Ninth graders aren’t the only newcomers to Northgate at the start of a new year. The 2025-26 school year also welcomed eight new teachers to classrooms. Below is an introduction to math teacher Annie Chen, science teacher Sarika Robinson, science teacher Colin Jones, science teacher Gabe Nitro, math teacher Daniel Kao, English teacher Victoria Devincenzi, German teacher Will Gregory, and English teacher Samantha Heweston. Introducing the new teachers:
ANNIE CHEN: Math
1. Courses: Algebra I and Financial Algebra
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I graduated from UC Berkeley as a mathematics major, and then I finished my minor in the CalTeach program. I earned my teaching credential from UC Berkeley. I also did some research under certain programs, and then I owned my personal research program, and then also joined the group program. I am a grader all the time under UC Berkeley professors. I have teaching experience in elementary, middle, and high school. I taught the IB (International Baccalaureate) math at Berkeley High School.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I definitely want to say it’s a nice one and I appreciate people because they organize really well. I remember I did the interview with the principal Ms. Cooper and also Ms. Landry and then the next day I received the job offer. So that is the inspiration for me – the people. They’re doing their job really efficient and bring all the patience and professional ways to me so I believe this is the way to build up a career and this is also my learning study journey.
4.Describe your experience so far.
We are all building up the goal that is a lovely learning community. So far, for all the members here, including me, we trust each other and build up the trust day by day.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
The new year resolution for the students – we definitely want to say we want to get close to each other, so if they do have questions they know how to reach out to me and then to our community to help, and then more and more, we want to build up the habit of learning and working to prepare for the next label. They are going to college or the next level of math class.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
Try to make the dream bigger and build up your day by day, and then you will be there. I always tell the students the same thing – the fast one is not the best one, but the best one is doing a better job than yesterday compared to yourself.
(Interview conducted by Eve Ravid)
SARIKA ROBINSON: Science
1.Course: Living Earth
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I actually graduated from UC Davis with a pre-med degree, as I planned to be a doctor. But one day, I decided that I would prefer a job that I could wake up and be happy to go to. I knew that I always loved teaching, so I pivoted into being a teacher.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I moved up from Daly City and upon arriving, I loved the weather and community up here. Looking for a job, I found Northgate to be relatable to my upbringing.
4.Describe your experience so far.
It’s been very welcoming! However, it did surprise me on my first day when I didn’t have a door.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
My personal goal is to make it to the gym one day a week. For Northgate, my goal would be to take attendance on time every day.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I am super into hockey: I love the San Jose Sharks. I never actually got to do hockey, but I picked up snowboarding, and that’s my thing now.
(Interview conducted by Julia Chao)
WILL GREGORY: World Languages
1.Courses: German I, German II, German II, Honors German IV & AP German
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
Before coming to Northgate, I taught History at College Park, and I taught German and History at Sequoia Middle School. Many years ago, I taught first-, second- and third- semester German as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I heard great things about the school and Frau Nancy, the German teacher for many years, had retired, so I knew that you needed a German teacher. I’m really excited to keep the German program going and to get ready to lead an exchange trip to Germany next summer.
4.Describe your experience so far.
So far the staff has been really welcoming, and the students have been pretty engaged. There’s a lot of good school spirit. My only complaint would be that the classroom has no windows.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
This year, I hope to advance a lot of students in terms of their learning of German, and I hope that the students who take the AP test pass it. I also hope students get to really enjoy learning about different cultures and languages.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I have family that’s been in the area going back to when my great-great-grandfather came here during the Gold Rush. Also, I’ve traveled all over the United States and Europe. I’ve been to 49 states and quite a few countries.
7.What’s the 50th state for you to travel to?
Alaska. I’m hoping to go there this summer with my dad. He’s also never been to Alaska, so I’m hoping to go for both of us.
(Interview conducted by William Larez)
COLIN JONES: Science
1.Courses: Living Earth and AP Biology
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Biochemistry in 1997. I then went on to work in the biotechnology industry (in the East Bay) for 8 years. I became a teacher in 2006 and started teaching at the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. I began my teaching career at Mt. Diablo High School.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I began my teaching career within the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD), but after 10 years, I moved to Brentwood and began teaching there, since my wife works there, and our children attended school there. However, after a few years, I really missed the MDUSD and was able to come back and secure a job at Northgate.
4.Describe your experience so far.
I have had a wonderful experience at Northgate so far, and I’ve really enjoyed meeting the students. I also really like all of the other science teachers here at Northgate, and the Science Department as a whole. I love science and bringing real science perspectives into the classroom. Growing up, most of my science teachers simply taught out of the textbook, but I have been striving to talk about the real world of science in my classes, as well as my Biotechnology knowledge. I also want to continue educating students on what it’s like working within the biotechnology field, as a whole.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
My ultimate goal is for 100% of my AP Biology students to pass the AP Exam. I also hope that all of my Living Earth students will be prepared for their sophomore year chemistry classes. This year, I hope to continue keeping a very high standard because I want to prepare my AP Biology students for the AP Exam, and I believe that teachers who have a higher expectation for you truly care about you. I expect kids to learn in my class, and I believe that so far, students in all of my classes have been able to truly learn things outside of their comfort zone.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I enjoy woodworking, particularly creating furniture. I’ve made a variety of items, including coffee tables and display cabinets, all from solid wood. My favorite style of furniture to create is Mission Style Furniture.
(Interview conducted by Panteha Bazyar)
GABE NITRO: Science
1.Courses: Chemistry and Living Earth
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I was a biochemistry major and science education minor at UCLA. I tutored chemistry at UCLA for three years, and then I went to Stanford to get my master’s. I taught at Hillsdale High School (San Mateo) for a year.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I really like the staff’s commitment to high academic standards. I love how they’re able to push all of the students, let some be compassionate for them.
4.Describe your experience so far.
I really love the community here at Northgate. I believe the staff and students are very friendly, welcoming, and open to teachers who are different from them.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
One of my goals is to finish the school year. This is my first official year of teaching.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
One interesting thing about my background is that I am Filipino-American. It always warms my heart to see my Filipino students see a teacher who looks like them and shares their same culture.
(Interview conducted by Kingsley Dy)
DANIEL KAO: Math
1.Courses: Precalculus and Geometry.
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I went to St. Mary’s College in Moraga, where I got my degrees in pure math, with an emphasis in teaching education. And I’ve taught at Gale Ranch Middle School for the past three years, teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry to 7th- and 8th-graders.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I know a lot of graduates from Northgate and also previous staff who have taught here. They all have nothing but good things to say, so I wanted to come and experience it myself.
4.Describe your experience so far.
Supportive and fun. The students are responsible and driven towards learning, and other teachers are always willing to help us, new teachers.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
The way I learned math back then is completely different from how I want to teach it. My goal is to continue to find a way to make math learning more enjoyable and understandable for my students.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I taught Ms. Cooper’s niece and nephews over the three years I spent teaching at Gale Ranch Middle School. I’ve been connected with Northgate for much longer than I’d thought.
(Interview conducted by Julia Chao)
STEVE PSOMAS: Special Education
1.Course: Academic Success
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
For professional reasons, I was a product designer for a number of tech companies, and for education, I graduated in English from University of San Diego, and am currently getting my master’s degree to teach at Alliant University. Everything is online.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I heard that the staff was professional and the kids are fun to teach.
4.Describe your experience so far.
I have loved getting to know my students and working with other teachers. This is a very well-run school in my experience of substituting at several other high schools around the area.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
I want to help my students to achieve their goals. A personal goal of mine is creating systems for myself so that I can more efficiently teach in years to come. I’m interested in teaching English, but I’m loving where I am right now.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I’ve had several careers which include writing for companies, sales, and software development. I have three kids that are grown adults, one’s getting married, one is at San Diego State, and the other, my oldest daughter, is in New York and is a school psychologist.
(Interview conducted by Kingsley Dy)
VICTORIA DEVINCENZI: English
1.Courses: English I and English I
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I received my undergraduate degree from Chico State, and double-majored in English and Linguistics. I then received my teaching credential, as well as my master degree in educational technology, both from San Francisco State. This is my 20th year teaching.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I live in the local Walnut Creek community, and actually used to commute to Napa for 18 years. Commuting to Napa was difficult, because I always wanted to support my students by going to their games and performances, but I was never able to as they all occured after school hours. Being at Northgate has been an amazing experience because I’m now able to attend these events and support my students.
4.Describe your experience so far.
I have never been happier! Being here at Northgate has been the most incredible experience of my career. I completely attribute it to the students and staff. There is a special culture at Northgate that is very welcoming.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
I really want to continue to build meaningful relationships with students. Of course, I want all of my students to practice critical thinking and to excel in English. But more than anything, I want them to know that I care about them as human beings. I never want a student to feel unseen in my class.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I really love to travel. I’m going to France this summer with my daughter, and I’m going to Japan next year with my whole family.
(Interview conducted by Panteha Bazyar)
SAMANTHA HEWESTON: English
1.Courses: English I and English I
2.What is your past educational or professional experience before coming to Northgate?
I actually have a background in corporate communications. So, when I first graduated from university in Australia, I started working in the corporate world, and the work that I did at that time was a lot of written work writing newsletters, preparing documents, creating websites, everything within an organization that fell under communications. I loved it, and that was for about 10 years, and then when I moved to America, I got my teaching credential in English through Cal State East Bay.
3.What made you want to be a part of the Northgate staff?
I was really lucky that when I was a substitute teacher a couple of years ago, I had the chance to come and work here for not many days, but a few days. And there was something about Northgate and the Northgate students and the Northgate teachers that made me think, “I want to work here.” I think there’s an openness and a friendliness to the staff, and I think that there is a curiosity to the children, and the minute I came here, I thought, “Oh, this is something that I really want to be part of.”
4.Describe your experience so far.
It’s been wonderful working with the freshmen and the sophomores, because I think they’re still so early in their high school education journey, that they’re enthusiastic and happy, and it’s wonderful getting to work with these young students. And I’ve also had the opportunity to work as part of the link crew, and that has been so much fun, observing how the year twelve students guide the freshman students in their first year. And I’ve also been able to become a ‘club mother’ to one of the clubs here on campus. It’s the Beatles Music Appreciation Club.
5.What goals do you hope to achieve this year?
I’m trying to find what kind of teacher I am. I’m trying to prioritize forming great relationships with the kids, and I’m trying to develop some really good curriculum that I can use next year and just get better and better over time. So, I think small little chunks of learning, for me, is what I’m aiming for, and also just to have fun while I’m here as well.
6.What is something interesting about you or your background you would like to share?
I’m Australian. I think that’s really cool and interesting. I love being able to talk about so many of the students here that I have are also students that have come from other countries and cultures, and I love being able to share my experience of moving to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, and I love experiencing that firsthand with the kids in my room. I think offering vegemite sandwiches and toast to my children is always really cool and interesting… I haven’t found one student who likes it yet, but I’m waiting to find that one student!
(Interview conducted by Harper Hallquist )
