This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The Grauer School Welcomes Six New Teachers

Encinitas, CA - The Grauer School welcomes six new faculty and staff members this year joining the team of employees who were recently honored with the designation of #10 on Outside Magazine’s Best 100 Places to Work in America list. 

Principal Dana Abplanalp-Diggs explained, “The Grauer School seeks faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in the subject areas in which they are teaching, have a strong commitment to humanitarian service, have engaged in international and intercultural experiences, and are committed to Socratic, relationship-based teaching.  We fielded over one hundred applicants for each position and are thrilled to welcome this talented group of teachers to our Grauer family.”

Grant Bartlow, Mathematics, Computer Science, & Robotics

Find out what's happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Grant graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Computer Science with a Mathematics minor and was awarded the Carnegie Mellon Senior Leadership Recognition Award for Community Service. Previously Grant taught at Lydian Academy in the Bay Area.

Victoria Belanger, Social Studies & World History

Find out what's happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Victoria graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a B.A. in East Asian Studies with minors in Art History and Anthropology. In 2006, she was named by the MetroWest Daily News as a “Future Leader” Award winner. From 2011-2013, Victoria taught English in Taiwan where she was selected as a Lead Teacher and developed a Magazine course.

Sandra Merten, U.S. History & Economics

Sandra graduated with Honors from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.S. in Political Science, furthering her education with a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University. Sandra taught at Canyon Crest Academy for four years and was awarded the Crystal Apple Award in Spring 2008 for her exemplary teaching. From 2009-2013, Sandra taught in Puerto Rico and was awarded her school’s “2012 Teacher of the Year Award.”

Miranda Billing, Mandarin Chinese

Miranda completed her academic studies in an American Institution in Taipei, Taiwan prior to moving to San Diego to complete her Bachelors in Business Administration at Alliant International University. She has studied business, information technology, visual arts, and earned her Certificate of Chinese Language Teaching and Application from the Southern California Council of Chinese Schools. 

Johnny King, Studio Art & Photography

Johnny graduated cum laude from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2008, specializing in Printmaking and was one of ten graduates awarded Departmental Distinction. From 2010-2013, Johnny served as the Outreach Educator for Lux Art Institute where he taught students from pre-K through high school. In addition to art, Johnny is an avid athlete; he has previously coached basketball and tennis.

Shelley Boniwell, Guidance & Counseling

Shelley graduated with Honors from Mount St. Mary’s College with dual Bachelors degrees in both Liberal and Religious Studies before continuing to the University of San Diego to earn her Masters in Counseling, again with Honors, and a Pupil Personnel Services credential. At USD, she was awarded the 2011 H.B. McDaniel Scholarship Award for Counseling Leadership and Excellence and the 2012 School Counseling Outstanding Student Award. 

The Grauer School, founded in 1991, is a grades 6-12 private, college preparatory school located in Encinitas, California. The Grauer School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a member of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), and is the only school in the region to be honored as a designated UNESCO school. To learn more about The Grauer School, attend the November 2nd Open House, visit www.grauerschool.com, or call the school at 760/274-2116. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?