Summer Programs Faculty

Coach Amarillas, Notre Dame’s strength and conditioning coach since 2002, brings more than three decades of experience training junior high and high school athletes. His passion for strength and conditioning is evident as he helps young people become the best they can be. He will meet the athlete where they are and move them forward in a planned and safe manner. Coach Ammo holds two certifications (CSCS, USAW 1) from the only two nationally-accredited institutions in the country.

Nick is a veteran digital media teacher in the San Mateo Union High School District, having taught there since 2011.  He received his B.A. in studio art with an emphasis in graphic design from Long Beach State University. Nick continues to work in his free time as a freelance graphic designer and amateur filmmaker, while also spending time with his two children and wife in the garden. 

Kira is a master's student at Stanford where she is studying the sociology of education. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology, data science, and education. Kira is passionate about empowering students through adaptive mindsets and new, fun ways of approaching math.
 

Alex lives in South Africa during most of the year and travels to her alma mater, Notre Dame High School in San Jose, for the summers.  She studied urban community development and art at New York University and has a masters in fine arts from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She is the managing director and founder of Boundless City.

Aidan Ferrer is the robotics co-director at Notre Dame, leading the school’s robotics team, The Janksters. He has been a participant, mentor and volunteer with the FIRST Robotics Competition program for the past nine years. Aidan graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. in technology information management.
 

 

Tanisha Fitzgerald is a math teacher at Notre Dame, and teaches the Algebra course for ninth graders.  Tanisha also oversees the student leadership program at Notre Dame.  She received her math and education degrees from UC Santa Cruz.
 

Susana serves as the assistant head of school at Notre Dame.  She previously taught religious studies classes at Notre Dame and teacher education courses at the University of San Francisco.  At Santa Clara University, she received degrees in sociology and Spanish, as well as her masters degree in spirituality.

Elliott has been teaching English and drama for over a decade at Evergreen Valley High School in East Side San Jose. He has been part of many productions including Rent, The 25th Putnam County Spelling Bee, and High School Musical and holds a B.A. from San Jose State and an M.A. from USC.

Hafsa is a premier golf coach in the Bay Area offering her services to beginners, student athletes and advanced players alike. With 21 years of golf experience, and 8 in private coaching, her coaching style will improve your performance and enjoyment of the game.
With more than eight years of coaching experience, her philosophy has been coach-player adaptability, using a player's unique body and build to develop their golf game.

Jennifer is the director of summer programs and a high school English teacher for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Jennifer is passionate about helping students feel successful in their learning. She holds a bachelor's degree in French with a minor in history, a master's degree in international policy studies with a certificate in gender and development, a master's degree in education with an emphasis on teaching, and an education specialist teaching credential.

Paul Lapke is currently serving as director of athletics for Notre Dame High School. He holds a bachelor's in athletic training and biochemistry from Eastern Oregon University and a master's in teaching from Pacific University. 

Brea Paillet is the owner/director of the The Dance Company of Los Gatos. As an accomplished dancer and performer, Brea offers instruction and expertise in such dance genres as ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. Brea brings over 25 years of experience working with young dancers ranging in age from 4-18 years. The Dance Company of Los Gatos has been in business for 20 years and has won multiple national titles, including this past year’s 2022 Starbound Mini and Sr. Grand Champions.

Cecilia Perkins is director of college counseling at Notre Dame High School. She works with all grade levels, but her focus is on juniors and seniors and helping them prepare for and navigate the college search and application process. The college search process should be fun and exciting! Ms. Perkins loves watching students figure out what their passion and interests are and seeing students find colleges that align with these! 

Bryan is passionate about student leadership in the arts, and through his classes and productions he keeps that passion central. The theater is a living organism with a thousand moving parts, all of which must work copesecticly in order for the show to dazzle and amaze. Each strong student leader is therefore able to take on their own part of that whole, and through their effort and creativity they are able to create something bigger than themselves. Notre Dame is a perfect place to train the theatrial leaders of tomorrow.