New Faces at Sage Hill Include Sage Center Director

New Faces at Sage Hill Include Sage Center Director
Over the summer, Sage Hill welcomed a group of new employees in a variety of roles for the 2020-2021 school year. 

Christopher Dennis joins Sage Hill as the Sage Center Director. He will oversee all of the programs under the Sage Center umbrella, including Spring at Sage, Service Learning, the Sage Hill Internship Program, Sage Center Speaker Series and more. 

Previously, he was the Director of Equity & Diversity at the Collegiate School in New York. He considers himself to be extremely passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work and is currently working on his PhD in Education for Social Justice from the University of San Diego.

“I’m excited to join a community of people with a passion for the student experience,” Dennis said. “I hope to help students demonstrate their skills and share perspectives through the work of the Hamoui Family Sage Center.”

Other new employees include:

Samari Batres - Spanish teacher. She has been a teaching assistant at UC Irvine since 2014 and was also a Spanish instructor at Chapman University and Middlebury College. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese from UC Irvine and is expected to finish this December.

Ashlie Berg - Long-term substitute teacher for the History & Social Studies Department. She comes to Sage Hill from Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where she has been a social studies teacher since 2013.

John Gunnin - Visual arts teacher. Gunnin is no stranger to Sage Hill -- he served on the Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2011 and has also worked as a substitute. He previously taught multiple levels of art at Corona del Mar High School for 20 years.

Malila Hollow - Accompanist. She comes to Sage Hill from Torrance Arts Academy, where she has been a piano instructor since 2017. She is also a private piano instructor and a ballet accompanist for California State University Long Beach.

Daniela Moore - Advancement Manager -- Events and Data. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in nonprofit management. She has most recently worked in events and marketing/development for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.

Idella Price - Executive Assistant to the Head of School. She previously worked as a personal/executive assistant, chief of staff or house manager since 2012 for a variety of high-profile people and companies in the greater Los Angeles area.

Jennifer Rothman - History teacher. Rothman was a long-term substitute teacher at Sage Hill in spring 2019 and previously taught AP classes at Corona del Mar High School and worked as an advisor for Speech and Debate and Model United Nations. She also owns the business Laguna Mountain Toys in Laguna Beach.

There are also some familiar faces from Athletics who will be working as classroom assistants in various departments over the first semester, in addition to their coaching duties. 

Classroom assistants will work with faculty members who need to continue teaching remotely even after students return to campus. Classroom assistants will work closely with the faculty members with whom they are paired to ensure that classroom technology is working smoothly and that all students are engaged in classroom activities throughout the class period and monitor compliance with health and safety protocols.

Bo Drobenko is an assistant coach for the boys’ varsity basketball team. This fall, he will also be a classroom assistant for the History & Social Studies department.

Niki Falbo is the head coach for the girls’ lacrosse team. This fall, she will also be a classroom assistant for the English Department.

Chris Lew is the head coach for the boys’ JV  basketball and golf teams. This fall, he will also be a classroom assistant for the History & Social Studies department.

Bob Mezeul is the head coach for boys’ lacrosse. This fall, he will also be a classroom assistant for the History & Social Studies department.

Isaac Sierra is an assistant coach for the boys’ varsity soccer team. This fall, he will also be a classroom assistant for the Mathematics department.

Gus Toubia is an assistant coach for the boys’ varsity basketball team. This fall, he will be a classroom assistant for both the Arts and Mathematics departments.
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Sage Hill School

Sage Hill School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and athletic and other School administered programs.