Hello my name is Veronica W. Davis. I was born, raised and schooled in Miami, Florida. I moved to California with my husband, Linard in April of 1978. I have 1 daughter, Stephanie and 1 granddaughter MauriAna who reside in Montgomery, Alabama. I started here at Verde as a parent volunteer in the 1990/91 school year. I've had several positions such as Yard Supervisor, Inst. Aide, Attendance Clerk and Clerk Typist.. I have been the Secretary since January 2009.

Justin Johnson grew up right here in Richmond, California. He attended elementary, middle and graduated from El Cerrito High School in the WCCUSD. Justin was influenced to education in part through his parents. His father was a psychologist at various WCCUSD schools and his mother a Kindergarten teacher in OUSD. They taught him at a young age how education and mentoring can have a great impact on the lives of our youth. He began working with youth as a high school sophomore by being a big brother and mentor

. His love for sports, particularly basketball drew him to coach the basketball teams at Lincoln Elementary and Lovonya Dejean Middle. In addition to coaching he held study hall sessions before practice to provide tutoring support for players and teach the importance of education. He worked at the Boys & Girls Club of El Sobrante as the Program Director before moving into his current role as Graduate Tutor at Verde Elementary where he is entering his fourth year. Helping youth in education and life especially from his own community is very important to him. He believes you can always keep learning and are never too old. In his free time, he spends it with his family, watching and attending sporting events (Warriors, Raiders & A's), video editing and taking a trip to the beach or playing a good pick-up game of basketball.

My name is Martha Nieto and I was born in Mexico. I am a mother to six children. I’ve been working at Verde for three and a half years. I love working with parents and families. I like talking to all members of the community and help empower families and create parent leaders to support their children education. Education is very important for me. Because I believe Parent involvement makes a big difference in a child’s education which is why I love my job at Verde Elementary. When I’m not at school, my favorite things to do are read, sing, learn, cook and dance.

My name is Tamarra Rogers, I would like to introduce myself by starting with some of my passions; I love learning, I love helping others learn, I love education, I love giving, I love sports, I love Michael Jackson, I love Dr. Seuss and I LOVE loving. Now that you know a little about some of the things I love, I can tell you a little about my background! I am originally from Oakland, CA and grew up in Antioch, CA. I come from a HUGE family of 6 sisters, 2 brothers, and 3 half brothers. I am the second youngest in my family of 12 and the first and only one to attend a university and receive a Bachelor's Degree. I attended California State University of Chico. Growing up, college didn't seem like a possibility in my family. I knew I wanted to go, but I didn't know the road to take in order to get there. Along the way I have have had some AMAZING mentors, leaders, and teachers who helped and inspired me to reach my goals. I strive to be that person for my students, to motivate them and teach them the power of determination and perseverance. As a teacher I want my students to know; their dreams and goals will be met and new dreams and goals will grow, to NEVER stop dreaming or setting goals for themselves because ANYTHING is possible.

"Well they say the sky's the limit and to me that's really true.." ~Michael Jackson

Hello Verde Elementary! My name is Gina Oh, and I am the school psychologist at Verde Elementary School. It is my sixth year with the West Contra Costa School District. I studied social welfare at UC Berkeley and I received my Masters in clinical child/school psychology at Cal State East Bay. In my free time I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, spending time with friends & family, exercising, and being outdoors. I am looking forward to learning more about the Verde community this school year!

Hello, my name is Erick McDaniel, I am the head custodian at Verde Elementary School. I was born and raised in Richmond, California. I attended various schools in West Contra Costa Unified School District. Nystrom Elementary is where I started my education, moving on to Portola Jr. High School. I graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. After graduation I went on to Contra Costa College to continue my education. After working various jobs like UPS, FedEx, Toys R Us, and security guard, the West Contra Costa Unified School District gave me an interview for a job in 1993. I was hired shortly after and have worked many jobs for the district. Starting with instructional aide, job coach, site supervisor, transport driver, warehouse worker, and last but not least Custodian. 24 years with West Contra Costa Unified School District. My hobbies include the love of music. I DJ for the Richmond Steelers Pop Warner program. I also DJ private parties. I am a little league and high school umpire. When I have the time I also drive for Lyft and Uber.

Floserfida Lazaro-Linsao was born and raised in the Philippines. She believes that Education is the key to success and progress. Her passion and sports skills paved the way to earn her degrees from the University of the Philippines. For one year she taught Physical Education and coached the Boys Basketball team in a Private Elementary School in Manila. Then she moved to the Public High School where she coached the Boys Softball Team while at the same time teaching part time in the University of the Philippines Manila. After earning her Master’s degree, she transferred to the University where she taught for 24 years and within those years she also served as the Chairperson of the Department of Physical Education for six years, serving in various College and University committees. She was also an active volunteer of the Philippines Special Olympic Committee for many years, training the trainors, officiating different sport events and training differently abled populations. Ms. Linsao was working on her dissertation paper leading to Doctor of Philosophy in Education major in Research and Evaluation when she left her country to migrate to the United States of America in 2005. Her experiences are her inspiration to serve the future of our nation - our children.

I would like to take this time to introduce myself. I love teaching kindergarten! I love working with children and have been actively working with them for the past 20+ years. My name is Jean Kintscher. I am a mother of two wonderful and active children. Who in the past has kept me busy camping, getting outdoors, in both girl and boy scouts, as well as First Robotics. Now they are off working on their degrees at college. I have a daughter finishing her BS in Biology at Washington State, and my son finishing his MS in Computer Engineering and about to start his PHD at Arizona State University. Over the years, I have taken many hours of professional development in order to be prepared to meet each child’s learning needs. My mission as a teacher is to help children discover the joy of learning and to help each child develop a strong belief in his or her own ability. I want them to work hard and to have a sense of pride in doing their personal best. Together we can make this year successful for your child, Thank you in advance for all you do in helping our kids grow and for sharing your child with me.

Mr Mijango was born and raised in El Salvador. Although he has pursued scholarly interests since childhood, his interest in teaching didn't begin until he moved to the US 20 years ago and got a job with the school district. Mr Mijango got his credential from Cal State Hayward and has been teaching at Verde Elementary since 2008.

In his free time Mr Mijango enjoys reading, exploring the Bay Area, classic cinema, old music, traveling abroad and time traveling through the eras, so whomever runs into him shouldn't be surprised if he is dressed as if he has just stepped out of an old movie or a history book.

I have been working as a First Grade Bilingual Teacher at Verde Elementary since 2008. I started working at this site as a Group Leader for the After School Program in 2007. My passion resides in providing access to quality bilingual education to all students, and more specifically to students who have a family language other than English in the home. Home languages and cultures are an asset to build on in the educational process. I believe all students need to be prepared for college, careers, and communities that are highly diverse and globally connected. I was born in Mexico City and raised in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. I moved to Richmond California in 2001 and have been a proud member this community ever since. I attended Richmond High School and then transferred to Contra Costa College. I graduated from California State University East Bay as a member of the Fast Track Program where I obtained my teaching credentials. In my personal time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, dancing, exercising and traveling to my lovely Mexico and other interesting places around the world.

Gabby Micheletti is entering her 5th year as an educator at Verde Elementary where she has taught both 1st and 2nd grade. She particularly enjoys teaching reading and watching young students begin to gain that crucial skill. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys baking, hiking, reading, and playing with animals.

My name is Kristina Tronstad and this is my 4th year teaching second grade. Second grade is such a special year and I feel so blessed to be a part of it. My main goals are for students to feel successful and to love learning! I graduated from Arizona State University in December of 2018 where I received a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. When I am not teaching, I love to spend time with my friends and my family through various activities such as camping, hiking, shopping, watching movies or by getting something yummy to snack on. My family is from Puerto Rico, but I was born and raised in the United States. I am the oldest of four girls. I have been married for three and a half years to my wonderful husband Zach who is attending UC Berkeley for a PhD in Chemical Engineering. We have recently moved to the Bay Area from Phoenix, Arizona and we are very excited to be here!

This is my 5th year at Verde Elementary. I am inspired by my student's desire to learn and explore the world around them. It is amazing to see students engaged in learning using their native language, culture and background. I am privileged to be their teacher, my hope is that my students leave the classroom empowered. I am proud to be back and serving my community of North Richmond. I was born in Jalisco, Mexico and immigrated to the United States as a child. I went to college at UC Davis where I studied Sociology and Chicanx Studies. Outside of school, I enjoy going hiking and spending time with friends and family.

Hilary Ogro Plante grew up in Lafayette, CA. She was inspired by her own 1st grade teacher to become an educator herself! After graduating from the University of Oregon in 2014, she moved to the Dominican Republic to teach for 2 years. After teaching abroad, her passion for education drew her to pursue a Masters Degree from the University of Washington. She graduated in 2017 after spending a year in Seattle. Hilary is in her 4th year of teaching at Verde! In her free time, Hilary enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and hiking!

Nikki Marlin was born and raised in San Diego, California. She graduated college with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Liberal Studies from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Through her classes, she had the wonderful opportunity to work with students at several elementary schools where she was a mentor and tutor. Her background in education has led her to serve as a teacher. Her passion to work with students allows her to build a classroom climate where she is warm, welcoming, and honored to witness the outstanding work of all students. She strongly believes in the power of the mind and builds a class culture where her students are learning through a positive growth mindset. She looks forward to working closely with parents, teachers, staff, and community members to put her best foot forward in serving her students. Ms. Marlin will forever be a learner and knows that she will be learning as her students continue to inspire and teach her as well. During her free time, she enjoys spending it with family and friends, cooking, hiking, playing tennis, salsa dancing, and going to the beach.

2020-2021 is Ms. Pierce's 8th year teaching and her 8th year at Verde! Ms. Pierce loves getting to know her students, showing them new things inside and outside of the classroom, and having fun! She is passionate about creating outdoor education opportunities for Verde Stars. Ms. Pierce believes that when her students take risks and try new things, they will grow in profound ways. For example, students learn about themselves, build deeper relationships with their peers, and open their eyes to what is possible in this world. It is an honor to be a teacher at Verde K-8 and to serve the North Richmond community!

Hi I’m Nancy. I’m so excited to be joining the Verde team. I’m currently going into my sixth year of teaching, but have been in WCCUSD for many years as a student, after-school tutor, and now as a teacher. I’m a mom of two, Madden and Garen, and one of our favorite things to do is to travel as a family. This picture was from our London vacation (we’re a Harry Potter loving type of family). One quality that people would say about me is that I’m very passionate about everything I do. I try my best to be the best and always give it 150%.

I’m eager to work with Verde teachers and the Verde community to continue my growth as a teacher. Fun fact: I’ve previously worked with a Verde teacher for two years! :)

Ms. Macpherson grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and spent most of her childhood in the rainy, green state of Oregon. She later moved to St. Paul, Minnesota to study geography at Macalester College. Ms. Mac taught 6th grade at Nystrom Elementary for three years, and 6th-8th grade math at Elmhurst Community Prep Middle School in Oakland for another three years. Before teaching at Verde, she moved to NYC to earn a masters degree in religion and social justice. Ms. Mac enjoys strong coffee, cooking dinner with friends, and hiking. Her favorite part about teaching 6th grade is exploring Ancient Egypt with her students, and playing Granny Basketball during PE. She loves teaching because she knows that her students will change the world.

I proudly have over 20 years of experience as an educator. I love teaching! I have had the opportunity to teach at many different levels and enjoy students and teaching at every level. I started my career in education at the high school level, then taught 4th & 5th grade prior to moving to middle school where I spent over 10 years teaching. As a parent of a 2018 college graduate, twins entering their junior year of college and a kindergartner just beginning her journey in the educational system, I understand the significance the transition into middle school, into high school, and life beyond high school is for our students and families.

No matter the role within education or grade I have taught, I always return to my core values, which includes the idea that education is a social right-- not a privilege. Education is the great equalizer, an instrument to change the world. It is with the aforementioned that I go forward to make a positive impact towards equity and excellence in our schools so our students will make their own positive and lasting impact in our world.

I am Ms. Shi and this is my second year with the district. I have been an educator for more than 20 years and one for life. My passion is to work with children of all ages and share my knowledge and experiences. I believe that one can achieve success if you put your mind to it.

Dr. Jason Lustig Yamashiro joined the Verde staff in 2019 with almost thirty years of experience as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in school districts throughout the East Bay and North Bay. He lives in Albany with his wife, who he met at Berkeley High School, and his three sons (ages 20,17, and 13). Dr. Yamashiro attended UC-Santa Cruz (B.A.), Chapman University (Concord site - M.A.), and Harvard (Ed.L.D) with a focus on education and education leadership. Dr. Yamashiro loves basketball, games, reading, music, movies, and spending time with friends and family. He also loves teaching and learning and believes that ALL students deserve a great education.

Eric is proud to serve as the Verde K-8 principal. He believes in building safe, positive and inclusive school climates, pushing and supporting students to acheive grade level rigorous academics, and working in partnership with and under the guidance of caregivers.

Email: eacosta-verprauskus@wccusd.net

Cell: 510-417-7652

Office: 510-231-1408 x. 11524