Kindergarten Teacher, Michelle Kellman
Ms. Kellman is in her ninth year of teaching and her second year at Lighthouse.  She has taught grades K – 3 and also worked as a learning specialist and curriculum writer.  She received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Swarthmore College in English Literature. Ms. Kellman holds a California K – 8 Multiple Subject CLAD credential from Saint Mary’s College. Ms. Kellman states, “My goal as a teacher is to help students develop into confident learners who associate school with empowerment and joy.  I teach at Lighthouse because I believe that going deeply into a subject activates students' curiosity and love of learning.  I also teach at Lighthouse because I feel respected and supported as a professional.” When she is not teaching and learning, Ms. Kellman enjoys singing, reading and spending time in nature.

Founding Teacher & 1st Grade Teacher, Helen Spruill
Helen Spruill is teaching 1st Grade at the Lighthouse Community Charter School. Ms. Spruill brings nine years of elementary teaching experience in urban districts in both the Bay and Los Angeles areas. She also spent a year teaching English Immersion Kindergarten at The American School of Durango in Durango, Mexico and is working toward fluency in Spanish. Ms. Spruill is a trained Reading Recovery Teacher and is currently completing a Reading Specialist Credential and a Masters Degree in Education at the University of California-Berkeley. Ms. Spruill was a 1995 Teach for America Corps Member in Compton, California.

1st Grade Teacher, Noelle Apostol
Ms. Apostol is in her sixth year of teaching and her third year at Lighthouse.  Before teaching at Lighthouse, she taught K/1st grade at Jefferson Elementary School in Oakland.  She received her Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Latin American Studies and her Masters of Arts degree from University of San Francisco. Ms. Apostol holds a California K – 8 Multiple Subject B-CLAD credential.  Ms. Apostol states, “My goal as a teacher is to foster a community where students care about each other and take responsibility for their own learning.  I want students to understand that they have choices in life and give them the skills, resources, and belief that need to be happy and make the world a better place.  I teach at Lighthouse because I love seeing the joy and passion that expeditionary learning brings out in students and I love being a part of a staff that values and supports my own learning as a teacher.”  When she is not teaching and learning, Ms. Apostol keeps learning. This year, Ms. Apostol is taking acting classes at ACT, facing her fear of cold water and surfing in the Pacific Ocean, and sailing on the Bay.  She also enjoys live music and playing records.

Founding Teacher, Lead Teacher & Kindergarten Teacher, Heather Thompson
Ms. Thompson is in her eighth year of teaching and has taught at Lighthouse for four years as a part of the founding team. She received her Bachelors degree from Linfield College and her teaching certificate from University of Texas Pan American. Ms. Thompson holds a California K – 8 Multiple Subject CLAD credential and a Masters of Arts in Education, Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of California – Berkeley. In addition to teaching at Lighthouse, Ms. Thompson facilitates Early Literacy Institutes for Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound.  Ms. Thompson states, “I believe that every child in the city of Oakland deserves an excellent, free, public education.  I work every day to ensure that my students are achieving proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics, to ensure that they develop their abilities as critical thinkers, and to give them a sense that they can change the world.  I teach at Lighthouse because at Lighthouse I have the freedom to use my professional knowledge to teach in a way that I know students learn best.” When she is not teaching and learning, you can find Ms. Thompson cheering for the Oakland A’s!

2nd Grade Teacher, Tamara Arroyo
Ms. Arroyo is in her seventh year of teaching and her third year at Lighthouse. She holds a B.A. from New York University and majored in Sociology and Latin American Studies.  She has a Master of Arts in Education from the Bank Street College of Education.  She has an Elementary Education credential from Bank Street and a California K – 8 Multiple Subject Credential.  Prior experience includes teaching in first grade in Washington Heights & Explore Charter School in Brooklyn, NY.  Ms. Arroyo states, “My goal as a teacher is...to impress children with the value and wonder of learning.  I teach at Lighthouse because I appreciate working with so many talented and passionate colleagues.”  When she is not teaching and learning, she likes to ride her bike, be outside, garden, visit with her family, hike, cook and read wonderful books.

3rd Grade Teacher, Jenny Rikkers

3rd Grade Teacher, Tina Morris
Ms. Morris is in her eleventh year of teaching and is in her first year as a teacher at Lighthouse. She received her Bachelors degree from California State University at Chico in English, Masters degree from California State University at Hayward in English with an emphasis in African American History and Literature. Ms. Morris holds a California K – 8 Multiple Subject CLAD credential from the New College of California. Previous experience includes being an Equity Coach at California Tomorrow, College instructor, and working at Executive Director of Divine Minds Educational Service.  Ms. Morris states, “My goal as a teacher is to provide a nurturing environment in which students are supported to excel beyond their expectations by creating learning experiences that are joyful and intellectually stimulating.  I teach at Lighthouse because the staff is supported in their efforts to provide instruction that enables children to become experts and critical thinkers.  It is my belief that preparing students to become experts, in their given fields, who think deeply about their work, position them to be world leaders.”  When she is not teaching and learning, you can find Ms. Morris enjoying quiet time reading the Bible and decorating her home.  

6th Grade Teacher (Math Emphasis) & Crew Leader, Mallika Scott
Ms. Scott is in her fifth year of teaching and her third year at Lighthouse.  She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry from UCLA and a California Multiple Subject CLAD credential from National University.  Previous to teaching at Lighthouse, Ms. Scott taught 6 – 8th math/science in Los Angeles through Teach for America.  In addition to teaching at Lighthouse, Ms. Scott teaches professional development courses during the summers for Marilyn Burns Education Associates and is working with a team of teachers to develop fraction intervention modules for Scholastic. Ms. Scott states, “My goal as a teacher is to help students become confident and efficient mathematical problem solvers and communicators. I teach at Lighthouse because I believe all students in Oakland deserve access to a high quality education.”  When she is not teaching and learning, she enjoys running, hiking, reading, and camping.

Instructional Aide, Gina Ortiz
Gina is an Instructional Aide for kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade.

Instructional Aide, Lola Prieto
Ms. Prieto has been teaching for five years and has been at Lighthouse for four years.  Previously, Ms. Prieto worked in a day care center.  Ms. Prieto states, “My goal as a teacher is to keep studying and becoming better as a teacher and also as a person.  To help children in anything and with anything that I can.  I teach at Lighthouse because I think Lighthouse is a very good school that helps not only children, but also families like mine to reach goals and to set new ones and complete them.”  When Ms. Prieto is not teaching and learning, she enjoys being with her family, cooking, and most of all spending time outside with them.  Ms. Prieto has both of her children enrolled at Lighthouse.