With years of teaching experience under his belt, Upper School Mathematics Teacher Manuel Davila will now help Poly students solve for x in his ninth grade Geometry and Algebra with Transformations and tenth grade Functions, Trigonometry and Advanced Algebra (FTAA) classes.
Joining the Poly community from South Hills Academy, Davila’s teaching career began at Rio Hondo Community College. He also taught at California State University, Los Angeles, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in math.
“Mr. Davila brings excitement and curiosity to the classroom everywhere he goes,” said junior Jeremy Hsieh in introducing Davila to the student body.
“He’s willing to go over things as many times as needed for us to understand,” Sofia Flores-Castro, a sophomore in Davila’s FTAA class, said.
This year, Davila is also excited to teach economics in the History Department, cheer on Poly’s sports teams and go on the Catalina Island Outdoor Education trip.
In his free time, Davila competes fiercely in classic chess tournaments, watches iconic TV shows and searches for interesting restaurants and foods to try.
“I wish to make the library at Poly a place where every student feels at home,” said Nora Murphy, Poly’s new Upper School Librarian.
Starting in education in 1999, Murphy taught English and social studies at LAUSD before leaving to become a librarian at Flintridge Sacred Heart for 12 years. Murphy said that, thus far, she is impressed by the extensive range of programs offered to all students at Poly, including GIP travel events and community engagement opportunities.
“Ms. Murphy is very helpful and kind, will help you find the book you are looking for and will give you incredible book recommendations,” shared freshman William Son. When not reading historical fiction and dark academia, Murphy enjoys cultivating her vegetable garden, playing with her two dogs and hanging out with her family.
With experience from teaching at and studying at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, Victoria Gresbach joins Poly’s Upper School Science Department as an accomplished Integrated Science and Chemistry teacher.
Explaining why she joined the Poly community, Gresbach said, “Poly makes me nostalgic of my academically rigorous high school experience and I really enjoyed teaching in grad school and didn’t want that to stop.”
When asked about two personality traits that describe her best, Gresbach responded, “My silliness and curiosity.” She added, “They allow me to build a particularly special bond with my students that generates both empathy and an interest in learning.”
“I appreciate that Ms. Gresbach’s teaching style is approachable,” shared sophomore Bridget Bickell, a student in her chemistry class. “She is always ready to answer our questions.”
When she’s not in the classroom, Gresbach can be found volunteering at a local animal shelter, completing crossword puzzles, and listening to upbeat music in her car.
Hailing from the picturesque landscape of Delaware, Harvey Johnson joins the Poly community as the new Upper School Dean of Faculty and Upper School Math Teacher.
While similar to his past experiences as the Dean of Math and Science at St. Andrew’s School for 13 years, his new position at Poly has enabled him to expand his reach from a more compact selection of students to a broader school wide community.
Johnson said, “I love that my job is a place where I can and want to be helpful and effective.”
In his free time, Johnson likes to skateboard and meditate. Johnson firmly believes in the power of peaceful meditation to generate an internal sense of grounded control. “When you learn that you can sit and train your concentration and become more focused on what you want to focus on, you learn that you have a choice,” he shared.
From working as a dental assistant to babysitting children, Elsie Dang brings versatility to the Poly community as the new English II and AP English Language teacher.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in English at UC Riverside and a master’s degree at the University of Southern California, Dang served as the head of the English Department at the Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High School in Los Angeles for ten years.
At Poly, she hopes to be challenged as a teacher and grow as a person. “My favorite aspect of Poly is everyone’s curiosity,” Dang shared. “There is a passion for learning.”
“Ms. Dang shows an open interest in her student’s lives as well as how they are balancing their school work,” shared one of her English II students, sophomore Anya Patel. Outside of school, Dang enjoys running, lifting weights and doing yoga.
Having served as a liaison to biomedical researchers, clinicians, faculty and students at Duke University Medical Center Library in North Carolina, Upper School Library Media Specialist Karen Barton comes to Poly with a myriad of experiences and expertise to share with the Upper School students.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Media Production, a Master of Science in Library and Information Science and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting, Barton expressed her eagerness to begin as a media specialist at Poly.
“I love that this [position] encompasses so much of what I enjoy doing, including working with young people and teaching technology skills,” she said.
In the future, Barton hopes to give Upper School students great book recommendations and further develop her relationships in the Poly community.
Sophomore Amelie Salette said, “I thank her for trying to solve my technical problems. I’m very appreciative of her kind tone and consideration.”
Outside of school, Barton loves to write, learn about genealogy, attend church and help others.
Last spring, the Poly community welcomed Claudia Jimenez, the new Upper School Registrar and College Counseling Coordinator. As a registrar, she assists with creating the master schedule and managing student records.
Jimenez, who previously worked as a registrar at Maranatha, expressed that she came to Poly to learn and be challenged.
“I love to help, to serve,” she said. “I wanted to learn from diverse cultures and ideologies.”
Jimenez feels that she’s adapted quickly to her work at Poly.
“At my previous employment, I was able to learn and almost become an expert in the software, Blackbaud, [and it] really prepared me for working with the college counseling team and students,” she shared.
Jimenez appreciates the warm reception she has received and notes that she is most excited for the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with Poly students, faculty and staff.
New Upper School Mandarin teacher Wenchi Yang Selzer joins the Poly community with a wealth of immersive Mandarin experience.
Yang immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in 2002. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Linguistics from San Francisco State University. In addition to teaching stints at the Windward School and the Archer School for Girls, she served as a volunteer assisting students ages 5 to 18 at her daughter’s Mandarin immersion program and after-school art and theater programs for five years. At Poly, Yang teaches Mandarin I and II.
“It’s pretty amazing,” remarked Yang on her time at Poly thus far. “Working with younger kids is a different story than working with much more sophisticated, proactive high schoolers, so it’s a good change.”
Freshman Jemma Yuan, a student in Yang’s Mandarin I class, shared, “I think she’s a really good teacher; she keeps learning really fun and entertaining. We do a lot of creative projects and engaging work. She makes sure that everyone is participating but never pressures anyone to do anything.”
Outside of teaching, Yang enjoys hiking, shopping and cooking. Her favorite dishes include Taiwanese three-cut chicken, braised pork, Chinese soups and stir-fried veggies.
Maya Seneus, Poly’s new Upper School Learning Specialist, brings a passion for working with individuals from various diverse backgrounds.
Seneus previously worked at public high schools in New York City as a special education instructor.
“I was initially drawn to Poly because of its mission of excellence and responsibility,” she said. “I love the mission of developing students that will become global leaders and serve their communities.”
Seneus appreciates the kindness and support she has received from the Poly community thus far and looks forward to further connecting with students to better understand how to assist them in the process of learning.
“Ms. Seneus is a great advisor, she is always calm and collected,” said freshman Kalyx Lara.
Seneus said, “If students could take anything away from me, my hope is they embrace and celebrate the idea that everyone learns differently and that is what makes us so amazing.”
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