Administrative Team

Kavod has a robust administrative team who share the values that are at the core of Kavod’s mission to develop socially responsible, respectful global citizens.

The structure of our administrative team ensures that our students are the focus of our program both our students and the instructional team members with the support needed for our explorers to be successful in our program. To best support our families, we always recommend your explorer’s teacher be your very first immediate contact; subsequently, parents/guardians should reach out to the program directors for direct support.

The full administrative org chart can be found here.

Meet the Administrative Team

Instructional Team

At Kavod, we provide a student-centered learning environment. What this means is that every decision we make as educators is designed to help each and every student meet his or her full academic potential. We aim to get to know our students as individual learners and adapt the curriculum and instruction so that it taps into their unique talents and helps them overcome their individual obstacles. In order to do this, Kavod hires teachers who demonstrate commitment and talent to our teaching philosophy. We also provide our teachers with a tremendous amount of professional support to help them continually improve and hone their skills.

Meet the Instructors and Support Staff

Administrative Team

Alexa Greenland

Executive Director

Alexa Greenland earned her Master’s Degree in Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and her Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Boston University. Her career in education began as a classroom teacher in 2000, teaching English, Social Studies and Theater. For nine years, she has taught in both public and private schools throughout California and Massachusetts.

While still teaching, Mrs. Greenland transitioned into administration in 2004. Her diverse administrative experience spans grades TK-12, private and public schools, and includes both virtual and classroom based programs. Prior to opening Kavod, she assisted two charter schools through their opening phases.

Mrs. Greenland has been the Executive Director of Kavod since Kavod began serving students in 2013. Her values align with Kavod as she is a strong advocate for quality public schools and believes in the vital importance of social responsibility and international cultural awareness.

Learn more about Mrs. Greenland and Kavod: http://sdvoyager.com/interview/meet-alexa-greenland-kavod-elementary-charter-school-central-san-diego

Eduardo Mezza

Director of Enrollment & Accountability

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Eduardo Mezza began his career in education working for the Imperial County of Education teaching English to Second Language Learners. After finishing his undergrad at San Diego State University he began working for Alternative Education where he taught English & Language Arts and became the Special Education Provider for Del Rio Community School. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in English and continued his post-graduate studies in the Special Education Program focusing on Mild/Moderate disabilities.

Among his other accomplishments are being the recipient of the Howard P. Mayer Scholarship in writing, the English Chair Division Recipient at Imperial Valley College and has published three poems in the Camarena Memorial Anthology.

Ronit Ron-Yerushalmi

Director of Languages & Global Studies

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Ronit Ron-Yerushalmi grew up in Israel in a small moshav near Netanyah. After serving in the IDF, she earned a BA from Tel Aviv University with a double major in Israeli culture and history and Middle Eastern studies. She moved to the United States fifteen years ago, when her husband, who is now a professor of political studies at ASU, began his doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota. She holds a master of education degree from the University of Minnesota with a focus on second language and culture education where she also worked at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. HaMorah Ronit taught Hebrew and held administrative positions in a number of Jewish schools and synagogues and she taught Hebrew in a higher education settings at the University of Minnesota, the University of Michigan, the University of Toronto, York University, the Technion, and in the Critical Languages Institute of Arizona State University. Ronit and her husband have three daughters.

Maggie Mac

Director of the Elementary School Program

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Ms. Mac grew up in Grand Rapids, MI experiencing all seasons with her large family. After she graduated from the University of Michigan, Ms. Mac headed to Thailand where she taught all subjects in English to a kindergarten class. She then traveled around Asia and landed in Europe where she ran a children’s summer camp at a family’s urban farm in Northern Italy guiding the children through inquiry of sustainability, cooperation and design.

Ms. Mac moved to California to begin her teaching career in 2017. She began teaching 5th grade in Chula Vista and in 2020 began as a 6th and 7th Grades Math teacher at Kavod.

In her free time, Ms. Mac loves to surf, travel, take film photography, do pottery, yoga and enjoy the sunshine and beach as much as possible.

Eric Lopez

Director of School Culture

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Mr. Lopez began his career in education in 2010 as youth leader in before/after school programs, eventually working up to the position of site director. Mr. Lopez has also worked extensively with youth at-risk for alcohol/drug abuse, displaced youth who have been separated from their parents/home country and are in the United States without a guardian, and with children of all ages in a military child development center setting caring for the youngest infants to the late teens.

Mr. Lopez is a strong advocate for the importance of quality education and understands the impact that teachers, staff, and an enriching learning environment have on the development of students. He is eager to work alongside Kavod’s amazing students and families to help create this space where students can thrive.

April Lopez

Administrative Support Coordinator

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April Lopez was born and raised in Southern California. She earned her B.A. in Liberal Studies from Chapman University in 2011. Ms. Lopez knew that she wanted to be an educator at the age of five. In her youth, she worked as a camp supervisor during her summer breaks. She has worked in the education field for 18 years. She has taught kindergarten for 14 years, and a 3rd/4th grade combo class. She is an experienced teacher that is passionate about helping her students succeed. She creates a positive, loving, organized, and fun filled environment.

Ms. Lopez also enjoys spending time with her family and friends , reading, traveling, going to the beach, and trying new things.

Ronit Ron-Yerushalmi, Kavod’s Director of Languages and Global Studies, was awarded as an Outstanding Innovator by the Charter Stars for her dedication to bringing less commonly taught languages to the larger public.

Instructors and Support Staff

Ms. Whitelock

Transitional Kindergarten

Sierra Stulac grew up near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Sierra received her Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Special Education from the University of Nevada, Reno. Sierra then moved to San Diego, CA to continue her teaching journey; where she has been teaching Transitional Kindergarten since 2018. Since teaching, she has obtained both her English Language Learners and Early Childhood endorsements. Sierra is looking forward to spending the year learning and growing with her students!

When not in the classroom, Sierra enjoys spending her time with her family, traveling, hiking, running, dancing, surfing, skiing and all around enjoying the outdoors.

Ms. Parrett

Transitional Kindergarten

Ms. Parrett grew up in Orange County and moved to San Diego for college. She graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in Sociology, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and a Masters in Teaching Language Arts. In her free time she loves spending time with loved ones, going to the beach, and traveling.

Norma Talavera-Vazquez

Kinderland

Norma Talavera-Vazquez grew up in Tecate, Baja Califonia. She moved to the USA to optain her education at a young age. Despite English being her second language, Norma received two Associate of Arts in Behavior Sciences and Social work from CCoCollege2021, she obtained her bachelor’s in Early Child Development from Point Loma Nazarene University. Norma is looking forward to interacting and growing with the explorers

When not in the classroom, Norma enjoys time with family, dancing, and coloring with music/podcasts in the background. She loves bees, milk tea, and riding her scooter too.

Ms. Bartz

Kindergarten

Ms. Bartz has been teaching at Kavod Charter School since 2018. After teaching third grade for 5 years, she decided to make the move to Kindergarten!

Ms. Bartz is passionate about creating a strong classroom community where her students feel heard and respected. She focuses on creating engaging lessons that are authentic to her students. Apart from her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, she also has her master’s in Teaching ELA.

In her free time, she likes to go to the beach and travel with her friends and family.

Ms. O’Connor

Kindergarten

Mrs. O’Connor grew up in the small town of Aromas, just outside of Monterey Bay in Northern California. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development with a minor in Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. She has a background in early childhood education and experience working as a preschool teacher. After obtaining a teaching credential, she joined Kavod’s Kindergarten team in 2019. She then went on to pursue a Master’s degree. Ms. Whitman received a Master’s of Arts in Teaching in Language Arts in the summer of 2020.

When not in the classroom, Mrs. O’Connor enjoys the being active and taking advantage of the beautiful San Diego weather. She can be found surfing, scuba diving, hiking, ice skating, dancing, and running with her dog.

Ms. Brandao

Explorer Support

Ms. Brandao was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations in Brazil before moving to the United States/San Diego in 2018. She has been a long-time roller skating coach back at home, and decided to keep following her passion of teaching and stay in the field. She is now pursuing her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at Moreland University. Mrs. Brandao is happy to be a part of the Kavod team and have the opportunity to support explorers on their learning journeys. She enjoys the school’s positive environment, and the care shown towards all explorers.

In her free time, Mrs. Brandao loves going to the park with her family and dog, going to restaurants and trying new food, watching soccer games (Go Wave!) and traveling.

HaMorah Rivka

Hebrew Coach & Support

Hamora Rivka hails from a quiet village near the Dead Sea to San Diego. Following high school, Rivka dedicated two years to an orphanage in here National service. Then armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Efrata College and a Master’s in Educational Systems Management from Hertzog College Rivka worked for a decade in a special education high school. In her free time Rivka loves to be with her kids go to hikes and wandering at the beach.

HaMorah Dafna

Hebrew

HaMorah Dafna moved to San Diego from Israel. She studied Arts and Cinema at Tel Aviv University and received her teaching certificate at Seminar Ha’kibutzim College. Dafna has been teaching English in Israel since 2011.

In her free time, Dafna enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with friends and family.

HaMorah Dana

Hebrew

Hamora Dana hails from a quiet village in the north of Israel straight to San Diego.

After serving in the IDF, she earned a B.Ed in Special Education from Seminar Ha’kibutzim College. During here B.Ed studies she specialized in Hebrew literature. She holds a Masters degree of Special Education from the University of Haifa.

Before teaching at Kavod, since 2014, she was a high school teacher in a special education school.

In her free time, Dana enjoys, art, reading and spending time with friends and family.

HaMorah Harel

Hebrew Middle School

HaMorah Harel grew up in a small settlement in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee. After his military service, he studied at Haifa University and received a BA in Asian Studies and Land of Israel Studies.

HaMorah Harel worked for about 7 years in the Israeli Ministry of Defense and in addition worked as a tourist guide in the Mandarin language. In the last nine years, HaMorah Harel has worked as a field, nation and society teacher and as a classroom teacher.

In his spare time he likes to travel, run and play the guitar. He is married to Lital and they are raising three children.

Coach McKerring

Phycical Education

Patrick McKerring has lived in San Diego with his wife and three children for more than 20 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Social-Psychology with an emphasis on Juvenile Delinquency from San Diego State University. After completing his B.A., he continued his studies, earning a masters degree in education and a California Teaching Credential. Mr. McKerring also holds a masters certification in Applied Behavior Analysis and has been at Kavod since 2016.

Ms. Martin

Explorer Support + Art & Theater

Ms. Martin grew up in the Bay Area right outside of San Francisco. After High School, she moved to Los Angeles where she received her BFA in Theatre Performing Arts. It wasn’t until after college where she discovered her passion for teaching. For five years Ms. Martin has been a Theatre teacher for many different Academies including Sacramento Theatre Company, Castro Valley Dramatic Arts Academy and Scripps Performing Arts Academy. She was also a Teachers Assistant in a Montessori and Private School for five years.

In her free time you can find her traveling, going to concerts and festivals, hiking, swimming in the ocean, performing in plays, making art and hugging her cat Dabby!

Ms. Theroux

First Grade

Ms. Theroux has taught 1st grade since 2015. She has worked on her school’s English Language Learner Support Committee, ran Student Council for 2 years, and put on talent shows. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Literature with a minor in Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz and obtained her Master’s of Arts in Teaching and her California teaching credential from Santa Clara University. During college she worked as an after school teacher at a dual immersion school where she saw the importance of learning a second language at a young age.

Ms. Theroux moved to Kavod from Israel, where she taught English in an Israeli public school. She is originally from The San Francisco Bay Area and is excited to now call San Diego home. When not in the classroom, Ms. Theroux can be found at the beach, cooking, hiking, listening to podcasts, or watching soccer.

Ms. Levy

First Grade

Orly Levy earned her Master’s of Arts Degree in Social Psychology from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and her Bachelor’s of Arts and Teaching Credential from University of California, Irvine. Her career in education began in Israel in 1993, where she taught English in Middle School. Mrs. Levy returned to California and taught third grade and first grade, in addition to working with English learners in high school. Mrs. Levy has a diverse teaching experience, teaching preschool through high school, both in public and private schools, in California and Israel.

Ms. Hubbard

Reading Coach/Differentiation

Mrs. Hubbard has been teaching since 2016. She started in 4th grade her first year and taught 2nd grade the following six years. She moved to San Diego in the summer of 2020 and started working at Kavod. She received her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction following her undergrad which were both completed in Kansas.

While teaching second grade, she developed a strong passion for teaching kids to read and began her position as Reading Coach in the 2022-2023 school year. She is excited to work with both explorers and teachers to develop strong readers at Kavod.

Mrs. Hubbard loves to travel and explore new places any chance she gets. She enjoys yoga, cooking, reading (of course) and anything outdoors.

Ms. Simpson

Math Coach/Differentiation

Madison Simpson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California Los Angeles (Go Bruins!) and Master’s in Education from Pepperdine University. Ms. Simpson has been in education since 2018 and is excited for her first year at Kavod! Ms. Simpson is passionate about creating inviting and collaborative mathematics spaces.

When not in the classroom, Madison loves running, hiking, watching sporting events, listening to Taylor Swift and exploring San Diego!

Ms. Vermillion

2nd Grade

Ms. Vermillion grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and moved to San Diego in 2020. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Virginia Tech in 2016, and her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2017. Ms. Vermillion has been teaching since 2018, and has taught multiple grades from TK-5th grade in Virginia, Thailand, and California.

In her free time, Ms. Vermillion loves to surf, roller skate, travel, camp, go to the beach, and take her dog Rico on adventures. She is very excited to be joining the Kavod team as a second grade teacher!

Ms. Fritsch

2nd Grade

Ms. Fritsch grew up in San Diego and has recently returned after spending the past four years living in Alaska. In Alaska, she taught Kindergarten and also spent some time as a fifth grade teacher. Additionally, she spent a year teaching English as a Foreign Language in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education.

In her free time, Ms. Fritsch loves to travel, hike, go to the beach, and hang out with her dog and family. She is looking forward to an amazing year at Kavod!

Ms. Leonard

3rd Grade

After receiving her B.A and M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts, Ms. Leonard began her teaching career in 2006 teaching 4th grade in Arlington, MA. In 2010, Ms. Leonard moved to San Diego where she taught for 8 years, including the last two years at Kavod. After 5 years away teaching 5th grade in Washington State and Washington DC, Ms. Leonard could not be more excited to be returning to teach 3rd grade at Kavod.

When not in the classroom, Ms. Leonard enjoys traveling around the country visiting friends and family, cooking, and exploring SD restaurants with her husband.

Mr. Jackson

3rd Grade

Mr. Jackson grew up in Central California. He attended Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois where he received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Public Relations. Shortly after, he decided to attend California State University in Fresno where he earned his teaching credential for elementary education. Mr. Jackson has taught grades 3, 4 and 5 since 2017 and is excited to be teaching 3rd grade this year at Kavod. He plans to earn his Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in the near future.

 

Mr. Jackson took a break from teaching to travel around the country for a couple of years and decided to move to San Diego in 2023 to settle down. He enjoys being outdoors to hike, camp, backpack, or go to the beach. He also enjoys music, dancing, traveling and hanging out with his family, friends, and dog whenever he can.

HaMorah Reut

Hebrew Elementary

HaMorah Reut was born in Israel. She began teaching at Kavod in 2019, after teaching four four years in Israel.

After she completed the ISRAEL DEFENCE FORCE she received her B.A. in Seminar Hakibutzim of Education in Tel Aviv.

HaMorah Reut moved to San Diego from Israel in 2019 as part of a mission World Zionist Organization.

These days, HaMorah Reut is studying her second MA in Teaching Second Language, at Middlebury College, VT.

Ms. Summer

4th Grade

Ms. Summer is originally from Arizona but moved to San Diego in 2018 to attend the University of San Diego. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and has been a substitute teacher since then.

This will be her first year at Kavod and she is looking forward to getting to know her students and having a great year teaching fourth grade.

In her free time, Ms. Summer enjoys traveling, yoga, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.

Ms. Collins

4th Grade

Mrs. Collins started her teaching career in 2011. She taught 6th grade ELA and Reading for six years. Her family moved to San Diego in 2017. Mrs. Collins has been a part of the Kavod Team since 2020.

Mrs. Collins has a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed her Masters in Elementary Education at the University of West Alabama.

When not in the classroom, Mrs. Collins enjoys spending time with her family, watching sports, and traveling during her free time.

Hamoreh Roy

Elementary

Roy was born and raised in the center of Israel. He began teaching at Kavod in 2021, after teaching for 5 years in Israel. He graduated from Beit Berl College in the year 2016, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Education. At the end of this year, he will also be completing his master’s degree in Second Language Acquisition in Middlebury College. Roy has chosen the teaching profession as he feels education is the ultimate responsibility for positive progression in our communities and the world.

In his free time, Roy loves spending time with his friends and family, as well as reading, playing sports, or just relaxing with a hot cup of coffee watching a good movie!

Ms. Dutra

5th Grade

Ms. Dutra is a California native who grew up in Palo Alto, CA. Ms. Dutra received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a minor in Global Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Dutra received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at San Diego State University. To further her education, Ms. Dutra is pursuing a Master’s of Arts in Teaching Language Arts at San Diego State University, to be completed by the summer of 2023. Coming from a family of educators, Ms. Dutra has always been passionate about education and values the importance of being a lifelong learner!

When not in the classroom, Ms. Dutra loves to experience everything that beautiful San Diego has to offer! She enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, yoga, hiking, traveling, camping, cooking, and trying new restaurants.

Mr. St. Hilaire

5th Grade

Mr. St. Hilaire is from Upstate New York, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Childhood Education from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland. He then went on to earn his Master’s from the University of St. Mary in Curriculum and Instruction. After college, he taught for seven years in Vermont before moving to San Diego. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, watching and playing sports, going to the beach, movies/television, concerts, and traveling around the world.

Mr. Lancaster

Music

A classroom teacher since 2005, Mr. Lancaster has taught grades 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Prior to 2005, he taught high school and middle school band, and was a substitute teacher for several years. Mr. L. began teaching while studying music at San Diego State University, where he gave guitar and piano lessons to his friends.

Mr. Lancaster’s family includes his wife and 2 sons, as well as 4 cats. All are Southern California natives! He enjoys spending time traveling with his family, playing the guitar,, reading, gardening, and tending to their flock of chickens.

Mr. Lancaster has a BA in Music from SDSU and a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Lesley University.

Ms. Stagner

Language & Literature + Media Arts

Ms. Stagner is from the Bay Area and became a San Diegan in 2013, when she attended SDSU, pursuing degrees in Theatre Performance and Fine Arts English. After graduating, she entered the education field as a 7th-12th grade English and Drama teacher.

This year she is thrilled to share one of her biggest passions with explorers: Film studies! As for English, her favorite aspects of teaching include novel study, creative writing, and in-class discussion. Her classroom library includes over 2,000 books, tons of Marvel and Star Wars collectibles, and posters galore!

In her spare time, Ms. Stagner can be found in a bookstore or a movie theatre, or spending time with friends, family, and her cat, Kiki.

Mr. Murphy

Individuals & Societies

Mr. Murphy is the Individual and Societies teacher for 7th and 8th grade. Originally from a small town in the Bay Area, he made the move to San Diego to pursue his education at SDSU, where he majored in Theatre and History, with an emphasis on US History and Government. During his teaching career, he has worked with students ranging from 5th to 12th grade. Since joining the Kavod community in January 2021, he has enjoyed working with both the talented staff and brilliant students. Within his classroom you can find students incorporating and building their skills in debate, writing, and the breakdown of historical documents. In addition, Mr. Murphy is passionate about creating fun, engaging projects that help students connect past ideas to present day situations.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Murphy is an avid fan of Bay Area sports and loves to watch and play basketball at any given opportunity. In addition, he enjoys going to the gym, kayaking, as well as spending quality time with his wife and daughter, and enjoying everything that San Diego has to offer.

Ms. Hayes

Spanish

Ms. Hayes grew up in the Bay Area, CA and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, majoring in Spanish and International Studies with a focus in International Education. She has lived, studied and taught abroad, in Chile, Spain and Germany. She taught English at a secondary school in Madrid, Spain, and earned a Master’s of Arts in Latin American and U.S. American Studies from the University of Erlangen- Nuremberg (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität), in Germany. In 2022, she earned a Master’s of Education from Portland State University, with endorsements in both Spanish and German. Her background in early childhood education and specialization in teaching the Spanish language brought her to Kavod!

When Ms. Hayes is not in the classroom, she enjoys laughing with friends and family. She loves yoga, hiking, reading and spending time at the beach.

Mr. Kessler

Integrated Science & Design

Shawn Kessler grew up in the great city of Chicago before moving out to San Diego. He received his degree in Biology with a focus on Evolution, Behavior, and Ecology from UC San Diego. He has been teaching since 2008 and looks forward to continuing to grow as an educator.

On his way to becoming an educator, Shawn worked as a clerk at the Chicago Board of Trade, a ski-lift operator, and a wolf biologist. He uses all of his past experiences to teach his students with real world, problem based projects.

In his spare time, Shawn loves hanging with his family and dog is outside as much as possible surfing, hiking, running, and cycling.

Mx. Vickers

Individuals & Societies + Integrated Science & Design

Mx. Vickers grew up on a farm in small-town Idaho. They spent most of their high school summers working in San Diego and eventually made the permanent move in 2010.

They obtained both a BA in Liberal Studies (w/ emphasis in science) and a teaching credential from San Diego State University.

In their free time, they can be found taking care of their many plants, consuming all things horror (movies, books, podcasts, etc.), listening to live music, and spending time with friends and family!

Mr. Macleod

Math

Trevor Macleod is from San Luis Obispo, CA and is excited to be teaching the explorers 8th grade math and 7th and 8th grade design.

In 2017 he graduated from UCSB with a degree in economics and in 2021 received his masters in global education.

Outside of school you will find him surfing, exploring new cultures, or under water diving.

Ms. Holman

Counselor

Ms. Holman has worked in the mental health field professionally for three years! She graduated from University of San Diego in 2020 with a Master’s Degree in School Counseling, as well as Clinical Counseling. Before finishing her masters program, she received a TESOL certification to teach English, completed training in play therapy and trauma informed care, and attended three conferences abroad focused on addictions counseling, play therapy and school based counseling. Ms. Holman believes that a holistic approach to counseling is the most beneficial for students, and she works hard to make each of my students feel supported and empowered to advocate and succeed. Ms. Holman is also hoping to continue to connect with my students’ families and community more this year!

Ms. Holman grew up in Lake Tahoe and loves skiing, camping and being outdoors! She has a year and a half old sheepadoodle named Molly who just passed therapy dog training!.

Ms. Devencenzi

Education Specialist

Gina Devencenzi grew up in Santa Cruz, California. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a Multiple Subject teaching credential from Sonoma State University. As a Special Education teacher intern, Ms. Devencenzi pursued a Master’s degree in Education and a Mild/Moderate Education Specialist credential which she received in 2021. She joined the Kavod team as an Education Specialist in 2023.

When not in the classroom, Ms. Devencenzi enjoys being active and staying busy. She can be found golfing, going to the beach, concerts, or spending time with friends.

Mr. Taylor

Education Specialist

Ezekiel (Zeke) Taylor was born and raised in San Diego. Mr. Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a masters degree from UCSD. Along with his post tertiary education, he holds a social science credential from San Diego State and a special education credential from San Diego County Office of Education. Mr. Taylor started teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea and Japan. Subsequently, he worked as a paraprofessional with extensive needs students. Mr. Taylor has also taught in both general and special education classrooms at various levels. He has been working as a special education teacher since 2019.

In his free time, Mr. Taylor enjoys traveling and has been to 26 countries. When not abroad, you can find Mr. Taylor scouring Trader Joe’s for their latest delectables or spending time with his wife and their two plants, Michanelgo and Archimedes.

Mr. Dingman

Education Specialist

Eric Dingman grew up in Northern California and fell in love with the outdoors(especially fishing and backpacking). He received a BA in communications from Chico State University in 2003. He has lived in San Diego for two years now and Ioves swimming in the ocean and going to the beach and gym. .

Shinshinim

Yuval

Hashinshinit

Yuval lives in Qiryat Tiv’on. In high school, she majored in physics, sociology, and psychology. She chose to study those subjects because of the laboratory experiments and the learning about social theories.

The study material in sociology and psychology classes helped her understand what can motivate people into specific behaviors, and how to deal more efficiently with someone in stressful or angry situations.

Yuval has been in Israeli Scouts for nine years and has been a counselor for the last three years. She worked with 6th—and 3rd graders and was a lead counselor for other counselors.

Yuval likes to dance, which she has practiced for nine years, and enjoys music and surfing.

Shani

Hashinshinit

Shani lives at Kadima. She majored in computer science and physics in high school. She chose them because she really like technology and math. After two years of learning them, she can say that was the right decision for her. Shani also likes to draw.

Shani is part of the Israeli scouts in her area and has been a counselor for the last three years.

Neta

Hashinshinit

Neta lives in Qiryat Tiv’on. He majors in physics and “made ha-and ask,” combining algorithmics, electronics, and biomedical engineering.

Neta is also learning math and English (advanced class / native speakers), and parallel to high school, he is taking philosophy classes in the local college.

Neta has been in Israeli scouts for nine years and has been a counselor and leader for his troops for the last three years.

In his free time, Neta enjoys music. He plays guitar (self-learned) and recently started learning piano.

He loves exploring Israel’s nature with friends and going to camps.

Netta

Hashinshinit

Netta lives in Lappid. In high school, she majored in physics and biology. She chose them because they helped her better understand the world around. In her spare time, Netta likes to play Piano, practice CrossFit, and travel.

Netta is part of the Israeli scouts in her area and has been a counselor for the last three years.