Meet the Teachers!
For their first assignment, these teachers — new to the Sonoma Valley Unified School District — share a little about their themselves. More new teachers will be profiled in the next issue (and here online) of The Sun.
Megan Atkinson
I’m teaching at Dunbar Elementary in the K-2 special education classroom. I’m from Marin County. I have always wanted to be a teacher, since elementary school, but high school is where I found my passion for special education. I volunteered in a room at my high school and have been involved in this field ever since.
Aaron Berner
I’m teaching Freshman English at SVHS. I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I’ve lived in Sonoma County for three years. I originally came to Santa Rosa to participate in an Americorps program, and worked at an elementary school. I also worked at Analy High School in Sebastopol as a Paraeducator in the special education department, and also completed my student teaching at Analy.
Chris Burns
I’m teaching Freshman Algebra at the High School. This is my 32nd year in the classroom. I was a teacher in the Peace Corps in Kenya, I taught at Hanna Boys Center, and in rural Georgia, inner city New York, Fairfield, and Vallejo. I’ve had other interesting jobs — I was a bar keep and cook at Ma Stokeld’s on the Square in Sonoma. I grew up in New York City, but I’ve lived in California for over 20 years, three of them in Sonoma. I have a variety of interests. I am a tech guy — I minored in Computer Science before desktop computers were a thing. I also love working with my hands; I build cigar box guitars and other instruments and I play guitar and ukulele. I’m rarely bored! My Peace Corps boss told me I was a born teacher after hearing me lecture — he must have been right. My goal for this year is to be the best Algebra teacher ever. I left a comfortable position to challenge myself. I hope I’m up to the challenge!
Kathleen Morrison
I go by Katie Morrison (“Ms. Mo”). I’m the Self-Contained Classroom teacher for 6th to 8th grade students at Altimira. The SCC setting is a close-knit environment, providing one-on-one attention, which can help students with special needs feel safe, while fostering creativity and learning. I taught at El Verano and Dunbar the last two years, and as I had a previous career as a church pastor, where a big part of the work as a youth pastor was with 6th through 12th graders, I am thrilled to be ‘graduating’ into middle school. I love this age group and appreciate their passion and how they care about their place in the world. I grew up in Southern California, went to college on the East Coast, did graduate school in Berkeley, lived in the midwest, and made my way back to Oakland, where I began my teaching career. My family and I moved to Sonoma two years ago when my wife was called to serve as the pastor of the First Congregational Church. Teaching is a privilege. I appreciate the opportunity to work with parents in supporting their children’s education. I’m excited about the future of our district and the opportunity to work with wonderful colleagues, including our new principal, Cristina Waters.
Amber Orozco
I’m teaching 7th Grade World History and ELD (English Language Development) at Adele Harrison Middle School. I grew up in the Napa Valley, and went to high school in St. Helena. I was an architectural drafter there for 12 years, and volunteered at local schools, work that I loved. So I decided to change my career to teaching. I got a BA in history and proceeded on to my teaching credential at Sonoma State, graduating in 2015. I’ve volunteered with the Sonoma Valley Ed Foundation and have been a substitute teacher at Altimira Middle School and SVHS. Recently, I taught history at San Rafael High School. I‘ve lived in Sonoma since 2009 and have children that attend SVUSD schools. I’m happy to be teaching where I live, in a community I love. I’m excited to be a part of the Adele team and getting to know my students!
Giselle Perry
I’m the new bilingual counselor at the high school. I’m happy to be back working with SVUSD! I spent some of my SSU school counseling internship hours in the ‘90s at Altimira, and also worked there as one of the first Migrant Education Advisor Program advisors. Some of the staff I met then are still here, and it has been amazing to see them again in new roles, knowing we will now be colleagues. I am also thrilled to be working with former students of the MA Counseling Program at SSU who took some of the classes I taught as a lecturer in the program, from 2008 to 2017. In addition, I worked during 2002-2003 as a Middle School Prevention Coordinator here at SVUSD. Before returning to SVUSD, I worked for two years as an Elementary School Counselor in the Roseland School District, followed by almost 20 years with the Migrant Education Program. As with the work I did advocating for migrant students and families, I am committed to serving students in a way that ensures equity, inclusion, and opportunity for all. I look forward to this new chapter in my educational career, serving the students at Sonoma Valley High School. Go Dragons!
Virginia Valle
I’m a new Resource Specialist at Sonoma Valley High and I’ll be teaching Special Ed Science. I’m bilingual in English/Spanish, so I look forward to working with the English language learners at SVHS and their families. The last several years I worked in Social Services for Marin County. Before that, I was a high school teacher at a private school and also taught adult education classes. I grew up on the East Coast, lived in Marin for about 15 years and recently moved to Petaluma. I’m excited to be teaching again, especially at SVHS. I wish I had gone to school there! My friends who live in Sonoma would always tell me how wonderful it is and everyone I’ve met so far in the district has been so welcoming and supportive.
Jennifer Wu
I am teaching 9th and 10th grade special education at Sonoma Valley High School in the self-contained classroom. Wu is my last name, and yes I am half Chinese. I have a background working with individuals with autism. I also hold a Multiple Subject teaching credential and Master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. I am looking forward to collaborating with all of the other teachers in the special education department to support and also challenge our students.
