Katie Barry
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Prior to Northgate, I earned my Bachelor's degree from Chico State in business administration. A few years later, I went on to attend Cal State East Bay to earn my teaching credential. During which, I was lucky enough to be assigned to Northgate for my student teaching placement. The rest is history! I feel so grateful to be able to continue working alongside such a kind and supportive staff and administration.
My personal teaching philosophy centers around classroom community and student-teacher relationships. I believe that students need that sense of belonging and trust with their classmates and teacher, before they can become successful in their learning. Especially this year, with students returning to in-person learning. My goal is to foster a caring, safe space where all my students feel valued and can do their best work. I have always had a deep love for literature and the way it serves as a vehicle for understanding the world around us. I hope to pass this mindset down to my students, showing them that there is so much more to English class than just essays and grammar! |
Subject(s): English I & Yearbook
Email: barryk@mdusd.org Syllabus: English I Syllabus: Click Here Yearbook Syllabus: Click Here |
Matt Biundo, M.A.
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2022 is my first year at Northgate. Well, my first year since graduating from here. As a student at Northgate, I was lucky enough to have some fantastic English teachers, including one who has been here so long that I'm now lucky enough to work with him (lookin' at you, Mr. Wood). As a teacher, back at my old school, I'm excited to bring into my own classroom some of what made my time here valuable.
After Northgate, I earned my BA in English/Creative writing from Cal State East Bay, then continued there for my MA in English/Composition studies. I have previously taught at the college level and in middle school. In fact, I taught for a year at Foothill Middle School, where I was also a student once upon a time. Maybe one day I'll find a job at my old elementary school to complete the journey. Believe it or not, English classes are about more than just writing essays and reading books by dead white guys. I'm a big fan of comics, movies, podcasts, and art. I look forward to bringing all of these into the classroom. |
Leanne De Bella-O'Neil, M.A.
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I have been a member of the Northgate English department since 2015 and head coach of the Boy's Varsity Volleyball program since 2016.
I completed my B.A. in English Education and teaching credentials at CSU Chico and my M.A. in Teaching Leadership shortly afterwards at St. Mary's College of California. Before majoring in English Education, I was a Computer Graphics major, but found that my heart was not in it. So one day, while trying to decide on what career would make me happy. I thought back to high school and all of my English teachers who not only instilled a love of literature in me, but who also believed in me, made me feel like it was okay to be myself, and that my ideas where valid and mattered. Now that is my goal and what I hope to accomplish as a teacher. What I love the most about NHS are the students. They make our classes so much fun and always bring a smile to my face; I cherish the days when students make me laugh so hard I start to cry. |
Subject(s): AP Literature & English IV
Email: debellaoneill@mdusd.org Instagram: @nhsboysvolleyball Syllabus: AP Literature Syllabus: Click Here English IV Syllabus: Click Here |
Sara Holmgren, MFA
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I came to Northgate High School at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. Prior to working at Northgate, I taught in middle schools in Hayward, Alameda, and Pleasant Hill for ten years. Before I began teaching in public schools, I earned my teaching credential at Cal State East Bay, and before that, I taught English at De Anza College, earned an MFA in Creative Writing from St. Mary’s College of California, and earned my Bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Barbara in Creative Studies with an emphasis in literature.
I absolutely love teaching at Northgate and feel gratitude every day for my supportive coworkers and intellectually curious, kind, and hard-working students. My goal as an English teacher is to create compelling lessons that encourage my students to find and develop their own voices and wisdom so that they can articulately advocate for themselves and the ideas they care about throughout their lives. I enjoy spending time with my husband, friends, family, and six cats, as well as cooking, gardening, reading, listening to audiobooks, and doing photography and other creative art and craft projects. |
Subject(s): English II & III
Email: holmgrens@mdusd.org Syllabus: English II Syllabus: Click Here English III Syllabus: Click Here |
Karen Jenkins
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I have been a member of the Northgate High School English Department since 2002. I love teaching at Northgate, which is also my children’s school (classes of 2016, 2018 and 2022), as well as living in the Northgate community. I have also taught all levels of English and currently teach freshman, seniors, French, and creative writing.
I attended school in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, then continued my education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in English in 1987. I worked in Washington, D.C., for a California member of the House of Representatives, in various jobs including journalism in Vail, Colorado and then in Contra Costa County for several newspapers. I returned to school in 1996 at California State University at Hayward State to get my teaching credential. I am pleased to work with Northgate staff and with the students. |
Subject(s): English I & AP Language
Email: jenkinsk@mdusd.org Syllabus: English I Syllabus: Click Here AP Language Syllabus: |
Amber Lineweaver
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I have been teaching for 25 years. Prior to coming to Northgate, I taught at Clayton Valley High School.
I wanted to become a teacher since I was six years old. I love creating fun, meaningful lessons and enjoy being around young people. There are a handful of great teachers who inspired me along my own path towards becoming a teacher. I especially remember my 8th grade English teacher made me feel not only smart, but unique and important. I vowed to try and make every student who leaves my classroom feel that way. One of my primary goals as an English teacher is to make my students care about issues that matter in the world. I feel that I do achieve this goal every year based on what my students write and say about the novels we've read and the issues we've discussed. One of the things that I like most about NHS is how respectful the students are. I also admire their devotion to their education. |
Subject(s): English II & III
Email: lineweavera@mdusd.org Syllabus: English II Syllabus: English III Syllabus: Click Here |
Jeremy Nunes
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I became a member of the Northgate English Department in 2007.
I graduated from Holy Names University in 1994 with a dual BA in English/Art (print-making/history). Post-college I worked in the graphic design field doing layout for for music industry magazines, internet startups, and as a freelancer. While my graphic design days were a series of jobs, teaching is a career. Education is where it's at, for me. That, and breakfast. |
Subject(s): English II, IV & Film Studies
Email: nunesj@mdusd.org Syllabus: English IV Syllabus: Click Here Intro. to Film Studies: Click Here |
Aliza Selinger
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I come from a family of educators. My grandfather was a UC Berkeley professor and my mother was an elementary school teacher; teaching has always been my profession. I have taught for 24 years; 16 years at Washington High School in Fremont and one year at California High School in San Ramon, and seven years here at Northgate, my alma mater.
My time as a student at Northgate High School was pivotal in my desire to teach. It was here where I developed a love of literature and a respect for writing. My primary goal as a teacher is to teach students how to write clearly, effectively, and with conviction; to help students connect to the human experience through literature, from nonfiction to fiction. Each year I welcome these two challenges head on because each year is a new opportunity to achieve these two goals. What I like most about NHS is the willingness to learn among the students and the collaborative spirit among the faculty. |
Subject(s): English I & II
Email: selingera@mdusd.org Syllabus: English I Syllabus: Click Here English II Syllabus: Click Here |
Danielle Trautner, M.A.
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I was a Bronco long before I was a teacher. As an alumni of Northgate High School, I am thrilled to return to Bronco Territory and feel at home.
With the intentions of wanting to be a journalist, I completed my B.A. in English Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s College of California. It was not until I embarked on a service trip to Rwanda, Africa that I realized my passion for writing and helping others would be equally obtainable in the field of education. With that in mind, I pursued my M.A. in Teaching from USC. I strongly believe that knowledge is power, and with the power of knowledge, our students can change the world. My primary goal as an educator is to remind students what they are capable of, and to stand up for what they believe in. Thus far, I have enjoyed the passion and kind-hearted nature of the students and staff of Northgate. They are a constant remind of why I came back home. |
*English Department Chair
Subject(s): English I & IV Email: Trautnerd@mdusd.org Syllabus: English I Syllabus: Click Here English IV Syllabus: Click Here |
David Wood
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I have been at Northgate since 1983-- before that I do not remember.
Some of my favorite hobbies include cooking, horse racing, baseball, and writing the occasional poem. I have always believed in the value of literature and the power of reading and writing; even after over 30 years, I still hold that belief and dedicate my classroom to it. My primary goal as a teacher is to foster my student's goodness and growth and to remember always that we must listen to their voices. In my many years of teaching, what most stands out for me is the essential goodness of those charges we teach, and nothing has made me doubt it. Many former teachers ask me when I see them, "Are the students at Northgate as nice as they used to be?" I say yes and mean it. Enough said. |
