Spotlight : TeWinkle Staff

Ms. Misenhimer 

Ms. Misenhimer was a Philosophy major in college where she had to take a class that went to local elementary schools and taught them simple philosophy ideas.  She loved that class! Ms. Misenhimer said that, "It was really fun to be in a classroom for the first time and watching their brains work." This will be her 8th year as a Librarian. She worked for 4 years in Riverside and 3 years in Irvine before coming to TeWinkle. Ms. Misenhimer has only worked at high school libraries before this, so being in a middle school is very different for her. She says she is enjoying middle school a lot though. So far the biggest difference she's noticed is that the students at TeWinkle aren't afraid to talk to her or ask for help. She claims that they are very outgoing. Although it's always hard starting at a new school and new district, Ms. Misenhimer has told us that the students and staff here have been very kind and welcoming so far. She enjoys reading (obviously) and watching movies in her free time. Ms. Misenhimer loves music and tries to go to concerts as much as possible. She currently lives with her boyfriend of 14 years and they have 3 cats - Bandit, Alaska, and Neo.

Interview by Morgan Stouffer

Mr. Longacre

Mr. Longacre is getting prepared to do a printmaking project, and is enjoying seeing the designs that his students are considering using.

Longacre's love of art and history inspired him to become a teacher. his high school art teacher was amazing, and his professors in college were amazing too. They made art come alive to him, and he wanted to do the same thing for others.

 TeWinkle is the only secondary school he has ever worked at, so it is very different from elementary. There are many more students, and the schedule here seems to move much more quickly. Sometimes he feels like the periods race by! Students are older and more mature here, so it's been fun for him to get to know students on a different level. His year has been extremely busy since this is the first time he is teaching art full-time, but it's been great!

His hobbies are reading, hiking, cooking, and yoga. And he used to play tennis a lot, but has not been on a tennis court in quite some time.

 He comes from a family of five; he has one older brother and one younger sister. All of them are California natives except his mom. She was born in Mexico City. He has two cats and a dog. His dog really runs the family. He's large and in charge!

Interview by Nicholas Zuniga

Ms. Marroquin

I knew I wanted to be a teacher from a young age. I have always been someone that has felt purpose by connecting with others. However, my Estancia drama teacher, Pauline Maranian, was the person who inspired me to be a drama teacher and director. She was the best teacher I ever had! Being a drama teacher allows me to be creative and build meaningful connections with students at the same time. It is the best job ever!

I have been a teacher for 2 years and a theater director for 4 years.

TeWinkle is a very special school! I have the pleasure of teaching at both TeWinkle and Estancia High School this year. TeWinkle has a unique warmth to it. The kind teachers, administrators, and other staff make it a great place to be!

My year has been going great! My drama students are wonderful people and they make coming to work fun!

When I am not teaching or directing a play, you can find me at the gym doing spin cycling or with my family eating yummy food!

I am lucky enough to have a great mom, dad, little brother, and little sister. I am getting married in July to my high school best friend! We plan on getting a golden doodle puppy this summer after our wedding... our first fur child

Interview by Isabella Castanon 

Mr. Nicolette 

What inspired you to go into teaching?

I was inspired to go into teaching due to my involvement with the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard program.. Teaching junior lifeguards all summer has been incredibly rewarding as I am able to inspire a love for beach safety, help junior lifeguards overcome challenges while growing stronger and more confident. I was able to see the positive impact of education and realized I wanted to educate and inspire not just during the summer months, but all year long! Now, I am lucky enough to share my passion for history during the school year and share my love of the ocean during the summer months. 

 How's your year so far?

I am having an incredible year at TeWinkle! This school has the best students in the district and I have the most amazing students in all of my classes. Not only is TeWinkle full of awesome students but also has the absolute best team of teachers and staff in the world! From the teachers to the staff to all of the students, everyone is so welcoming and supportive and I could not be happier to be a Trojan. 

What are your hobbies?

My favorite place in the world is the beach, so most of my hobbies involve being in the water, like going bodysurfing and swimming. The rest of my free time is spent taking care of my golden retriever, Zoey, who seems to never get tired!

How long have you been teaching or working with children?

I have been involved with teaching as a substitute in NMUSD the last two years and am so excited to have my own classroom this year at TeWinkle. Outside of the classroom, I have been educating at the beach as a Newport Beach Lifeguard for the last 17 years.

Can you tell us about your family or pets?

I have been with my wife, Katie Nicolette, for ten years and we have a golden retriever, Zoey, who is filled with energy as she is only one and a half years old. We spend most of our time walking Zoey, cleaning up all the toys she destroys, taking her to the beach and chasing after her at the park.

How is TeWinkle different from our schools you may have taught at?

TeWinkle has the most amazing community of students and the closeness and team-oriented atmosphere between the teachers is second to none! I love walking onto campus every morning and am always greeted with a smile by our students and staff. The positivity I feel everyday while on campus is what makes TeWinkle one of a kind and I am honored to be a TeWinkle Trojan.  

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Interview by Olivia Jauregui

Ms. San Jose

Before teaching, Ms. San Jose  worked in the journalism industry. She didn't know she wanted to go into education until after college. She was looking for a career with a little bit more stability and into a field that she felt comfortable in.

Ms. San Jose thinks shes been working with children for 7 years now. she's taught anywhere from K-12. she thinks her favorite is middle school though.

Teaching at Tewinkle has been different than at her other school sites, especially because she only teach's 2 classes in the afternoon. But honestly, it's not bad! Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the school year goes.

Ms.San Jose enjoys camping, photography, graphic design. Lately, she's been researching fashion So this year, she's trying out a bunch of different styles right now to see what feels best.

Interview by Jayleen Arreola

Mr Ortiz is the youngest out of two siblings. His older sister, Vanessa is thirty-two years old and his older brother, Joel is twenty-eight years old. He was originally from Mexico; his family moved to the United States when they were 4-5 years old. His two parents are teachers and they were not strict on him. He grew up in a city called Merdeyla. His son, Enzo, is one year old. Mr. Ortiz has a female dog named Marley which they got the name from the singer Bob Marley. Marley is a labradoodle and is a very hyperactive dog. Mr. Ortiz met his wife at a community college where he had one class with her. In the summers when school started they both didn't talk to each other a lot. On the last day of school somehow he got her snapchat which led him to get her phone number. Their first date was a baseball game and then Disneyland which forced them to talk to each other. As you can see, social media helped Mr.Ortiz get married. Mr Ortiz likes golfing and fun fact, he's going to be the golf coach for Tewinkle for this year. Baseball and football were his childhood sports, mostly he played baseball since he was pretty good in that sport. When he went to college he joined the baseball team to find out he wasn't as good as he thought he was. So he faced the fact that he wasn't going pro and used baseball to get scholarships. When he was little he was well known around his school. When he was in middle school he got C sometimes but math was the subject he struggled with. When he went into College he really put in his efforts and tried in school. He was in Merdeyla high school for sometime but transferred to mesa Merdeyla for better sport experience. He figured out that he was better off at Merdelya High School because he had more friends there since it was a small school. He disliked his AVID teacher because when he told his AVID that he wanted to go to community college the AVID teacher try to change his mind about it and was upset at him for choosing that path. Even though his AVID teacher was being rude to him, he thinks that AVID did prepare him for college. He really liked his college professor because he liked how the teacher did his lessons and made their work more interesting. This same teacher would make quiz questions almost the same as the final test. Mr Ortiz's favorite subject was history because he liked to know how the world was shaped to today. He took a teaching job over the summer in Anaheim. The only reason why he didn't become a PE teacher was because of a teacher program called “Teach America.” which told the teachers what they should improve. When he was inside the program they put him in a science program because they were short on science teachers. He went to Costa Mesa because he liked the location, the city, and the community. He didn't want to stay in Anaheim where they don't support teachers. Ever since he has been teaching for over four years.

Interview by Anelis Uraga

Mr. Jimenez 

Mr. Jimenez wanted to teach PE because it was my favorite subject in middle school. Mr Jimenez always enjoyed it as a kid and love sports. Mr. Jimenez just want to share the love Mr.Jimenez haves for learning different sports to my students, so they may find joy in being active.

It is Mr. Jimenez's 4th year teaching and he says TeWinkle is definitely unique. The students and staff are so kind and helpful. The main focus is on the students, and Mr Jimenez appreciate the committment to our student's learning and well-being.

For him, so far the year has been moving rather quickly. Mr. Jimenez enjoy teaching with Ms. Kearney & Ms. Aceves. They are both good teachers with hearts for the students. The students are fun and sporty, which makes my job super fun!

Mr.Jimenez teach sunday school at church every sunday, and Mr.Jimenez enjoy lifting weights during the week. Mr.Jimenez have a small group of friends that Mr.Jimenez barbeque with frequently and enjoy sparkling water and sugar-free red bull.

Mr.Jimenez live at home with my parents, sister, two dogs, and a cat. Mr.Jimenez like the cat the most because it leaves me alone lol. Mr.Jimenez also have a girlfriend that Mr.Jimenez have been with for two and a half years. She is my best friend.

Mr. Colocho 

What inspired you to go into teaching?

Colocho was inspired to pursue teaching because Colocho loved performing music. Colocho enjoyed running sectionals and helping my fellow musicians. Colocho wondered if that would be the same for teaching young people how to play their instruments.

 How long have you been teaching or working with children?

This year will be the start for my second year of teaching. Last year Colocho was teaching music at Estancia High School. Colocho did teach for half a year at a middle school as my first teaching position but that was to substitute for a music teacher that was on leave for the semester. 

How is TeWinkle different from other schools you may have taught at?

It is the first time Colocho is not teaching a block schedule. Colocho is also teaching choirs for the first time in a year. Colocho is looking forward to my first year at TeWinkle.