Alex Anderson
6th Grade Math and Science, 7th Grade Science |
Alex Anderson has taught sixth graders in LAUSD for over 25 years and has been with the district for over 30 years. He graduated from Cal State Northridge with a degree in psychology and earned his teaching credential through the LAUSD District Intern Program. He enjoys going to work each day because there’s always something fun or interesting that happens. Mr. Anderson lives in Woodland Hills with his wife, their five children, and two dogs. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his family, listening to music, and watching sports. He has an extensive music collection and loves skateboarding and snowboarding.
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Tanya Ball
Dance and Theater Arts |
Tanya Ball oversees the Theater & Dance Performance classes at Hale Charter Academy. Mrs. Ball teaches Play Pro Class, two Theater Labs and coordinates both dance classes consisting of beginning through advanced dancers. Mrs. Ball comes from a family of dancers and performers. Her husband was a main dancer in the original "Footloose" film, and all five of her daughters and son are accomplished dancers. Mrs. Ball was on the BYU ballroom dance team when she attended college, there and spent a summer touring the Hawaiian islands performing Polynesian dancing. Mrs. Ball graduated with a BA in Musical theater and has played leading roles in several shows during her performing career including: Maria in West Side Story, Annie in Annie Get Your Gun, Daisy Mae in Li’l Abner, Aldonza in Man of LaMancha, Sharon in Finnian’s Rainbow, My Fair Lady , Fiddler on the Roof, Anything Goes, and Saturday’s Warrior.
Mrs. Ball loves learning and sharing her knowledge with her students. She has the belief that every student should take a theatre and dance class as it will help them no matter what they go into in life, with confidence, communication skills, concentration, imagination, problem solving and especially having fun and producing those happy endorphins that reduce stress, pain, depression and help our bodies function! Mrs. Ball has been instrumental in starting the WEB program here at Hale (Where Everyone Belongs), a transition program from elementary to middle school, as well as the "Help Me Help Myself" program several years ago, empowering girls at her school to be leaders. Mrs. Ball would say her greatest accomplishments are her 7 children and 6 (soon to be seven) grandchildren! She wants to do everything in her power to leave the world in good condition for them. Tanya is active in her Church and currently the president of the women's group there. Her hobbies include: traveling, attending the theater, cooking, spending time with her family and observing and protecting animals. |
Marina Belenkaia
7th Grade English |
Marina Belenkaia grew up in the former Soviet Union and moved to Los Angeles in 1992 with her family. After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from Mount St. Mary’s University in 1998, she was hired to teach sixth grade Reading and then English/Social Studies core at Bancroft Middle School. At that time, she also pursued a Master’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Literacy and a Reading Specialist Certificate. Looking for a further challenge, Ms. Belenkaia received a Single Subject Credential in English so she could teach higher grade levels. She has been teaching seventh and eighth grade English in the VAPA Magnet at Hale Charter Academy in Woodland Hills where she incorporates arts and media into the curriculum. Ms. Belenkaia lives in the San Fernando Valley with her two children.
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Mariah Benson
6th Grade English/ History 7th Grade History |
Mariah Benson teaches sixth grade English and History, along with seventh grade History. Ms. Benson joined Hale in 2022 and has been working for LAUSD since 2017. She has her degree in Broadcast Journalism from Brigham Young University and had a great career in television programming and marketing prior to going into education. She even got to meet her broadcast idol, Barbara Walters, when she interned at 20/20. She also worked in children’s television and was part of bringing Pokémon to the U.S. and working closely with Disney Channel to create programming specials. After having her children, she decided to follow her passion of helping young people and obtained her teaching credential.
Ms. Benson is very fond of the VAPA program as all three of her children attended Hale and were involved in VAPA. She has a love of History and the arts and attends monthly art classes, loves to sew, bake, and workout. |
Jonathan Cruz
Instrumental Music Choir |
My name is Jonathan Cruz and this is my 5th year at Hale as director of Instrumental Music Program. I am proud to be part of Hale's successful traditions in the arts and music.
Aside from teaching music, my immediate goals for the instrumental program are to fundraise, upgrade or acquire more instruments, and look for more performance opportunities. In addition to just the typical run of the mill rehearsal-practice-concert routine, there are festivals and competitions which enrich your child and the instrumental activity. Thus, fundraising is crucial. My instrumental teaching philosophy is simple, and it is to teach and provide the necessary behaviors, skills, and performance fundamentals to appreciate music, thus be successful and valued members of a musical community and lifelong consumers of music. Being a successful student of music requires that your child develops and understands the importance of teamwork, concentration and focus, discipline, self control, time management, the importance of patience, repetition, reinforcement, working through struggles (also known as productive struggle), setbacks, and constructive criticisms. My musical background is in saxophone and woodwinds. I studied the saxophone extensively at Cal State Northridge with a full scholarship and earned my bachelor's and master's degree in saxophone performance. Although I am primarily a woodwind expert, I also play most of the orchestral string instruments, brass, and percussion. My teacher training began at Columbus Middle School in Canoga Park during the 2010/2011 school year. In Spring 2011, I student taught at Hale, and in Fall 2012, I completed my teacher training at Westlake High School. After completing my teacher training, I moved to San Bernardino, CA and taught at Pacific High School for four years. I started with only 27 students in the instrumental program and grew the program attracting and enrolling 9% of the student population into instrumental music. I directed the marching band, jazz ensemble, mariachi, two concert bands, two orchestras, and taught piano and drumming. I achieved tremendous success at the high school level under the most unconventional circumstances, and I am excited to take my success, experience, and training to Hale for my third year. |
Valerie Eaton
8th Grade Math |
Valerie Eaton has been a math teacher at Hale for 20 years and is thrilled to join the VAPA Community. She has a strong passion for her craft, is rigorous, and enjoys coming to school each day. She finds it beautiful to watch students grow and gain the depth and knowledge they will need to be successful in high school. She feels honored and humbled to be given the gift of involvement in her students' lives. Valerie grew up in the SFV and attended our local schools including Justice Street Elementary, Columbus Junior High and El Camino High School. She obtained her degree and credential from CSUN. She is the proud mother of two fantastic sons and has an incredibly supportive and kind husband. She enjoys being outdoors in nature. Her interests include mountain and gravel biking, trail running, backpacking, hiking, exploring the National Park System, travel, nature photography, and gardening. She is happiest when she is moving around outside.
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Lynda Escalanta
7th Grade History |
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Debbie Fletcher
Full-time Magnet Coordinator |
Debbie Fletcher has taught sixth graders at Hale for over 20 years. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with degrees in Environmental Studies and Geography. She has since trained extensively in gifted learning, science, math, and technology. She sees teachers as being lifelong learners and thinks eleven year olds are the best co-workers. She lives in Winnetka with her husband, son, and two dogs.
As Magnet Coordinator, Debbie works to bring the very best program to VAPA students. She is always looking for new community partners, ways to keep facilities and technology cutting edge, and ideas to build the very best curriculum our program deserves. |
Sarah Johnson
8th Grade English |
Sarah Johnson has been an English teacher at Hale for over 20 years and is thrilled to be a part of VAPA. She grew up in the Bay Area, and since her parents are avid art collectors, she spent many, many weekends in galleries, museums, and auction houses. She moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she majored in English with an emphasis on British Women's Literature.
Mrs. Johnson brings to VAPA her love of visual and written art forms, and she hopes her students grow to appreciate both the utilitarian and artistic forms of the written word. She loves reading, hiking, cycling, and visiting new places, and she feels lucky to be a part of such a vibrant, welcoming school community. |
Stephanie Kinchen
7th Grade Math |
Mrs. Stephanie Kinchen has been working at Hale Charter Academy since 2017, however she has been a teacher with LAUSD since 2001. She has taught mainly middle school math but has taught other subjects such as art, science, and AVID. Mrs. Kinchen graduated from UCLA and loves her Bruins! At UCLA she majored in Psychology with a Business Administration specialization. She also has a master's degree in Education from Pepperdine University. Mrs. Kinchen is married and has 3 children - Charlee (13), Ryker (10) and River (3). Her pet family consists of Kobe her beloved dog who is a Ridgeback/Mastiff mix, Olive the bearded dragon, and Abigail her calico kitty. She lives locally so please do not be embarrassed to say hi if you see her at the grocery store or mall! In her free time, Mrs. Kinchen loves to spend her time going to the park with her kids, the dog park with her dog Kobe, taking a drive to the local beaches, gardening, riding her Peloton bike, flea market shopping, and doing anything animal related. She absolutely loves animals and is a strict vegetarian. Her room is H157 so please feel free to come pay her a visit!
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Alison Mailes
6th Grade English/History VAPA Lead Teacher
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Alison Mailes has taught sixth graders within the LA Unified School District for over 30 years with the last six of those years at Hale. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Psychology and recently participated in Cal State Northridge’s Writing Project to become a Teacher Leader. She has actively participated in gifted and talented educational opportunities, arts education and literacy programs to support her passion of lifelong learning. She lives in Woodland Hills, as did her three grown sons all of whom graduated from Hale.
As the Lead Teacher for VAPA, Alison works with the Magnet Coordinator to build and support the programs designed to inspire the artist within each child and celebrate the diversity that makes our classrooms, stages, and studios dynamically rich. |
Bruce Newborn
6th Math/Science Photography |
I became an educator because of the Boy Scouts and the Northridge Earthquake. Strange huh!
I came to California from New York in 1976 to attend Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. After graduating in 1980, I went to work full time in the industry. I opened my own business in 1992, a small studio on Tampa Avenue in Tarzana. Prior to that, in 1989, I was a volunteer Photography teacher at Miguel Leonis Continuation High School in Woodland Hills. Then came January 17, 1994; the Northridge Earthquake. The shaker did a pretty good amount of damage to the building, and I decided to move the business back home. The luxury dollars to spend on photography shrank, so I went to work for the Daily News. One day, at a Scouting function, a friend said he always thought I’d make an awesome teacher. So here I am, 20 years later, loving what I’m doing, educating young people in Math, Science and Photography. I live in Woodland Hills, so don’t be surprised if we run into each other at the mall, movies, restaurants, or 24Hr Fitness. I have a beautiful wife who is also a teacher. We love music, dancing and snow skiing. Hope to see you around town! |
Matt Rosen
8th Grade History |
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After almost two decades teaching in LAUSD, Mr. Rosen is joining the 8th grade VAPA team to teach U.S. History at Hale Charter Academy. Remarkable moments in his career include being National History Day Judge, high school volleyball coach, and high school JV baseball coach. He is now the GATE Coordinator at Hale. He is fluent in Spanish from my three years living in Paraguay, South America while a Environmental Educator with the Peace Corps (2003-2005). He earned a BA in History from UC Santa Barbara and teaching credentials from CSUN, including a Masters’ in Curriculum Development. As a United States history teacher he wants 8th graders to value ideas of citizenship, a respect for our American Democracy experience, and to be aware of current events without bias. He is a father of two sons, Wyatt and Phoenix, and a husband in a wonderful family.
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Brian Sonderling
Visual Arts |
Brian Sonderling is the VAPA Visual Arts teacher at Hale, teaching Exploratory Art, General Art, and Advanced Art. Mr. Sonderling has been with the district since 2001 and started teaching full-time in 2007. Mr. Sonderling received his BA from Cal Poly Pomona, majoring in Liberal Studies, with concentrated studies in Art and Ornamental Horticulture. Mr. Sonderling went on to receive his Mild/Moderate Special Education teaching credential, Masters of Science in Special Education, and Single Subject Art credential at CLU. Mr. Sonderling travels during breaks form school, and he gardens and bakes in his free time. Mr. Sonderling can usually be recognized by his Hawaiian or Art related shirts.
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Janin Spoor
Intro to Theatre Stage Craft |
Janin Spoor has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. She has been an English teacher for over twenty years, and received a CATE Award for classroom excellence. She has written several screenplays, one of which won the Bronze Remi Award at Worldfest Houston. After many years of teaching, she had the opportunity to work the lead writer for the group of talented educators selected to create the Hale VAPA Magnet. Her dream of creating an educational setting where the arts intermingle with academic standards has come to fruition at Hale Charter Academy. After taking two years to teach high school theatre at our VAPA Extension, Mrs. Spoor is happy to be back teaching 8th grade VAPA English at Hale this year.
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Geoffrey Symons
8th Grade Science |
Mr. Symons received his degree in Kinesiology at Fresno State University. He also was certified as a health and fitness instructor through The American College of Sports Medicine. He then received a teaching credential at The University of Northridge. Mr. Symons's first teaching assignment was at Maclay Middle School in Pacoima. He taught Physical Education for 6 years there and then also taught Physical Science. Mr. Symons then transferred to Hale and have been teaching here ever since. Mr. Symons enjoys teaching with the VAPA team because there are so many ways to incorporate art into the curriculum. He feels it is important for students to create as they learn. He hopes your child has a memorable and rewarding time in his class.
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