Twenty-three teachers and other faculty hired for the 2021-22 school year

Posted Sept. 30, 2021

By Jonas Hobson-Reeves

Staff Reporter

Twenty-three teachers and other faculty have been hired at the high school for the 2021-22 school year.

Laura Alexander is a halftime social worker at the school. They went to Corvallis High School in Oregon and to the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. They taught English and Health Education in the Peace Corps in Mongolia for three years, and also worked with Trillium Family Services at David Douglas. Alexander will work half time, mostly Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Samuel Francois is the new high school tech support, or IT, replacing Tom Pickering. He can help students with all Chromebook or Google account issues. He went to high school in Haiti and attended CANADO Technology College, also in Haiti, where he also taught English and French language courses. He taught computer basic classes at Cherry Park Elementary for the last three years. He is a big fan of movies and speaks four languages fluently.

Julie Mack is a Health teacher, originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She went to South Side High School and Northern Arizona University, where she was a Forestry major. She has worked on the North rim of the Grand Canyon where she mapped forests and their ecosystems. She finished her undergrad at Evergreen State college in Olympia, Washington where she focused on Community Education and Health. She has previously taught taught health and P.E classes at Reynolds Learning Academy. She loves outdoor adventures, like hiking and camping. She recently purchased a camper van and is excited to explore.

Chanell Magee is the new technical director at the Howard F. Horner Performing Arts Center. She teaches the Advanced Stagecraft and Design classes in the theatre department where students learn all areas of technical theatre. She also supervises all students in Intro, Intermediate, and Advanced Stagecraft classes where students build various designs for the school's theatre productions. They are currently getting ready to start working on the fall musical, Little Shop of Horrors! She is an alumni of David Douglas High School, the class of 2010. She found a love for stagecraft and technical theater during her senior year where she competed in the Thespians State Festival Competition and won first place in Scenic Design. After high school she attended Mount Hood Community College where she received her associates degree in Theater Design. She then attended Western Oregon State where she received her bachelor's degree in fine arts in Technical Theatre.

“I love the outdoors and spending my free time camping or going on nature walks,” Magee said. “I also love all kinds of animals, but penguins are especially my favorite. I am very passionate about theatre, and I have worked for many different theatre companies around the Portland area. I have always wanted to be the Technical Director at David Douglas High School, and I am so excited to share all that I know about technical theatre with the stagecraft students.”

Ellayna Morris is an ASL 1 and ASL 3 (American Sign Language) teacher. She graduated from David Douglas in 2002.

“It's so exciting to be back,” she said.

Morris enjoys photography, reading, and writing. She and her partner have two dogs, Mr. Bingley and Bellatrix, who she considers her babies.

Dallas Niemeyer is a math and science teacher. He is a DDSD graduate.

“I am happy to be back home again,” Niemeyer said. “I have great memories of my ‘band geek’ days at DDHS.”

Niemeyer earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Portland State and his Master's Degree in Teaching from Concordia.

Muhammad Rahman is a new Dean of Students. He attended Far West High School in Oakland, California his freshman year, then attended a boarding school, Fountain Valley High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“I lived [at that school],” Rahman said. “It was pretty sweet. Until it wasn’t.”

Rahman played on a fairly competitive basketball team, and had the chance to play against new Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. Rahman also participated in theater and used that to perform for elementary schools in the Colorado Springs area, including creating a radio drama.

“[I’m proud of] building lifelong relationships with people here in the U.S. and around the world, working on music with my day ones, living away from my parents, and graduating,” Rahman said.

Rahman attended California State University, Hayward with a focus on Accounting and Theatre. He also took statistics and English classes at Chabot Community College in the Bay Area, which allowed him to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley where he majored in Ethnic Studies and received his Bachelor of Arts degree. He received his MAT (Master in Arts in Teaching) from Concordia University, and is currently working on an Administrative License/EdD at George Fox University.

“I was first a mentor for a student with autism while at University of California, Berkeley,” Rahman said. “I also worked at an after school program in Richmond, California. I started in the David Douglas School District at Floyd Light Middle School as an IA (Instructional Assistant) in the SLP-B program (Structured Learning Program-Behavior) for four years. Two years of night school at Concordia University led to me being hired at Floyd Light Middle School as a change agent in 8th Grade Math, 8th Grade U.S. History, and 7th/8th Historical Film. I coached basketball for the first few years, worked on a Black Male Initiative with Sun, as well as IXL/Homework Club, and generally ran around with my (non-existent) hair on fire the first few years. But boy did I run. I am still running. This is my first year at the high school after having taught 8th grade math and working with the Apex Advanced Math program during the CDL (Comprehensive Distance Learning).”

Virginia Rose is a temporary school counselor this year who will also be the advisor of the Key Club. She graduated from Central Valley High School in California where she was the pitcher for the varsity softball team for two years. In high school she was also an Outdoor School counselor for three years, and graduated early to start college. She went to Humboldt State University in Arcata, California for a degree in Home Economics with an Art minor. She earned her masters degree from the University of LaVerne, also in California. She has been a substitute teacher in Columbia County, Oregon and in the Portland area, and has been a counselor in rural schools with student bodies as little as 100 students. She has an 1886 Victorian house she is remodeling that has a view of the Columbia River and Mt. St. Helens. She has a big, fluffy white cat, and she loves to read, watch old movies, do puzzles, and garden.

“I am very glad to be working at David Douglas,” Rose said.

Max Rotar is a Health teacher. He plans to coach and help with the cross country and track teams when he can. He is also a DDSD graduate, class of 2018, and was on the track and cross country teams. He went to Concordia University until the school closed, and then transferred to Pacific University in Forest Grove to finish his degree.

Dierdre Sennott, Ph.D is a French II and Digital Literacy teacher who said she would love to start a French Club. She attended Idaho Falls High School in Idaho.

“I didn’t enjoy my French classes, but loved my English science and math classes,” she said.

Sennott played the alto sax in the Idaho Falls pep/marching and jazz bands. She attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, an all-women’s college that is part of the Seven Sisters.

“I decided to go there because of their study abroad program in France,” Sennott said. “My guidance counselor didn’t think I would get into Smith or any of the schools I applied to. I proved her wrong. Never listen to other people who doubt you.”

Sennott taught at the college level for almost 20 years, and after 10 years as an adjunct professor, she decided to go back to school and figure out a way to land a full-time assignment somewhere where she could stay longer than a year or two. She’s taught at Willamette University, Linfield University, Portland State, Reed College, Gettysburg College, and Penn State. She also taught English for two years in Lyon, France at the l' Université de Lyon 2.

“Teaching is very hard and never boring, just like French,” she said.

Whitney Soule is a Foods I and II teacher and will be the new coach of the girls’ golf team. She went to Cleveland High School in Portland where she played varsity golf for four years and competed individually at State. Soule attended the University of Oregon.

“Go Ducks,” she said.

Soule has taught kindergarten at Mill Park for the last 18 years. She loves cooking, coaching, running, listening to Post Malone, and spending time with her family and puppies. Her husband, Matt Soule, is the principal of Cherry Park Elementary School.

Nathan Tew is a freshman PE teacher, a JV boys’ soccer coach, and will be an assistant basketball coach. He graduated from David Douglas in 2012 and was a member of Student Council, Young Life, band, soccer, and the baseball team.

“When I was a student here I created a song called Scot City, and I was also a proud SuperFan who would wear a cape and DD gear to football and basketball games.”

Tew went to Western Oregon University where he was in the Honors Program. At Western, he was voted Homecoming King, won four intramural championships, played on the Club Soccer Team, was a Resident Assistant (RA), and a backup kicker on the football team for one season. He recently received his Masters of Education from Bushnell University in Eugene. He was a substitute teacher for one and a half years, taught English in Madrid, Spain for a year with his wife, and taught social studies for two years at Ron Russell Middle School.

“Being able to teach at the high school I attended is an amazing experience,” Tew said. “This is a dream job for me, and I am excited to be the best teacher I can be for my students. I was lucky to have amazing teachers growing up in the DDSD, and am excited to give back to this community.”