Thirteen teachers hired this year, eleven new teachers, two rehires

Posted October 2020

By Jonas Hobson-Reeves

Staff Reporter

Despite the pandemic and distance learning, 11 new teachers were hired at the high school this year, and two were rehired from last year.

Foods teacher Matthew Rockwell will be teaching Culinary and Foods 1. He attended Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, CA, and San Diego State University. He previously taught Culinary Arts and mathematics. Rockwell was also a chef in San Diego and Portland for a combined nine years. He wanted to add that red and black have been his school colors since grade school.

Math teacher Derek Zeis will be teaching Integrated I. He attended Silverton High School in Oregon and Western Oregon University in Monmouth. He previously taught math at Silverton High School and wanted to add that he enjoys being outdoors and enjoys board games.

“I’m looking forward to teaching the students of David Douglas,” said Zeis.

Jennifer DiFrances is the new high school and district librarian. She graduated from Palmyra High School in Palmyra, NJ in 1984 and attended Portland State University for both her Masters in Education and Library Media Endorsement. She was the Menlo Park librarian from 2005-11, then from 2012 until this year, she taught second, fourth, and fifth grades at Earl Boyles. She has two daughters who are 24 and 26, and she’s a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy raiser who enjoys reading, cooking, growing vegetables, and felting.

Fine arts teacher Eric Jensen will be teaching Crafts and Jewelry. He graduated from Boise High School in Idaho. He attended Portland Community College, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and Portland State University where he earned a degree in Art with a focus on Ceramics, Printmaking, and Mixed Media Sculpture. He also earned a Masters Degree in Education from PSU this June. He has also taught Ceramics, Rock Climbing, and Music at PSU.

“I'm stoked to be a Scot,” said Jensen. “This is the exact place I want to teach art. The program is legit and the students are the best. Plus, my wife is a teacher in the district, which means that we have some of the same students. Shout out to Ms. Davis at Mill Park. Go Panthers!” .

Jenny Flowers is a new Structured Skills teacher. She graduated from Madison High School in Portland and went to Mount Hood Community College for her Associate’s Degree, then transferred to PSU for her Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Studies and a Masters in Education. She is licensed in Special and General Education. She taught preschool in various places around Portland and taught Life Skills at Ventura Park and preschool at Earl Boyles last year. Flowers, a native Portlander, has always lived in and around the same neighborhood. She has an active four-year-old, two cats, and loves spending time outside, even if it’s raining

Lyubov Goncharova has been hired as a new English Language Development (ELD) teacher. She attended Korosten Public school in Korosten, Ukraine, and attended both Warner Pacific and George Fox universities. She has worked as an ESL instructional assistant at DDHS for 19 years.

“I have a sincere desire to help our ESL students to thrive in a new country and dream big,” said Lyubov.

Art teacher Patrick Stevens currently teaches General Art. He attended Laguna Beach High School in California and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He then earned a Masters Degree in Education at PSU. He taught music at a music store, but David Douglas is his first school as a teacher. He has a paternal twin and loves board sports and riding anything with wheels.

Science teacher Steven Andreen currently teaches General Science. He went to La Quinta High School in Westminster, CA. He did his undergrad work at California State University Fullerton and earned his Masters at George Fox University. He was a student-teacher at DDHS last year in the social studies department, so this is his first year with his own classes.

"I really like teaching and coaching," said Andreen. "It's very fulfilling to share something that I'm passionate about with others."

Danny Fineman is a new band teacher, filling the spot left open when Tom Muller retired last year. Fineman went to Aloha High School and Portland State University. This is his first year teaching.

Alexa Gaynor is a new Spanish I teacher. She went to Jefferson and Lincoln high schools and PSU for her Bachelor's and Master's degrees, as well as other schools for Performing Arts, Ceramics, and Audiovisual Translation. She taught Spanish at Wood Middle School in Wilsonville and English for six years in Spain. She loves to travel, cook, eat, dance, and spend time outdoors.

Nikki Whitton is teaching Integrated II and Math Survey. She went to McKay High School in Salem, Oregon State, and Portland State. She was a student-teacher at Winterhaven K-8 school.

"I'm excited to be back in the David Douglas district," Whitton said