366 Gault Street, Santa Cruz, California 95062, United States
Deric McLean
Director, 3rd - 6th Language Arts, S.T.E.A.M., P.E., Journalism
With a healthy dose of right place/right time, Deric McLean found his dream teaching job at Santa Cruz Children’s School after earning his credential in 2009. After years of taking on more and more of a leadership role, he was extremely honored to be entrusted by the school’s founders to take over the school, with his lovely wife, as school directors in 2015. He holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from San Jose State University, along with a BA in English from Santa Clara University.
In addition to serving as the director, Deric McLean is the Language Arts teacher for the upper half of the school. Students are challenged daily to grow their reading, writing, and speaking skills while developing a true sense of personal responsibility for their work. Students are taught flexibility and ease with all modes of writing and reading. In addition to reading assignments in every genre and style, students participate in self-organized, and largely student-led, Book Clubs with their classmates. Essays, narratives, persuasive writing, and creative writing units provide SCCS students with writing toolboxes that they take with them far beyond their elementary school years. Students are challenged to find their voice across genres by writing in an environment that is both assignment driven and about constant personal progress. Students are taught to use all tools at their disposal to help them on this quest, from mentor texts to peer feedback, and most importantly: the lost art of revision. This environment has resulted in countless students who continue to write for the pure joy of it. Deric brings this passion and joy for teaching to all subjects he teaches.
Joanna McLean
Administrative Director, 5th & 6th Grade Health
Joanna McLean is happy to point out that she found the job listing and encouraged the bike ride that led Deric to teach at, and ultimately lead, Santa Cruz Children’s School. Of course, she had no idea at the time what an incredible impact being part of such a community would have on their lives. As the Administrative Director of SCCS since 2015 she is an integral but primarily behind-the-scenes part of the day to day operations of the school but is sure to make time for her lifelong passion for working with kids and helping ease the stress and transitions of childhood to adolences by teaching 5th & 6th Health and "Lunch Bunch", an SEL focused discussion- based class for the elder half of the school.
A graduate of UC San Diego with a degree in Human Development, she has spent worked with children of all ages, creating and running programs, and mentoring teens and young adults seeking to do the same since she was 16 years old. She spent many years with the YMCA serving as a residential camp counselor and director, an outdoor educator, and a school age child care director. She also spent several seasons as Operations Coordinator at Camp Galileo in the Bay Area.
Andrea Randall
1st & 2nd Grade Language Arts & Math/ K-6th Local Studies/K-6th Drama & Dance
Andrea has been Her well organized, creative curriculum invites young children to learn in a cheerful environment. Her students hear stories, respond to literature, and keep journals. They build phonics, reading, writing, and math skills with a variety of activities at a pace that is individualized for each person.
Andrea also created and teaches LOST (short for LOcal STudies), where students learn all about the rich history, culture, and art from all over Santa Cruz County through in-class projects and field trips. Andrea has also found a new passion in teaching performing arts skills in her Drance class where students find the joy of movement, learn about dance from around the world, and practice their acting skills in preparing for our biennial play. In all of Andrea’s classes, students enjoy learning and thrive in an enriching, engaging, and challenging environment. She holds a California State Teaching Credential from Sonoma State with an emphasis in early childhood education.
Jessica Romeo
Kindergarten & 1st Language Arts & Math
Jessica is the Language Arts & Math teacher for the yougest group at Santa Cruz Children's School, guiding our Kindergartners and 1st graders gently and intentionally through the skills they will use for the rest of their lives.
Jessica was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. She grew up in a large family and moved back to the Santa Cruz area after living in Oregon and LA for the past eight years. Following her passion to become a social justice educator, Jessica received her B.S. in Elementary Education at the University of Oregon with a minor in Special Education. She spent four years in Eugene, Oregon working with diverse groups of children in schools and after school programs before moving to Southern California to pursue her multiple subject teaching credential and Masters of Education at UCLA.
Ruby Wong
3rd - 6th Grade Math/ K-6th Art/K-6th Botany
Ruby Wong is in charge of the math curiculum for the upper half of the school at Santa Cruz Children's School. She tailors her lessons to each student's level all while keeping math fun! Ruby is also the Santa Cruz Children's School Art teacher, using techniques and styles from around the world to inspire and instruct and is combining her love of nature, science, and gardening into her new Botany class.
A Santa Cruz native, she returned home to follow her passion for STEM education after earning her B.A. at Loyola Marymount University in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Mathematics and her multiple subject teaching credential. Ruby uses hands on and project based learning, and her humor and enthusiasm to help students find joy in math education. She is fueled by her passion for mentoring, social justice, multicultural education, and increasing diversity and representation of women and people of color in STEM professional fields. Ruby also works with the local non-profit, X Academy, as their Program Coordinator and guest lecturer for their Math Circle.
Adriana Villalon
K-6th Spanish, K thru 6th Cooking, & 3rd-6th Instrumental Music
Adriana Villalon has been with Santa Cruz Children’s School since 2014. She teaches Spanish to the whole school as well as strings to the students who choose violin or cello for their school instrument in 3rd grade and up. Adriana also brings her love of the culinary arts to her weekly cooking class where students from Kindergarten up learn to safely use kitchen tools and prepare meals. her As a concert violinist, she has always tried to incorporate music into her teaching when possible and believes that children benefit from musical learning across the curriculum.
Adriana holds a California State Teaching Credential from Long Beach State and has a major in Music Performance. She also has specialized in microbiology and music therapy. She is passionate about weaving global themes across the different subjects such as cooking, singing, Spanish, English, reading, math and science. In addition to her time at SCCS, Adriana has experience as a Kindergarten teacher and over 20 years experience as an instrumental music instructor.