Jonathan, Bob, Rudy, and Cueponcaxochitl
A graduate of UCLA and Cal State Northridge, Bob Andrews comes to the project with a background in technology and science. He teaches chemistry, biology, earth science and computer science. Before becoming a teacher, he worked in the food industry for twenty years as a quality technologist, developing and assessing quality systems. He also worked for MEDecision, a healthcare software company, where he was a technical writer developing technical documentation. Bob has been working at Wilson High since Fall 2003. Bob is working with UCLA's Exploring Computer Science, which is most relevant to the Healthy Food project. One key element to this class is that it is described as a class that provides real world, socially relevant, interdisciplinary, and creative applications of technology.
Rudy Duenas is the co-sponsor of the MEChA student organization. Rudy Dueñas is a graduate of San Diego State and UCLA. He has been at Wilson High School for eight years and teaches World History, US History, and the only four ethnic studies classes on campus, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Latin American Studies, and Chicano/a Studies. He is also the co-lead teacher of the Agents of Change small learning community. Rudy is one of the sponsors of the MEChA student organization which during his third year at Wilson, his students initiated the first ethnic studies class on campus by getting students to sign petitions to add the class.
Since her grandmother's arrival to El Sereno in 1957, Cueoponcaxochitl Dianna Moreno has had her roots planted to the community. She was previously a middle school teacher at Madrid Middle School in El Monte for five years. She is a graduate of the Claremont Colleges and is currently enrolled in the Urban Schooling program at UCLA. Her research involves investigating a critical computer science in North East Los Angeles schools. Cueponcaxochitl is an integral participant of UCLA's Exploring Computer Science project. She has been a participant observer of Exploring Computer Science at Wilson High School in Bob Andrews' class since September 2009 to help broaden participation in computing. Cueponcaxochitl is a post-graduate researcher for the Exploring Computer Science team at UCLA. Her collaboration with Bob Andrews and the university is key to connecting us with resources to help with our inquiry. In addition, her personal passion to discover her ancestral roots is central to the development of our project. She also brings resources from experts in the field of Mesoamerica. Cueponcaxochitl is currently studying the Nahuatl language and studied with many Mesoamerican scholars.
Kevin Armenta joined the Wilson TIIP team in Fall 2011. Kevin has been a social sciences teacher at Wilson since 2007. He has taught US History, World History, Government, Economics, and the LDIR class (Leadership Development in Inter-Ethnic Relations). Kevin has been an SLC lead teacher as well UTLA Chair, a member of the Wilson Public School Choice Design Team, a sponsor for TREE (Teenagers Representing Environmental Education), and a sponsor for the Wilson Readers' Guild Book Club. In addition, he was one of the key organizers and developers of the Wilson community garden, "The People's Garden." Kevin has an AA from East Los Angeles College, a BA from St. John's University, and an M.Ed from UCLA.
Jonathan Malagon was part of the Wilson TIIP team from 2009 to 2010. He is a graduate of UCLA and was a teacher at Wilson for two years. Before teaching at Wilson High School, he worked five years at Jordan High School in Watts, two years as a social studies teacher and three years a English Learner Coordinator. He was a member of Jordan High's Leadership Team. Jonathan was also sponsor of Jordan's MEChA for three years. He taught World History and Urban Ecology, also known as the LIDR class (Leadership Development and Inter-ethnic Relations). In 2010, Jonathan left Wilson to pursue an advanced degree at UC Berkeley.
