Meet the New Teachers and Staff at Village Elementary School

Village Elementary School welcomed students to the start of class last week and several new and newly assigned educators. Get a chance to meet the seven new educators before open house.

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

Kelly Casassa (Arts with STEAM – Village) graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. She then attended UC Irvine, where she earned her K-12 Teaching Credential in Art and a Masters of Arts in Teaching. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering for Pageant of the Masters, visiting museums, painting and water skiing. Kelly is looking forward to becoming a part of the Coronado community.

Eveleen Coker (Multiple Subject - Village) is excited to return to a full time teaching position at Village Elementary School. While she has enjoyed her time as an Academic Support and Enrichment teacher at Silver Strand Elementary for the past year and a half, it will be a “coming home” of sorts for her, returning to the school where her career began. Teaching fifth grade will be an exciting change as she previously taught both third and fourth grade. She is looking forward to being a part of a strong team of instructors looking for creative and engaging ways to integrate the common core with 21st century learning best practices. She appreciates the opportunity to work for a district that supports professional development, specifically the ability to participate in such programs as the One to One Institute. It will be her pleasure to continue to serve the community she grew up in and she eagerly anticipates the start of a new school year!

Ashley Falconer (Special Education – Village) she earned her bachelor’s degree in Foods and Nutrition as well as her teaching credential at San Diego State University. While attending SDSU, she student taught in a 2nd-5th-grade resource room at Rowan Elementary School. After graduating, she taught at Banyan Tree Learning Center where she had the opportunity to teach and learn from a diverse group of students. Outside of teaching, Ashley enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with her husband Mike and their two miniature dachshunds, McMurphy and Dudley.

Justin-Matthew Gines (Campus Assistant - Village) is a recent graduate from the University of Phoenix receiving his M.A. in Elementary Education. He completed his student-teaching in the Chula Vista Elementary School District and taught Environmental Science to primary students all across San Diego County through the San Diego Office of Education. Prior to that, he received his B.A. from UC San Diego in International Studies with an emphasis in Sociology. Justin's ultimate goal is to inspire his future students to value their education and to use it to make a positive difference in this world.

Sarah Hunsaker (Multiple Subject – Village) is excited to be returning to Village as a third grade teacher this year. Sarah graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and later returned to school earning her teaching credential and Master’s in Cross Cultural Education. This is her sixth year with the Coronado Unified School District and she has experience teaching across the grade levels and school sites. Sarah is an avid reader, hiker and traveler who appreciates other cultures. She grew up with a family of educators who have a passion for learning and was lucky to have several teachers who felt the same. This passion was instilled in her and is one of the reasons she chose to go into the field of education. Sarah is dedicated to ensuring successful educational experiences for all students and being a productive member of the Village Elementary team.

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.

Noraima Torres Santos (Instructional Assistant – PE – Village) born San Juan, Puerto Rico Noraima is the youngest of three sisters. She attended the University of Puerto Rico where she graduated with a BA in Business Administration. She moved to Jacksonville FL in 2000, where she met her husband. Currently, she is a proud Navy wife and the mother of two daughters, Paola 6 and Isabella 4. Both Paola and Isabella currently attend Silver Strand Elementary. Noraima and her family just moved from a three-year tour in Japan where they experienced the devastation of the March 2011 earthquake/tsunami. While Noraima resided in Japan, she had the opportunity to work as a Pre-School Assistant Teacher in LCA International School, one of the most recognized schools in the Kanagawa prefecture.

Also meet the new staff at:

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