MACARTHUR PARK
CHARTER SCHOOL
Create. Innovate. Belong.
Staff Directory
At MacArthur Park Charter School, our dedicated team is passionate about creating a safe, inspiring, and inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive. We are committed to fostering curiosity, creativity, and meaningful relationships as we guide students on their educational journey. We look forward to partnering with your family throughout the school year.
Administrative Team
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Danielle Yount
Executive Director
My name is Danielle Yount, and I am the founding Executive Director of MacArthur Park Charter School. I bring more than 21 years of experience in public education, including 10 years as a classroom teacher and 11 years as a school principal. Throughout my career, I have been passionate about creating supportive, engaging learning environments where students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. As both a founding teacher and founding administrator, I have helped build innovative school programs, strong school cultures, and meaningful partnerships with families and communities. I am excited to bring that experience to MacArthur Park Charter School as we work together to create an exceptional educational experience for every student.
Tina Moi
Office Manager
Hi, my name is Tina Moi, and I am excited to be part of the MacArthur Park Charter School Office team! I have over 20 years of experience in education, working with students at all levels, from TK through college and adult education. I spent the last nine years working with elementary students at Prestwood School, and I love watching young children learn, grow, and explore! I look forward to building strong relationships with the students, families, and staff at MacArthur Park. When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, biking, and cheering on my kids and their high school and club volleyball teams.
Nora Zavala
School Business Manager
Hello everyone! My name is Nora Zavala and I am so excited to be the School Business Manager at MacArthur Park Charter School. I bring over 20 years of experience as a bilingual executive assistant, mostly keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. My biggest goal here is to support our Hispanic community. I want to ensure that all of our Spanish-speaking families feel welcomed, informed, and truly connected to the resources our school has to offer. My door is always open for language help or any administrative questions you have. I am really looking forward to getting to know each of you and helping out wherever I can. Here is to a wonderful and successful school year together!
Founding Teachers & Staff
Jolene Brade
Instructional Assistant
Hello, my name is Jolene Brade, and I will be an Instructional Assistant at MPCS. I have 19 years of experience working in education, including 18 years in a variety of special education roles and this past school year in a TK classroom. My husband and I live in Sonoma with our 6-year-old daughter and our Rottweiler. We enjoy taking walks, picnics, baking, watching movies, and listening to music together. I’m passionate about supporting students and helping them grow. I look forward to connecting with everyone and building a school family and community at MacArthur Park Charter School.
Natalie Calabrese
Founding Teacher
Hi! I’m Ms. Calabrese, and I’m so excited to be starting my 10th year teaching at MacArthur Park Charter School! I believe every child learns best when they feel safe, loved, and encouraged. Our classroom will be filled with hands-on learning, curiosity, creativity, and lots of laughter as we learn and grow together. I can’t wait to partner with your family and make this a joyful, memorable year for your child!
Libby Cookman
Founding Teacher
My name is Libby Cookman, and I am excited to be a founding teacher at MacArthur Park Charter School. I earned my bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University and my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from California State University, Fresno. Throughout my teaching career, I have had the opportunity to teach Kindergarten, 5th grade, 6th grade, and middle school math. While I have enjoyed every grade level, my heart has always been with Early Childhood Education and the incredible joy that comes from helping young learners build confidence and discover a love of learning. As a founding teacher, I am honored to help build a positive school culture where students feel safe, supported, and excited to learn. I look forward to partnering with families to create meaningful learning experiences and lasting memories for every child. Outside of school, I have been married to my best friend, Dave, since 2006. We have one son, Oliver, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, and as a family we love spending time at the baseball field. We also enjoy Disney, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and relaxing at home with our four dogs—Storm, Trooper, Chewie, and Obi.
Cassandra Fletcher
Founding Teacher
My name is Cassandra Fletcher, and I am so excited to be a part of the MPCS founding team. I earned my bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University and my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from United States University. This will be my third-year teaching with prior experience in a 5th & 6th combination class, and a 4th grade classroom. Prior to teaching children, I taught the probationers of Sonoma County Cognitive Behavioral Integration & Anger Regression Treatment to help improve their lives for the better. These are techniques I bring into my classroom, assisting my students in understanding their emotions and working through them as well as managing them in a positive way. I believe children work best in a classroom where they feel supported, heard, and valued. I am looking forward to working with students and parents to ensure their child’s needs are met in a way that gives them the tools for success and creates a positive learning environment for them as well as their classroom community. I strive to create an environment of exploration that encourages curiosity, discovery, and critical thinking. If your child is in my class they should be prepared to hear many stories of my dog, and unintentional classroom mascot, Winston the corgi.
Isa Polt-Jones
Founding Teacher
Hi, I’m Isa Polt-Jones - also known as “Ms. Jones” to the students. I am excited to be one of the founding teachers at MPCS. This will be my 9th year teaching. In previous positions I have taught kindergarten, first grade, second grade, Spanish, and ELD (English Language Development for multilingual students). I have a BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA, an MFA in visual art, and am fluent in Spanish. I am enthusiastic about integrating the arts, design thinking, nature studies, and project-based learning to engage diverse student populations. My husband and I live in Napa with dogs Roxy and Chili, and cats Doc and Pluto. We are the parents of 20-year-old twins. We all love the arts, the outdoors, and books, books, books! Fun fact: my entire family are educators including my parents, siblings, aunts and uncles. I am very excited to join the founding team at MPCS. I am thrilled to have the kinders and shape their first experience as learners!
Lara Meyer
Founding Teacher
Hi, my name is Lara Meyer, and I am so excited to be a founding teacher at our wonderful new STEAM school! Teaching is my true calling, and over the past 12 years I’ve focused on creating a classroom where kids love to team up, ask big questions, and solve real-world problems. My own love for learning started back in Sonoma County, where I grew up and was inspired heavily by my own time as a student at a hands-on STEM middle school called Expeditionary Learning in Rohnert Park. I believe in building a positive, welcoming classroom family where every student learns that mistakes are just part of growing. When I’m not teaching, I live in Napa with my husband and three kids, where you’ll usually find us out on the youth sports fields cheering or coaching, fueled by my own days playing college softball, or heading up to Lake Tahoe to relax in the mountains together.
Maria Morefield
Mentor Center Facilitator
My name is Maria Morefield, and I will be the on-campus Mentor Center Facilitator for the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance at MacArthur Park Charter School. I am excited to help welcome everyone to our new school community this year! I hold a degree in Political Science and Journalism from CSU Sacramento and transitioned from a career in the mortgage industry to follow my passion for youth education, community impact, and a desire to be deeply involved in my own children’s school community, as my own children will be attending MPCS this year. I hope to continue to foster a welcoming and encouraging environment in the mentor center to support the connection, growth, and well-being of MPCS students and uplift our amazing local families. I can't wait to bring my professional experience and community spirit together to make this inaugural year unforgettable for all of our students!
Amanda Navas
Instructional Assistant
My name is Amanda Navas and I am an Instructional Assistant at MacArthur Park Carter School. I have 11 years of experience in various support positions at the Elementary School level. In my free time I am an avid reader and enjoy various arts and crafts. I look forward to being a part of the MacArthur Park Charter family!
Bobbi Navas
Instructional Assistant
Hi, my name is Bobbi Navas. I am a third generation Sonoma native, wife and mom. I have 16 plus years experience working with littles from Preschool to 5th grade. In the past, I have enjoyed wearing many hats, like crossing guard, yard duty, health assistant, safety patrol and helping in the front office. In my personal life I enjoy my animals, time with my family, gardening and camping. I am looking forward to being a part of this new journey establishing MPCS.
Julia Perez
Founding Teacher
My name is Julia Perez, and I am thrilled to join the Macarthur Park Charter School community this upcoming school year as a founding teacher. I obtained my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis and my Masters of Arts in Teaching and Multiple Subject Credential at Chapman University. I have experience teaching across both primary and upper elementary grades. My teaching philosophy blends student engagement with state standards, ensuring every child thrives. I am dedicated to creating a welcoming classroom environment where all students feel valued, safe, and ready to learn. During my free time I love to read and go on walks with my dog. I look forward to partnering with our wonderful families and growing together this year!
Brenda Sherwood
Instructional Assistant
My name is Brenda Sherwood and I will be a K-3 teacher aid. I have officially worked as a teacher’s aid for the past 3 years but have volunteered at multiple schools in Sonoma County for the last 30 years. Aside from the classroom, I enjoy photography, baking, and spending time with my grandkids and the dogs. I look forward to supporting the students and staff at MacArthur Park Charter School this year!
Susan Silberhorn
Founding Teacher
I’m excited to join the MacArthur Park Charter School community as a founding teacher and help build something special from the start. With nearly 25 years of teaching experience in both public and private schools in Minnesota, I enjoy creating hands-on learning experiences that spark curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. My approach to teaching blends STEAM, human-centered design, and real-world problem solving, encouraging students to think critically, work together, and make a positive impact. As a newcomer to the area, I look forward to getting to know our students and families and becoming part of this wonderful community.
Michele Vertiz
Founding Teacher
My name is Michele Vertiz and I am super excited to be part of the MacArthur Park community. I received my teaching credential from Dominican University in San Rafael and have been a teacher for 20 years. I am bilingual and bicultural in Spanish. I enjoy hiking, eating pizza, wearing fun socks and watching sports. I have a sassy and chatty tuxedo cat named Callie. I look forward to meeting all of you.