Staff Directory
Dan Bonnin, Online Studies
dbonnin@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Dan Bonnin, M.S.Ed., is a 24-year veteran in the Piedmont Unified School District. While working the San Francisco restaurant circuit and finding occasional work as a studio musician in the 1980s, Bonnin earned his B.A. in Music Composition from California State University at Hayward. He earned his teaching credential, also at CSUH, and worked for the Hayward Unified School District as a middle school teacher of 7th grade core subjects before applying to PUSD in 1993. To date, his experience as a teacher in Piedmont includes: Tri-School Elementary Instrumental Music; 7th grade core subjects; U.S. History 8; Computers 6; P.E. 6; Noontime Supervision and Summer School. After a three-semester leave to join his brother for work in the film industry, he returned to PMS to resume teaching and to begin work toward his Preliminary Administrative Services Credential and Master of Science in Educational Leadership. After completing the grad work, he was appointed to the position of Assistant Principal at Piedmont Middle School where he served for five years and completed the Tier II, Clear Administrative Services Credential requirements before accepting a one-year position as interim Principal for Beach By The Bay Elementary in Emeryville (PUSD). After the Emeryville shop closed up and everyone returned to Piedmont, Bonnin spent three semesters at the PUSD Wellness Center as Site Coordinator and Facilities Comptroller before moving to Adult Education and MHS as the online class teacher/coordinator, his current assignments.
Emily Boyes, Math
eboyes@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Emily Boyes has been teaching math for 15 years in a variety of school settings. She grew up on the Central Coast of California and attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she received her degree is Mathematics and Single Subject Teaching Credential. She taught three years at her former high school before moving to the Bay Area in 2004. In 2006, Emily returned to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to earn her Masters in Educational Leadership. Out of her 15 years of teaching, she has enjoyed the years where she has taught in a small school environment and is happy to be apart of the MHS community. In her free time she chases her two sons around and attends as many A’s games as possible.
Ken Brown, Social Studies
kbrown@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Ken teaches Social Studies classes at MHS and advises the Associated Student Body class as well. He received a B.A. in U.S. History and teaching credentials for Social Studies from California State University East Bay. Prior to becoming a teacher Ken spent a number of years managing construction projects around the Bay Area. During those years, Ken also volunteered with a number of organizations, gaining experience working with high school and middle school youth. These experiences helped Ken to decide to become a teacher where he can work with teenagers full-time.
Shannon Fierro, Principal
sfierro@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Shannon has been an educator for over 20 years in New York, Boston, France, Japan, San Francisco and the East Bay. She was born and raised in the East Bay and then went east to earn a Bachelors in French and Education from Dickinson College, a Masters in French Studies from NYU, a Masters in International Education from Harvard University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Administration from Pace University. She is raising her three sons Joaquin, Gael and Ramon here in Piedmont with her husband Angel. Shannon is committed to issues of equity and social justice both in education and the larger community. In her free time, she loves entertaining, exploring the outdoors and traveling to other countries. She is incredibly happy to be a member of the Millennium community.
Alisa Foster, Paraeducator
afoster@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Alisa has spent her entire career in a variety of school settings, from elementary schools to the junior college level. She graduated from CSU Fresno with a degree in Liberal Studies. She connects with and enjoys the bay area by volunteering at Alcatraz Island, McLaren Park in SF, and at various local public schools. She enjoys cycling and photography with friends as well.
Laura Holley, Special Education
lholley@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Laura’s twenty-five year career in education has been devoted to serving individuals from highly diverse socio-economic and cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Her career goal is to assist students to become independent, culturally diverse, successful and productive individuals. It is her commitment to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all students through an unwavering commitment to social justice, and cultural proficiency. She has worked with adult students from historically underserved demographic groups and in underperforming schools. She taught GED prep classes in a self-contained program which produced a state record number of GED graduates annually. Laura left her adult school position to earn a credential in Special Education with the hope of preventing, rather than responding to, at-risk behavior. She worked as a special education teacher at a comprehensive high school and also in alternative education in Southern California for 13 years before moving her family to Northern California to teach at an East Bay high school for the last two years.
Stefanie Manalo-LeClair, Counselor
smanalo-leclair@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Stefanie Manalo-LeClair graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Management. She spent a year as a Jesuit Volunteer in Minneapolis, working with American Indian youth and their families coordinating after school tutoring and activities program. She returned to her hometown of Los Angeles to teach at her alma mater before heading to the University of Washington to earn her Masters in Social Work, with a concentration in Multi-Ethnic Practice. While in Seattle, Stefanie worked as an individual and family counselor at a community agency, working with students from elementary through high school age. Stefanie returned to CA, after her twins were born, to be closer to family. It was at Kids Turn, SF, that she facilitated and coordinated workshops for families going through divorce or separation. While working at Beach Elementary and Piedmont Middle School, Stefanie returned for her PPS credential at St. Mary’s College and started working at Millennium High School four years ago. Working as the counselor at Millennium High School allows Stefanie to pull from all her educational and life experiences.
Elise Marks, English
emarks@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Elise Marks has been teaching English for 26 years. Currently, she teaches Freshman / Sophomore English at MHS and Junior and AP English at PHS. A native of the East Coast, she earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard, then transplanted to the West Coast to do her doctoral studies at U.C. Berkeley. After teaching college for several years in the Midwest, she and her husband made a joyful return to the Bay Area and became high school teachers. In 2013, she became a National Board Certified Teacher. Her son is currently a student in the Piedmont Unified School district.
Bernadette Navarro, Administrative Assistant
bnavarro@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Bernadette has been a paraeducator in PUSD for over 18 years at Havens and Wildwood. She raised two children who graduated from PHS and lives in Oakland with her husband. She is a huge Raiders fan!
Michelle Mazzeo, Associated Student Body (ASB)
mmazzeo@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Ms. Mazzeo
Deysi Sahagon, English/Spanish
dsahagon@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Ms. Sahagon is a native Spanish speaker from Peru. She graduated from the National University of Trujillo in Peru with a Bachelor’s in education and a teaching credential in secondary education in English, Spanish and French. Her experiences include over 13 years of high school-level teaching of Spanish at College Park HS, Amador Valley HS and Castro Valley HS. Currently, Ms. Sahagon teaches levels 1, 2 and 3 of Spanish. She lives with her family in Oakland.
Katie Terhar, English
kterhar@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Katie Terhar grew up in Los Angeles and has lived in the Bay Area since college. She received her BA in History and English from Santa Clara University and her Teaching Credential from Cal State East Bay. She began her teaching career at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, a diverse school with a high population of ELL students. While challenging, it was also very rewarding to see the growth in these students. In 2000, she began teaching at Piedmont High School where she taught Freshman World Studies, Economics, AP US History, Constitutional Law, ASB and AP Exam Coordinator. After her third child, Katie took a leave from the classroom but continued working for PUSD in their Independent Studies Diploma Program through the Adult School. This program provided her the incredible opportunity to work one on one with students from age 18-60 and to help them receive their High School Diplomas. Katie was excited to return to the classroom at PHS in 2014 and is thrilled for the opportunity to teach English at MHS.