San Mateo County Changemakers - San Mateo County Office of Education

The County Office of Education is highlighting educators and student leaders who are bringing solutionary environmental justice and sustainability into their school communities. These changemakers have used their passion and knowledge to make real change, from creating sustainability programs to transforming teaching practices around environmental and social justice issues. Explore the interviews below to learn about each local solutionary changemaker. We hope their stories and experiences encourage you to take action in leading your own school community.

Introducing Our Newest Changemakers

Jessica Tiatia
Spring 2023
Teacher & Science Department Head,
Westmoor High School
Jefferson Union High School District

Inspiring High School Students to Take Environmental Action
Jessica has led sustainable change at Westmoor High School for more than twenty years. During the 2022-2023 school year, Jessica applied for and received a $4,000 grant through SMCOE’s Living Schoolyard Grant program to extend Westmoor's native plant garden, the Don Delbon Garden, which was started during the 2018-19 school year.

Alyssa Freedman & Jessika Mercado
Spring 2023
Teachers, Sunset Ridge Elementary
Pacifica School District

Promoting Biodiversity with Native Plants
Alyssa and Jessika created a solutionary unit introducing students to concepts and principles related to promoting biodiversity on Sunset Ridge Elementary’s campus. Their unit’s essential question was: Why are so many living things struggling to survive on this planet and what can we do about it? By planting a native plant garden at Sunset Ridge, Jessika and Alyssa supported students in doing their small part to combat biodiversity loss.

Daisy Yeung
Spring 2023
Science Instructional Coach
Sequoia Union High School District

Empowering Teachers to Empower Students to Make Solutionary Change
During the 2022-23 school year, Daisy collaborated with SUHSD’s Social Studies Instructional Coach, Amelia Greenfield, to lead an environmental literacy professional development cohort to support teachers in SUHSD to create solutions-focused, environmentally-based lessons across different subject areas and grade levels.

Youth Climate Leaders


2021 and 2022 Sequoia Union High School District Sustainability Committee Student Leaders Katinka Lennemann, Sara Typrin, Brandon Wee, Kathryn Nguyen, and Sophia Bai share their experiences helping the Sequoia Union High School District adopt a climate emergency board resolution to prioritize climate action in 2021, AND building on that effort in 2022 to launch a district-wide sustainability committee: 2021 Interview and 2022 Interview.	Maya Xu Spring 2021 Graduate Crystal Springs Upland School Youth Climate Leader and Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative Intern Maya discusses her Youth Climate Leadership and sustainability efforts, including starting an environmental club and leading sustainability events on campus.	Charlotte Rosario Fall 2021 Class of '25 The Nueva School Inspiring Youth To Take Climate Action Charlotte talks about her community empowerment initiative, called The Community Photobooth, and her experiences leading a Teen Innovators for Climate Action event.	Sophia Qin Spring 2022 Aragon High, Class of '23 San Mateo Union High School District *Empowering Youth Through Environmental Literacy* Sophia shares her mission to boost environmental literacy and empower youth. She discusses her nonprofit organization, Light Earth's Destiny, and her book Becoming Earth 2.0.

Lilian, Maram, and Atiya July 2021 Various Schools and Classes San Mateo Union High School District District-Wide Climate Emergency Declaration Lilian, Maram, and Atiya discuss their advocacy efforts and success in getting the San Mateo Union High School District to pass a district-wide climate emergency declaration.	Bellamy Cramer Spring 2021 Menlo-Atherton High, Class of '22 Sequoia Union High School District Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative Intern Bellamy talks about her work as a Youth Climate Leader and her green facilities internship with the Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative.	Emily, Olivia, Roisin, Caroline Spring 2022 Hillsdale High School San Mateo Union High School District *Youth Climate Ambassadors Empower Peers To Take Environmental Action* Emily Duncan, Olivia Murray, Roisin Scallon, and Caroline Lim share how they have empowered other students to get into gardening and care for their community and planet.

Teacher Changemakers


Charu Gulati Spring 2021 Science Teacher, Tierra Linda Middle School San Carlos School District Cultivating Student-Centered, Solutionary Project-Based Learning Opportunities Charu shares how being a solutionary teacher has helped her navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and find hope for a more sustainable future.	Matt Clemens Spring 2021 English Teacher, El Camino High School South San Francisco Unified School District Bringing a Solutionary Lens to High School English Matt discusses how he responds to student needs by bringing environmental education into the English classroom as a solutionary teacher.	Sonia Myers Spring 2021 Serendipity School; Currently a teacher at Cunha Intermediate School Solutionary Work and Environmental Advocacy Sonia talks about how being a solutionary teacher has helped enhance her teaching practices and lead students to be advocates for their community and build lifelong skills.	Beth Kassler Spring 2021 7th-12th Grade Teacher, Margaret Kemp Girls Camp San Mateo County Office of Education Implementing Restorative Practices in the Classroom Beth shares how being a solutionary teacher allows her to implement restorative practices in the classroom and build impactful, intersectional curriculum.

Sarah Hartman Spring 2021 2nd Grade Teacher, Connect Community Charter School Expanding the Solutionary Lens in the Classroom, and Beyond Sarah speaks about her experience in the Solutionary Teacher Fellowship program and how the resources she gained by participating benefited her teaching.	Corinna Low Spring 2021 7th Grade Science Teacher, Westborough Middle School South San Francisco Unified School District Inspiring Student Action Through Solutionary Teaching Corinna shares her experience in the Solutionary Teacher Fellowship Program and how it was a place for her to learn and grow as an educator and connect with a larger network of support.	Rhonda Clements Spring 2021 Social Studies Teacher, South San Francisco High School South San Francisco Unified School District Guiding Students From Knowledge to Action Rhonda talks about how learning about solutionary teaching has helped her teach her students how to ask the right questions about environmental issues and create impactful action plans.	Matthew Sahagun Spring 2021 9th Grade Physics Teacher, Woodside High School Sequoia Union High School District Clean Energy Curriculum and Solutionary Action Matthew discusses his experience in the Solutionary Teacher Fellowship Program and how it helped him develop a unit of study with Next Generation Science Standards that utilized local phenomena.

Jadelyn Chang Spring 2021 Kindergarten Teacher, Foster City Elementary School San Mateo-Foster City School District Inspiring Students to Be Stewards of the Environment Jadelyn shares how her passion and concern for the environment inspired her to implement zero waste projects and engage her students in solutionary units of study.	Kimber Trefero Spring 2021 1st Grade Teacher, Ormondale School Portola Valley School District Clean Energy and Sustainable Food Systems Kimber speaks about her experience in the Solutionary Teacher Fellowship Program and leading solutionary units of study to help students build a growth mindset.	Jennifer Young Spring 2021 Fourth Grade Teacher, Audubon Elementary School San Mateo-Foster City School District Encouraging Students To Be Creative Problem-Solvers Jennifer discusses her experience in the Solutionary Teacher Fellowship Program and her class embraced the term “problem solvers” in the 2020-21 school year.	Habiba Naqvi Spring 2022 8th Grade Science Teacher, Bayside Academy San Mateo-Foster City School District Empowering Students to Make a Positive Impact in the Community Habiba talks about how her experiences helped her design lessons that engage students and help them implement projects, including a successful campaign for solar panels.

Woodside Green Academy Spring 2022 Woodside High School Sequoia Union High School District Environmental Education Experiences, Both Inside and Outside the Classroom Teachers in the Woodside Green Academy share how the program provides students with a cohesive and meaningful environmental education experience, inside and outside the classroom.	Donna Luu Spring 2023 2nd Grade Teacher, Sunset Ridge Elementary Pacifica School District Empowering Students to Divert Waste From Landfills Donna obtained a 4Rs grant through the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability to work with her school’s administration to implement a tri-bin system in all classrooms. She also organized a group of student volunteers to create a Green Team that monitors waste sorting and provides environmental outreach on campus.	Alyssa Freedman & Jessika Mercado Spring 2023 Teachers, Sunset Ridge Elementary Pacifica School District Promoting Biodiversity with Native Plants Alyssa and Jessika created a solutionary unit introducing students to concepts and principles related to promoting biodiversity on Sunset Ridge Elementary’s campus. Their unit’s essential question was: Why are so many living things struggling to survive on this planet and what can we do about it? By planting a native plant garden at Sunset Ridge, Jessika and Alyssa supported students in doing their small part to combat biodiversity loss.	Jessica Tiatia Spring 2023 Teacher & Science Department Head, Westmoor High School Jefferson Union High School District Inspiring High School Students to Take Environmental Action Jessica has led sustainable change at Westmoor High School for more than twenty years. During the 2022-2023 school year, Jessica applied for and received a $4,000 grant through SMCOE’s Living Schoolyard Grant program to extend Westmoor's native plant garden, the Don Delbon Garden, which was started during the 2018-19 school year.

Administrator Changemakers


Sarah Koning Spring 2021 Director of Sustainability The Nueva School Green Achiever Award Sarah shares about The Nueva School's success with the California (CA-GRS) and Federal Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) programs. The school was recognized as a "Green Achiever" in 2021.	Lena Butte, Sally James, and Erin Bautista Spring 2021 South Hillsborough School Hillsborough City School District Silver-Level Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Lena Butte, Sally James, and Erin Bautista discuss their sustainability efforts at South Hillsborough School, which received a California Green Ribbon Schools (CA-GRS) silver-level recognition in 2021.	Will Eger, Delma Camacho, and Nico Janik Spring 2021 Ravenswood City School District Bronze-Level Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Will Eger, Delma Camacho, and Nico Janik discuss their California Green Ribbon Schools (CA-GRS) bronze-level recognition and sustainability efforts in the Ravenswood City School District.	Mindy Hill Spring 2021 Health and Wellness Coordinator San Carlos School District Solutionary Partnerships Across San Mateo County Mindy shares how being a solutionary educator has helped her build partnerships across San Mateo County and support trauma-informed, solutionary environmental teaching.

Sheila Krotz Spring 2021 Principal, Portola Elementary School San Bruno Park School District Championing Sustainability at Portola Elementary Sheila talks about how being a solutionary educator has helped her collaborate with early learners and implement sustainability projects across her school.	Dwayne Taylor Spring 2021 General Manager of Facilities Use San Mateo Union High School District District-Wide Sustainability Efforts Dwayne discusses how he supported a baseline assessment process to document his district's progress on sustainability and climate resiliency and jump-started efforts to create a districtwide sustainability committee.	Katherine Rivera Spring 2022 Orion Alternative Elementary School Redwood City School District Sustainable Waste Management and Outdoor Learning Katherine shares how she has unified her community to bring equitable access to nature and sustainability practices to her school through outdoor learning spaces and sustainable waste programs.	Ralph Crame Spring 2022 Chief Business Officer Millbrae Elementary School District Living Schoolyards Ralph talks about working with community members to uplift their visions and bring green schoolyards to Millbrae Elementary School District.

Nuala O'Sullivan-Haley & Liz O'Neill Spring 2022 Principals, Garden Village Elementary School & Westlake Elementary School Jefferson Elementary School District Turning Garden Beds into Relevant Outdoor Learning Spaces Nuala and Liz share how they have taken on environmental issues like waste management and outdoor learning spaces on their school campuses, and discuss how schools can become models of sustainability with meaningful leadership.	Kristen Ugrin Fall 2023 Principal, Tierra Linda Middle School San Carlos School District Cultivating Outdoor Learning Spaces Kristen shares her process for creating outdoor learning spaces to educate students about healthy food, biodiversity, and equity as well as provide for those who experience food insecurity in our communities.	Kerry Dees Spring 2023 Principal, Green Hills Elementary School Millbrae School District Championing Schoolwide Sustainability Kerry shares her process for implementing a tri-bin waste system on campus and collaborating with school staff to spearhead the school’s Green Team, which empowers fifth grade students to be sustainability leaders on campus.	Daisy Yeung Spring 2023 Science Instructional Coach Sequoia Union High School District Empowering Teachers to Empower Students to Make Solutionary Change During the 2022-23 school year, Daisy collaborated with SUHSD’s Social Studies Instructional Coach, Amelia Greenfield, to lead an environmental literacy professional development cohort to support teachers in SUHSD to create solutions-focused, environmentally-based lessons across different subject areas and grade levels.