Meet the New Teachers and Staff at Silver Strand Elementary School

Silver Strand Elementary School welcomed new students and new educators on Thursday for the first day of class. Four new or newly appointed educators—three teachers and one counselor—started at the elementary school.

Meet the staff (bios provided by Coronado Unified School District): 

Leanne Johnson (Elementary Counselor) is a Certified School Counselor and Highly Qualified Elementary School Teacher in the state of California. She has a B.A. in Communications and Marketing from De Paul University in Chicago, a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix in Las Vegas and a Clear Pupil Services Credential in School Counseling from National University in San Diego. She is able to combine her knowledge of education and counseling to help students’ problem-solve, overcome personal issues, and work toward positive home and school experiences. Her goal in school counseling is to collaborate with teachers, administration, staff, families, and stakeholders to ensure that they are creating a positive, safe, and effective learning community for all students. 

Lauren Peterson (Physical Education – Silver Strand) was born and raised in Arizona. Using her bachelors in dance, masters in physical education, and yoga certification from Byron yoga centre, Australia she created an on land and water based stand up paddle yoga curriculum for grades k-12, and university level courses. Lauren has presented her curriculum at the Arizona and Hawaii Ahperd conferences. In 2012, her middle school girls PE and dance classes were the first in the nation to incorporate land based stand up paddle yoga into their PE and dance curriculum. Lauren is an ambassador and sponsored by sweet Waterwear, Indoboard, manduka, and boga yoga boards. Lauren recently moved to California in July of 2013. She is excited to use her experience and education in dance/physical education to create a safe and fun curriculum for Silver Strand Elementary School.

Allyson J. William (Special Education – Silver Strand) is originally from Troy, Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education–Learning Disabilities. While at Michigan State, she was a member of the MSU Club Crew Team and the Council for Exceptional Children. In Michigan, she is certified to teach special education K-12, general education K-5 and social studies K-8. She completed her student teaching internship at North Hill Elementary in Rochester, Michigan, spending time in both a fifth grade general education classroom and a K-5 resource room. Upon completion of her internship, she served as a push-in support special education teacher in Arlington, Virginia. Last January, she relocated to California. Allyson currently holds a California mild to moderate special education credential and a multiple subject teaching credential. Most recently, she served as a substitute teacher in the Escondido Union School District. She is excited to begin the new school year at Silver Strand Elementary as the resource specialist teacher. 

Sarah Yakutis (Multiple Subject – Silver Strand) has been an educator since 1990. She is a graduate of Cal State Long Beach. She received her teaching credential at the UC Riverside and has done additional postgraduate work at the University of Redlands. She began her teaching career in 1990 in Rialto. She has taught in the general education classroom at a variety of grade levels from kindergarten to sixth grade. In 1998, she and husband Alex relocated to Coronado with their new baby Grace. Their second daughter, Emma, came along in 2001. In 2003 Sarah joined the Village team as the visual arts teacher. In 2008 she moved to Silver Strand to start the Academic Support and Enrichment (ASE) program. Most recently she has added coordinating the before and after school ASE program to her duties at Silver Strand. During her 10 years with the district she has been a member of the Village school site council, Village and Silver Strand strategic planning and participated in the professional development the district has offered. Her specialty, among other things, has been the integration of new technology and web based programs such as Skills Tutor, Destination Learning and Compass Learning with current curriculum. Sarah looks forward to bringing this knowledge into the general education classroom.

Also meet the new staff at:

• Coronado High School
• Coronado Middle School
• Village Elementary School
• Crown Preschool
• And with district student services