From teaching in an isolated eskimo village to counseling at a dude ranch, four of the nine new teachers on campus discuss the choices that brought them to Redwood.
Lindsey Kornfeld:
A Marin native, social studies and government teacher Lindsay Kornfeld graduated from Redwood in 2004. While at Redwood, she was an Editor-in-Chief for the Bark and played on the varsity tennis team. After graduating from Emory University with a major in environmental science and a minor in American history, Kornfeld joined the environmental consulting group for Delta Airlines where she started their in-flight recycling program. When Delta merged with Northwest Airlines, Kornfeld decided the change wasn’t for her, so she started to work on a dude ranch in Colorado. There, she worked as a teen counselor and snowboard instructor. She began her teaching career after a series of injuries, which brought a halt to her work on the dude ranch. After receiving her master’s degree in education, she worked at Battle Mountain High School in Colorado for two years before applying for a position to teach at Redwood. She now teaches four periods of government and one period of social issues. Her favorite American history fact is that President Taft was so fat that he need help removing himself from his bathtub.
Douglas Dammarell:
After four years of teaching inner city kids in Tacoma, Washington, fine arts teacher Douglas Dammarell transferred to teach and live in an eskimo village where he taught General Education for three years. As the village was located in the Alaskan tundra and was limited in its access to art supplies, Dammarell started a language experience class that combined photography and writing. After teaching in Alaska, Dammarell moved to an island outside of Seattle, Washington, where he saved enough money to support himself through a graduate program at the Rhode Island School of Design. He then returned to teaching at a typical school environment until a budget cut prompted him to apply for the open art teacher position at Redwood.
Ryan Lloyd:
Ryan Lloyd, the new physical education teacher and academic workshop advisor, comes from a long line of teachers. His mother, grandmother, as well as his aunts and uncles, were all teachers. Born and raised in the East Bay, Lloyd graduated from Chico State with a degree in Social Studies and Education. Prior to working at Redwood, Lloyd spent six years teaching at Pittsburg High School in the East Bay with over 3,100 students and decided to move the North Bay after hearing of Redwood’s positive reputation. Lloyd also has a 14 month-old daughter named Emerson and a wife who is a teacher in the East Bay.
Kristi Perani:
A programmer for eight years, Kristi Perani has written codes for programs such as Adobe Illustrator, as well as starting her own programming business with her husband. After taking time off to raise her kids, Perani began tutoring in math, which inspired her to become a teacher. Perani earned her educational degree and worked as a special education aide. Perani started working at White Hill Middle School for six years, then transitioned to Del Mar Middle School for four years. She chose to accept a high school position after she heard of an open spot for physics, however she is also qualified to teach mathematics. Perani prefers a hands-on approach to her teaching, which is why science remains her favorite subject to teach.
