Introducing New Staff
Updated: 11 hours ago
By Sarah Perez Sep. 23, 2026
Ashley Albers, Administration
Albers, a San Jose native, fondly remembers a multicultural education summer intensive at the University of San Francisco, where she cultivated a love for ceramics while exploring how social justice can be expressed through the arts. From working as a special education English teacher to helping at a nonprofit for students with disabilities, she now serves the school community as Assistant Principal of Special Education and 9th Grade Student Services. Albers is a firm believer in providing quality education at a young age and hopes to open a community school for disadvantaged children.
Catherine Joo, Art Department
Joo was once a Charger before earning a degree in illustration in San Francisco. She loves reading books, playing the piano and making digital art. Recently, she has especially enjoyed making mini works known as artist trading cards. Joo greatly appreciates the welcoming culture of the school, and eagerly awaits drawing tablets to introduce a digital art unit to her classroom next semester.
Patrick Hoang, Math Department
Hoang, who is originally from Delaware, previously worked at Lincoln High School and now teaches AP Statistics and Geometry. This year, he has two main goals: for his AP Statistics students to feel prepared for the updated AP exam, and for his Geometry students to have a great math experience. He appreciates the school’s student body for being motivated and respectful, and has recently liked going for drives on long, twisty roads with a manual transmission.
Madeline Steinberg, Science Department
Steinberg holds a bachelor's degree in Marine Biology and loves immersing herself in science—whether that be at the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Having previously taught at Palo Alto High School, her goal remains to get students to enjoy science in different ways. Steinberg also likes to bake, do arts and crafts and read. She believes coming to the school as a teacher has been a great decision because of the kind and supportive students and staff.
Jon Joey Telebrico, Art Department
After growing up in Santa Clara, graduating from Archbishop Mitty High School and completing a master’s in Washington, D.C., Telebrico is glad to return to the community for his first year of teaching. He is appreciative of the collaborative and welcoming school environment. As the Speech and Debate head coach, Telebrico’s aim is to create sustainable infrastructure for the school’s team, specifically leveraging the team’s historical, logistical and financial data to identify possible improvements for its future.
Swati Arora, Math Department
Born and raised in India in a family rich in cultural traditions and spirituality, Arora’s experiences have encouraged her to build a learning space where students are challenged, valued and inspired to reach their full potential. Arora has taught a variety of courses spanning from Introduction to Calculus to Industrial Chemistry before coming to the school. Arora believes the school’s strong culture of excellence and commitment to student success makes the experience here unique. She enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the outdoors and being artistic with paint and paper.
Heidi Gile, English Department
Gile is very excited to join the school community, learn from her colleagues and grow as a Special Education teacher. She especially looks forward to helping her students develop academic, social and independent living skills that will prepare them for life after high school. Outside of the classroom, Gile travels, explores new places and shares her family fishing adventures on her Youtube channel.
Emme Sabanovich, Art Department
A Santa Clara County native, Sabanovich greatly values the diversity of the school’s environment that creates an engaging and inspiring culture. This year, Sabanovich plans to expand and enrich the photography curriculum, enhance the student learning experience and create an inspiring end-of-year art show. Aside from photography, Sabanovich also enjoys painting, hiking and playing musical instruments.
About the Contributor
Sarah Perez
Investigative Report & Opinions Editor
Sarah Perez is a junior and the page editor for the Opinions and Investigative Report sections of The Charger Account. She enjoys zoning out in nature and reading to understand the small ideas and observations that others have. :)
Julia Shin
Artist
Juliana Shin is a junior at Leland High School and the Viewpoint Page Editor for The Charger Account. During her free time, she enjoys reading webtoons, annoying her dog named Simba, scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration, and watching horror movies with her mom.
Chaerin Kang
Photographer
Chaerin Kang is a junior at Leland High School and a photographer for The Charger Account. She likes to hang out with her friends, watch k-dramas, and sleeping.
Amelia Wang
Photographer
Amelia Wang is a freshman at Leland High School. She likes to vibing music, reading novels, and eating cuisines from different cultures. She is kind of emotional, when she is happy, she can chat with everyone, when she is unhappy, she.... We can see she is quiet and empty.
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