Words about Erik from his coworkers: 
"Erik is the definition of team player.  He helps things run smoothly on campus across so many grade levels!  His calm yet engaged demeanor resonates with students and staff alike. My students literally erupt in cheers when he comes in to lead morning circle!"

"Oh Mr. Pfeifer is so awesome! Has there ever been a time where he hasn’t bent over backwards to home in anyway he can. He has been so wonderful to work with this year. He is generous with his time, always willing to listen to share and his calm positive and professional presence has made all the difference in the world. We are sooo lucky to have him!"

"Erik is such a wonderful, calm, and reliable co-worker and friend! He is always willing to lend a helping hand and does it with such a positive attitude. We are so lucky to have him at Caliber. :)"

"Erik is amazing! He is the definition of team player. The relationships he’s built with students and staff across campus are so strong and we cannot wait to have him in middle school in the computer science role."

"Erik is an amazing team player and is always willing to lend a helping hand! Our kiddos love him, we love him... he  is such an asset to team Caliber!"
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"Mr. Pfeifer is such a kind, earnest spirit.  He has done so much for our community that is beyond his job title and supported so many staff members over the course of this past year.  He is such a team player and we are so excited for him stepping into a new role with CMA next year!"




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A recent interview with Erik: 
What is your favorite thing about  Caliber?
My favorite thing about working at Caliber is working with our dedicated staff to give the students the support they need to grow and learn. Everyday I come to work happy , feeling privileged and excited to work with such an amazing staff.

What was your favorite subject  in school and why?
My favorite subject in school was computer science. I loved working on developing programming that could help people in a variety of ways.

What is your favorite memory associated with music (maybe a memorable concert, or playing an instrument yourself!)?  
I once had the privilege to attend a Dave Brubeck concert. I grew up in the Bay Area and he has had a tremendous impact on jazz in the 50's and 60's. The performance Brubeck gave was amazing, more than a few times the audience gave a standing ovation. I was relatively young when I saw him perform, and up to that point I was basically only seeing rock concerts. This was a defining moment for me that allowed me to reflect on different genres of music that I grew to appreciate.

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?
I would go travel the world to hear different types of music and performances.

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically Vallejo)?
I moved to Vallejo a couple of years ago and I am really impressed with the number of gems found around town, everything from the preserve on Mare Island where you can spend the night in a yurt, to the number of great restaurants and eateries. I also enjoy biking to the downtown farmer's market on Saturday mornings.

What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
Most people know I love going outdoors and doing outdoor activities, such as skiing, surfing and hiking. What a lot of folks don't know, is that I really enjoy backpacking. Once or twice a year, I'll venture on a 20-40 mile journey. California is surrounded by so much beauty, its hard to resist venturing out and stepping out into divine wilderness.

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Words about Michelle from her coworkers: 
Michelle is a bright light at CMA. She brings energy and joy with her everywhere she goes. I am always blown away by her creativity and attention to detail. She takes a complicated subject, Computer Science, and breaks it down in a way that makes it accessible and fascinating to her lower school kiddos. We are truly lucky to have her at CMA!!!

Michelle is so bright, creative, open and enthusiastic. She is always willing to meet people big and small right where they are and be incredibly helpful. She is “mad professor” and perfect for the “Makers Space”.


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A recent interview with Michelle: 
What is your favorite thing about  Caliber?
There are many favorites to choose from! I feel as though everyone deserves honorable mention, from the teachers, admin, parents, and especially the students. It has been such an amazing experience being welcomed and integrated into the Caliber community this year. It really feels like I've joined a family of over 1,000 people!


What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?
This will probably sound far-fetched, but I loved ALL subjects growing up in elementary school. I had an amazing Kindergarten teacher named Mr. Felder who helped me to learn that making mistakes and working through problems was the BEST way to learn! As I got older and went through high school, I developed a strong love for the humanities (and accidentally got a History degree in College! Whoops!) 


What is your favorite memory associated with music (maybe a memorable concert, or playing an instrument yourself!)?  
Many who visit the staff lounge know that I am HUGE music fan. Hahaha. My favorite memories associated with music are centered around my family. I grew in Miami with a very traditional Cuban family and can remember from a young age the importance of playing music at giant parties we would throw. To this day, I really love salsa dancing and listening to any kind of Caribbean music! I also had a father who was adamant that my brother, sister, and I had a thorough music education. TO THIS DAY my family still plays the "WHO SINGS THIS?!" game.


If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?
My dream vacation would be traveling the Silk Road! The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the ancient Eastern and Western civilizations of China, the Middle East, and Europe. It was central to cultural interactions of art, philosophy, education, and religion between then from 207 BCE - NOW! It was said that in it's heyday, "You could walk across one end of the Mongol Empire to the other with gold on your head without the fear of being robbed." CAN YOU IMAGINE?!


What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically Vallejo)?
I love that I can drive in any direction to find amazing hikes to go on! There are so many beautiful parks, hiking trails, and natural wonders to discover here. I can't wait to travel to Humboldt County this summer to see the old growth redwoods!


What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
I was REALLY into JROTC in high school. I competed in all the drill meets (in both rifle spinning and cadet marching), performed in the Color Guard for indoor football games, kept inventory of all supplies, etc. In my senior year of high school, I was offered a scholarship through the military to become an officer, but turned it down to become a liberal arts Dance and History major at a local college in NC!! I've never looked back! 

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. 

Words about Moana from her teachers: 
​"Oh my goodness! There are too many good things to say about this young lady. She is such a joy to have  in homeroom. She is kind, compassionate, and always in search of a way to help out. Moana loves to joke around with all her teachers and puts a smile on my face every single day! Moana is a leader to all middle school and I can't wait to see her flourish in the upcoming years!"

"Heed these words, everyone. There is no better dinosaur-dancing, patty-cake playing, student sketch-drawing, hot and spicy Skittle eating, avid book reading turned mobile library coordinating Firebird on campus. Moana simply rocks."


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A recent interview with Moana:
What is your favorite thing about  Caliber?
I like how all the teachers and staff are supportive. If you make a decision, they help you get through it instead of jumping to conclusions and that has helped me a lot! 
 
What was your favorite subject in school and why?
My favorite subject is English because I like to write and  because it helps me express myself. It also makes me feel better when I write because it allows me to understand what I am feeling. 

What is your favorite memory associated with music (maybe a memorable concert, or playing an instrument yourself!)?  
My favorite memory is the music concert we had at school. The younger kids sang and the rest played instruments. We used buckets to make sounds and it was really cool. I really enjoyed it. 

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?
I would go to American, Somao- that’s my nationality and I don’t know a lot about it. If I went I would go meet my family there and get to know them better. 

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically Vallejo)?
My favorite thing about Vallejo is when we have the gatherings at the marina. Just recently they had a bunch of food trucks come in and there were a bunch of activities. It's really fun for everyone. 
 
What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
A fun fact that people find crazy about me is that I have 5 younger siblings. I have a sibling in 5th , 3rd, and 2nd grade oh and a 3 year old! I'm the eldest. 

Words about Yochabel from her coworkers:
Ms. U is ferociously dedicated to import ingredients for her craft , ensuring student learning, and building relationships with kids. Since her short time on her campus, she’s become an invaluable member of the upper school with faculty, families, and students . 

This rookie is rockin it not only as a teacher but as a coworker. Her willingness to jump in feet first and join our team so seamlessly has benefited students and teachers alike. She teaches science with passion and supports her students beyond their academic needs. 

Ms. Ubiera is such an asset to the Caliber family.  Even when she is super busy, she is always willing to help me with any questions I have.  She always has a smile on her face and is always super positive.  We are truly lucky to have her be part of the team here at Beta. 


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A recent interview with Yochabel:
What is your favorite thing about  Caliber?
 I would have to say that my favorite thing about Caliber is how it's a family. Not just the sense of family between myself and the other staff members but with the students and their families as well. I love the 4 pillars and that the focus isn't just about teaching students how to pass tests but how to be a great student and individual. You can see and feel the staff working with everyone here. 
 
What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?
I loved both English and Science. I have always loved reading and being able to escape into books. Growing up my favorite escape were the Harry Potter series. With Science it was so much. In elementary school I was part of a group called the GLP Rangers and we spent a week in the Everglades in Florida studying different plant life, different animals,and reptiles. My favorite part was learning how to see an alligator at night by covering a flashlight with red cellophane paper. Their eyes would shine red and it was the coolest thing ever. 


What is your favorite memory associated with music (maybe a memorable concert, or playing an instrument yourself!)?  
I have so many favorite memories that go with music. I started playing the piano at 6 or 7 and I participated in competitions for a year. I started singing at an early age and entered into my elementary school choir a year earlier than they allowed because my 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Garvett, was adamant that I needed to be a part of the choir. She was also the reason I entered into the drama club. That all lent it self to me continuing to sing and perform.  The most favorite memory though: I was the new kid in NJ my Freshmen year of high school and for the talent show I sang 'Killing Me Softly'. I was the last one to perform and the crowd jumped in to sing along and the applause were amazing. I didn't feel so much like the new id anymore after that. 

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?
 Oh this is such a difficult one! There are so many places I want to visit. My dream vacation wouldn't really be a place but a time. If life was like a Sci-Fi movie I would like to go back in time a few years and spend 1 week with my dad going to all of his favorite places and just spending some extra time with him.

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically Richmond)?
There is just so much to do here! When I first came out I had terrible anxiety because I felt that I could go nowhere because of the traffic. I've just become used to it at this point. Also one of my greatest friends from high school (Michelle Cardenas!) is here and it's the most wonderful thing to have a piece of home from the east coast here. Both Michelle and Alex have made living in California the most wonderful thing. 
 
What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you?
 I am not really sure since I am pretty much an open book with many people. I would say that people are still surprised when I tell them I used to be an avid gamer both with XBOX live and even MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) like WOW (World of Warcraft). The only reason I stopped online gaming was because it was a little expensive, but my Level 38 undead warlock, Hadenyx, still exists in the WOW world.