20 years.  She even has a house on the Czech border, but moved back here to be closer to her daughter in Monterey. She has taught at a multitude of different skill levels and is joining PCS as our Studio Art and AP Art History teacher. She was hired just a few days before the school year begun and took the job because of the school’s reputation, location, and the amazing ideas regarding the new campus. The reason she started teaching in the first place was because it was an open job in her field, and her family has been doing it for generations. Later in her career however, she realized that she had an affinity for teaching. She believes that when things are difficult for the students, it’s difficult for the teacher. Her main goal as a teacher is to help students unlock their own authenticity and creative voice in their art and make it easier for students to create unique ideas for themselves.

Zianghao Li: Mr. Li worked in Nashville for two years before moving to Santa Cruz. Before that, he studied foreign languages, specifically English and Japanese, in Beijing. The most important part of teaching for him is to keep calm and be patient with his students. When he first learned English, he studied with his father, who was too impatient. As a result of this, he did not learn much. However, when he studied English again, his teachers in Beijing moved at a pace that was right for him and were much more level-headed about their teaching. He was inspired by the improvement these teachers made to his education and decided to become a teacher to help other students the same way.

Hillary Daniels: Ms. Daniels is new to our school.  She is the new seventh-grade Study Skills and Technology teacher and has been teaching for a total of 16 years. She was inspired to pursue a career in teaching because she loves kids. Her most recent area of work was at Carlucci American International School in Lisbon, Portugal. Ms. Daniels has lived on and off in Santa Cruz for 22 years and has worked all around the world. She loves to go kite surfing, and would like to get better at jumping on her bike. She also likes to knit, read, do yoga, and watch sunsets and much more! Some facts about Ms. Daniels is that she has traveled in over 50 different countries.  One of the coolest trips she has ever taken was riding a train across Siberia from Beijing to Moscow.

Heather Calame: Ms. Calame has been a teacher for 10 years. She loves teaching and interacting with students, and loves to watch students understand something for the first time.  Her hobbies include playing video games, playing Dance Dance Revolution, decorating her planner, and playing games with great friends. She also loves to hike among the redwoods. She has lived in Santa Cruz for a year, and last worked at El Monte High School, in El Monte, CA from 2006-2014. She is married and her interests are music, podcasts, hiking, yoga, cross stitching, and sometimes sewing. Some facts are that she loves dragons and cephalopods. She can play more instruments that she cannot play (traditional western orchestral variety) and she has traveled to 47 different states.

Mr. Harrison: Growing up on the island of Kauai, Mr. Harrison and his family moved to Santa Cruz this year to be closer to Mr. Harrison’s in-laws as well as his eldest son, who attends Cal Poly. Mr. Harrison began his teaching career in Kauai as a volleyball coach before becoming an English teacher and then eventually transitioning to administrative work. Now, we’re lucky to have him as vice principal. When he isn’t playing volleyball or keeping things at PCS running, Mr. Harrison enjoys outdoor activity and guitar.

Ms. Christensen: Ms. Christensen is no stranger to our community: she has been volunteering at PCS for five years, and both of her daughters attend the school. She has always loved the environment and people here is now the receptionist in our office. Born in New Zealand, she has lived in California for ten years with her daughters and husband. When she isn’t busy helping us out at PCS, Ms. Christensen enjoys Crossfit, gardening, reading, and board games.