Words about Kimberly from her coworkers: 
"Kim is such an amazing teammate and leader. She is always there to help and such a wealth of knowledge. We are so lucky to have her!"

"Kim is a compassionate leader, educator, and team member that roots her practices in what is best for students. She has been an invaluable team member that has help create a space  of community and learning. Thank you Kim for all that you do."

"Kim is a fantastic colleague. I appreciate all the ways that she partners with the middle school team and advocates for students! So many of our students have benefited academically from her instruction and guidance. She is a well respected and appreciated member of our team!"

"Kim is a calm, kind presence whenever I see her on-campus.  She holds high expectations for students and is always open to partner and collaborate to help them be their best selves."




A recent interview with Kimberly: 
What is your favorite thing about  Caliber?
I love the people I work with at Caliber! I love that my colleagues are caring, driven, passionate, hilarious, loving, positive individuals who never stop thinking about how to help our students grow academically as well as socially and in emotional intelligence.

What was your favorite subject  in school and why?
It was a tie between English and Science. I love reading, but writing was always difficult for me. Science is at the top of my list because of the experiments and hands on learning. Currently, I like teaching math the best because I find the different ways that students solve the same problem to be really interesting.

What is your favorite memory associated with music (maybe a memorable concert, or playing an instrument yourself!)?  
I love music--especially live music, so this is a tough question.  A few weeks ago, a group of friends and I stayed at a rickety old cabin in Anderson Valley. The cabin didn't have electricity, so when it got dark we filled the common space with dull, glowing candlelight. There was a piano in the corner, a guitar on the couch, and a clarinet under the coffee table. One of the guests had brought a harmonica and another a banjolele (look it up if you haven't heard of that). None of us would claim to know how to play more than a few notes on any of the instruments. After dinner, someone wandered over and began playing the guitar. Another friend followed and tinkered with the piano. Everyone joined in and we had an impromptu jam session. I played the clarinet as a teenager, but haven't picked one up in more than ten years. I tried it out and realized that my muscle memory was still there. I would normally be self-conscious in that type of situation, but instead I was overcome with gratitude and joy for the space away from daily distractions and the opportunity to be creative.
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If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?
Right now, exploring southern Africa is on the top of my list.  I want to go on a walking safari in Zambia and hike Table Mountain in Cape Town.    
 
What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically Vallejo)?
I love the diversity! In Vallejo, it's the diversity of the community. In the Bay Area in general, it's the diversity of landscape. I can hike though a forest to a beach on the ocean. That is so amazing!

What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
After college I served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. I lived there for 3 years and also met my husband there.

Words about Deantee from his teachers: 
"Deantee has an amazing and creative mind.  He has been an important member of our Boys to Men Leadership team, always on the lookout for ways to make Caliber a better place!  Deantee is a Caliber Dragon through and through!"

"Deantee is one of the most inquisitive humans I've met! In math and science, he works hard to understand and make meaning. He also carries this idea into his life. He works to have meaningful relationships with adults and peers. He always has a really hilarious stories! He's kind, bright, thoughtful and an overall, amazing human." 

"Deantee is the true definition of joy, empathy, and courage. His love for protecting and encouraging others has made him a star that can out shine the best of the stars above."
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"In class, Deantee is an absolute Joy, his sense of humor, passion for learning, critical thinking ability and absolute intelligence make him a certain success story in the future. His care and concern for others are paramount to his daily success." 

"As a mentee, he is always ready for a challenge, and readily offers a different point of view on all topics. He is respectful, ambitious, and enjoys being a kid. I often refer to him as my go to in leading new projects. He is for sure a great representation of the very core beliefs of our school, Heart, Smart, Think, Act, in which he embodies Building Outstanding Individuals in Service to Men thru our 4 V's Vision, Voice, Vocation, and Value. Continue to Roar into success thru the pursuit of academic excellency. He shares my first name as his last name, in which I affectionately refer to him as Deantee James Handie. I am so very grateful to be your teacher and humbled to be your mentor!!!"



A recent interview with Deantee:  
What is your favorite thing about  Caliber?
My favorite thing about Caliber are the teachers. They are fun, they love us and they always care about us. Yesterday, I tripped and fell and hurt myself, but while i was waiting in the office Mr. Handie came in to check on me. I’m sure he heard I had hurt myself earlier and he came in to check on me. He  really cares! I love "B.O.I.S. to MEN" because we provide service to the Caliber Beta Community; my two favorite events while in B.O.I.S. were the: "Celebration of Mothers", I got to show appreciation and love to my mom and our "movie nights" because it brings us all together.
 
What is your  favorite subject  in school and why?
My favorite subject is science because we get to do experiments and try new things. A favorite moment learning at Caliber was in science exploring chemical changes. 

What is your favorite memory associated with music (maybe a memorable concert, or playing an instrument yourself!)?  
I go to band and play the flute. I love the songs we play. Esecially "Congratulations"  by Post Molone. 

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?
I would go to Hawaii because it is a beautiful place. If i was grown up, I would also go there to study the volcanoes.

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically Richmond)?
I live two blocks away. My favorite thing about my community is the school because I get to play with my friends and also walking to school because I get to see my cousins on my way home.  I love going to a restaurant around the area because my mom and I go there for Taco Tuesday.
 
What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
I want to say that people know this about me, but I can scream very loud! I’ve made a lot of people cover their ears.
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Keep shining Deantee, Caliber is lucky to have you! 

Words about Marcus from his coworkers: 
"Marcus brings joy and passion to his work.  He loves exploring and creating with students and watching him in his maker space and coding classrooms, his joy is clearly contagious."

"Marcus is kind, thoughtful, funny, and puts in immense time and effort into everything he does. Marcus' ability to listen and make students feel valued and heard is unmatched. Teaching computer science and the design thinking process to children is all about staying patient and understanding, all while pushing students past that place of "I can't" to "Well, maybe I can...". it is inspiring to see how Marcus supports students as they take risks and cross this threshold every day. Marcus truly loves what he does, and it absolutely shows! Go Marcus!"

“Marcus’s passion for educating the youth and facilitating their own learning discoveries until reaching that epiphany moment, clearly shine through his work everyday.  The results can be seen on the smiles of his students, heard throughout the buzzing excitement surrounding his classroom, and felt in the endless positive energy he brings to campus all 180 days.”




A recent interview with Marcus: 
What is your favorite thing about Caliber?
My favorite thing about Caliber is our community. The people here are incredible. Over the last few years since I started working at Caliber I have seen the families and staff here have the community's interest in mind. We have parents who care about other peoples' children as well as their own. We have staff that takes the time to talk things through with students when things get messy. And when staff, family, and friends come together for events like the start of year BBQ or the recent Spring festival, I really get the sense that something special is happening here.
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What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?
Science! I grew up watching shows like Bill Nye the Science Guy and reading science fiction (Jurassic Park, Shade's Children, Ender's Game to name a few favorites). I love learning about new things in the world and how they work. When the show Planet Earth came out I spent months watching each episode over and over.  When I was in middle school I had an incredible science teacher who sparked my interest in academic science and got me started on the path to a degree in physics.
 
What is your favorite memory associated with music?
I'm all about music, so it's hard to choose just one memory. I love live shows, but one of my favorite memories of music is from my childhood. My parents had a house-wide speaker system they used to listen to music while doing house work. I have very fond memories of listening to Paul Simon's album, Graceland, through the speaker while my brother, my sister and I would help my parents around the house. The best times were around Christmas when we would help put up decorations on the Christmas tree.

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do and where would you go?
I'd like to travel by bike around Mexico and do the transient worker/traveler thing for a few months. I've been feeling a call to learn more about my cultural heritage, practice my Spanish, get in touch with a nature-based life style, and explore while my body can handle the wear and tear.

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or more specifically Richmond)?
There's this ramen restaurant that opened up in downtown Oakland about 8 months ago. Shinmai. It's outstanding. Go check it out, I was floored.

What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
In college I ran a small weekly Super Smash Brothers PM tournament with my friends. We would project the finals onto the side of a shed in my buddy's backyard and the winner would take home a Super Mario trophy.