Faculty & Staff Directory

Dellanira is super excited to join the Gateway community as a Spanish teacher. They were raised in Austin, TX and Stockton, CA before moving to San Diego for undergrad. They majored in Ethnic Studies and Communication at UC San Diego. They discovered their passion for teaching and education through Ethnic Studies and their work with marginalized communities in the greater San Diego area. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her dog Sage at the beach, writing poetry, cooking, and making art.

Alyssa teaches Chemistry and Honors Chemistry at Gateway High School. She studied Biological Anthropology at San Francisco State and received her Masters in Teaching from University of San Francisco. Ms. Amabile loves animals and the outdoors. She enjoys playing volleyball, hiking with her dog, cooking for friends and family, exploring new places, and trying new things. Ms. A loves everything about science and enjoys sharing that passion with others.
 

This is James’ first year teaching Humanities at Gateway High. He recently completed a Master’s degree in Education from the University of San Francisco and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English. Before entering the teaching profession, James traveled throughout Europe teaching English as a second language and worked in a variety of professional fields, including emergency medical care, construction, and project and account management. On his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling, surfing, and hiking. 

Evan Bass is excited for the upcoming year at Gateway. He is teaching Algebra and sits on the School Leadership Team, overseeing Advisory and Student Life. Evan received his Bachelors degree at Macalester College in Minnesota in Communication Studies and Education. He is originally from Chicago, IL, but has been in the Bay Area for 14 years. Evan is married and has a daughter who keeps him busy. He loves sports, competition, and music, and stays involved with all of them during his free time. He also DJ’s, does photo booth and videography services as a side business.

Justin Berthiaume teaches Environmental Science and AP Environmental Science, and led the creative team to design and construct the Gateway Garden. He has also taught Biology and Physical Science at Gateway. Prior to teaching, Mr. Berthiaume served for 7 years as a landscape architect and park planner for the National Park Service. He also worked as a professional musician and artist manager in Boston. Mr. Berthiaume completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts, and obtained his Masters in Teaching from the University of San Francisco. His passion is everything science, everything music, and everything Earth.

Christopher “X” is a resource specialist teacher at Gateway for 9th grade students. He is from Providence, Rhode Island and earned his B.A. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst before moving to San Francisco. He taught English as a Second Language for several years and was previously a resource specialist teacher at Independence High School. He is a California native plants enthusiast and enjoys cycling, swimming and backpacking. He also loves watercolor painting, cooking and baking and is especially fond of dark chocolate. 

Cal does lots of things at Gateway– from international travel to health education to happy hours! Formerly a 9th Grade Seminar and Heritage and AP Spanish teacher, they will be transitioning out of the Spanish department and piloting a new class– Yearbook and Journalism. Cal is super excited to continue the Yearbook’s enhancing trajectory, while supporting students in developing practical skills in photography, design, and journalism. Other passions include the pursuit of a Master’s in Writing at the University of San Francisco, the management of a non-profit organization that supports gender-expansive youth, piecing together a second book, and activism for more gender-inclusive spaces in sports and beyond.

Melissa (Meli) Díaz grew up in San Mateo and teaches 9th grade Humanities at Gateway High School. She double majored in History and International Relations at Stanford University, and spent a lot of time thinking she was going to be a immigrant’s rights lawyer. She fell in love with education after teaching in English in Madrid and New York City. She completed her Master’s in Education at Stanford Graduate School of Education, and spent three years teaching Ethnic Studies and World History in Redwood City. She is excited to join the Gateway community this year! In her free time, Meli loves dancing ballet folklorico, riding her bike through the city, spending time at local bookstores, and hanging out with her cat. 

Stephen Flynn started at Gateway on January of 2013 and currently serves as Gateway's Athletic Director, PE teacher, Houseball coordinator, co-teacher for the Student Leadership class and as Head Coach of the Baseball team.  He has degrees in Developmental Psychology and English Composition from University of California, Davis and has professional experience in athletic administration, corporate communications, youth development, mentorship and coaching.  Born and raised in Oakland, CA, he enjoys watching, playing and coaching sports at all levels, photography and cooking and eating vegetarian.

Ms. Galván is deeply rooted in her experiences as a mujer latina and 1st generation college graduate. Having been born and raised in San Franciso's Mission District, Ms. Galván is familiar with the ins and outs of the city, has knowledge about the underdog and underesourced communities and uses this to the best of her advantage to meet students where they are and where ever they may come from. Ms. Galván validates all experiences, as students and as members of the many communities her students may be a part of. She is a teacher who, has high expectations of all of her students and is passionate about learning being an ongoing process in life. She hopes to plant seeds in her students, water and nourish them through a rigurous course of Spanish literature and interpersonal interactions.