K-12 Academic Council
The Convent & Stuart Hall K–12 Academic Council is comprised of the President, Heads of School, and Department Chairs representing each academic discipline. The Council meets quarterly during the school year with a mission to create a more aligned, exciting and relevant program for our students.
Alyson Barrett
Libraries
Alyson joined the library team at Convent & Stuart Hall in 2015 after obtaining a master's degree in History, working at the Gilder Lehrman Collection and teaching research in several glorious university libraries. She is a musician and former Division I runner, and she sees life and libraries as venues for creativity, curiosity and community. Alyson's greatest professional joy is supporting students in pursuing their research and reading passions.
Kevin Brenner
Head of Stuart Hall for Boys
Kevin joined Convent & Stuart Hall in 2019 with 15 years of teaching and administrative experience in the United States and Morocco. Compelled by the belief that education has the power to transform individuals and society, Kevin joyfully serves in his role as Head of Stuart Hall for Boys where his experience and expertise working with children and adolescents converges with a passion to support and inspire faculty in their work.
Devin DeMartini Cooke
IB Coordinator
With a degree in Cultural Anthropology and International Relations from UC Davis, Devin is uniquely positioned to offer guidance to IB students, blending their academic pursuits with the art of living as a global citizen. Since joining Convent & Stuart Hall in 2006, Devin has helped develop the IB Diploma Programme as a curricular offering in the high school.
Tony Farrell
Head of Stuart Hall High School
As Head of Stuart Hall High School, Tony focuses upon curriculum development for all disciplines. Less well known is Tony’s English background at Stuart Hall, where for seven years he applied his theatre background and his degrees in English from Stanford.
Chauncey Aceret '06
Performing Arts
With degrees in both Music Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy, Chauncey has performed and toured around the world while sharing his love of music with others. He joyfully combines his passion for music and teaching to help his students develop a solid musical foundation. Chauncey joined Convent & Stuart Hall in 2019 and teaches strings to students in Grades 5–8 while serving as the Performing Arts Department Chair.
Cesar Guerrero
Director of Admissions and Academic Guidance
Cesar has had the rare opportunity of working on both sides of the college admissions gate since 2001. Through his experience developing college advisory models for high school students and his earlier background in college admissions, Cesar continues to live into his passion by supporting students as they pursue higher education. He joined Convent & Stuart Hall in 2012 and now serves as the Director of Admissions and Academic Guidance.
Bill Jennings
Director of Studies, Grades K-8
Bill started teaching Latin at Convent & Stuart Hall in 2002. His lifelong passion for the language, literature, and cultural history of the ancient world was sparked in part by living on the Aegean coast of Turkey when he was in middle school. He has been an Elementary Dean since 2014.
Alexa Johnson
Head of Convent Elementary
Bio coming soon!
Ann Marie Krejcarek
President of Convent & Stuart Hall
Bio coming soon!
Dana Kuwahara
Physical Education
Dana joined Convent & Stuart Hall as the Head of Athletics & Physical Education in fall 2019. She has worked in education for the past 13 years, teaching high school English and coaching softball, working in intercollegiate athletics as an academic mentor for the UCLA football program, and later transitioning into an associate athletic director role at Santa Clara University. Her doctoral research at USC focused on student-athlete retention and graduation completion.
Howard Levin
Digital Literacy & Design
Howard has worked at Convent & Stuart Hall since 2009, previously leading educational technology and teaching history at other independent schools. His passion is developing authentic learning opportunities that empower students and teachers. Howard is also part of the school's Leadership Team.
Paul Pryor Lorentz
Religion, Theology & Spirituality
Paul has taught at at Convent & Stuart Hall since 2007. A native San Franciscan, he has spent his life in Catholic education and believes authentic and life-giving spiritual engagement is accessible to all. Creating a safe space for asking big questions is the defining joy of his years at the school.
Lindsay MacGarva
Interim Mathematics
For as long as Lindsay can remember, she has wanted to become a math teacher, and it started with her grandfather teaching her the Pythagorean Theorem at the breakfast table in second grade. That early engagement with mathematics has led to a lifelong love of problem-solving and a fascination with the relationship of numbers to the world around us, which is what she strives to encourage in all her students. She attended the University of San Francisco's Dual Degree in Teacher Preparation program, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Mathematics and her master's degree in Teaching. She joined Convent & Stuart Hall in 2012.
Rachel McIntire
Visual Arts
Rachel knew she wanted to be an artist at age six, when she took first place in a PTA art contest and won a hot-air balloon ride. That flight, and the hot chocolate she enjoyed afterward, solidified her interest in the capacity of the arts. Rachel has worked with non-profits and with youth and their communities to develop art programs in schools. She has been teaching art at Convent & Stuart Hall since 2006.
Roderick Mobley
Interim Science
Ever since Roderick witnessed his first baking soda and vinegar volcano in elementary school, he has been fascinated by chemistry. That fascination became a passion upon discovering chemical reactions and how they could be used to transform small molecules into powerful pharmaceuticals. His passion for science continues to grow as he helps students pique their own curiosities through inquiry, investigation and problem-solving.
Sharanya Naik
Interim Studies in Literature & English Language
Sharanya is convinced that high quality education is the answer to the world’s problems and is happy to have served this cause for over 25 years. Rooted in the belief that students are uplifted by creative endeavors and that stories and poetry hold great potential for learning, Sharanya serves as the Convent Elementary Dean for Grades 6–8 and teaches Grade 11 IB students.
Betsy Pfeiffer
Director of Studies, Grades 9–12
Betsy joined Convent & Stuart Hall in 2014 and has worked in schools for the past 15 years, developing academic programs as a classroom teacher, academic counselor and academic dean. With graduate degrees in both counseling and education, Betsy focuses on the important role of metacognition in student learning experiences. Her current role as Director of Studies allows her to blend her passion for academic planning and student support.
Rachel Simpson
Chief Academic Officer and Head of Convent High School
A love of language, reading and writing has infused Rachel’s academic and professional life. With a degree in Modern Languages and Literature from St John’s College, Oxford University, and an M.A. in Education with an emphasis on teaching English, Rachel started at Convent & Stuart Hall in 1996, teaching French and English. She has been Head of Convent High School since 2012.
Heather Wells
Modern & Classical Languages
Heather has been teaching French at Convent & Stuart Hall since 2012. She also teaches professional development for language teachers through the Stanford World Language Program and grades the national AP French exam. Heather is also a trained facilitator for the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education.