Monarchs who Teach

Celebrating Four Decades of AMHS Alumni Who Returned to the Classroom

By Chris Jackson ’06 - Director of Alumni Relations

Today, Archbishop Mitty High School is recognized as one of the premier Catholic, college preparatory schools in the United States and that is in large part due to the outstanding teachers we have on campus. The positive impact teachers can have on students is invaluable and can inspire students to want to become teachers themselves. As Monarchs move on with life after high school, some choose to go into the teaching profession with the goal of making their own mark on students, schools, and communities. We were able to catch up with seven alumni teachers who still use the Monarch values instilled in them during their time here at Archbishop Mitty to passionately influence and encourage the next generation of students.

CODY KING ’11 Computer Science and Math teacher at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, CA

Monarch Cody King ’11 is currently in his 8th year of teaching and previously taught at Pioneer High School before coming to Mitty in the fall of 2022. He has taught various math and computer science courses, along with mentoring robotics teams.

“I really enjoy helping kids learn new things and love seeing them achieve their goals,” Mr. King said. “I also feel like I am making a meaningful contribution to society with my job.”

Cody described his distance-learning experience as challenging as it was hard to determine whether kids were paying attention, remaining on task, or engaging in the material. Most of his students’ parents had to go to work, so the kids were home alone and distractions were at times hard for the students to overcome when in class via Zoom.

Cody’s favorite Mitty memory was meeting his wife in biology class as a sophomore. “The reason I decided to become a teacher was because of the wonderful experience I had when I volunteered with MICAH (Mitty in Communion Actively Helping) at Mitty. As a club we volunteered at some local public elementary schools after school and helped the students with their math and English homework.”

Outside of teaching, Cody enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter while biking, hiking, or snowboarding. After joining the mountain biking club as a senior at AMHS, he has been riding ever since.

KEELY (MAIBERGER ’92) BURNHAM

7th grade teacher at The School of the Madeleine in Berkeley, CA.

Monarch Keely (Maiberger ’92) Burnham has been a teacher for 26 years. Mrs. Burnham started her career teaching first grade and since then, has taught every grade from kindergarten to eighth. For five of those years she taught physical education. Currently, Keely teaches seventh grade English, Social Studies, and Religion at The School of the Madeleine in Berkeley.

“I love the joy you see on a student’s face when they finally grasp a concept that has been challenging them.” - Mrs. Keely Burnham

During distance-learning, Keely found the biggest challenge was connecting with her students through a computer screen. When she returned to in-person learning, wearing masks created a new obstacle for Keely as like many teachers, she had trouble recognizing some of her students and hearing them clearly. All that changed this year when masks came off and happy student faces returned.

Keely’s fondest Mitty memories include the time she spent with her swim team teammates and their coach Mr. Tom Miller. Keely was also positively influenced while in the classroom at AMHS, “I had some amazing teachers at Mitty that helped inspire me to become a teacher. I watched the way they connected with us and made an impact in so many lives. I wanted to be that kind of teacher!”

Outside of the classroom, Keely enjoys spending time with family and her dogs. She also enjoys running; she has participated in eight marathons and 10 half-marathons!

JESSICA (BREWKA ’05) FOLEY

Middle school teacher at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, CA.

Monarch Jessica (Brewka ’05) Foley has been teaching for 12 years, primarily English and Social Studies. Jessica started her teaching journey abroad with stops in South Korea and Japan, then taught tenth and eleventh grade English at Christopher High School in Gilroy, and sixth through eighth grade English at St. John Paul II Catholic School in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Jessica currently teaches middle school English at Santa Catalina School.

“I really enjoy getting to know the kids and the fact that every day is different. My biggest pleasure has been watching students grow into these wonderful, sophisticated writers and hearing from them years later about how much they appreciated how much I pushed them in their writing.”

- Mrs. Jessica Foley

Jessica recognized that technology was one of the most challenging obstacles for her classes during distance-learning. When she was working in North Carolina, not all of her students had access to reliable internet or devices that could handle downloading and uploading materials. Communication and building relationships was extremely difficult in those times. Since returning to in-person class sessions, students are re-learning how to socialize with their peers and keep up with the pre-COVID pace of learning.

Jessica’s favorite AMHS memory was going on the senior Kairos retreat, where she had an incredible bonding experience that created relationships she still cherishes today. “Teaching was not an obvious career path for me. It wasn’t until my senior year at college that I realized that it was what I was meant to do with my life. And in retrospect, I know that my experience at Mitty, especially in Ms. Lisa Brunolli’s writing class, helped me to find my passion for teaching English.”

Outside of teaching, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids while taking walks on the beach in Monterey. And, of course, she loves to read, as any good English teacher does.

RYANN (COOPER ’99) MAZZUCO

4th grade teacher at Laurelwood Elementary School in Santa Clara, CA.

Monarch Ryann (Cooper ’99) Mazzuco has been a teacher for 19 years. She started her career teaching kindergarten for ten years at Starbright School and has spent the last nine years teaching fourth grade at Laurelwood Elementary.

“I absolutely love teaching! It is my passion! I thoroughly enjoy working with children every day and watching as their minds grow. I love seeing their progression of growth throughout the year and their amazement at their own abilities when they overcome challenges.”

- Mrs. Ryann Mazzuco

During distance-learning, the biggest challenge Ryann faced was connecting with students and providing the instant feedback she is used to. Ryann shared her love of walking around the classroom and giving students help where needed and distancelearning took these opportunities away from her and her students.

Ryann’s favorite Mitty memory is the time she spent with her teammates on the swim team, and taking first place in the 200-yard individual medley relay in the CCS playoffs. Her time at Mitty also influenced her decision to go into teaching, “All of my classes at Mitty instilled in me a passion and love for learning that gave me a foundation for success. I wanted to take that love for learning and help build it in others. Teaching has helped me carry forward that success to my students.”

Outside of teaching, Ryann loves spending time with her family. She loves cheering for her son on the baseball field and watching her daughter dance. Ryann also has a passion for Taekwondo and Krav Maga. She recently received her black belt!

NICK GUTTADAURO ’04

7th grade Math and Science teacher at Moreland Middle School in San Jose, CA.

Monarch Nick Guttadauro ’04 has been teaching for 15 years. In 2008 he started as a kindergarten teacher at Challenger School before moving on to fifth grade math and seventh-eighth grade science at St. Christopher School. Mr. Guttadauro eventually landed at Moreland Middle School where he still teaches today.

“I love that every day brings something different, including the interactions and conversations I have with my students,” Nick said. “Mostly, what I enjoy is the feeling of seeing students succeed and grow throughout the year.”

During distance-learning, Nick talked about how some of his most impacted students were those who lacked parental support at home. Many of his students were at home taking care of younger siblings, while their parents had to go to work during the daytime. Other students struggled with inadequate technology resources that prevented them from participating in classes online. Now that his students have returned to in-person class sessions, Nick is able to build the relationships that make the job so rewarding for him.

Nick’s favorite AMHS memories include attending all four retreats: Awakenings, Agape, Quest, and Kairos. He was able to use the retreats to strengthen his relationships with classmates and reflect on his values. Because of his positive experience, he continued to attend retreats while attending Santa Clara University. During his junior year of high school, he was a teacher’s assistant for Mrs. Saunders’ biology class. That experience deepened his love for the natural sciences and showed him the positive impact teachers have on their students.

Outside of teaching, NIck enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing video games. He has been married for 14 years and has two daughters.

LIDIA (CHAVEZ ’87) SEGOVIANO

Middle school teacher at Piedmont Middle School in Berryessa, CA.

Monarch Lidia (Chavez ’87) Segoviano has been teaching for 22 years. She began her career teaching at River Glen School in San Jose and later at Campbell Middle School in Campbell. The rest of her years have been spent teaching sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Social Studies, Language Arts, Spanish, and Italian at Piedmont Middle School. With the help of her students, Lidia organized the building of a school garden where they crafted 13 raised garden beds, planted 14 types of fruit trees, and set up a greenhouse. She works hard every year asking for donations and writes grants to help the garden continue to thrive.

“As a teacher you enjoy seeing student progress and improvement throughout the year,” LIdia said. “I try to create and give the feeling and experiences that I was given as a student to my students, many of whom do not have the opportunity to attend a private school.”

Distance-learning presented challenges for many students who did not have proper access to the technology required to participate in classes. Lidia also had to convert her lesson plans so they could be taught and completed via Zoom. “Social and emotional issues also became a factor in students’ ability to keep up with classwork and remain motivated. After returning to in-person classes, students have been struggling to work together and socialize.”

During her time at AMHS, Lidia was a member of the Spanish Club, played badminton, and joined the swim team. The relationships she established in high school are still strong to this day. Outside of teaching, Lidia enjoys cooking, traveling, eating, and swimming.

JULIANNA (RODMAN ’14) COOPER English teacher at Ewa Makai Middle School in Ewa Beach, HI.

Monarch Julianna (Rodman ’14) Cooper is in her fourth year teaching. She started her career teaching Psychology and English at Perry High School in Arizona before getting married to her husband Andrew Cooper and moving to Hawaii where she currently teaches English at Ewa Makai Middle School.

“I definitely enjoy my interactions with students the most, and I am sure many teachers would agree with that. The subjects I teach definitely lend themselves to engaging, relevant, and often quite personal discussions. It is really fun to talk to students about their unique perspectives and learn about their experiences. It is incredibly rewarding to see my students grow, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals each year, especially these past few years.” -

Mrs. Julianna Cooper

While in Arizona, distance-learning was challenging for Julianna and her students for a variety of reasons. The immediate stoppage of in-person teaching and having to quickly adjust to digital platforms proved to be extremely difficult as there was no time for Julianna or her students to properly prepare. She also mentioned that finding a healthy work-life balance while prioritizing mental health during COVID was a struggle.

Julianna’s favorite Mitty memory was being a member of LIFE Corps and participating in the El Salvador class. She was able to establish lasting friendships and unforgettable memories that still positively impacted her today. While at AMHS, Mrs. Julianna admired and respected many of her teachers because they were knowledgeable, kind, passionate, and engaging, which is the kind of teacher she strives to be. When not teaching, Julianna enjoys traveling, reading, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family.