Meet the staff and teachers at EBI. These individuals bring their wealth of experience teaching and working with children to the school and classrooms.
Staff
Jon Fulk
Head of School
Jon Fulk, originally from Ohio, recently returned to the US after spending 11 years living in Mexico City, Mexico. Since 2000 he worked at The American School Foundation (ASF), first as a teacher, then as an assistant Head and finally as Head of the Lower School, overseeing approximately 940 students, 700 families and 98 full-time faculty and staff. Jon holds a B.A. in history from The University of Toledo, an M.A. in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Elementary Education from The University of Alabama and has completed his doctoral coursework in Education Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota. Jon has extensive experience with IB’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) and was instrumental in leading ASF through the accreditation and restructuring process.
Sagrario Argüelles
Second and Third Grade Teacher
IB Coordinator
Sagrario Argüelles teaches second and third grades. Sagrario was born and raised in Mexico City. She has been an Elementary School teacher for the past twenty-eight years and has a Bachelors Degree in Education. Sagrario has worked in different schools in Mexico City, the last being the American School Foundation where she worked as a teacher, grade level coordinator and dean. As a teacher Sagrario’s goal is to prepare students for the future. The Primary Years Program of IB reflects all her beliefs as a teacher. Sagrario is very fortunate to have had the opportunity of work with this program for the past eight years. As an educator Sagrario believes that the journey is as important as the destination. She aims to be a guide to her students and mentor them through their journey of knowledge and achievement, helping them to grow to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open–minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.
Gabriela Martínez del Campo
First Grade Teacher
Gabriela was born in
Mexico City, Mexico where she studied music education, a bachelor’s degree in
education and a master’s degree in Institutional Communication. Gabriela has
been a music and Spanish teacher for more than 20 years, from pre-primary to
upper school. She has collaborated to design educational programs and has
published works related to music, values and Spanish language. Additionally,
she has coordinated conferences for parents and teachers to put the programs
into action.
Douglas Palacios
First Grade Teacher
Douglas Palacios was born in El Salvador and moved to the US at age 12. He studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his B.A. degree in French and Literature in 1993 and his Masters degree in 1997. From 1991 to 1992 he studied in Paris at the Université de la Sorbonne. For 8 years, he taught French and Spanish at The Branson School, an independent school in Marin, CA. His travels to Japan, Guatemala, Québec, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Portugal have made him realize the beauty of people in every corner of the world and the importance of working to create global harmony. In his spare time, he enjoys meditating with his wife Mai, making music with his son Rigpa, and walking with his dog Pepé. He lives with them in Oakland, California. Douglas feels privileged to work with the teaching staff and children at EBI.
Adwoa Mante'ete'
First, Second and Third Grade
English Teacher
Adwoa was born in Berkeley and has lived almost every place in the Bay Area except San Francisco. She has been working with children since she was a child. Adwoa began work as a Multicultural Education Specialist. Since then she has worked as an aide, Director of an After-School program, a P.E. Teacher, a trainer of English Language Teachers, a first, second, and third grade teacher, and a science, math and English teacher. Adwoa has taught science to students kindergarten through high school, math to students from pre-school to college, and all other subjects, including English, from pre-school through elementary school.
Adwoa graduated from Mills College with a
degree in Biology. She did graduate work in physiological psychology. She
obtained her teaching credential from Chapman University. Ouside of education
Adwoa’s passions are baseball and blues, being a mom to Shannon Kofi, and
making the world a better place, not necessarily in that order. She loves
working and playing with children. Adwoa is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity
to teach at a wonderful school.
Mara Brown
Kindergarten Teacher
Mara Brown joined EBI in 2007. The product of a bilingual household, she was born in the United States and raised in Spain. Mara brings her love of languages, strong belief in bilingualism and expertise in art and flamenco dance to her fabulous classroom. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Art and has been a Spanish and art teacher for many years, teaching preschoolers through adults. Mara is married and the mother of three children.
Geselle Bauer
Kindergarten Associate Teacher
Geselle
Bauer was born in Peru and moved to the U.S. about 7 years ago. In Peru,
Geselle completed studies for a credential as an associate teacher in early
childhood education. Currently, she continues studying to remain current in the
area of education and to enrich her work with children. Geselle currently works
as an associate teacher to support teachers and children in kindergarten. She
is happy working at EBI particularly because she has the opportunity to grow
professionally and share her culture. Geselle is passionate about education and
enjoys being with children and learning from them every day.
Liz Lummis O'Neil
Kindergarten English Teacher
Liz Lummis O’Neil is from Darien, Connecticut. She got her BA in History from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She got her Masters in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College in New York. It was there where Liz developed her passion for teaching young children how to read and write. Liz first taught third grade in Los Angeles and then took advantage of an opportunity to teach third grade at the American School in Mexico City for a semester. With a passion and fascination for all the development that happens in the early years, Liz started teaching younger and younger children. She taught first grade at Prospect Sierra School and Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten at Redwood Day School.
While taking time off to be with her two children now ages 7
and 5, Liz was a supervisor for the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute. Though
she loved working with student teachers, what Liz really wanted was to get back
in the classroom. Liz is thrilled to be teaching Kindergarten English at EBI. Liz
finds that everything she has learned so far about the PYP puts into practice
what she learned at Bank Street about how best to teach young children. In her
spare time, Liz enjoys spending time with her family, working in her garden and
going to Bikram yoga.
María José Rodrigo Brenni
Pre-Primary Lead Teacher (MK)
María José was born in Chile. She moved to California when she was 13 and has lived in the Bay are since then. She is currently taking early childhood classes to add to the ones that she already has. She has worked with children for 9 years, working from preschool to school age. She worked at the Antwerp International School in the preschool classes for 6 months. She loves working with kids because she believes early education is a very important in a child’s life and teaching in her mother tongue is very rewarding. She is very happy to be part of the growing EBI community.
Lupita González
Pre-Primary Associate Teacher (MK)
Lupita was born and grew
up in the town of Arandas in Jalisco, Mexico. She has lived in Castro Valley
since 2006 with her husband. Lupita loves to play and share with her students.
She firmly believes that children construct knowledge through play. Lupita
earned her Associate Teacher certificate in Early Childhood Education from
Chabot College where she continues to study to enrich her understanding of her
work. For Lupita, being a teacher implies guiding and accompanying her students
in all stages of their learning as they develop skills and attitudes that will
help them become committed and principled people. Lupita is also convinced of
the richness that working in a multicultural environment offers and greatly
enjoys the opportunity to work at EBI.
Merly Chou
Pre-Primary Lead Teacher (MK)
Merly was born in Lima, Peru and has a degree in Law and Political Science. Two years ago Merly arrived to the Bay Area with the goal of working in the bilingual educational system. Working with children has given her a different perspective on life and changed her values and feelings in a way that causes her to feel more creative and productive within the community. Currently, Merly continues taking classes in Early Childhood Education at Chabot College with the goal of earning her teaching credential.
Deysi Mora
Pre-Primary Associate Teacher (MK)
Deysi is originally from Los Angeles, California but lived many years in Guadalajara, Mexico where she studied her undergraduate program in tourism. Seven years ago, Deysi returned to the U.S. and settled in the East Bay. Deysi’s family is latina, and she is very proud of her roots.
Deysi’s desire to continue growing and
the motivation she feels from her great love for children led Deysi to registered for courses at
Chabot College where she obtained her diploma as an early childhood associate teacher.
It is very important for Deysi to respect the learning styles of each one of
her children and she works daily to identify and plan learning strategies that
allow her students to construct meaningful knowledge.
Tanya Peña
Pre-Primary Lead Teacher (PK)
Tanya Peña was raised in
South Texas and Mexico. She is currently completing her BA in Human Development
with an option in Early Childhood Education at California State University,
East Bay. Tanya’s strong belief in the importance of bilingualism and in giving
students a global context for social awareness and responsibility brought her
to join the EBI community from its inception. Tanya has eight years of
experience working with elementary and preschool children and is passionate
about food, music, dance and art.
Rosa Abedini
Pre-Primary Associate Teacher (PK)
Rosa Abedini was born in Lima, Peru and resides in El Cerrito with her husband Masoud. She has been working as a Spanish Teacher for the past seven years in the East Bay. She has experience teaching Spanish to children from preschool through middle school. Her passion is to inspire children to love the Spanish culture and its richness. She enjoys spending time with family and good friends. She also enjoys Peruvian music and is a big fan of Diego de Cibela’s artwork.
Norma Santiago
Pre-Primary Lead Teacher (PK)
Norma is from Puerto Rico. She came to Oakland, CA in 2000 and has been a member of the EBI faculty since August, 2007. Norma received her degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico. She has worked as a special education teacher, in regular school programs and as a tutor. She loves to share her energy, her talents and knowledge with children and the EBI community. Norma has two children and a granddaughter. Besides her passion for working with children, she also enjoys sewing, designing and cooking.
Verónica Grande
Pre-Primary Associate Teacher
Verónica Grande was born
in El Salvador where she graduated from the University of El Salvador. Verónica
received a bachelor’s degree in physical and occupational therapy. She moved to
the Bay Area in June 2007 where she lives with her husband. In January 2008,
Verónica joined the EBI Team. She is currently taking classes in Early
Childhood Education at Merritt College. She looks forward to bringing new ideas
for how children learn to EBI.
Carmen Hernández
Pre-Primary Floating Assistant Teacher
Carmen Hernández was born in Mexico where she lived until she emigrated to the United States several years ago. Carmen continued her studies of childhood development in the U.S. Carmen has worked in Berkeley public schools for more than 14 years and is passionate about education and supporting faculty and staff. Additionally, Carmen has supported the EBI team since the school was founded, first as a volunteer and later as an assistent. Carmen is married and has three children, the youngest of which is an EBI student.
Yésica Perea
Pre-Primary Floating Assistant Teacher
Yésica Perea was born in the city of Celaya in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. There she studied tourism and received her degree in tourism administration which she later validated in the U.S. Yésica moved to Fremont, California with her husband about four years ago. In 2007 she began her studies in early childhood education at Chabot College. Currently, Yésica has an Associate Teacher permit and plans to receive her Master Teacher permit this year. Yésica considers herself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to begin a new profession in early childhood education and, even more so, to have the opportunity to work in her native language. Her pastimes include painting, cooking, singing and watching suspense movies. Yésica has worked with children for the last two years and feels very happy to belong to the EBI team.
Luis Torres Torija
General Aide
Luis Torres Torija was born in Mexico City. He is an attorney with a specialty in insurance and securities. In his home city, Luis gave a number of training courses in insurance, securities and risk management in a variety of programs for insurance and securities companies. Luis’s work at EBI has been an incredible experience for him as he has gotten to know the EBI community and enjoyed being a part of it. Luis loves his work and the relationships he has with the children, teachers and parents.
María Luisa Offerman
EBI Aventura Teacher
María Luisa
Offermann is a teacher in the EBI Aventura program. She was born in Santiago,
Chile. María Luisa is passionate about her teaching and has taught for the last
28 years. She has dedicated a great part of her career to teaching swimming to
pre-school and school-aged children. She has studied Interior Architecture and
has a degree in physical education from the University of Chile in Santiago. In
addition to her work with children, María Luisa has worked as a personal
trainer. She is also a massage therapist and a reflexologist. From 2005 to 2008
María Luis served as a primary school teacher at the Farmland school in Chile
in the areas of natural sciences, social studies and technology and applied
sciences. She has developed a strong understanding of the teaching and learning
process that gives her an enormous amount of satisfaction in her current role
at EBI.
Pilar Beccar-Varela
Literacy Specialist
Pilar was born in Buenos
Aires, Argentina and raised in Oakland, CA. In 1996 she graduated from Bryn
Mawr College in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and then
returned home to the Bay Area to pursue a career in the classroom. From 1998 to
2004 she taught in the Hayward Unified School District, first as a first grade
teacher, and then in kindergarten. During her time there, she became part of a
cohort of teachers interested in literacy learning as well as project based,
arts-rich curricula and how such curricula helps to develop oral language and
cognitive growth. Her group received a two-year grant from the Spencer
Foundation to conduct classroom research in these areas. Pilar received her
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Cal State Hayward, followed by her
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification as an Early
Childhood Specialist. After leaving the classroom to have her son, she taught
in the UC Berkeley Developmental Teacher Education program, and then wrote
literacy curriculum for the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland. It was her
interest in teacher research, inquiry-based curriculum, and innovative
approaches to language and literacy learning that first attracted Pilar to EBI.
This is her second year teaching English literacy in the K-2 program. She is
honored to be part of such a vibrant, supportive, and creative school
community.
Gloria Costas
Administrative Assistant
Gloria Costas was born in Barcelona, Spain and has lived in the Bay Area since 1993. Gloria has a degree from the Tourism and Business college of Barcelona and a Certificate in Translation from the University of Manoa, Hawaii. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, French and Catalan, her native language, and understands Portuguese and German. Gloria brings enthusiasm and experience to EBI. She is married to Rob, a Berkeley native, and they have two sons.
Sandra Millán
Coordinator of Auxiliary Programs
Sandra was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela where she earned her degree in Computer Science at Intituto Universitario de Tecnología Venezuela. She has over 5 years of experience teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She worked as a Spanish Instructor and Director Assistant in Houston, Texas where she lived for 5 years. Sandra also has over 8 years of expertise in networking technology. Sandra manages EBI’s Extended Day Care Program, ¡EBI Aventura! and the summer camp program. Sandra is married and the mother of one son.
Paloma Baquerizo
Development Coordinator
Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, Paloma Baquerizo holds a Law degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. After working as a Public Defender and an International Contracts Attorney, she moved to Berkeley. Here in the Bay Area she worked in Immigration Law for over 15 years. A firm believer in multilingual immersion programs, she and her husband are raising two trilingual sons. Paloma has seen the benefits of an international education both, in the academic and cultural aspects. She is proud to be involved in EBI's pioneering program where she can bring her experience and enthusiasm.
