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.
 

James teaches ERWC (Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum- English 12) and Creative Writing at Gateway High. He 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 wildland firefighting, emergency medical care, construction, account management and sales. In 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 15 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.

Mina graduated from Gateway High School in 2016 where she was first inspired to pursue a career in Education. After receiving her BA in English Ed from Cal State Long Beach in 2020, she served with Americorp’s City Year in South Central Los Angeles. Mina has returned to San Francisco to pursue her Master’s in Urban Education and Social Justice at USF and began working at Gateway in January of 2022 as a 1:1 ninth-grade para while simultaneously completing her student teaching hours in a ninth-grade Humanities class at Gateway. She is excited to move up to 10th grade with her students and take on a bigger role in her last semester of student teaching so that she can obtain her ELA credential by the end of the semester. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, being in nature, and spending time with friends.

Velina Brown is an actor/singer/director who is pleased to join the amazing Gateway faculty and staff and share her 25 years of theater arts experience with this community. Ms. Brown is a member of Actors Equity Association and the ScreenActorsGuild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Her artistic home is the San Francisco Mime Troupe with whom she acts, directs, co creates and co artistic directs. She has toured across the country and to Europe and Asia with the Troupe. You may have also seen her at ACT, Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, SF Playhouse and many other theaters around the Bay. You may also find her on film and television and voicing video games and meditation apps. Brown attended SF State on a vocal scholarship and earned a BA in Psychology and an MS in Marriage Family Child Counseling. She also enjoys living life and going on adventures with her husband and son.

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. 

Calamia does lots of things at Gateway– from international travel to work on the Equity Coalition Team to health education! They are super excited for the inaugural Yearbook and Journalism class, which will support students in developing practical skills in photography, design, and journalism. Other passions include poetry, marathoning, run coaching, 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.

Calla Chenelle is the substitute & support teacher at Gateway High this year. She grew up in San Diego going to charter schools just like Gateway! She started out as a TA at her local community college, then went on to facilitating a queer theory class at UC Berkeley, and last year taught 5th grade in Daly City. Calla is passionate about uplifting students and helping them reach their goals.

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.