My name is Lisa-Jovick-Berrueta, proud Denman Principal. I have been at Denman for 6 years; 4th year as Principal and was Assistant Principal for 2 years. This is my 19th year with San Francisco Unified School District. I am a former Biology and Physiology Teacher; taught at George Washington High School and Thurgood Marshall Academic High School. I received my BS in Biology from Sonoma State University and my teaching credential from San Francisco State University. After teaching Biology and Physiology at Thurgood Marshall for 6 years, I moved to Mission High School and was there for 6 years. At Mission High School, I was one of the Deans as well as coordinated the GEAR-UP Grant, Advisory Program and College Center. Before coming to Denman 6 years ago, I had only worked in high school. Being at Denman these past 6 years have been a joy for me; I love middle school. Denman is fortunate to have an amazing staff and diverse community. I am excited for Denman to fully embrace Middle School Redesign, allowing for a 7 period day and electives for ALL students! Outside of Denman, I enjoy spending time with my family, especially my nephew and niece, Joseph and Emilia; they are my little loves! I enjoy traveling, cooking, reading mysteries/thrillers, going on long walks/hikes and am a huge SF Giants fan! My husband, Aitor and I have season tickets and enjoy going to the games, although sometimes on school nights, we usually leave before the game is over! As a native San Franciscan, I am proud to be an educator in SFUSD and look forward to many more years at Denman! It is truly a bright spot!
Hi everyone! I'm Jenny Ujiie, one of the two assistant principals (APs) at Denman! This is my first year at Denman and I can't wait to meet you all. Previously, I loved working as an AP at Visitacion Valley Middle School and as a school counselor at Marina Middle School. Prior to that I lived in Boston, Massachusetts and worked as a high school counselor, helping students plan their college and other adventures after high school!
One of my favorite things to do in my free time is cook delicious meals and try out new restaurants. My brother and I both grew up helping in the kitchen and learning to cook, so now I think I'm pretty good! I also enjoy reading fantasy, sci fi, and dystopian novels (usually some sort of combo)...any story that takes me out of the ordinary/everyday.
Some fun facts about me...I am 4th generation Japanese American and grew up on Maui, in Hawaii. I saw snow for the first time when I went to Boston University for college, but I lived on a dormant volcano (Haleakala) my whole life prior to that! I'm a really good knitter as well, but warm knitted items are not as useful here in California as they were in Boston...
This year at Denman I'm hosting a Puzzle Adventure Club on Fridays during lunch where we solve puzzles, riddles, and virtual escape rooms. Check out your grade level classroom for the join code if you're interested! Students and families, if you would like to meet me but aren't interested in my club, contact me at ujiiej@sfusd.edu to set up an informal chat! I hope to meet you soon!
Hi everyone, I’m Dr. Chung. I’m excited to be part of the Denman community.
To introduce myself, I was born in Taipei, Taiwan and immigrated to southern California when I was in elementary school. Being a 1st generation AAPI and English learner heavily shapes my identity and lens on education. I am a product of CA public schools (LAUSD from 1st to 12th grade and UC Irvine for my BA). Once I finished college, following in the footsteps of many of the folx I met in the ethnic studies community, I decided to move to the bay area to pursue a career in education (best decision I ever made). My work experiences include teaching at a small charter high school in east Oakland, teaching in SFUSD (at Lawton Alt K-8 and Wallenberg HS), and working as a special education content specialist. In terms of education, I received my MA in Education from SF State, MA in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University, and my EdD in International and Multicultural Education from University of San Francisco. My dissertation research focused on centering the experiences of our students/families of color as it relates to humanizing praxis and pathological violence in special education. As you can probably tell, education is something I value and I believe it should be accessible for everyone.
In my free time, I enjoy running, hiking, doing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with my husband Jaden and our 8-year old corgi Tiberius (aka TyTy).
I am proud to work in a district that pushes for antiracism and liberation for historically marginalized communities. I look forward to meeting you this year and to our work together!