List of 16 members.

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  Erin Riley 

  Math, 6th, & 7th / Trip Coordinator
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  Esmeralda Mamahua 

  Spanish, 7th Grade
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  Harmony Towne 

  Development & Admissions Associate

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  I am happily entering my third year working at SBMS as I continue to support fundraising, admissions, communications, and the business office. I have worked in fundraising for the past five years locally at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara and Hospice of Santa Barbara. Before that, I owned a wedding & event videography business for about 12 years. So if you see me around the school, I will probably have a camera in my hand. I love documenting events and have plenty of opportunities to do that here at SBMS. I have lived in Santa Barbara for over 20 years and grew up in Kauai, Alaska, and Guam.
  
  I have an Environmental Studies degree from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. And here's a fun fact: my parents were middle school teachers. I have two children, ages 7 (Grayden) and 11 (Luna). Luna will be joining us at SBMS this year as a 6th grader. She was so excited to come that she wanted to skip the summer entirely!
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  Jake Lindelof 

  Math, 8th & 9th Grade / Coach / Electives / Outdoor Education

  Class of 1993
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  Jenna Berry 

  Dean of 6th Grade / English, 6th Grade / World History, 9th Grade
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  Jenni-Elise Ramirez 

  Development & Admissions Associate

  Class of 2002

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  I am excited to work with both the Development and Admissions teams at SBMS by helping to raise funds to support our school’s excellent programs and by giving a taste of SBMS life to prospective families through campus tours and other admissions programs.

   

  I am an SBMS alum, Class of 2002, and I attribute much of who I am today to the life lessons and mantras that I learned as a Middle School student. I attended Cal State University, Long Beach, originally for jazz vocal performance, and graduated with a BA in Liberal Studies and Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. I received an MBA specializing in Non-profit Management and Social Responsibility from Antioch here in Santa Barbara. Before coming to SBMS, I worked in development for Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County. I have been a part of the Junior League of Santa Barbara for the past ten years, serving as incoming president, 2023-2025.

   

  I am passionate about giving back and advocating for the community, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the SBMS faculty and staff.
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  Jesse Kasehagen 

  Science, 7th Grade / Dean of the Bike Program

  Class of 1990

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  I currently teach 7th grade science as well as run the Bike Monkey Program. I've been teaching at SBMS since 2002, starting with 6th and 7th grade science, and I started teaching Bike Monkeys in 2005.
  
  I graduated from SBMS in 1990. After working with the after-school program of the Santa Barbara YMCA for 8 years and then graduating from UCSB with a BS in Geology, I went to San Diego State University to get a teaching credential.  
  
  I love to work on bikes, spend time with my daughter discovering bones of the body or reading about Olaf, and grilling meats and veggies for other people!
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  Jesse Wooten 

  Dean of 9th Grade / English, 9th Grade / Sports / Chess / Ukulele

  Class of 1990

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  I am the 9th grade Dean and English teacher. I also teach chess, ukulele, and co-coach the Surf Team. A Santa Barbara native and alumnus of Santa Barbara Middle School (’90), I feel blessed to be working and living within the loving community that is created by the teachers, alums, and families of our incredible school.

  Having attended college on the East Coast (Dartmouth ’97), received my teaching credential and Master's at UCSB, lived in three foreign countries, and traveled to over 25 more, I have done my best to see the world and always strive to bring my experiences home to the students of Santa Barbara Middle School.

  As a family of educators (my wife, Lara, teaches at Cold Spring School), our ultimate goal as teachers and parents (we have two boys, Luke and Wyatt) is to empower young people with the means to formulate their own ideas, express them effectively, and live them fully.

  I abide by Gandhi’s wisdom: “True happiness is when what you believe, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Personally, I am truly happy as a teacher/administrator at Santa Barbara Middle School.
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  Jill Barton 

  Food and Trip Support
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  Jonathan Davis 

  Dean of 7th Grade / 7th Grade Human Geography / Electives / Trip Staff

  Class of 1986

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  This is my fifth year teaching 7th grade social studies at SBMS. As a graduate of the school (class of '86), I'm excited about returning to share my 24 years of experience as an educator with a new generation of students.
  
  I graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1993 with a BA in history and after traveling extensively in Latin America, earned my teaching credential from San Francisco State University. I've taught at several small K-8 schools in California and Maine. While living in Maine, I also earned my MS in Education (literacy concentration) form the University of New England.
  
  When I'm not at school, I can be found hanging out with my wife Dena and our two sons, Noah (10) and Benjamin (14). I also love to bike, swim, run, compete in triathlons, and visit family in Maine during the summer.
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  John Pasini 

  CFO

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  I began my Santa Barbara Middle School journey with great excitement on July 1, 2022. For the last three years, I was the CFO and Director of the Covid Task Force at Providence School. I have led the finance, accounting, and operations teams as the CFO/COO for public and private companies in Santa Barbara for many years before joining Providence, twenty of which were in the publishing field.

   

  I graduated from UCSB with a B.A. Business Economics, and then relocated to Los Angeles to work at a top-tier public accounting firm. After six years in LA, my wife and I returned to SB to work with a startup telecommunications company and raise our daughter.

   

  A former tennis pro, skier, lifeguard, and windsurfer, I currently teach Spin/Cycle and Zumba at the Montecito and Santa Barbara YMCAs.
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  Joy Elizondo 

  Spanish, 8th Grade

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  I am a California kid and have lived in Santa Barbara for over twenty years, but I have gone exploring on the East Coast, in Europe, Mexico, Central & South America and the South Pacific. I studied Spanish and Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley and earned a Master’s degree in Romance Languages at Harvard University.
  
  

  I am a longtime educator (and mom of two teens) with experience teaching Spanish, facilitating teen social-emotional learning groups and working in family engagement with Spanish-speaking families at independent and public schools. One of my greatest joys is leading student-centered travel programs to Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru. I love to read, write, travel, cook, garden, hike, camp, visit art museums, and, of course, speak other languages.
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  Kara Oopik 

  Office Manager

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  I was born in Colorado and raised in North Carolina. Having lived in Carpinteria for the last seven years I now consider myself a local of this beautiful place! A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington I have a BA in Political Science and International Studies with a concentration on the environment. I have worked in non profits and education for the duration of my career and absolutely love the energy and rhythm of schools. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of Advancement and Admissions teams and most recently was coordinating special events for Cate School. I am very excited to now be working in the front office and heartbeat of Middle School as our Office Manager and Registrar. When I’m not at my desk you can most likely find me at the beach hunting for rocks and shells or on a hiking trail chasing sunsets. I love being outside and meeting every dog in sight! I am so grateful to be here and can’t wait to greet each of you in person or speak with you on the phone.
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  Kelly Rosenheim 

  Spanish, 9th Grade / Life Skills, Grades 8 & 9 / 9th Grade Community Service Coordinator

  Class of 1982

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  I am the 9th grade Spanish teacher and 8th & 9th grade Life Skills teacher. I began working at SBMS in 1990, right after graduating from college. I was a student SBMS and went through Rites of Passage in 1982. Throughout the eight years that I spent in high school and college, I always remained in contact with Middle School. 
  
  I attended Chico State University and graduated with degrees in Spanish and Psychology with an emphasis in at-risk youth. I spent my junior year of college in Salamanca, Spain and have been traveling ever since. The majority of my travels have taken me to Europe as well as Central and South America. 
  
  I attended SBMS with Marco Andrade, who is currently the Dean of 7th grade. In 2000 we actually got married--you never know who you will meet in junior high school! We have boy and girl twins, Ava and A.J., who blessed us with their arrival in 2005.
  
  When not at school, you can find me with my family at the beach, camping, and spending a lot of time with friends. Having grown up in Santa Barbara, I share a deep connection and history with this town which I adore. I can't imagine living anywhere else!
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  Laurie Matthews 

  HR and Accounting Associate

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  I am joining the Santa Barbara Middle School community as both the Human Resources and Accounting Associate, and the proud parent of an incoming sixth grader, Alia. We are both extremely excited to be starting our Middle School careers together! I come to Santa Barbara Middle School after having run our family’s business, Island Brewing Company in Carpinteria, for the last twenty years. I may have even met you there!

   

  I received my Bachelor's degree from UCSB with a major in Marine Biology and one fun fact about me is that I currently hold a 100-ton USCG Captain license. My husband, Mark, two kids (Alia and Toby), and I, have traveled extensively. We recently spent 15 months exploring the Caribbean and the east coast of the US from Grenada, West Indies to Maine on a 44-foot sailboat. Our family can’t wait to meet you all in the next few months and start this next big adventure. We are happy to be on board!
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  Mandy Westerman 

  Director of Admissions

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  I was lucky enough to grow up in Santa Barbara and stayed for college at UC Santa Barbara studying Sociology with a Minor in Women's Studies.  I later attended graduate school at UC Davis and received a Master's in Education. I taught for 6 years in the San Jose area (Kindergarten and first grade), and then was an Academic Dean for my district for a year.  My heart is in working with not only students but their families too, so in 2015 I transitioned to admissions where I have truly found my professional love. My passions outside of education are food (eating and cooking!) and wine, reading and discussing with my book club, hiking or anything outdoors in the sunshine, traveling as much as possible, and I recently took up cross-stitch.