New Teacher Bios
Teachers: Clint Johns, Angel Vargos-Rico, Andrew Kahn, Mike Bam Tyau, Eric Silva, Chelsea Glickman, and Zach Pugliano
Clint Johns
Lorelai Hartman | lhartman25@dtechhs.org & Sayuri Rodrigo | srodrigo25@dtechhs.org
Clint Johns, lovingly referred to as Jimmy Johns, is a man you will never see without his Kangol hat. He's a new teacher here at d.tech, teaching Design for Impact Honors and Prototyping. He also supervises a FIT period. Johns enjoys making and designing things that matter and make an impact on his life. For example, Johns once made a snack car to help his daughter properly manage the amount of snacks she should have, and when she would have them. Before transferring over to d.tech, Johns used to work at Sacred Heart Prep. He was a teacher's assistant in math before coming here to teach design thinking.
Born on March 7th, 1980, and named after Clint Eastwood, Johns grew up on a farm in central California. During his childhood, Johns learned the value of hard work, being creative, and working with what you have. With inspiration from his Scouting troop, Johns had the dream of growing up to become a forest ranger, which changed later on in his life to teaching other people. Johns went to UC Davis, which he believes has the “lamest mascot,” graduating with a master’s in education and teaching credentials. He also worked as a teaching assistant at UC Davis in the math department when he was a college student.
Angel Vargas-Rico
Alice Lynagh | alynagh26@dtechhs.org & Jocelyn Saniewski | jsaniewski26@dtechhs.org
A controversial advocate for pineapple on pizza and leader of the “Sounds Gay, I’m In!” Flex Time, Angel Vargas-Rico (él/he/him) is a new teacher at d.tech. He originally taught Mexican American studies, queer studies, and Asian American studies in Union City, but came here looking for a new challenge. Up to this point he says, "I don't think I have enjoyed such a school so far!", and that in particular, the students and teachers here are a big highlight. Angel teaches 9th grade Ethnic Studies and his class encourages open discussion as students navigate race, privilege, and America's history. Freshman Devyn Sutter, a member of Angel's advisory, says that Angel is a fun teacher and that she loves his class because, "It's a community, everyone is involved and can talk and speak their mind!" As for what Angel hopes students take away from his class, he says, "Not my books!"
Angel moved here in 2004 from Mexico. He was born in the city of Puebla and grew up in Mexico City, one of the only places in Mexico with snow, volcanoes, and frequent earthquakes. He attended high school in Fairfield, California, and it was there that he first found a calling to be a history teacher. He applied for AP US History but was denied by a teacher because he had just started learning English. According to Angel, the teacher said, “'Even if you were Einstein, you could not take this class.'" Angel was placed in regular history and made a personal declaration to become a history teacher in spite of this discrimination. Before he realized this dream, however, Angel worked in a funeral home in his teens, and now he hosts Tales from the Funeral Home during Wednesday Flex Times, where he shares his experiences.
In his limited free time, Angel likes to take Oscar, his two-year-old dog, to Puppyland or to go out for lunch with his mom. He also builds architectural Legos, watches movies, and teaches himself Italian. When asked his thoughts on his chances of survival during the zombie apocalypse, Angel was optimistic. He believes that he would last a long time because of his experiences watching "The Living Dead," his willingness to sacrifice his friends, and because, "When I wake up, I look like a zombie, so I can camouflage." Angel's last pieces of advice for students are "Don't do drugs!" and "Show up on time!"
Andrew Kahn
Jocelyn Saniewski | jsaniewski26@dtechhs.org
Andrew Kahn, a Bay Area native, is d.tech’s new 9/10th grade Academic Counselor. Kahn grew up in San Carlos and attended Carlmont High School, and later earned his master’s degree at San Jose State. He began working in education, teaching English to elementary students in South Korea, where he learned more about teaching and diversity. However, he quickly realized that he would prefer working one-on-one with older students.
While earning his master’s degree, Kahn worked as a substitute teacher and an intern for a counselor at Sequoia High School. There, he decided that counseling was a good fit for him. He said that he really liked his school counselors and that they all harbored “qualities that I strive to have, now that I'm a counselor.”
In Kahn’s free time, he enjoys taking hikes, spending time in nature and spending time with friends and family. He also enjoys playing tennis, board games and a game called “Werewolf” that he says is similar to Mafia. Kahn is excited to learn more about d.tech and start a new journey in counseling.
Mike Tyau
Elia Kang | ekang26@dtechhs.org & Jocelyn Chen | jchen26@dtechhs.org
Mike ‘Bam’ Tyau, d.tech’s new Intro to Visual Arts and d.lab teacher, is a master of graphic arts and long time muralist. As an artist, he designs and constructs large-scale art like murals, but he also enjoys painting with gouache, a water-based paint that is designed to be opaque. His free time largely consists of activities such as sculpting, woodworking, painting, and nature hiking.
While in high school, Bam was convinced he wanted to become a professional skateboarder. But soon, his career interest shifted and he instead majored in graphic arts. After graduating from the University of San Francisco, Bam worked various jobs in the Silicon Valley tech industry, at one point even working as a video game tester. As his career progressed, he soon realized how much he enjoyed teaching youth, and after a friend sent him an ad for an open teaching position, he made the decision to apply. As a teacher at d.tech, Bam hopes to pass his knowledge down to his students and encourage them to not only do what he does, but do it better.
Eric Silva
Kalina Anderson | kanderson26@dtechhs.org
Eric Silva, a guy with many hobbies, is now a part of our d.tech community. A favorite new math teacher, that much we can gather, but who is he? What is so great about Silva? Well, not only does he game, but he's on the hunt for a motorcycle. You could catch him reading a comic book from Batman, Superman, Flashpoint, or Spiderman. Freshman Elia Kang says, “Mr. Silva is a really great person, and he makes the classroom environment non-stressful”. He loves teaching and math, so put two and two together, and you get your newest addition to our math department. He says, “d.tech has a nice blend of nerdiness, application, and drive,” and we are excited to welcome him into our community.
Chelsea Glickman,
Asher Tsien | atsien24@dtechhs.org
“I may be small, but I’m mighty.”
d.tech’s new US History teacher, Chelsea Glickman, had a curious life path before finding her spot here at d.tech. After starting her career as a cosmetology student, then working as a hairdresser for nearly 5 years, she became a student at UC Berkeley. She pursued a business major before finding what is now her passion: art history. Glickman fell in love with art history as an undergraduate student, and knew she wanted to be a teacher as soon as she did. She attended Stanford for graduate school before setting off on her teaching career.
Before she came to d.tech, Glickman was a teacher at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo. When asked about the transition from a traditional school environment to d.tech, Glickman said she loves the individual freedom here. She mentioned that she prefers to incorporate creativity and art into her classrooms; something that she’s seizing the opportunity to do this year.
Outside of the classroom, Glickman spends her time crocheting and sewing clothes. She’s currently working on a fairy costume as part of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with her friends.
Zach Pugliano
Samantha Wolff | swolff25@dtechhs.org
This year, d.tech welcomed a new Ed Specialist and 10th Grade advisor to the team, Zach Pugliano.
Pugliano was born on July 4, 1992, on the East Coast. He grew up in the states of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and went to college at the University of Pittsburgh. Pugliano wanted to come work at d.tech because of one of our main values, problem solving.
Pugliano says that if he could have any superpower in the world, it would be super speed so that he could get coffee really fast instead of waiting in the long lines. He also has a few hidden talents, such as playing the guitar and the trumpet. Sometimes, he brings his guitar to school, and he can teach you how to play. One of Pugliano’s favorite movies ever is GoodFellas, a fictional story about a man who was a part of New York’s Italian mafia. The story goes through the man’s rise and fall in the crime world. One of Pugliano’s pet peeves is people’s knees. Pugliano is also a dog lover, owning a Rottweiler-Pitbull named Hercules!
You can find Pugliano around the school during the day or at the Special Education Office in room 212.