The San Marino Unified School District welcomed 13 new educators for the 2020-21 school year, which opened last week.
Tracy Shen
Dance, SMHS
Shen has more than 20 years of training in classical ballet, contemporary, modern and jazz dance. She received her BFA in dance performance from UC Irvine as a William Gillespie scholar. She has danced for renowned choreographers such as Donald McKayle and toured around the world, including Shanghai for the World Expo. She has more than eight years teaching experience at dance studios, including the renowned Steps on Broadway in New York City. Professionally, she has performed with Mike Esperanza, Craft Dance Series, Peridance Contemporary Dance company and the Chase Brock Experience in NYC. She is a certified Pilates Mat and Apparatus and Barre instructor. Shen is a fan of podcasts, ice cream and spending time with her parents.
Mint Ariyapongpisal
Math, SMHS
Ariyapongpisal discovered her love of education in college while she was tutoring high school students in math. From then on, teaching math has been her passion because she loves helping students see the beauty of mathematics and its connection with the world. Before becoming a classroom teacher, “Ms. Ariya” taught at Elite Educational Institute, mostly helping students raise their SAT scores. In 2016, she decided she wanted to become a public high school teacher and got her master’s in education from Stanford University. She taught at LAUSD for two years and is now excited to join the community at San Marino. In her free time, she enjoys eating Thai food, singing and recording music, visiting national parks, hiking and taking care of her plant babies.
Alexis Kling
Special education, SMHS
Kling has been in special education for more than a decade. In that time, she has taught at all levels of education. She loves teaching math as well as showing students that math can be fun and isn’t as scary as they think. She has two daughters, the oldest of whom just passed her AP world history test this spring and her youngest having just passed level 2 in her swimming lessons. She is excited to join the SMUSD team.
Mandy Donohoe
5th grade, Carver
Donohoe has been a dedicated substitute teacher with SMUSD for the past two years and is excited to become an official member of Carver Elementary’s team of educators. She has more than nine years of experience teaching children from pre-K through 8th grade. Before joining SMUSD, she spent three years teaching pre-K and four years as head after-school teacher at Grace of Calvary Lutheran Church in Glendora. Donohoe is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles where she majored in child development and earned her multiple subject teaching credential. When she is not in the classroom, Donohoe enjoys spending her time going on hikes, attending live music events, cake decorating, crafting and being a fun aunt.
Terrence Leve
Band, SMHS
Leve has returned to Southern California after recently completing his master’s degree in instrumental conducting from the University of Tennessee. Before that, he taught high school band and orchestra in Colorado for four years. Leve received his bachelor’s degree in music education in 2013, also from the University of Tennessee. During his undergrad, he had the unique opportunity of serving as a volunteer in Johannesburg, South Africa, for two years. Leve is a diehard fan of Dodger baseball and UT football, loves cooking and playing sports, and has been married to his beautiful wife, Staci, for six years.
Tonya El-Hendi
Counselor, SMHS
El-Hendi has been leading the way in school-based mental health for more than 10 years. Her 20 years of experience in education has been in various roles including a teacher, counselor, therapist, liaison for foster youth, coordinator of school-based mental health services, and training clinical interns in a school setting. El-Hendi has a passion for wellness and extensive knowledge on how to support the whole student for academic success. El-Hendi is excited to join the San Marino High School counseling team as a wellness counselor to address student needs and develop a comprehensive school-based mental health program focusing on optimal wellness while mitigating barriers to students achieving their goals. In addition to being a dedicated educator and champion of mental health, El-Hendi is also married and a mother of two children.
Marina Ballesteros
4th grade, Valentine
Ballesteros received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Chapman University. She also has a multiple subject teaching credential. Before joining SMUSD, she taught kindergarten, 3rd, 5th and 6th grades. Ballesteros grew up nearby in San Gabriel and is a proud alumna of the Pasadena Civic Ballet. She is passionate about arts integration and project-based learning within the classroom and hopes to publish research on this topic in the future. In her free time, she enjoys going to Disneyland and playing with her 32-toed cat named Hunter. She is excited and grateful for the opportunity to teach in the SMUSD.
Andrea Hilf
4th grade, Valentine
Hilf is excited to start her 10th year in the teaching profession by joining the incredible team at Valentine Elementary School as a 4th-grade teacher. A California native, she earned her teaching credential and master’s in education from UC Santa Barbara. Upon completion of her schooling, Hilf began her professional career by merging her love of teaching and travel to become a 2nd- and 3rd-grade teacher in bilingual schools in Honduras and Colombia. After she returned to the states, she continued her passion for data-driven instruction and joined a talented group of educators at KIPP where she taught 2nd grade in East Los Angeles. Eager to expand her skill set, Hilf went back to school to earn her added literacy authorization, which she then used to educate young readers of all skill levels as a reading intervention specialist in West Covina. For the past two years, Hilf has also mentored new teachers, providing guidance and support as they work to clear their teaching credential with the Foothill Consortium Teacher Induction Program. In Hilf’s spare time, she loves reading, hiking and spending time with her husband (she just got married last November). Hilf is thrilled to be joining the passionate and hard-working teachers in the SMUSD.
Clarice Chang
Social science, SMHS
Chang is excited to be joining the faculty of San Marino High School as she begins her sixth year teaching social studies. She grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and has loved history for as long as she can remember. After graduating from Walnut High School, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UC San Diego and USC, respectively. Before joining SMUSD, Chang taught for four years at Irvington High School in Fremont, California, where she was the adviser for the class of 2019 and the mock trial team. She also taught at Gladstone High School in Azusa for one year. When she is not teaching, Chang enjoys watching movies, cooking, reading and spending time with her family and friends.
Christine Flores
Counselor, SMHS
Flores has more than 13 years of experience working in education in all levels, K-12. She has seven years of experience in college advising and counseling. Before joining SMUSD, she worked as a college adviser through UC Berkeley and then began her career in Moreno Valley Unified to work as the international baccalaureate counselor and coordinator. She holds an associate’s degree in behavioral sciences from Citrus College, a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Cal State Fullerton and a master’s degree in educational counseling from the University of La Verne. Her favorite time of year is assisting students through college applications and supporting them through a highly stressful time. In her spare time, Flores loves to travel, be outdoors in the pool or at the beach, and watch Dodger baseball, L.A. Kings hockey and UCLA football.
Janet Wong
Special education, Carver
Wong brings six years of special education experience to SMUSD and is excited to join Carver Elementary as a special education teacher. Before becoming an education specialist, she worked as a preschool teacher and inclusion aide for a number of years in the Midwest. Wong earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Cincinnati. Wong earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from National-Louis University in Chicago and an education specialist credential from Cal State Northridge’s ACT program.
Jonathan Nguyen
Math, SMHS
Nguyen has close to six years of experience teaching math and computer science at both the high school and middle school level. He previously taught at Huntington Park High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District and at Foothill Middle School in the Azusa Unified School District. Nguyen grew up in El Monte and attended Arroyo High School before receiving his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at UC Davis. He has since dedicated himself to a career in education. Nguyen’s interests include reading manga — particularly “One Piece” — recreational weightlifting, RPG video games, shore fishing and biking.
Tina Duong
2nd grade, Valentine
Duong has five years’ experience teaching 4th grade, 6th grade and high school. She has also taught English abroad for three years in South Korea and Taiwan. Before joining Valentine Elementary School, she most recently worked at a charter school in East Los Angeles. She studied art history and history at UC Riverside, and later received her master’s degree in education from the same institution.
In her spare time, Duong enjoys walking around Los Angeles to explore antique malls and try new coffee shops. She is excited to be a part of the San Marino community of scholars.
