Leading the Way

Mr. Munda has worked for the LA Unified School District since 2002. Before then, he was a preschool teacher at the UCLA lab school while he attained his BA in Psychology. He graduated several times: in 1999 (HS), 2001 (Diplome de Pastisserie), 2002 (BA), 2004 (M.Ed - Elem Ed), 2006 (MA - Ed Leadership). He started teaching in LAUSD at the age of 20 back in 2002 (you do the math of how old he is now). Since then he has taught every grade level (K-5) and even a combination class. In 2009, he took on the role as an Instructional Coach, then as a Title I Coordinator, and currently is our Magnet Coordinator+ (+= many other roles). He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and making them laugh with his dry humor, sarcasm, and "dad jokes".

Ms. Villamarin has been a teacher for over 27 years.  She enjoys exploring the beautiful garden and other outdoor spaces with her class.  She's always open-minded to the needs of her students using humor and the arts to take risks in the classroom.  She strives to maintain a classroom atmosphere that inspires and encourages students to explore and express their ideas.  If she were a crayon color, she would be green because it is a reminder of the individuality, strength, peacefulness, and connectedness of a tree. 

Ms. Diedrich has started her teaching career at Elysian Elementary and is thrilled about how welcoming and positive everyone has been. She takes a student-centered approach to her teaching and makes sure to meet each student where they are. If she could be a crayon color, she would be yellow because she is a positive and cheerful person—just like the sun!

Ms. Sutherland has been a teacher for 7 years, and we've been lucky to have her at Elysian for 5 years so far. Her favorite thing about Elysian Heights is the people. From the faculty to the staff, kids, and parents—they all bring her so much joy. She is a free-flowing, outgoing teacher that can bring any student out of their shell. If she could have any animal as a classroom pet, she would choose a big, funny dog to cuddle with the kids during read-alouds and play with them during recess!

Mrs. Trevino loves being a kindergarten teacher! She enjoys helping her students grow, smile, laugh, and fall in love with learning. She uses her background in musical theater to help keep her students engaged and excited. She went back to school to get her Master's in Reading Instruction so that she has as many tools as she can to help all students on their personal reading journey. She is known to bring the dance party wherever she goes because she is the queen of celebrating success and has to move when she hears music. She was very honored to receive the 2022 Social-Emotional Teacher Spotlight Award. She loves the Elysian Heights Arts Magnet community so much that she brought her own son to attend school here, too.

Bridgette Boone is a Los Angeles Native, who grew up in the Echo Park and Silver Lake area. She attended Alexander Hamilton High School in the Preforming Arts Magnet. She graduated from Augsburg University in Minneapolis MN with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. Bridgette is so excited to be starting her first year of teaching at Elysian Heights Elementary, and to serve her community.

As a teacher, Ms. Day is all about building strong relationships, asking big questions, and cultivating a joyful learning environment. She values creative and critical thinking, collaboration, arts integration, and believes strongly in the capacity of every child to do amazing things. Ms. Day loves teaching because she loves learning, and she is so grateful to learn new things from her students all the time! If she were a crayon she would be purple because she tried out being Harold's purple crayon on Halloween one year and it just felt right

Teacher Emma values a student led, celebratory learning environment full of love, silliness, and empowerment. Throughout the years working with children, Emma has discovered the importance of learning and growing everyday alongside students. Teaching brings Emma joy that is poured back into planning and practice. Emma is excited to continue working at Elysian Heights, as the community has been overwhelmingly supportive and loving.

Ms. Amano has discovered the students to be so friendly, accepting, and always willing to learn from each other. She enjoys a lot of discussion-driven lessons in her teaching so the kids can speak their minds. She wants to foster an ability for them to express their thoughts and opinions on topics they are passionate about. If she could choose any classroom pet, it would be an ocelot. This wild and unique cat would have fun hanging out with our city kids! 

Ms. B. has been working with children for nearly two decades as a babysitter, nanny, camp counselor, and substitute teacher, so it makes perfect sense that she eventually sought out a career in education. She began her teaching career at Elysian Heights in 2019 and, given the pandemic, it's been a wild (albeit exhilarating) ride thus far! She is thrilled to be a member of such a supportive, caring community of teachers, students, and their families. Ms. B.'s classroom is a place where students not only learn academics, but life lessons that they will carry with them wherever they go. We don't say "We can't…" in Ms. B.'s room; we say "We can't…yet."

Mrs. Gallo continues to love educating young minds. She has taught at Elysian since 1997 and is inspired by the inquisitive nature of children. She creates a safe and nurturing environment in the classroom where each child feels loved, supported, and heard. She loves incorporating ukulele instruction in her program and loves to sing with children. She was humbled to receive the honor of Teacher of the Year in 2020. Teaching is her passion and love and she is honored to be a part of children's growth. 

Sarah has been teaching for seven years. She has a background in inclusive classrooms and believes that all children are capable of success in school and beyond. Her goal as a teacher is for all her students to feel seen and supported, and know that they are part of a community bigger than themselves.

Ms. Kang has worked with children all throughout her life, from being a nanny to a youth events director, so it's only natural that she finds herself in a career where she can work directly with her students. She seeks to implement an inclusive classroom environment to ensure that her students and families are empowered throughout their learning experience in her classroom. With a love for the arts, the outdoors, and people, Ms. Kang looks forward to meaningful memories for, from, and with her amazing students.

Ms. Mann Bio

Mr. Rager is honored to have started his teaching career at Elysian Heights. Mr. Rager believes in a classroom where students think critically about the world, and help shape and direct the curriculum based on where their learning takes them. He is focused on creating a safe and caring classroom community, and is so excited to see all of the amazing things his students will create together this year.

Mr. Szabo has so much fun with the kids and loves all of their interesting antidotes. His teaching style has always been very flexible. He allows students to express themselves without fear of judgment. Students feel free to learn in their own way within his classroom. If he could have any animal as a classroom pet, he would bring his parrot…he could help with classroom management as he has a degree in Group Dynamics. 

Ms. Bonilla started her career at Elysian Heights and loves the connected community of families and staff. She's known for her patience and has a goal of always creating a teaching environment that is fun and filled with laughter. She wants all of the students to know she will be their #1 supporter, and that they can be free to be themselves. If she could have any classroom pet, it would be a baby pig so the students can have a silly, fun pet to run around with!

Mr. Garcia loves the vibe of this school and attributes it to the good nature of the kids and the staff. He is honest, fair, patient, and motivational with his students. He relates well to the kids by sharing stories to help them understand things they are challenged within their lives. If he could be a crayon color, he would choose olive green because it reminds him of being outside—his favorite place to be! 

Ms. Rios loves the diversity and flexibility of Elysian Heights. Her teaching style is a balance of old school expectations, paired with restorative justice practices. She enjoys collaborating with her students and loves both teaching them and learning from them.  If she were a crayon color, she would be purple because eggplant is her favorite veggie! 

Ms. Tuthill has been a music teacher for over 10 years. She loves how creative the students are. They always come to music class with new and great ideas. She tries to incorporate all students interests and values into the music room. She wants her classroom to be a space for students to express themselves. If she could have any animal in her class, it would be a songbird of course! 

Rebecca Maurer has a BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia PA. She moved to Echo Park in 2001. Since then, she has explored various art careers such as costume design and jewelry design. She also loves painting, tapestry weaving, and puppet making. This is Rebecca's sixth year at Elysian Heights. "Our students continue to amaze me! I love seeing the passion in their artmaking. It's truly a magical thing."

Emily has been teaching theater at Elysian Heights since 2017. She is also the theater education coordinator at Sacred Fools Theater and a professional actor who has appeared in regional theaters all over the country, dozens of television shows, and on Broadway! She attended Northwestern University, and has degrees in Music, Mathematics, and Musical Theatre.

Tiffany Osborn started playing violin at the age of 3, and continued her studies through high school and college. In young adulthood, she performed nationally and internationally in indie rock bands. Now she has nearly 20 years of teaching experience and has dedicated her life to music education.

Ms. K. is a Los Angeles-based music educator and freelance musician. Currently an itinerant elementary instrumental music teacher in LAUSD, Ms. K also directs the Wind Ensemble at Los Angeles Valley College and has previously been the director of band/orchestra programs at John Muir Middle School (Burbank) and Olive Middle School (Baldwin Park). Outside of school, Ms. K loves to teach music at summer music camps and perform as a freelance clarinetist/bass clarinetist.