Meet our Team

Mark Briceno

Main Campus Classroom Support Teacher and Aftercare Coordinator

Mark is a wonderful Associate Teacher supporting Third - Eighth grade and our Aftercare Coordinator. Mark has eight years of teaching experience including five years at the Bay Academy in Shenzhen, China as 2-3 grade teacher. Mark holds a BS in Journalism and Communication, a BA in Literacy Studies and Elementary Education, and holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Mark is highly recommended and has an excellent record of connecting with students, and helping them to gain confidence and become engaged in their learning. He is a great sports enthusiast, and brings this passion to the classroom.

Cynthia Diaz

Co-Lead Teacher, Lower Elementary Grades 1st & 2nd, Spanish Teacher

Cynthia joined the Spring Hill faculty team in 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a minor in Early Childhood Development from Sonoma State University. She also has a Montessori Elementary credential from American Montessori Society. Cynthia has worked with students from 1st through 5th grade since 2009 in a variety of different capacities in the classroom, including a behavior and education specialist, student support instructional assistant and tutor in many subjects, and an after-school classroom director. She is a native Spanish speaker and enjoys integrating cultural studies in her Spanish lessons. Cynthia believes it is important to encourage conversational Spanish throughout the school day as well as after school help to connect Spanish as a second language with real-life experiences and activities. She enjoys listening to her students sing and speak Spanish throughout the day, play games and read in Spanish. Cynthia is a graceful, respectful, and positive role model with strong organizational and leadership skills. She absolutely loves being with children. Cynthia enjoys cooking and baking, as well as hiking and camping with her husband Arthur and their son Rylan.

Marie-ange Haddad

4th Grade Teacher

Mari-Ange leads our fourth grade students. Marie-Ange is an experienced teacher, highly trained in project-based teaching and learning. In her previous school, she was a trainer of teachers in project-based education. She holds a BA in Elementary Education, and a BA in Child and Youth Studies. Marie-Ange is organized, and has excellent positive classroom management. She believes in differentiated instruction, and strives to offer small group, and individual support to insure the success of every student. Marie-Ange also brings to her classroom a growth mindset, creative thinking, assessments, inclusion, and helping students develop grit.

Ed Longnecker

6th Grade Advisor, 6th Grade Humanities, Math Teacher Grades 6th & 7th

Ed Longnecker joined Spring Hill in 2020. He holds a BA in Communications from Sonoma State University and has also earned a California K-12 Multiple Subject Clear Teaching Credential, a Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development Certificate (CLAD), and an Administrative Service Credential from Sonoma State as well. Ed brings a lot of enthusiasm and experience to Spring Hill. He has been working with middle schools in Sonoma and Napa Counties for the last 17 years. During that time he has worked as both an assistant principal and a teacher. Ed comes to us from the Napa Unified School District where he has recently had three teacher of the year nominations, as well as nominations for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics, and won runner up as Napa Valley’s Male Role Model of the Year in 2019.

Katie Lopez

1/2 Grade Teacher

We welcome Katie Lopez to our 1 - 2 grade teaching team. Katie has over 10 years of excellent 1 - 5 grade teaching. She holds a Masters degree in Education and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with English Learner Authorization, and a BA in Communication Studies. Katie has been a teacher trainer for the Lucy Calkin’s Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop through Columbia University. She has also been a district VAPA (visual and performing arts) site leader for her previous school for 4 years. She has advanced knowledge of outdoor education and Play Space practices. She has assisted in leading the HEART Program (Health Education through Art) for elementary aged children. Katie has a great positive and collaborative attitude, and commitment to her teaching and her students' success. Katie and Cynthia Diaz have already started their collaboration, and are looking forward to working together as a very strong team.

Rebecca Nakashima

3rd Grade Teacher

Rebecca Nakashima was born and raised in West San Jose, California. She is the oldest daughter in her family, with one younger sister who is 6 ½ years younger. Growing up, her elementary school experience was a challenging one with being diagnosed with learning disabilities, as well as having too much energy than most adults appreciated during the late 90s. Thanks to finding the right tutor, she was able to work hard and gain the confidence she needed to succeed, which eventually led her to teaching. Rebecca graduated from California State University, Fresno in 2012 with a BA in Deaf Education, thinking maybe being a teacher to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing would be the right career choice, but it was not until 2014 when she knew in her heart she was meant to be in the general education sector. Rebecca has taught third and first grade at both small and large schools, independently private and secular private schools, including four years as lead third grade teacher at Notre Dame Elementary School. She has been happily married for over a year now, and has left the busy city of Hayward to settle down close to her mother’s side of the family here in Petaluma. For now, Rebecca and her husband spend their time cooking together, playing video games, and taking care of their 11 house plants.

Marla Pedersen

Art Specialist, Grades 3-8

Marla Pedersen is Spring Hill’s art specialist. Marla graduated The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Art Education and moved to San Francisco in 2005. She taught art for 15 years at St. Vincent de Paul High School and St. Vincent Elementary School in Petaluma and Sebastopol Charter School. She teaches private art lessons in her home studio to artists of all ages and works on her own art career, focusing on drawing, painting, and collaborating with her husband on original screen print designs.

Marla has a passion for teaching youth and relates the art making process to their own lives, making connections through art history, cultures, and a wide range of artists and styles to develop a rich art curriculum. Students will understand art as a language, a way for people to communicate ideas and world issues through images and making, a way to show people what’s in our heart and what we value, in a visual form. She has lived in Petaluma for 12 years and has two sons, Milo, age 9, and Oliver, age 11. Marla loves art and nature, family time, road trips, camping, picnics, hiking, beach days, and playing piano.

Alpa Sanwal

5-8 Science, 8th Grade Math

Alpa Sanwal is our STEAM coordinator for fifth - eighth grade, science teacher, and eighth grade math teacher. Alpa comes with many years of excellent math, science, and STEM teaching in Middle and High schools for the past 7 years. She holds a BA in Human Biology and a Masters in Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health Science. Alpa’s talents include, but are not limited to, curriculum development, analyzing data and scores to develop effective blueprints for student success, public speaking and presentation skills. She is trained in mindfulness, and leading classes that guide her students to learn about evaluating, tracking, and improving their learning styles, and achievements through mindfulness and goal setting.

Katie Saran

8th Grade Advisor, Humanities Teacher Grades 7th-8th

Katie Vanko is the 7th and 8th Grade Humanities teacher at The Spring Hill School. She has a BA in Liberal Studies, as well as a Multiple Subject Bilingual California Teaching Credential. Katie also holds a Master's Degree in Reading and a Reading Specialist Certificate from Sonoma State University. Katie has 12 years teaching experience in both Mammoth Lakes, CA and Petaluma. She has great passion for working with middle school students, guiding them as they realize their unique potential. Utilizing tailored lessons and curriculum that build lifelong readers and confident writers is important to her. She enjoys being out in nature with her family, and puppy Charlie Girl.

Rachel Wiebe

Lead Teacher Middle School, Grade 5

Coming soon!