High School Faculty
Mr. Alvarez performs many roles at the Upper Campus, including College Counselor, teacher of Humanities and Journalism, and coach of Cross Country and Track. Before coming to OVS, he worked for more than two decades as a professional journalist for a number of California newspapers. His last stint was with the Los Angeles Times, where he worked as a metro reporter for 14 years covering immigration, agriculture, social issues, and government.…
Mr. Bowden joined the Upper Campus faculty in August 2023. He teaches Photography, Digital Design, and Yearbook. Mr. Bowden lives at the Lower Campus with his wife, Lena Bowden, and sons Matthew and Taylor. The Bowden family came to OVS in August 2022 and Mr. Bowden continues to serve as a resident counselor for boarding boys living in Frost Hall.
Mr. Brunelle joined the OVS faculty in August 2023 in the role of School Counselor.nHe previously served as the Middle School Counselor at The Harley School in Rochester, NY. In his role at OVS, Mr. Brunelle will play a central role in monitoring and supporting the social-emotional well-being of boarding and day students across the grade levels.…
Mr. Byars teaches Geology and serves as the Coordinator of the Upper Campus Outdoor Education program. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in Texas. Beyond his academic pursuits, he has applied his teaching talents most recently to instruction in outdoor activities, including swift water rescue and wilderness medicine. He has taught skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and led ropes course activities.…
Mr. Colborn began teaching at the Upper Campus in 1997. While his primary focus has been teaching math, he also taught science, coached football and baseball, served as Athletic Director for 8 years, and recently started the new Woodshop program at the Upper Campus, providing another visual art offering for the high school. Born and raised locally, Mr.…
A lifelong resident of Ventura County, Mrs. Colborn received her undergraduate degree in history from UC Santa Barbara. Thereafter, she entered Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles earning her juris doctor degree. She passed the California State Bar Exam and joined the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office before leaving to practice civil litigation in Santa Barbara.…
Ms. Davis has spent more than 30 years teaching at the Upper Campus, primarily in the English and Social Studies departments where she taught all levels of English and developed the Humanities curriculum. She also serves as the Assistant Head of Upper Campus, overseeing Student Affairs. For the 2023-24 school year, she stepped away from teaching literature and took on a new role as the Ceramics teacher for grades 9-12, bringing her own experience as a potter and artist to the classroom.…
Mr. Driscoll teaches Chemistry, AP Chemistry, and a section of Algebra 2. He also serves as resident counselor living in the Hermes Hall dormitory for boys. Mr. Driscoll joined the Upper Campus faculty in August 2023. He previously taught Honors Environmental Science at Lick Wilmerding High School in San Francisco and served as a tutor for students who required additional support in math or science.…
Mr. Farmer teaches AP Statistics, Business Math and Video Production at the Upper Campus and helps lead Outdoor Education trips. Born and raised in San Diego, he earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in Business, minoring in Economics and Psychology. After college, he spent more than a decade guiding multi-day river trips all over the west coast of the United States, his favorite being the Rogue River in Oregon.…
Mr. Floyd stepped into his administrative role in June 2017. He previously served as Director of Summer Programs, Athletic Director for the high school, and as the Assistant Head at Upper Campus. A graduate of the school in 1983, Mr. Floyd has always followed his passion for sports. He began his coaching career as a sophomore in college, when he coached girls basketball and boys football at Marello Prep in Santa Cruz, CA.…
Mr. Fulton serves as the Dean of Residential Life and teaches Biology and AP Biology. He previously taught environmental science, biology, and culinary arts at a school in Oregon and developed curriculum emphasizing conservation, community engagement and ecological restoration. He also coached Cross Country and Track coach. Prior to working in Oregon, Mr. Fulton taught at the Besant Hill School in Ojai, where he served as the Coordinator of Experiential & Outdoor Education and taught science.…
Ms. Hersk teaches Drawing, Advanced Studio Art & AP Art. She is an alumnus of both the Upper and Lower campuses. Her mother taught Art at Ojai Valley School for more than 30 years, and Ms. Hersk has followed in her footsteps. For six years she was also the head of the Upper Campus girl’s dorm, then took a break to become certified as a crime and intelligence analyst with the California Department of Justice.…
Mr. Kim teaches Math IV (Pre-Calculus), AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC. He joined the Upper Campus faculty in August 2023 having previously taught at Ventura High School and working as a private math tutor. Mr. Kim’s early career was spent as a Software Quality Analyst for Microsoft. He earned his MS from Washington State University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington.
Ms. Kocijan serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Head of Upper Campus. She joined the faculty and staff in August 2023. Mrs. Kocijan earned a BA in Spanish at California State University Channel Islands and worked in the Conejo Unified School District supporting English language learners. Before joining the Upper Campus staff, she worked for the Ojai Unified School District as the office manager at San Antonio School’s LEADS Academy and Summit School’s Independent Study Program.…
Mr. Luneau teaches AP U.S. History, AP World History, and World History. He is also introducing two new semester courses in Environmental History and Environmental Justice. A Native of New England, Mr. Luneau holds a Masters degree in French Colonial History, Imperial Russian History and Latin American Environmental History from the University at Albany, and he is nearing the end of his research work for his Ph.D from the same institution.…
Devyn Reynolds holds a Masters from San Jose State and a BA from the University of Redlands. She joined OVS in 2018 after working in Dallas, Texas for Mountain View College. Devyn is an outdoor enthusiast and frequent trip leader at the Upper Campus. In 2021-2022 she will continue her role as librarian in the new JB Close Memorial Library.…
Steve left his hometown of San Diego to attend UC Santa Barbara. He graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 1994. After college he served in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. As a Peace Corps volunteer, he spent two years teaching environmental education, developing his Spanish skills, and exercising his love for adventure and the outdoors.…
Ms. Sandoval rejoined the OVS faculty in August 2023 as Weekend Coordinator, a Resident Counselor, and the girls soccer coach. She lives in the Grace Hobson Smith House dorm with her family, and is excited to be back at OVS. Ms. Sandoval previously worked in the Health Center. She is an alumna of both campuses (L02, U06) and attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising after graduation from OVS.…
After a childhood split between Spain and Southern California, Micah Sittig graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a degree in applied physics and then spent nine years teaching science and math in Shanghai, China. In Shanghai he was involved with a local amateur astronomy group, served as the director of the school’s astronomical observatory, and he volunteered for the city’s subway system.…
Gretchen started working at OVS in the summer of 2004, when she taught math and surfing at the summer camp program. Before coming to OVS, she taught at Ojai Christian Academy for four years and as a substitute teacher in the Ojai Unified School District.
Born and raised in Ojai, she became a competitive downhill mountain bike racer in the national circuit.…
Brad was drawn to California when the lacrosse coach at Whittier College called him at his boarding school in Connecticut during a snowstorm and mentioned sunshine, palm trees and the ocean. He graduated from Whittier with a B.A. in English and moved to Seal Beach and began his teaching career. Brad spent five years teaching special education before he found the Ojai Valley School.…
In search of a healthier environment to teach and raise his children, Chris moved to Ojai Valley School in 2015 after spending 12 years as an educator in China. For seven of those years, he taught computer science and coached robotics at the Yew Chung International School in Shanghai. His experience with technology and mathematics were a perfect match for OVS, which is broadening it STEM curriculum in the middle and high school curriculum.…
Quite literally, Brittany Whipple grew up in the Ojai Valley School family. She attended OVS starting in Pre-K, and graduated from Upper Campus in 2006. Her father, uncle, siblings and brother-in-law also attended OVS, and her mother works at Upper Campus.
Brittany graduated with honors from National University with a Bachelor’s degree in English and then completed her Master’s degree in English while working as the weekend coordinator at Upper Campus.…
Kirste currently serves as the Learning Center Director at the Upper Campus, but she has performed a myriad of roles in the OVS community since 1995. Coming from Scotland with a degree in education from Glasgow University, she has been a dorm parent, taught second and third grades, as well as Middle School English and served as the Middle School Coordinator.…
Terry lives on her family’s citrus ranch in Ojai – a ranch they have farmed for more than seventy years. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a dual major in English/Speech and History. After teaching for eleven years first at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek and then at Castilija School in Palo Alto, she retired to have a family.…