FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES

Clark, Holly
Holly Clark received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and her teaching credential from California State University-Northridge. She has been teaching for more than eleven years, and began her teaching career at Westwood Charter in 1998. After taking some time off to stay home with her children, and to job share elsewhere, Holly returned to Westwood Charter in 2008.

Corleto, Melissa
Melissa Corleto graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's degree in Art History. She received her Master's degree from Mercy College in New York City. She has been teaching for eight years, and has been at Westwood Charter since 2004.

Crispi, Elisa
Elisa Crispi graduated from Evergreen University with a Bachelor's degree in Education and received her Master's degree in Education from Antioch University. She has been teaching for thirteen years. She taught Kindergarten for 8 years in Inglewood, and has been teaching first and Kindergarten at Westwood Charter since 2006.

D'Arceaux, Stella
Stella Nagac D'Arceaux received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California-Santa Barbara, and then went on to receive a Teaching Credential and Masters in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University. She first came to Westwood Charter as a substitute teacher and decided it was the place to be! She has been teaching fourth and fifth grade here since 1997.

Dembo, Ailee
Ailee Dembo graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor's degree in History and minor in Women Studies, and she received her Master's degree from Hunter College NYC, in Elementary Education. She has been teaching since 2002 at Westwood Charter School.

Ellman, Holly
Holly Ellman received her Bachelor's degree in Deaf Studies and a teaching credential from California State University-Northridge (CSUN). She later went back to school at CSUN and received a Master's Degree and Credential in Education Administration. She has been teaching since 1994, but has been happiest since coming to Westwood Charter in 2007.

Fai, Henrietta
Henrietta Fai received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior from UCI and her Master's of Education from UCLA. She taught primary grades for four years in South Los Angeles and joined the Westwood community in 2009. 

Garringer, Barbara
Barbara Garringer graduated from Grinnell College with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and received her teaching credential from California State University-Northridge. She has been teaching at Westwood Charter School since 1999.

Greenstein, Diana
Diana Greenstein received her Bachelor's degree in Health Policy and Administration from Penn State University and Master's Degree in Education from East Stroudsburg University. She has been teaching for seventeen years. She began at Westwood Charter in 2000.

Higa, Stephanie
Stephanie Higa received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Master's degree in Education and Administrative Credential from California State University-Long Beach. She has been teaching for more than seventeen years and began teaching at Westwood Charter in 2001.

Isaac, Sharon
Sharon Isaac graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and received her Master's degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University. She has been teaching at Westwood Charter since 2004.

Jones Tanaka, Amanda
Amanda Jones Tanaka graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and completed her teaching credential at San Diego State University. She has been teaching at Westwood Charter since 2008.

Kachel, Jennifer
Jennifer Ramseur graduated from Wake Forest University in North Carolina with a BS in Business and received her Master's degree in Education from Pepperdine University. She has been teaching for two years. This is her first year at Westwood Charter.

Kaufman, Sherry
Sherry Kaufman was one of the original founding Westwood Charter teachers, and has taught kindergarten at Westwood for many years. Working with five-year olds for their first school experience is her passion. Sherry considers being part of the Westwood family both her pleasure and privilege.

Kennedy, Annalee
Annalee Kennedy received her Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in the field of Communications Studies. She worked in the publishing industry for eight years prior to teaching. She received her teacher's credential from California State University-Northridge and has been a teacher at Westwood Charter since 1997. She has two boys, a wonderful husband, and a great partner teacher in Holly Clark.

Kloner, Lauren
Lauren Kloner received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Akron. She has been teaching for five years. She began at Westwood Charter in 2008.

Kranker, Patty
Patty Kranker received her both her Bachelor of Arts degree and her Master's degree and teaching credential from California State University-Northridge. She has been teaching for sixteen years.  She began at Westwood Charter in 1995. 

Landman, Megan
Megan Landman received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University and received her teaching credential and Master's in Education from Pepperdine University. She has been teaching for three years. She began at Westwood Charter in 2007.

Lee, Vivian
Vivian Lee graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Developmental Psychology. She received her Master's degree in Education from Pepperdine as well as a Master's in Educational Administration. She taught a Multi-age K-1-2 classroom for 5 years in Hollywood, and has been teaching Kindergarten at Westwood Charter since 2007.

Nakano, Kris
Kris Nakano received her teaching credential from California State University-Northridge. She has been teaching for nine years. She began at Westwood Charter in 2000.

Oschack, Kelly
Kelly Oschack received her Bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University and her Master's degree from California State University-Northridge. She received her teaching credential from Southern Illinois University. She has been teaching for thirteen years. She began at Westwood Charter in 1996.

Roth, Janna
(Resource)
Janna Roth has been a special education teacher with LAUSD since 2002 and a Resource Specialist at Westwood Charter since January 2008. Janna graduated from Brooklyn College with a BA in Psychology.  After college, she initially implemented Head Start research projects and directed Head Start programs.  Then, she segued into a career in advertising and marketing for many years.  Janna earned her Education Specialist credential through a fellowship program at CSU Dominguez Hills and taught her own special day class at her first school before being hired as a resource specialist at Westwood Charter.

Rumi, Therese
Therese Rumi has enjoyed being part of the Westwood Charter community since 2000 and has been in elementary education for over twenty years.

Saidnia, Delaram
Delaram Saidnia graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles with a Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies and received her teaching credential at California State University-Northridge. She was a substitute teacher for nine years before joining the Westwood Charter staff in 2005.

Scholl, Catherine
Catherine Scholl graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance and had a career as a professional entertainer for fifteen years. She pursued a new career path in 2005, receiving her teaching credential and a Master’s degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University and began her teaching career at Westwood Charter in 2007.

Shepps, Allana
Allana Shepps graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor Degree in Journalism and Political Science She received her Master's Degree in Education from Pepperdine University. She has been teaching since 2004, exclusively at Westwood Charter.

Shim, Sora
Sora Shim received both her Bachelor of Architecture degree and teaching credentials from the University of Southern California. She began her teaching career at Westwood Charter in 1996. She has taught first and second grade, and is currently teaching third grade.

Sklaveniti, Ioanna
Ioanna Sklaveniti earned her B.S. in Business Administration and Organizational Systems Management with a minor in Art History at C.S.U.N. where she also earned her post graduate Multiple Subject Teaching Credential in 1993. She began teaching with family art classes at L.A.C.M.A. and began her early childhood teaching experience at ACS, an International Baccalaureate Organization, in Athens, Greece in 2000. She has taught at Westwood Charter since 2007.

Thom, Lindsay
Lindsay Thom graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, and she received her Master's degree in Education from National Louis University in Chicago. She has been teaching fourth and fifth grade for eleven years, and at Westwood Charter since 2004.

van Daalen Wetters, Lesa
Lesa van Daalen Wetters received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from UCLA. After working in the private business sector and raising two young daughters, she returned to graduate school at National University, where she obtained her teaching credential. She has been teaching at WWCS since 1997.

Whelan, Lisa
Lisa Whelan received her Bachelor's degree from the University of California-Santa Barbara, and her Masters in School Administration at California State Northridge.  She has been teaching since 2005 and has been at Westwood Charter since 2009.

Wianecki, Kari
Kari Wianecki received her Bachelor's degree from California State University-Long Beach, and her Master's degree in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount, where she also received her teaching credential. She has been teaching at Westwood Charter since 2007.

Wu, Chung
Chung Lee Wu graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and received her teaching credential from California State University-Northridge. She has been teaching at Westwood Charter School since 2000.

Yean, Yvonne
Yvonne Yean received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from UCLA and her teaching credential and Master's in Education from Pepperdine University. She has been teaching for ten years and began at Westwood Charter in 2001.

Young, Patricia
Patricia Young received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern California, a Maitrise/Master's in Chinese Language and Culture from the Universite de Paris and a Master's in Special Education from Dominguez Hills. She has been teaching for over thirty years. She began at Westwood Charter in 2004.

GRADE

Teacher Last Name

Teacher First Name

K

KAUFMAN

SHERRY

K

LEE

VIVIAN

K

CRISPI

ELISA

K

SKLAVENTI

IOANNA

K

KRANKER

PATTY

K

HIGA

STEPHANIE

1

ISAAC

SHARON

1

SHEPPS

ALANNA

1

BEER

AMY

1

OSCHACK

KELLY

1

WHELAN

LISA

1/2

FAI

HENRIETTA

1/2

CHILDS

SUE

1/2

RUMI

THERESE

1/2

NAKANO

KRIS

2

SMITH

CHERYL

2

KLONER

LAUREN

2

TANAKA

AMANDA

2

GREENSTEIN

DIANA

3

KENNEDY / CLARK

ANNALEE/HOLLY

3

SHIM

SORA

3

vanDaalen-Wetters

LESA

3

DEMBO / YEAN

AILEE / YVONNE

3

WU

CHUNG

4/5

THOM

LINDSAY

4/5

SAIDNIA

DEL

4/5

GARRINGER

BARBARA

4/5

CORLETO

MELISSA

4/5

ELLMAN

HOLLY

4/5

D'ARCEAUX

STELLA

4/5

YOUNG

PATRICIA

K-5

ROTH

JANNA

K-5

GRIFFIN

NANCY

K-5

MICELI

JEANNIE

4/5
Science & Math

WIANECKI

KARI