Webster Elementary Faculty/Staff

FACULTY and STAFF BIOGRAPHIES
ADMINISTRATIVE and SUPPORT STAFF
	Principal
	Phil Cott As a student, Phil earned diplomas from Venice High School, UCLA, CSUN (M.A.), and the University of West L.A. School of Law. As a professional, he has been an elementary school teacher for 14 years in Culver City, a deputy district attorney for L.A. County, the dean of students at Culver High School, and principal at Webster since 1990. Phil was born, raised, and still lives in West L.A., along with his wife, Charlee, a first/second-grade teacher at Franklin, his daughter, Rachel and son, Daniel and his dog, Rose. He is a frustrated Dodger fan, and his hobbies include paddle tennis, traveling, and hiking.
	Support Staff
	Mrs. Lore Meline Administrative Assistant Born in Germany, and now a U.S. citizen, Lore attended business school before coming to this country as a young adult. She has been associated with Webster for over thirty years in a wide variety of parental, instructional and administrative roles. She and her husband have three sons and four grandchildren. Lore’s hobbies include bridge, tennis, traveling, reading, quilting, dancing, bike riding and hiking. LINDA REINBOLD, OFFICE ASSISTANT Linda was born and raised in Santa Monica. She attended Santa Monica High School and Cal State Long Beach. She worked for Merck Pharmaceuticals and then moved to Germany, where she lived for 15 years. She has two children, Andreas, 21, a college senior and Caroline, 15, a high school junior. Linda enjoys tennis, rollerblading, traveling and working at Webster.
	Library
	Peri Monte Elementary Library Coordinator Peri joined Webster in November, 2000 after six and a half years with the Malibu County Library. She was born and raised in Southern CA and has a BA from UCSB. Peri's two children both went to Webster. Her other interests include pattern making and fashion design.
	Nurse
	Charlene Niemi Nurse Charlene joined Webster in 2001. She was raised in the Conejo Valley and resides in Newbury park with her husband and two sons, Carl and Daniel. Charlene is a graduate of Mt. Saint Mary's College, where she has taught senior nursing students. Her experience includes school nursing, public health and teaching.
	Cafeteria
	Virginia Rendon Cafeteria Manager Virginia was born in Mexico in 1964, in the little village of Michoacan. She finished high school in Mexico. In 1984, she immigrated to the United States. She got married and had two children. Her older daughter is in college, and her younger son is finishing high school. Virginia was living in Ventura for 16 years, until she moved to Malibu where she resides.
TEACHERS
	WENDY BERMAN First Grade Wendy has been at Webster since 1992. She was born and raised in Santa Monica, and currently lives in Westwood. She went through Franklin, Lincoln and Santa Monica High, before going on to UCLA for both her undergraduate and graduate work. Her leisure time is spent playing tennis and paddle tennis, and on photography. KRISTINA COOK Fifth Grade Born in Georgia and raised on a blueberry and Christmas tree farm in Maine, Kristina now lives in Brentwood. She has lived in California for the last ten years and loves it, but misses being able to see her family on a regular basis. She earned her B.A. in Organizational Communication and Business, and her M.A. in Education and teaching credential all from Pepperdine University. She completed her student teaching at Webster and is excited about returning for her fifth year of teaching. Kristina’s interests include art, traveling, and outdoor activities. MERRYL CRONROD Kindergarten Merryl joined Webster in 1998. Merryl originally hails from Brooklyn and Queens, NY, but now lives in Santa Monica. She earned her B.A. and teaching credential from CSUN, and did post-graduate work there, as well as at UCLA and Cal Lutheran. She also has experience as a general contractor and as an interior designer. Merryl and her husband have two sons, and she enjoys cooking, art and…children! STACY HARRIS Second Grade Stacy joined Webster in 1996. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from UC Berkeley (ÒGo Bears!Ó) and her Masters of Education degree from UCLA. Stacy was born and raised in Beverly Hills, and she and her husband (who teaches K/1 at Pt. Dume) daughter Maya and son Devin live in Agoura Hills. Her hobbies are reading, singing and cooking, and she loves Webster! PAMELA HELD Kindergarten/First Grade Pamela joined the Webster staff as a kindergarten teacher in 1996. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Education from UCLA, and her Master’s degree from Concordia University. She taught for eight years at Franklin School in Santa Monica, was honored as the “Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District “Teacher of the Year” in 1978, and loves working at Webster. She has two children and she enjoys home and garden design. REBECCA HELD K-5th, Resource Specialist Becca is a true Los Angeles native! She was born and raised in West L.A. and got her B.A. in Psychology at U.C. Berkeley. She then went to Nashville to pursue a Masters in Special Education at Vanderbilt University. She loves being around children and is extremely excited to be teaching at Webster. Her hobbies include swimming, traveling and wishing she had a dog! TRACY KOOY Fourth Grade Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Tracy moved to Los Angeles to attend USC in 1985. After graduating with a BA in Psychology, she then went on to receive her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology. After completing her teaching credential at CSUN, she finished five years of teaching for Las Virgenes Unified and she is now extremely excited about her move to Webster. Tracy lives in Calabasas with her husband, John, son Jake (a freshman at Agoura High School), her son Trevor (a 7th grader at A.E. Wright) and their German shepherd, Bandit. She loves reading, tennis, chocolate and teaching. She is looking forward to an exciting year at Webster. LIBBY MACCANI Third Grade Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Libby graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Elementary Education. After graduation, Libby packed up her jeep and moved to California. She has taught second grade for the past two years in San Bernardino. She recently moved to Marina Del Rey with her husband, Vince, and her cat, Jersey. She is very excited to be part of Webster and is looking forward to this school year. Libby loves sports and enjoys reading, traveling, running, biking, tennis and cooking. JESSICA MARIKO HIGUCHI-HERNANDEZ Kindergarten Born in England, Jessica was raised in New York (Long Island) and Hawaii (Oahu,) and now lives in Thousand Oaks. She earned her B.A. in education at the Univ. of Hawaii, her graduate degree from Pepperdine. Jessica joined Webster in 1990. She collects children's books, rocks and shells, and enjoys cooking, yoga, gardening, shopping, traveling and reading. Jessica's first child, Cooper, was born in July of 2003. KELLY MORRIS Second Grade Kelly was born and raised here in Malibu. She is a proud Webster alumna and graduate of Malibu Park Junior High and Santa Monica High School. She has been a teacher at Webster since 1998. Kelly earned her B.A. in Design from Brigham Young University, and earned her M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University. Kelly was married this past summer and is happily settling into married life. Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband, Quint, her dog Scarlet, and a good book. She loves traveling, working in the garden, going to the beach, avidly watching the food channel, and of courseÉbeing a teacher at Webster. MARCIA NIX Second Grade Marcia was born and raised in New England. She received her BA in foreign languages from Boston College; did graduate work in foreign languages and linguistics at Georgetown University and speech pathology at Northeastern University (in Boston). Her teaching credentials are from CA and MA. Marcia taught high school German and French before her children were born. At Webster, she has worked as parent volunteer, Resource assistant for 7 years, and Reading Enrichment teacher for 1_ years. She served as the SMMUSD Reading Specialist for a year before returning to Webster to teach 2nd grade in 2001. Her hobbies include reading, cooking and travel. Marcia and her husband have three children, the youngest of whom attended Webster from Kindergarten through Grade 5. JACQUELINE PAPALE Third Grade Jacqueline is originally from Connecticut, where she got her first introduction to the delight of working with children as a playground supervisor and teacher's aide. She then embarked on going to college for Psychology and earning her master's degree in Business/Marketing. While attending classes, she worked as a Writing/English tutor at Quinnipiac College and Boston University and continues to tutor today. She also developed her love of visual arts; particularly painting, jewelry making and creative writing. Through her family, she has been exposed to dance and a variety of art forms all of her life. After a number of years in the corporate world, she decided to go back to her first love, teaching. She completed her certification in California and has smiled from the first moment she stepped into the classroom. She started out at Anza Elementary School in Torrance, teaching 2nd and 3rd grades. She returns to Connecticut each summer to teach at an institute for gifted children at Fairfield University. Jacqueline considers working with children to be a privilege and joy, and marvels at the magic and miracles that happen every day. ALISON RASH Third Grade Alison grew up in Nebraska and completed her B.A. in Art at Pepperdine University here in Malibu. She worked as a graphic designer for a couple of years before getting her Masters in Education and Credential also at Pepperdine this past year. Alison worked as a student teacher last year here at Webster in both Kris Stewart's and Wendy Berman's classes where she was known as ÒMiss AtenÓ before getting married this past July. She enjoys reading, snowboarding, traveling and painting. LORI ROSE Fourth Grade Lori joined Webster in 1994. She received her bachelor’s degree from CSUN, and began her career at Webster while she earned her Master’s degree from Pepperdine. Lori was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and currently lives in Channel Islands with her dog, Dakota. She enjoys spending time with her grandson, her two adult boys, taking Dakota for long walks on the beach, and reading. ERICA ROSS First Grade This is Erica's 14th year teaching first grade. Prior to joining the Webster staff in 1993, she was Western Regional Sales Manager for an international hotel chain. Erica enjoys hiking, cycling and travelingÉshe has visited more than 40 countries. Erica got married this summer and lives in Malibu and Newport Beach. She is looking forward to job sharing again this year. THERESA RUBIN Kindergarten Theresa looks forward to joining Webster - teaching Kindergarten. She has lived in Malibu with her husband and two children for the past 19 years, but spent much of her childhood in Venezuela before moving to Texas, where she graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She got her M.A. in Education with a teaching credential from Pepperdine University while working as a substitute teacher in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. She subsequently worked in reading intervention at Webster. Theresa's children attended Webster and Malibu High School. Her daughter is now attending graduate school, and her son is in college. She loves traveling with her family, cooking, and attempting to play golf! RACHEL SMITH Fifth Grade Rachel Smith was born and raised in Freeport, Illinois. She attended the University of Illinois. Go Fighting Illini!! She is a loyal fan of the Chicago Cubs and Bears. Rachel ran the Chicago and Boston marathons this past year. Her hobbies include reading, traveling, camping, snowboarding, and scrap booking. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of Webster School this year! LORI STEVENS Fifth Grade Lori joined Webster in 1994. She received her bachelor's degree from CSUN, and began her career at Webster student-teaching in Mel Chernow's class while she earned her master's degree from Pepperdine. Lori was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and currently lives in Westlake Village with her dog, Dakota. She enjoys spending time with her two adult boys, as well as reading and taking Dakota on long walks. KRIS STEWART Third Grade Kris and her family moved to Southern California from Illinois in the fifties. They brought their pony with them, so settling in Malibu, with its excellent schools and room for a corral, was an obvious choice. While they lived closer to Cabrillo, the only Malibu school that had a kindergarten at that time was Webster, so when Kris turned five, she attended Webster. The next year she transferred to Cabrillo. She later attended Lincoln and Samohi in Santa Monica before going on to UCLA for her undergraduate degree and USC for her master's in education. While Kris started out teaching sixth grade at Roosevelt School in Santa Monica, she has taught mostly third and fourth grade since coming to Webster. Kris lives in Malibu with her husband and, when they're not away at school, their three children. Scott attends law school on the west coast while Doug and Kelly attend college back east. Besides her family and teaching, Kris' passion is decorating. She is addicted to HGTV. AMY ZATLIN First Grade Amy joined Webster in 1991. She lives in Camarillo with her husband, two daughters, Stephanie and Allison, their dog, and two cats. Amy grew up in Santa Monica, going to Franklin, Lincoln and Santa Monica High. She got her B.A. in psychology, her teaching credential from UCLA (go Bruins!), and her master's at CSUN. She enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking, camping, skiing and making family scrapbooks.
	SPECIALTY TEACHERS
	BROOKE BADGER Computer Lab Instructor Brooke was born and raised in the small West Texas town of San Angelo. As a student, she graduated from Central High School a year early and continued on at Angelo State University. While attending ASU, she discovered her passion for photography. This led her to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Commercial and Industrial Photography and a Masters Degree in Photography from the world famous Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. As a professional, Brooke has been working as a freelance photographer in the Los Angeles area and has been teaching Digital Photography and Digital Movie Making classes to grades K-12 for the past four years. She lives in LA with her five pet lizards and her pet snake, Snakey Badger. In her spare time, she loves to take pictures and go camping. DIANE HINES Art Studio Instructor Diane is not new to either Webster or to teaching. She is a past PTA president at both Webster and at Malibu High, has been active since 1995 as a classroom teacher, an instructional aide, and helped to create and now teaches our Art Studio Program. Raised in New York, Diane garnered a B.A. in English and art history at the University of Vermont, and did graduate work there as well as at UCLA. She earned her teaching credential in 1996. She lives in Malibu with her husband, and has two children; both Webster alumni who currently attend UCLA. DENNY LUBIN Physical Education Specialist Denny is a Physical Education Specialist, who has been teaching sports and games to boys and girls, in grades K-12, for over 20 years. He is a native Southern Californian, 1st generation American and resides in W.L.A. Denny has extensive experience both in private and public schools. He was the Owner and Director of High Five Sports Camp in W.L.A. for over 12 years and has directed various sports camps in the surrounding communities. Denny is a big fan of L.A. sports teams, the Lakers, Dodgers, U.S.C. and the St. Louis Rams; and though he enjoys playing many sports, he has never skied. His interests and hobbies include art design, shopping, teaching tennis and a collection of over 100 bamboo plants. Denny is a graduate of U.C.L.A., where he earned a B.S. degree in Kinesiology. MARY TAFI Eat A Rainbow Instructor Mary graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Planning and Administration. She is a certified life coach and holds a certificate in Dietary Guidance from the Cooper Institute. She worked for several years in the entertainment industry in operational and human resources management. After her son was born, Mary's focus shifted from corporate life to the care and feeding of children. Her life long passion for food and interest in nutrition is the foundation for her current work. She teaches nutrition to children and adults and helps her clients transition to healthier lifestyles. She is also a substitute teacher for SMMUSD. DORI WOODWORTH Gardening Angels Dorie splits her time between her positions as a kindergarten aide and an instructor of the Gardening Angels Program. She attended Webster herself, and then Malibu Park, Samohi and Santa Monica College. She has three children who are all Webster graduates and enjoys gardening and painting.