Parker School recently announced six new faculty and staff members for the 2012-13 academic year.
Angela-Dee Alforque will serve as Parker School’s drama and dance teacher. She recently moved with her family to Waimea from Sacramento, Calif.
Alforque holds a bachelor’s degree in drama/social science and a master’s in multicultural American history and performance at Sacramento State University. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership at Saint Mary’s College of California. Before joining the school, Alforque trained and worked as a singer, actor, dancer, choreographer, director and playwright. She also served as a theater arts professor at Sacramento City College and associate director of Sinag-tala Filipino Theater and Performing Arts Association and was a member of the Ebo Okokan Afro-Cuban Drum and Dance Ensemble.
Amanda Dewey has been named chairwoman of the math department at Parker School. Dewey was born in Michigan, raised in Colorado, and came to the Big Island in 2000 to study marine science at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Dewey holds a bachelor’s degree in marine science, a teaching certificate in physical science, and a master’s in educational leadership of the Asia/Pacific region. She previously served as a curriculum researcher and analyst for the University of Hawaii at Manoa for five years and taught math and biology, and was a testing coordinator and project adviser at a public school in Kona.
Josh Shepherd will teach lower school music as well as seventh and eighth grade history.
Shepherd holds a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Chaminade University. He also has post-graduate certification in special education. Shepherd comes to Parker School after teaching preschool at Kamehameha Schools in Waimea for five years, and previously working as site manager at Paauilo Elementary and as a program coordinator with the YMCA.
Baruch “Buff” Winderbaum will be teaching middle school history and English. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Antioch University and a master’s in education from Wilkes University. He taught English and history in the Monroe School District in Washington state for several years before moving to Hawaii to join Parker School.
Renee Brighter joins the Parker After-school University, the school’s after-care program, team after working with nine children in a private home school. Prior, she was an educational assistant at Waimea Elementary School, where she was responsible for directing the upper elementary computer lab, taught the Math Navigator program to fourth graders, and was the Parent Community Network coordinator assistant. She has six children, two of whom are Parker students.
Eric Dela Rosa, born and raised in Honokaa, will serve as Parker School’s techonology director. He received his associate’s degree in information technology from Hawaii Community College and trained in information security systems through the University of Phoenix. Before Parker School, he held IT positions at various organizations on the Big Island, including Hawaii Community College, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, W.M. Keck Observatory and Cellana, where he was network administrator and later, IT manager.
Jennifer Richardson will be the new advancement associate in Parker’s Advancement Office.
Originally from Colorado, she moved to the Big Island in 2004. She holds a degree in real estate and construction management from the University of Denver, and has had a long career in that field. She is a licensed broker in Hawaii and Colorado, has been named a top salesperson and a multimillion dollar producer and has assisted in the development of a nationally franchised buyer’s assistance program. She and her husband have two children, one of whom is a Parker School student.
For more information, visit parkerschool.net.
