The Board approved the appointment of four new principals in closed session late Wednesday night, a new vice principal at Berkeley High, and a program supervisor for our Extended Learning Program. The Board will go back out for a second search round to identify additional qualified candidates for the open principal position at Berkeley High School.
Hazelle Fortich, Principal, Cragmont
Ms. Hazelle Fortich has deep roots in our district community. She has served as Coordinator for Early Childhood Program, summer school principal, interim principal at Washington, literacy coach at Washington, after school teacher at LeConte, and teacher at Malcolm X.
One of her references states, “She lives and works in Berkeley; and is a committed parent, teacher and community member. Those experiences mean that she will bring the importance of family and community to any school district. As a parent, she knows the value of strong ties to families and the value of fostering all forms of diversity in our schools.”
Sonya Martin, Principal, Jefferson
For the past three years, Sonya Martin has served as Vice Principal at Willard. She most recently served as interim principal at Malcolm X. Prior to that, she was a teacher on special assignment in the district’s Evaluation and Assessment Department, a teacher at Willard and Longfellow, and summer school principal. She began her teaching career in Oakland Unified School District where she worked from 1992 to 2002 as a full inclusion teacher.
One of Sonya’s colleagues describes her as, “intelligent, hardworking, dedicated, professional and committed to issues of equity in education.”
René Molina, Principal, BAM
For the past four years, René Molina has been the principal of Madrone Elementary School in Santa Rosa. Prior to that he worked as assistant principal at the elementary and middle school level in Pittsburg. He received a master’s degree in education from University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, sciences and psychology from San Diego State University.
A reference shares that René Molina is an intelligent, hardworking and compassionate administrator who is able to analyze situations quickly and thoughtfully, is willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done, does an excellent job of listening, and cares deeply about the success of all students.
Marcos García, Principal, Longfellow
Marcos has served as an elementary principal and social studies teacher in West Contra Costa, and as a middle and high school teacher in Emeryville and Los Angeles. He received a master’s degree in educational leadership through Principal Leadership Institute at the University of California at Berkley and a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA.
One of his supervisors affirms that Marcos’s “level of urgency, expected rigor and support ensured that the students were well-prepared for academic and career success. His commitment to equity for underserved students, and his resolve to close the exposure and achievement gap have driven his work and led to many accomplishments.”
Daniel Nube, Vice Principal, Berkeley High School (replacing Vernon Walton who is going on to be a principal in San Leandro)
Mr. Daniel Nube (formerly Roose) has most recently served as a dean at Berkeley High School. His focus on increasing student engagement by establishing a system to increase student attendance and developing parent relations to support student needs has resulted in a significant increase in student attendance. Prior to becoming a dean, he taught Spanish as a World Language at Berkeley High and also served as the department co-chair and WASC coordinator.
One of his references states, “It is my professional judgment, after writing nearly 250 of these recommendations for PLI graduates, that Daniel is a strong contender for leadership in any school anywhere. He believes in students, and he believes in the power of adults working together to serve students. He is highly organized, possesses strong interpersonal skills, is wise and thoughtful, and is ready to join a team that is committed to providing high quality teaching and learning.”
Navdeep Dosanjh, Program Supervisor, Extended Learning (appointed by the School Board at a subsequent board meeting)
As Program Supervisor, Navdeep Dosanjh will coordinate all extended learning opportunities, including the BEARS and LEARNS after school programs. Navdeep’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in biology from UC Riverside, a Master’s of Education from Pepperdine, and a doctorate degree in learning and instruction from USF. Navdeep has been working as a Teacher on Special Assignment in our Evaluation and Assessment Department. Prior to coming to our district, Navdeep worked in Oakland as a middle school teacher and Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) coach.
