Melissa Gingrich earned her B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Arizona and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Emory University. After graduate school, she worked in clinical studies at the University of Virginia. Mrs. Gingrich helped design the science program starting in 2008. She has taught all levels of science classes at Cambridge in 2nd through 9th grades since then and currently teaches Neuroscience Seminar for seniors. Mrs. Gingrich took on the Upper School Principal role in 2018. She enjoys spending time at the beach and on the trails with her husband Brenden and their three children, two of whom are now Cambridge graduates!

Mr. DJ Goodwiler has an M.A. in Theological Studies from Westminster Seminary California and an M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing Studies from San Diego State University, having studied biblical languages and philosophy at Concordia University. He joined the Cambridge faculty in 2012 and has greatly enjoyed the opportunity to share subjects about which he is passionate to a curious and eager community of students, alongside gifted scholar-educators.

Mr. Jim Hamilton was introduced to Classical learning when he took Latin and Greek early on in his studies at UC Irvine. There he developed a passion for the language and culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. This was further cultivated at Westminster Seminary California when his love for ancient language was combined with the reading and teaching of the Gospel. Mr. Hamilton has taught Latin and Greek at Cambridge since 2013. He is blessed to work at an institution of like-minded educators where he can instill his passion for the Classical languages and history in his students. When not engaged in Classical studies, Jim is spending time with his wife, Perri, and their two young children.

Mr. Brent Baber began teaching at The Cambridge School in 2014. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Irvine. During his time at UC Irvine, he took some time off to study at a Bible school in Austria, a place that ignited his love for studying the Scriptures. After finishing at UC Irvine, he served as a youth pastor in Sacramento where he was blessed to teach and preach to junior high and high school students. He then went on to complete his graduate work in Escondido where he earned a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Westminster Seminary California. He currently serves at a local church as a pastoral intern. Mr. Baber loves the mountains and all activities that take place there. If he has free time but no snow, he’ll hit the trail to hike, bike, climb and run with his wife Hannah. Most of all, he is passionate about teaching students to deeply know and enjoy their savior Jesus Christ, who has been richly revealed to us in all of Scripture.

Teaching K-12 art since 1987, professional artist/teacher, Mrs. Robin Przybysz, came to teach at Cambridge in the 2011-2012 school year. “Coming to The Cambridge School feels like coming home to a loving family. I am surrounded by energy, encouragement, and enthusiasm for the arts.” Robin received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Azusa Pacific University in 2016. Ms. Przybysz exhibits both nationally and internationally.

Mr. Donny McNair has taught at Cambridge since 2017. He has a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture from New Saint Andrew’s College and an M.A. in Classical Studies and Latin from Villanova University. While primarily a Latin teacher, Mr. McNair’s other areas of experience include teaching Roman and Medieval literature and History. Mr. McNair is happy to be sharing his knowledge and love of the Latin language with the students of Cambridge. Outside of school, Mr. McNair enjoys spending time with his wife and dogs, mountain biking, and surfing.

Mrs. Melissa Mayne has a dual bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry and a teaching credential from Point Loma Nazarene University. She has been teaching students from grades 3 to 12 to love and explore science in San Diego schools for many years and has been part of the faculty at The Cambridge School since 2014. She is passionate about helping students to cultivate wonder and delight in all the living things God has made. Mrs. Mayne enjoys long walks in the mountains and on the beach with her husband and two children.

Mr. Brandon Hong earned his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Pomona College and his J.D. at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He worked in both the public and private sectors before pivoting to the teaching profession when he was overseas for four years. Mr. Hong joined the Cambridge faculty in 2017, and he presently teaches Economics (12th grade) in addition to being the Business Manager.

Mr. Joshua Sansonetti has been working at The Cambridge School since 2013, and he is excited to again teach 7th grade Algebra 1. Mr. Sansonetti is also looking forward to being of assistance in the Walker Buddies Program in addition to helping outside of the classroom with the other Upper School math courses. Mr. Sansonetti found his love for teaching mathematics while attending Chaffey College at age sixteen, where he was chosen to tutor college algebra students for three semesters. Since then, he has helped students from fourth grade math all the way to AP Calculus—all the while encouraging students not only to master the concepts, but also to enjoy mathematics. Mr. Sansonetti received his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mathematics Secondary Education at Biola University and graduated with distinction as a member of Biola’s Torrey Honors Institute, a classical great books program based on Socratic discussion. Mr. Sansonetti looks forward to continuing to work with Cambridge students as together they explore how math can be theological, philosophical, historical, and cultural. He also enjoys spending time with family, Star Wars, playing the piano, theater, reading, board games, and math puzzles.

Mr. Caleb Smith has an A.A. in Speech from Palomar College and a B.A. in Communication from San Diego Christian College. A lifelong San Diego resident, Mr. Smith is passionate about the art of public speech. Having thrived on his own team in college he now enjoys creating similar opportunities for his upper school students at The Cambridge School. Mr. Smith began teaching at The Cambridge School in 2016. He teaches and coaches speech and debate for grades seven and up.

Rachel Jo-McNair has a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture and a M.A. in Theology & Letters from New Saint Andrews College, and a M.A. in Literary Linguistics from the University of Nottingham. During her M.A. work, she was a Davenant Fellow for Wenden House, translating Latin texts from the Reformation, and her research interests include the language of death literature and anticipatory grief. She began teaching at the Cambridge School in 2015 and looks forward to returning to her Humanities classroom to enjoy more conversations with students about life-shaping texts.

Mr. Jacob Mohler earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Hillsdale College and continued his formal education earning a Master of Arts in mathematics from Saint Louis University. Jacob has taught in several different academic settings since 2000 including a K-12 classical and Christian school, a 7-12 Christian school, community college and private Universities. Since coming to The Cambridge School back in 2018, Jacob looks forward to each school year so he can continue building relationships with more students and their families and create memories with House Faraday. In the coming school year, Jacob continues to look for more ways to broaden all of his students’ perspectives about mathematics to help them see and experience math as a liberal “freeing” art and not just an academic discipline accessible to a select few. When not working, Jacob enjoys spending time with his family, cooking with friends, traveling, playing and listening to music and engaging in good conversations.

Ms. Amanda Sansonetti received her B.M. in Music Performance from Biola University, where she also graduated from the Torrey Honors College, a great books program based on Socratic discussion. She began teaching at The Cambridge School in 2017, and she is looking forward once again to enjoying great works of literature and of theater alongside her students in 7th grade Composition & Literature and in 8th grade Historical Drama. She will also teach 9th grade Rhetoric, where she and her students will explore how words and images are used to communicate meaningfully. When she’s not at school, Ms. Sansonetti enjoys taking care of her plants, reading several books at a time, and hanging out with her dog.

Miss Ashley Ewing graduated from the University of Arizona, receiving a B.A. in both Latin and Political Science. She taught in Tucson, Arizona for nine years at a private Christian school where she created the high school Latin program, including Honors and AP courses. She also spent time coaching varsity swimming and served as the Assistant Varsity Coach for high school track and girls soccer. She both planned and led overseas summer trips for high school students to complement the students’ academic studies. Before moving to San Diego in 2016 to teach at TCS, she completed her M.S. in Mental and Clinical Health Counseling. Outside of Cambridge, she works part-time as a therapist, providing EMDR therapy for survivors of human trafficking.

Mr. Doug Jones has been teaching at TCS since 2017 and is the Literature Chair. He is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine (BA, philosophy), the University of Southern California (MA, philosophy) and the University of Idaho (MFA, creative writing). A native Californian, he is an avid baseball fan and a devoted woodworker. Mr. Jones is the husband of TCS fourth-grade teacher, Paula Jones, whom he met at Vista High in north county San Diego. They have five children, raised largely in northern Idaho and now spread about the country (their youngest, Gabe, graduated from TCS).

Mr. Andrew Chung graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in business administration, focusing on marketing and Spanish, and went on to receive his Master’s degree in International Cooperation concentrating on Northeast Asian security from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Though not the path that Mr. Chung took academically, he has always had a deep affinity for math, so throughout his college career, and before, he tutored math on the side, which even helped him pay his way through graduate school. He believes that math is the universal language that is shared by everyone.  No matter where you are in the world, even if the numbers and symbols are different, the mathematic principals are always the same. Andrew has been teaching in the San Diego area for thirteen years now. Originally head of the math departments at both San Diego Elite offices, (Assistant Director at the Carmel Valley branch) he went on to co-found Summa Education in 2011 where he continued to teach students, hire and train staff, and guide students and their families through the changing landscape of education in the area. He has taught classes ranging from 5th grade math to calculus, as well as test-prep for the ACT, SAT and SAT Level 2 math exams. After taking a brief hiatus from academics, Mr. Chung was very excited about getting back into the classroom. He looks forward to returning to the Cambridge School, where he will be teaching both geometry and pre-calculus. In his free time, Mr. Chung likes to swim, surf, travel and spend time with his wife, Janet, and their seven year old son, Isaiah.

Mrs. Esther Han has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She received her credential and Master’s in Education from Stanford University. She has taught high school science in San Diego since 2009 and has loved being able to share her excitement and love of the natural world that God has created with the students at TCS since 2018. In her free time she enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her husband and two children.

Mr. Derren Raser earned his B.A. in Theology from Point Loma Nazarene University, with a minor in Music. He draws from many years of professional experience as founder of and lead photographer for The Rasers Photography, an award-winning commercial, portrait and wedding photography studio. Mr. Raser has been teaching at The Cambridge School since 2018, and is looking forward to continuing to share his passion for this dynamic artistic medium with his students. In addition to photography his passions include his family, finger-style guitar, songwriting/composition, storytelling through his podcast “One Rare Heart,” and travel. He also enjoys playing basketball and getting outdoors to explore the abundant San Diego water on his stand up paddle board.

Mr. Paul Reinke graduated from Concordia University – Seward, NE with a B.S. in Business and Math Education. He received his M.A. in Education Administration from Concordia University – Irvine, CA. Mr. Reinke excelled in track and field and performed with an internationally touring choir while in college. Mr. Reinke served 8 years in Lutheran education before embarking upon 13 years in nationally-ranked non-sectarian, private schools. Schools include South Bay Lutheran High School in the inner-city of Inglewood, CA, a principalship at Salem Lutheran School in St. Louis, work in the STEM department at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, followed by teaching at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad. He has taught math and science and has coached football, track, cross country, and academic teams. Mr. Reinke is thrilled to have returned to Christian education while embarking upon the Classical approach at The Cambridge School beginning in 2019. He is excited to help students discover the structure and relationships that God has to offer through his math and logic courses, through athletics, and through other school activities. When not teaching or coaching, he enjoys reading, running, biking, singing, cooking, tinkering, and spending time with family.

Renée Calvo has been a part of the Cambridge faculty since 2020. Since then she has served as a music and drama teacher for both the Grammar and Upper School. She holds a B.M. in Music from Point Loma University and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from San Diego StateUniversity. Renée has served as a musical director for local churches and at the Belvoir Performing Arts Centre in Lenox, Massachusetts. She has been on the music faculty at the University of San Diego since 2010. Her professional career has included performances with La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera and San Diego Master Chorale. She is excited and honored to share her love of performing and serving the Lord with the students at Cambridge.

Mr. Joshua Liu earned his B.A. in Human Development at the University of California, San Diego. During his undergraduate career, he was enthusiastically involved in student ministries and international student outreach. Thereafter, he obtained a M.A. Ed. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Alliant International University) and a Master of Divinity (The Master’s Seminary). He has served in children’s, youth, and college ministries in various local churches in the United States, Argentina, and Taiwan over the course of eight years, and briefly worked as an English teacher for a local language school before coming to The Cambridge School in 2019. He and his wife, Hannah, share a passion for evangelism, theology, and discipleship. Mr. Liu looks forward to continuing to partner with parents in the intellectual, spiritual, and relational formation of their children here at TCS.

Estella Tai is a native of Taiwan and immigrated to the US to attend high school. She lived in the Bay Area and attended UC Berkeley to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering. Thereafter, she moved to San Diego and graduated from UCSD with a Master’s degree in Bioengineering. She taught at a private high school for a year, then worked in the biotech industry for 4 years before transitioning to be a full time mom. She was privileged to homeschool her children a few years before teaching Mandarin and subsequently science at Cambridge. She is excited to be teaching life science to her 7th grade students this fall, and to learn about God’s creation together! This fall also marks her third year teaching 8th grade physical science – she can’t wait to have fun with the class, to observe how things work as they explore physics and chemistry through activities.

Reuben Settergren’s academic career (BS/MS (Math), Johns Hopkins; PhD (Operations Research), Rutgers; Asst Professor (Math/CS), College of Wooster; Postdoc (Computing), Imperial College, London) involved computational research in fields as varied as astronomy, bioinformatics, and finance. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a photogrammetric software engineer at BAE Systems in Rancho Bernardo, where he has frequent opportunities to teach software skills internally, and present research at conferences. Reuben & Tina and their 3 boys have been part of the Cambridge family since 2007, when Lucas and Callum enrolled in 3rd grade and K4. Lucas graduated with the inaugural class of 2018, and Callum and Mason are currently in 12th and 10th grades. Reuben’s Erdős Number is 3. 

Mrs. Kelsey Bonilla first encountered classical education as an undergraduate in the Integral Liberal Arts Program at Saint Mary’s College of California, where she studied the Great Books. Her quest to be a lifelong student continued at San Diego State University where she earned her M.A. in History.  After several years as an administrator in a CPA firm, she was overjoyed to join Cambridge as an Upper School History teacher in 2021. She loves working with students to inspire their historical curiosity and discuss challenging questions about our past and present culture. In her free time, Mrs. Bonilla enjoys reading, running, and serving her church alongside her husband Dennis and children, Sienna and Mateo.

Cherie earned her B.A. in history from San Diego State University, followed by multiple subjects and specialist teaching credentials. She earned her M. Ed from the University of San Diego. In 1994 she moved with her family to St. Andrews in Scotland, where she taught for 2 years. For the next 25 years, Cherie taught middle and high school in San Diego. She is excited to join The Cambridge School and looks forward to introducing students to the human story while celebrating the agency of the Creator, and exploring the moral issues faced by past generations. Cherie and her husband David, with their children and grandchildren, enjoy hiking, missions work, and studying God’s Word.

Ms. Tori Einstein graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Religious Studies. After graduation, Ms. Einstein was a Children’s Ministry Intern at her local church before moving to Mill Valley, California to attend Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. During her time there, she earned a Masters in Educational Leadership. Following graduation, Ms. Einstein was a Children’s Ministry Director for 7 years before becoming an Athletic Director and Middle School math and science teacher. In this new season, Ms. Einstein is excited about joining the faculty at The Cambridge School and investing in students as the House Governor and 6th grade science teacher. In her free time, Ms. Einstein enjoys traveling, reading, and doing CrossFit.

Ms. Emma Kim received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in History and minoring in Rhetoric. She is proud to be part of the first graduating class at The Cambridge School and is excited to rejoin the Cambridge community teaching various humanities classes. She looks forward to sharing all of her positive experiences from Cambridge and Berkeley and integrating them into the classroom.

Mr. John Egidio graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis.  He later received a Master’s Degree from St. Mary’s College in Athletic Administration. John has worked in the California Community College system for 14 years.  Since 2006, he has served in various instructional and administrative roles in the exercise science and athletics department at San Diego Miramar College, including a seven year stint as the Associate Head Coach of the school’s Men’s Basketball team. He founded and operated Top Gun Basketball Academy in San Diego County from 2010-2016.  Mr. Egidio’s love of sport began as child.  John was a three sport standout in his playing days at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo, CA.  He’s excited to start his 4th year at The Cambridge School and share his passion for working with youth through sport in the Christian environment at The Cambridge School.  John and his wife, Min, have two daughters: Chloe and Madison and reside in the Rancho Penasquitos community.

Coach Chris Mendoza grew up in the San Diego area and completed his early education at Mira Mesa high school. He continued his schooling at Point Loma Nazarene University where he received his bachelors in education. Coach Chris found a home at Cambridge in 2018 coaching boys volleyball. Since starting as a coach, his role at TCS has slowly evolved from Coach to teacher and assistant athletic director. During his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball, basketball and exercising. He currently resides in North Park, with his wife, Amanda, daughter, Milaya and his two cats, Benji and Chester. He’s excited to continue to share his love of fitness and sports with the Cambridge community.

Mrs. Krista Hahn is a Licensed Educational Psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience as a school psychologist in the San Diego area. Mrs. Hahn has worked in both the private and public settings as an educational psychologist and holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage, Family, Child Therapy from Pepperdine University. Mrs. Hahn also holds a Pupil Personnel Services Credential from National University. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at UC Davis. She has extensive experience in psychoeducational evaluations, educational programs and interventions, counseling, social and behavior management, strategy development, individualized education plans, and crisis management. Mrs. Hahn has a passion for reading and is a Board Member of the International Dyslexia Association. Mrs. Hahn enjoys spending time with her husband and two adolescent daughters. In her free time, Mrs. Hahn loves all forms of exercise and competes in triathlons. She is an avid fan of live theater and Broadway musicals. Mrs. Hahn finds great joy in caring for animals, particularly her two pet dogs. Mrs. Hahn is ecstatic about being on The Cambridge School team and serving God by serving His children and their unique needs.

Mrs. Becky Priest has been at Cambridge for 12 years as a parent and is in her eighth year of being the College Counselor, having built the program at TCS.  She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where she double-majored in Sociology and Secondary Education with an emphasis in educational policy. She was employed for several years as a Financial Aid Counselor at Washington University and in the San Diego area at college admissions firms and in private consulting. She has 30 years of experience in college financial aid, student counseling, and mentoring high school and college students. She and her husband have provided leadership in their church in the areas of teaching, music, youth, international student ministry, and missions. She is currently serving on the Classic Learning Test’s Board of Academic Advisors.

Mrs. Colleen Dong has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Azusa Pacific University, and an M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing Studies from San Diego State University. She has taught Kindergarten, as well as 7th and 8th Grade Speech and Debate, and has served as the Upper School Writing Tutor. This year will mark her 11th year with The Cambridge School and Colleen will be teaching the Kindergarten classes a specialized curriculum, Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichments, and will be returning to her role of Writing Tutor for the Rhetoric students.