Sep 26, 20243 min read

Welcoming New Staff

By Ariel Lee Sept. 25, 2024

Kristen Webster Science Department

Webster is originally from Western Kentucky, and she worked many different jobs before returning to college at the age of 26. She worked as a mountain bike guide in Colorado, as a farm hand on vegetable and animal operations in many states and as a waitress. She completed her undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree at Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz. Webster decided to join the school as she felt welcomed and comfortable in the interview. She believed that the teachers and admin were people she would be happy to work and collaborate with, and she hopes to provide a rigorous and fun science experience for all students. Both her most challenging and rewarding experiences so far have been the fact that she is in a class with 150 students. She predicts that by the end of the school year, a change she will see is stronger relationships with students and faster lesson planning.

Linda Wung Attendance/Office Assistant

Wung graduated from the University of Minnesota and worked for Target and Macy’s before having a family. She decided to join the school because she thought it was a great opportunity for her to serve her community, especially since her children are older now. Wung hopes to achieve the goal of being able to assist in the learning process by making sure students are present and ready to learn every day despite the novel environment.. She believes that every day presents a new challenge as there are differing tasks she has to complete each day.

Chelsea Ray Physical Education Department

Ray was a teacher for Bret Harte Middle School and Gunderson High School before coming to the school. She had also previously taught at an elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona. Her decision to join the school was influenced by the fact that she knew the community and students here well because of her previous experience at the feeder school Bret Harte. She saw it as a chance to see many familiar faces around campus. Ray hopes to create a space for students to feel seen, heard and valued while staying active. However, there are many challenges and rewards to her new job. For example, she believes that seeing her past students who have found their place and confidence is a reward, but a challenge is trying to get back on the daily schedule of waking up early and coming to school, especially after the summer break.

Brian Haugen Social Studies Department

Haugen started his teaching career at Willow Glen High School, then transferred to John Muir Middle School in 2010, learning that middle schoolers can be enjoyable to teach after being leery of them at first. There were many things Haugen missed about teaching at a high school, and he looked forward to returning. High school is special to him because he believes that it is a critical time in people’s lives when they are preparing themselves for adulthood. Coming to Leland, Haugen hopes to provide students with a holistic education and opportunities for personal growth. By the end of the year, Haugen predicts a stronger student body that has been provided with the skills necessary to support each other and be successful while making the best of their time in high school.

Katherine Ciciarelli Accountant Clerk/ASB Bank

Ciciarelli graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance which she used to get her start as a financial analyst. After having her 4 children, she regularly volunteered at Graystone Elementary School as their paralibrarian. She decided to join the school because all of her children have either graduated or are currently attending the school. Ciciarelli he hopes to keep the Bank as a fun place to visit and get to know more students. A change she predicts to see by the end of the school year is her growth in the job that Ms. Young previously held.

Bessie Cheng Mathematics Department

Cheng got her masters in statistics from the University of Pennsylvania and her master's in teaching from San Jose State University. Before coming to the school, she worked as a math teacher in San Mateo and Milpitas. She decided to move to this school as she loves working in a school with a diverse student population. She hopes that she will be able to build a positive relationship with her students and make learning math fun. Cheng believes that working with her students is the most rewarding part of her job as they are all hardworking. She also predicts that there will be a lot more wonderful student work being put up on her classroom walls by the end of the school year.

About the Contributors