Faculty & Staff

Jim Price

Executive Director

Jim is the Executive Director of TCPS.  Jim also has two children, both of which are TCPS graduates.  Jim received his B.A. in Political Science at Washington State University, and his M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.  Additionally, he has a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Chapman University.  Besides Jim's twenty years of business and management experience, he also has twenty years of experience working with children and teens through public schools, residential treatment facilities, summer camps, and as a club and high school soccer coach.  Jim has been a leader in the TCPS family for six years, and enjoys being here because he feels that TCPS truly prepares students for their future academic pursuits and beyond. 

Sherry Risch

Principal/ Middle School Language Arts Teacher

Sherry is not only one of the founders of TCPS, but also one of the principals and the middle school Language Arts Teacher.  Sherry has a B.S. in Special Education, as well as Elementary Education from Miami University, Oxford Ohio.  She also served on the Committee for Primary Assessment and Curriculum Development in Ohio.  Sherry is the founding board member of Women's Empowerment International, whose mission is to provide microcredit loans to women living in poverty.  Sherry's daughter attended TCPS for seven years.  Sherry's love for traveling has taken her to India, Nepal, Europe, South America, and Asia.  She uses these experiences to encourage her students to use creativity and an open mind while learning.  Sherry enjoys spending time with her family, as well as singing; she is a member of the MLK Choir.  Sherry has been with TCPS for its longevity; 25 years!  Sherry is continually excited about TCPS because it fosters an environment where teachers can be innovative and enthused about curriculum design, and brainstorm new and engaging ideas with the students to create classroom activities and lessons. 

Donny Kim

Vice Principal and Middle School History Teacher

Donny the Vice Principal and one of the middle school teachers at TCPS.  He teaches History for the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, as well as the Research course.  Donny also teaches photography and computer electives for the seventh and eighth graders.  Donny has his B.A. in History from UC Santa Barbara, as well as his Single Subject Credential from Sonoma State.  He has Web Design and Graphic Design Certificates from UC San Diego.  His knowledge base in photography comes from passion as a professional nature photographer.  Adding to Donny's experience is his twelve years of experience in outdoor education for the Catalina Island Marine Institute, where he taught marine ecology, geology, astronomy, underwater photography, and was the SCUBA Divemaster.  Donny has been a part of the TCPS family since 1999.  His favorite thing about TCPS is the amazing connection he feels between the students, parents, and staff; and not just for the grades he teaches, but across all grade levels. 

Rachel Curtze

Kindergarten Teacher

Rachel received her teaching credential from Point Loma Nazarene and is completing a M.A. in Education.   She earned her B.A. in Speech Communications from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.  Before coming to TCPS, Rachel taught music in Point Loma for grades K-3.   She worked with Peace Corps-Belize as a teacher trainer for two years while coaching girls’ soccer, and co-advising a girls club.  A Pennsylvania native, her love for teaching grew while teaching pre-school for 6 years.  She lives in Ocean Beach and enjoys spending time with family, singing, cooking, yoga, and running.  Students inspire and refresh her love for teaching every single day.  She is dedicated to bringing her best to the classroom and providing rich experiences for her students.    

Maggie Price

First Grade Teacher

Maggie is the First Grade Teacher at TCPS, as well as one of the Founders.  Maggie has a B.A. from American University in Washington, D.C.  She did graduate work in Human Development, Counseling, and Teaching at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA.  Maggie is a trained School Readiness Evaluator, and speaks in the community as an Educational Consultant about school readiness and placement.  Maggie has over 30 years experience in the teaching field and brings her expertise of early childhood education to the children of TCPS.  She has an immense appreciation and love for nature and draws upon that in her classroom.  Her students learn about the connectedness they share with the environment and world around them. Maggie has been with TCPS since its beginning in 1983! She is delighted to be a member of a school community that focuses on the students and their individual strengths and needs. 

Stephanie Barnes

Grade 2 and 3 Homeroom Teacher

Stephanie is the second/third grade Teacher for TCPS.  She also has two middle school children that have attended TCPS for the past eight years.  Stephanie has a degree in Liberal Arts, and did graduate work at California State University, Sacramento where she received teaching credentials in General and Special Education.  Stephanie enjoys poetry, and shares that passion with the children in her classroom.  She has over twenty years of involvement with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times where she has trained staff and worked with cancer patients and their families.  Stephanie has been part of the TCPS staff since 1999 and is continually impressed by the way that students of all ages get to know one another and work together.   

Saree Zweifel

Grade 4/5 Homeroom Teacher

Saree is the Grade 4/5 Homeroom Teacher at TCPS.  She attended the University of Minnesota where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with a specialty in Communication, Arts, and Literature.  She is also in the last phase of her Master's Degree in Education through the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  Upon receiving her degree, Saree traveled and worked as a Special Education Teacher in New Zealand, and later returned to Wisconsin where she worked as a seventh grade Language Arts teacher.  Saree was also a member of the University of Minnesota Track and Field team, and incorporates her love of fitness into running Youth Fitness Circuit Training programs.  Saree has been a member of the TCPS family for one year, and appreciates working in an environment that not only successfully educates students, but also teaches the students to be good people.

Diana Hock

Grade 6 Homeroom Teacher and Math Teacher

Diana is the Math Teacher for grades three, five, six, seven, and eight.  Diana graduated from Ohio University with a B.S. in Education, and from San Diego State University with her Master's in Math Education in the Spring of 2010.  Diana enjoys teaching her students to explore the meaning of Math concepts, not just the memorization of them.  Diana loves traveling, and even spent a year living in Australia.  She has shared her passion for travel with students by being a 2008 summer group leader for People to People in Japan.  Diana delights in the active and warm lifestyle San Diego has to offer, and has been a teacher in the TCPS family since 2005.  She loves the warm, welcoming feeling she has experienced since the first day she stepped into the TCPS hallways. 

Cara Dunn

Math Teacher

Though she has been in San Diego for awhile now, Cara is originally from the east coast. Cara grew up in Rhode Island and lived and worked in the Boston area before moving to San Diego. She has a BA in Elementary Education (1-6) and taught third grade in a public school for a number of years. Cara also spent time as a substitute teacher in Grades K-6. She was also a tutor for her third grade students, a middle school tutor for state test preparation, and a co-coordinator of a junior high tutoring program in Brockton, MA. Cara has recently earned her Masters Degree in Mathematics Education (K-8) at San Diego State University.  Her goal is to help students become confident mathematicians and problem solvers.  In her free time, she likes cooking and started a container vegetable garden this year so that she could cook with fresh vegetables.  She loves to travel whenever possible, especially to the many beautiful places in California.

Nichole Frazier

Middle School Assistant Teacher & Program Coordinator

Nichole comes to us from Virginia where she taught Language Arts at Luray High School.  Nichole attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned a Master of Teaching with a concentration in English Education.  Along with assisting Ms. Risch, Nichole will bring her expertise on using technology in the classroom to all of our classes at TCPS.

Marvin Santiago

Physical Education Teacher/After School Director

Marvin is the Physical Education Teacher at TCPS, as well as the athletics coach and the Aftercare Director.  A native of Hawaii, Marvin, "Coach," went to the University of Northern Colorado and graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology, with an emphasis on Physical Education.  After graduating from college, Coach returned to Hawaii and was the Head Basketball Coach for boys and girls varsity teams.  Coach believes that it is crucial for physical activity to be a part of a healthy lifestyle and encourages his students to "get out there and play!"  In addition to teaching and directing the aftercare program, Coach runs the competitive sports programs at TCPS, and is an active dad to two little ones.  Coach has been a part of the TCPS family since 2005, and loves being in a place where he can motivate the students to try their best and have fun doing so. 

Vickie Jenkins

Music/Asst. Classroom Teacher

Vickie is the TCPS Music Teacher, as well as an assistant in the second/third and fourth/fifth grade classrooms.  Vickie earned her Bachelor's degree from Scripps College in Claremont, CA and her teaching credential from the University of San Diego.  Before teaching at TCPS, she taught Language Arts for San Diego City Schools.  Vickie spent many years acting and singing in musical theater, and is now a professional musician and a piano teacher.  She is also involved in Renaissance and Medieval musical performance.  In addition to being a teacher here, Vickie teaches music during the summers at Gateways Summer School.  She also has a son who is a graduate of TCPS.  Vickie has brought her love for music, instruments, singing, and poetry to the students attending TCPS since 1993.  She is continually amazed at the musical creativity the students possess when given the time to foster their talents. 

Cindy Jensen-Elliot

Science Teacher

Cindy received her MA in Education from San Diego State University with an emphasis in Environmental Science and her BA in History from Bowdoin College in Maine.  She is the author of 6 award-winning books for young people as well as many newspaper and magazine articles.  She has taught innovative interpretive educational programs for nearly 20 years and believes in linking indoor learning to the outdoors to provide a more fulfilling learning process for the student.  Cindy continues to educate herself as a teaching professional to provide the highest level of learning for her students.

Ms. Sanchez

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Sanchez is the Spanish Teacher for all ages at TCPS.  She teaches Spanish to adults as well.  Ms. Sanchez received her B.A. from San Diego State University in Spanish with a minor in Child and Family Development and a focus in domestic violence.  Ms. Sanchez spent a semester studying in Panama and Costa Rica, where she continued to perfect her knowledge of the Spanish language.  She also lived in Toronto for two years where she did mission work and taught English.  Ms. Sanchez enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and helping others to be better speakers of both English and Spanish.  Ms. Sanchez has been a part of the TCPS family for the past two years, and loves that the school lets kids be kids, and that they work on cross-age group projects.

Jenny Belk

Librarian

Jenny is the knowledgeable and charismatic Librarian for TCPS.  Jenny attended the University of Arizona where she received her B.A. in Liberal Arts.  Not only is she a staff member at TCPS, but also a parent to two TCPS students.  Adding to Jenny's knowledge of literature are her travel adventures; she has made many trips to India, Sonora, Mexico, and Tucson with her family.  Besides her love for literature, ranging from cookbooks to non-fiction novels, Jenny loves to be outside at the beach with her family.  Jenny is also part of The Parent Group here at TCPS, where she works to make TCPS the best place possible for learning and growing.   Jenny is in her 3rd year as part of the TCPS staff, and is always excited to work in a place where she can share her favorite stories with the students. 

Jan Landt

Executive Assistant

Jan is the Executive Assistant here at TCPS.  She received a B.S. in Dietetics from University of California Davis.  Jan spent the first part of her career as an Administrative Dietitian in Boston and Berkley, CA.  She also was the Secretary for All Saints Episcopal School, and worked with their lunch program for 25 years.  Jan is an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Society of Mayflower Descendants, as well as the Senior Leader of Children of the American Revolution at local, state, and national levels.  Jan keeps everyone smiling at TCPS with her baking skills, as well as with all of her creativity in handicrafts.  Each year Jan coordinates participation of TCPS in Naturalization Ceremonies for new citizens. Jan has been with TCPS since the 2006 school year, and loves the daily interaction with the students, staff, and parents.    

Lorenda Ballard

Admissions Assistant

Besides having two children that attend TCPS, Lorenda is also the New Parent Liaison and the Admissions Assistant.  Lorenda attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Prior to being involved in admissions at TCPS, Lorenda was the Assistant to the Director at Sandy Hill Nursery School.  In addition to her work with TCPS, Lorenda volunteers for her children's sports and music programs.  Lorenda has also been a member and committee chair for The Parent Group.  Lorenda enjoys being with her family and participating in the active lives of her children.  She has been a member of the TCPS staff for nearly five years, and loves educating others on the student-centered philosophy TCPS embraces.  

Colleen Burdzinski

Marketing Coordinator

Colleen received her Bachelors Degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Akron in Ohio.  She has 8 years experience in a variety of marketing mediums, and will use multiple marketing techniques to promote TCPS, attract new students, and build on the exciting activities TCPS offers.  Colleen enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.