In the 2018-2019 school year, we have new staff members/teachers who have joined us at AHS. The new staff members this year are Ms. Kaliah Barr, Mr. Corey Hackman, and Mr. David Seiler, who are all special education teachers; Mr. Albert Chu, a science teacher;  Ms. Angie Dillman, the new assistant principal; Mr. Elias Chavez, the new ASB accountant; Ms. Samantha Hong, a math teacher; Mr. Robin Hu, a math teacher; Ms. Robin Serr, an art teacher, and Ms. Yazmin Valdina, a Spanish teacher.

Ms. Barr studied Education at Cal State Northridge and Azusa Pacific University before starting her career. She has held various positions in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which shows that she is capable of handling many tasks. Ms. Barr looks forward to giving back to the community, and being a part of it. Overall, she is excited to be a part of AHS!

Mr. Hackman taught in Pasadena for three years before coming to AHS to become a special education teacher. He was an instructional aid for ten years, and his time and dedication shows how devoted he is to helping students. He hopes to meet expectations and looks forward to the positive atmosphere that AHS provides.

Mr. Seiler has been teaching for 13 years, and before joining AHS’ staff he taught at three public schools, including Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS). Although he focused on special education the most of the time, Mr. Seiler has taught social studies, English, basic math, and algebra. His plan is to prepare his students for success even after they graduate from high school. He is excited for the AHS/CVHS football game and said, “I don’t know who I’ll be rooting for.”

Mr. Chu has been teaching for ten years as a public school educator, and has taught a variety of classes such as: Physics, AP Physics, and Project Engineering. Before he started teaching in public schools, Mr. Chu was also a private lesson music teacher who taught piano, violin, guitar, and the flute. When asked about his goal, Mr. Chu thought of his students first and said, “My goal for my students is always to prepare them for their future.” He is eager to help his students reach their full potential, and looks forward to teaching physics.

Ms. Dillman started out as a foreign language teacher in England and Poland. Through her experiences, she truly fell in love with teaching and returned to America to pursue her dream. She taught as a history teacher in Norco High School for seven years, and when she saw an opening at AHS, Ms. Dillman took the opportunity and joined the staff in 2010. During the four years she spent at AHS, she taught Modern World History, Government, AP Comparative Government, AP U.S. History, and the first class of AVID that was offered in our high school. Her main goal is to work hard in order to make students’ and teachers’ lives better, and to do everything she can in order to open as many doors possible to the students here at AHS.

Mr. Chavez has worked in many places before coming here to AHS. He worked for Think Together as an after-school Program Leader in Riverside County, and as a Reading Intervention Instructional Aide at the Hemet Unified School District. From 2016-2017, Mr. Chavez worked as a Digital Media Specialist at Duarte Unified School District. He is experienced in working with students, as well as his community. He looks forward to learn as much as possible about public school accounting, while establishing positive relationships with AHS staff and students. Mr. Chavez is thrilled to be back in a school environment that creates an exciting and engaging experience.

Ms. Hong started out as a substitute teacher at Temple City High School, then moved to Foothills Middle School and stayed there for a year, before coming to AHS. She is determined to help her students become good people who are hardworking and full of integrity. Like Mr. Chu, Ms. Hong is an AHS alumna and is excited to work with her fellow teachers and students.

Mr. Hu has been in education for over eight years. Before starting his job as a math teacher last year, he worked as a private math tutor and taught in many after school programs. Adding on to his experience, Mr. Hu worked as a summer school math teacher for six years. One of his goals at AHS is to help all his students achieve their personal goals through mathematics, and he plans to face those challenges with confidence and determination.

We welcome the new staff and teachers to AHS!

Photos by Conner Hua, Josie Chen, Lisza Lo, and Trinity Chhay