M-A is welcoming 13 new teachers this year, each of whom have exciting energy and dedication to students. Learn more about their backgrounds, initial impressions of M-A, and hopes for the school year.
Charlotte Schroeder
Biology
Charlotte Schroeder grew up in Menlo Park, graduating from M-A in 2017 and attending Hillview Middle School. During her senior year, she discovered her passion for marine biology while taking M-A’s Marine Biology class with science teacher Erika Shepard. After high school, she studied biology with an emphasis on marine biology at San Francisco State University.
Schroeder looks forward to getting more involved with the school community. “I really want to get involved with track because I did track in high school,” she said. “I would say just getting more involved with going to the games, seeing the kids out and about. I think that’s what I’m excited for.” Schroeder will also be filling in for Shepard while she is on maternity leave.
Come visit Schroeder in F-11.
Adriana Oropeza Stone
AP World History, World History EML, and Economics
Adriana Oropeza Stone grew up in Mexico until she was 5 years old before moving to California in the middle of kindergarten. Stone majored in history at San Francisco State University and achieved her teaching degree and credential at Santa Clara University.
Stone taught at M-A for 7 years before moving to TIDE Academy (TIDE), where she taught for 4 years before its closure in June 2026. “I tell some people that it almost feels like I never left,” Stone said. “Especially because this used to be my classroom before I left.”
Stone aims to prepare her AP World History students for their exams in May and to broaden her World History Emergent Multilingual Learner students’ vocabulary in preparation for U.S. History. Stone’s sister, Julieta Oropeza-Gamez, is a Spanish teacher at M-A.
Come visit Stone in G-12.
Hector Cornejo
PE 1 and PE 2
Physical Education teacher Hector Cornejo, a Redwood City native, graduated from Woodside High School. After graduation, Cornejo intended to study engineering. While at San Jose State, however, Cornejo realized he didn’t enjoy studying engineering. As a result, he decided to switch his major to kinesiology with an emphasis in teaching.
Cornejo started his teaching career at Sequoia High School in 2013 before changing to work at TIDE in 2020. While teaching at TIDE, Cornejo was also the freshman boys soccer coach at M-A from 2022-24.
Cornejo is excited to experience M-A’s large and diverse community. “Once I’m fully adapted, I can really feel like I can breathe and [be] comfortable, and I can just explore around and feel like part of the community,” Cornejo said. “Hopefully by the end of the school year, I can have really strong connections with not just other staff members, but students as well.”
Come visit Cornejo around campus or at the gym.
Brandi Blucher
Education Specialist
Education Specialist Brandi Blucher was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to Santa Cruz at 15 years old. “It was very scary because I grew up in a very small school and then I went to a big public high school, so transitioning in high school was very difficult,” Blucher said.
Blucher got her start working with children in Child Protective Services’ foster care program. Blucher then got involved in education through volunteering, helping with office work and substitute teaching. Blucher started off with teaching middle schoolers in 2022, following that with three years of elementary school teaching, before switching to teach high school this year. “I want to make some really good connections and just support students as much as I possibly can,” she said.
At M-A, Blucher is an education specialist, meaning she works with students with different learning styles, helping them both personally and academically.
Come visit Blucher in D-7.
Carly Balmana
Multicultural Literature and Voice and AS English II
Carly Balmana, a San Bruno native, began her teaching career abroad in Malaga, Spain, where she taught middle school Biology in English. Balmana began working as a long-term sub at M-A in fall 2025. At the end of the 2025-26 school year, she was offered a full-time position teaching Multicultural Literature and Voice and AS English II.
Balamana enjoys the work ethic of M-A students. “I work with freshmen and sophomores, and I can see even in the beginning of the school year they’re so open and willing to participate, and I can tell they want to learn,” Balmana said.
Come visit Balmana in C-14.
Mathilde Lenoir
French I
French teacher Mathilde Lenoir was raised all over the world. The daughter of French parents, Lenoir lived in Italy and Morocco before returning to Paris for college, where she studied at Sorbonne Nouvelle University. Her unique upbringing is what made her want to pursue teaching. “I loved the life of an expat, and a good way of doing that, because I was also drawn to languages, was to be a teacher of French,” she said.
Lenoir is looking forward to making her class entertaining. “If we’re having fun in the class, it makes the learning effortless, and there’s a lot of potential for a language class to be fun,” she said.
Come visit Lenoir in D-16.
Sophia Bailey
Geometry Enriched and Algebra I
Math teacher Sophia Bailey, an East Bay native, knew she wanted to be a teacher from an early age. “In high school, I liked helping my friends who didn’t get it,” Bailey said.
Math was always intriguing to Bailey. “It’s the problem solving,” she said. “It’s being faced with a problem and trying to work your way through it.”
After graduating from UC Davis, Bailey began teaching at high schools in Seattle in 2018, before returning to the Bay Area this July. Bailey sees M-A as a different but exciting environment. “It’s the first big school I’ve ever really been at or worked at, but it’s so awesome,” she said. “You all are so happy and joyful and spirited, and it’s really fun to be around.”
You can find Bailey in D-24.
Lara Sandora
College and Career Counselor
Bay Area-born college counselor Lara Sandora’s love of travel originally made her dream of becoming a flight attendant. However, she found her way to teaching through Teach For America, a non profit organization that provides college graduates with a two year teaching position at a high school. “I did sort of wander my way into Teach for America and then quickly realized that I could travel in the summer, and that was going to scratch that itch for me,” she said.
Sandora worked as a school counselor at M-A for 12 years before moving to TIDE in 2021, where she worked as both a school and college counselor until the school’s closure. Now, Sandora has found her way back to M-A. “I find myself minute to minute switching from people I’ve known for decades to people that I’m like, ‘Oh, what was your name again?’” she said.
Sandora organized many events at TIDE, including career fairs and field trips, and is excited to bring them to M-A. “I’m really looking forward to bringing those opportunities to a larger audience here,” she said.
You can find Sandora in the College and Career Center.
Robert Kruger
Study Skills and World History
Robert Kruger comes from a dynasty of teaching. Kruger’s father taught at Kennedy Middle School, while his grandmother taught at Roosevelt Elementary. “It was kind of a family thing,” Kruger said.
Kruger grew up in Redwood City and graduated from Sequoia High School. This year isn’t his first at M-A, however. Sixteen years ago, Kruger worked as an instructional assistant right after finishing college. “I just fell in love with it instantly,” Kruger said. “By the end of the first semester, I was in my credential program.”
Kruger aims to help his students develop a sense of who they want to be as adults. “I don’t want students to turn around and realize that they really wasted an opportunity for personal growth over the course of this year,” he said.
You can find Kruger in E-4.
Jonathan Coleman
Study Skills and Algebra I
Jonathan Coleman, a Mountain View native, wanted to be a veterinarian before he ever thought about teaching. “I realized I didn’t like the work culture at all. The idea of being on call, the inconsistent shifts, I hated it,” he said.
Coleman found his way to teaching by tutoring at Foothill College. “I started to re-look at my career and realized that through tutoring and making money through tutoring at the college, I really loved teaching,” he said.
Coleman has enjoyed exploring the M-A environment. “M-A seems to have a strong culture of high performance, and it’s kind of a growth mindset structure. Those are both things I’m excited to delve into more in the future,” he said.
You can find Coleman in E-4.
Chef Chris
Culinary Arts
Christopher Skrocke, who goes by Chef Chris, always knew his future was in culinary arts. He was raised in Detroit, where he attended one of Michigan’s top culinary arts programs during high school. Freshly out of high school, he joined the Army’s culinary arts team before working at various highly lauded restaurants, hotels, and clubs. “With club and hotel work, you do everything. You don’t focus because people come in and say, for my wedding, I want this, so you gotta be able to do it,” he said.
Chef Chris hopes to help students set up their future careers. “One out of four high school graduates ends up working in hospitality. So this way, I’m hoping to set them up for success in it and just be something that the community can be proud of,” he said.
You can find Chef Chris in S-11.
Daphne Pacia-McCann
English II and English IV
Daphne Pacia-McCann knew she wanted to become a teacher in high school. She says she was inspired by several of her past teachers. “My own teachers were very supportive. They didn’t treat me like a victim. They saw my potential and helped me sort of realize it. And I realized, because of that, that I wanted to do the same,” she said.
McCann originally taught at TIDE, and says the move to M-A has been an adjustment. “There’s just so much information to learn, to adapt to,” she said. “Even when I’m watching the announcements, they’re like, go to the PAC, and I’m just like, what is that?”
McCann has enjoyed meeting the M-A student body. “The students are great,” she said. “I’m excited to keep getting to know them and working together this year.”
You can find McCann in E-21.
Virginia Trakul
Educational Specialist
Education specialist Virginia Trakul, found teaching later in life. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she originally worked as a dentist. “I liked to work with my hands a lot,” she said. Trakul’s dentistry then brought her to New Mexico, where she worked with underserved communities.
Trakul relocated to California 17 years ago, living in Los Angeles before coming to the Bay Area. Her love of working with the public eventually brought her to teaching. “I do like being out in the community helping people,” she said. “It gives me a sense of satisfaction to help people and to see people progress. That’s why teaching is actually a really good fit.”
Trakul is already feeling at home in the M-A environment. “Everyone has been super helpful and nice getting me started here,” she said. “The kids have been great.”
You can find Trakul in E-6.
M-A will have two new teachers, Joanne Yao and Gabriella Sandoval, during second semester.
