Principal

reymundo.gomez@sva.bssd.org

Hi, my name is Rey Gomez, and I am enthusiastic and thankful for the honor of serving the school community in Savoonga to help build the future of all our Huskies. I have 22 years of education experience, including roles in various schools as a science teacher and administrator in West and South Texas. I hold a Superintendent's certification, am also pursuing a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, and have a master's in Educational Administration and a bachelor's in Biology. I am married with four children, who inspire me to provide the best educational experience for Scholars. My office door is open to all parents and Scholars, and I hope we will meet soon and work together to make this a great year. If you or your child has a need or concern, please let me know, and I will work with you to help in any way I can.

Assistant Principal

gbrancaleone@sva.bssd.org

Saaqut Sivungaq?! Whanga aatqa Qawaagpak (Gaetano David Brancaleone III) and this is my 11th year in Savoonga. This year I am excited and humbled to once again be serving our community as the Assistant Principal. I am originally from Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, but moved to Pennsylvania when I was 7 years old. I have the most wonderful wife, two sons who I love to the moon and back, and a dog that is probably part seal who live with me on this beautiful island! I love to spend time with family, explore the outdoors, play VR, and learn new things every day from our students, community, and staff. I am excited to team up and overcome any challenges this year has to offer, and I look forward to Building the Future Together!

AWARE/School Counselor

keva.ellis@sva.bssd.org

I am new to Alaska and my first year as a School Counselor in Savoonga. I'm from the Peach State Atlanta,Georgia, where I worked as a Psychotherapist helping people reach their therapeutic goals. I attended Texas Southern University, where I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Prairie View A & M University for my Masters in Educational Leadership & Counseling. I hold a License in Professional Counseling, where I've worked with children of all ages and have been providing mental health services for over 18 years. My areas of experience are in trauma, substance abuse, and depression/anxiety. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, reading a good book, and spending time with family. I am excited to be here to help and assist in strengthening self-esteem, promote behavior change, and optimal mental health.

PK-5 Special Education Teacher

heather.conner@sva.bssd.org

ECE Teacher

bharberts@sva.bssd.org

I am returning to Savoonga for my 23rd year. In my first ten years in Savoonga, I taught various ages/levels in the elementary school, and 2021-2022 will mark my 13th year working for Bering Strait School District as the certified Early Childhood teacher at the Head Start. I am currently working on obtaining my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education through Grand Canyon University. I hope to finish up in early 2022. When not in Savoonga, I typically am in South Dakota, where I grew up spending time with my family.

Kindergarten teacher

kaitlyn.freeman@sva.bssd.org

This is my fifth year teaching for BSSD, and fourth year in Savoonga. I am currently teaching Kindergarten, but since becoming a part of the district have also taught third grade and Headstart. I am originally from the east coast. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania surrounded by cows, fields, and mountains. The arts have held a huge role in my life. Growing up I was involved in various choirs, dance, theater, instrument lessons, and painting classes. In addition to the arts, I enjoy being outdoors, running, crocheting, and spending time with my family (Aaron and our three dog babies.) Savoonga has truly become our home and I’m so grateful to live here and to continue sharing my passion of learning with my students

1st grade teacher

josephine.daniels@sva.bssd.org

My name is Josephine Daniels, and I am the new first grade teacher. I am from Golovin/Elim/Soldotna, and graduated from University of Alaska Southeast in May. I am very excited to be here in Savoonga and am very grateful for the kindness the community has shown me. I am glad to get to know your children and help them achieve amazing things as we learn this year.

2nd Grade Teacher

lesley.wallace@sva.bssd.org

I hold Alaska Professional Teacher certification in: reading (1-8), history (1-8), generalist (1-8), and library science/media specialist (K-12). I am highly qualified in elementary comprehensive and all-level staff development. I am also an eLearning Design specialist (K-20), Teacher-Librarian, and a professional digital archivist. My experience in education is 30 years long-whew-

I teach in a center-based classroom. I believe that children learn best when they are working together through interdisciplinary studies.

 I feel like I have a natural ability to reach students where they are at. I claim this spirit because teaching can be charted back to every generation of my family history for over 200 years!

Stop by anytime, I have an open door.

NOTE for parents: If you do not belong to the secured site for our 2nd grade class dojo, come by to see me so that we can get you on board. This is my preferred communication hub because it is a closed media platform. I try to send a message to parents each day and we post pictures or add to our class stories for only you to enjoy. I use class dojo for documenting and awarding behavior points too. You can access your child’s profile and discover which positive (or negative) behaviors I see each day. This platform of communication makes for such a good place to start when you ask, How was school today? 

3rd grade teacher

tiffany.gerwig@sva.bssd.org

Hello, I am Tiffany Gerwig and I am so glad to be back for my third year! I grew up in Glacier View, Alaska, which is 2 hours from Anchorage on the Glenn Hwy. I loved growing up hunting, gardening, camping, skiing, and snow-machining. I feel blessed to be a teacher having a job helping young people grow in confidence and skills all the while learning from and with them.  I always love having high school students in my classroom because my students love it. I first got interested in teaching through helping in the elementary classrooms as a junior and senior student.

I got my elementary education degree through the University of Alaska Fairbanks, graduating spring of 2019. I moved here that fall and I am so grateful for your warm welcome I have received and that I have been taught about life on the island! I want to work with you to help make this a great year full of fun and growth for your students. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to stop by my classroom or call the school any time before or after school or stop me when you see me out walking.

4th Grade Teacher

robyn.dulco@sva.bssd.org

In 2010, I graduated from the University of Nevada Reno and soon began teaching in Northern Utah. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to live and teach in Savoonga. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my dogs, family and friends, hiking, camping, boating, and relaxing while reading a good book. As an educator, I would like to see our young people become career and college ready and in turn be able to contribute back to their village. This is important, to me, because as a very young mother, the community that I lived in took me in, taught me the skills I needed and helped me to grow into who I am today. I look forward to the opportunities that are ahead and feel truly blessed to be a part of the lives of our young people, educational leaders, and the community. 

6-12 Special Education Teacher

julie.conner@sva.bssd.org

Middle School Language Arts

kathryn.mansfield@sva.bssd.org

Hi everyone! I am excited to be back for a third year! I can’t wait to help your student grow both their reading and writing skills. I look forward to seeing them each day in class! Feel free to contact me before or after school. I hope to maintain a line of open communication between my classroom and you’re home so that your student succeeds! #GoHuskies!

Middle School Math

marlon.serina@sva.bssd.org

My name is Marlon Francis. I am a Mathematics teacher from Philippines. I am a Filiino citizen. I have been to teaching for 28 years. I graduated from Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan for my baccalaureate degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics . I pursued and finished my Masters Degree for Teaching Mathematics at University of Science and Technology in Southern Philippines. I am on the way to my dissertation for my doctoral degree in Educational Management . I love singing, dancing ,cooking and playing volleyball. I am a team player , trustworthy and self-reliant. I believe in the saying which goes and I quote," Life is short, seize and enjoy every moment. For every moment, live, love, forgive, learn and explore . Time is of the essence and we cannot hold back the hands of time neither can we hold back yesterdays".

Middle School Social Studies

sebastian.santos@sva.bssd.org

Birthday: January 30th

School: Texas State University - San Marcos (Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies)

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Greetings and salutations! I am so excited and look forward to coming back to Savoonga. This coming school year, it’s my goal to engage the students on where we left of with the middle school - social studies/ history curriculum. As I teach about the respective socio-economic and political landscape of people and places, in the past and present, I hope to learn just as much about the local/ native culture in Savoonga.

 When all is said and done, it is my hope that people continue to pursue education in and out of the academic world. There’s a saying that, “The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing.”

MS Math and Science Teacher

sherrmann@sva.bssd.org

Hello everyone, for those who may not know, my name is Scott Herrmann and I teach middle school math and science. This is my 13th year in Savoonga, and I’m looking forward to exploring a new activity centered science program with my students this school year.

I grew up camping, hunting, fishing, and berry picking in northeast Washington state. So, it should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that my summers are spent camping and wandering wilderness areas and national parks. The picture is taken on top of 13,000 foot Wheeler Peak located in Great Basin National Park, Nevada.

HS Math Teacher

janet.festa@sva.bssd.org

In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy. (Clarke)

HS English Teacher

joel.mugadza@sva.bssd.org