Saying farewell to faculty

Beloved librarian Marilyn Kimura retires after over 35 years at Nueva.

Empty Nesters

Parents of departing seniors prepare for life after Nueva.

READ MORE ON PAGE 12

Eight teachers depart from the upper school, heading to new roles, crossing borders, and embracing opportunities

For these teachers, Nueva was once a place of unfamiliar hallways and unrecognizable faces. Soon, they no longer required GPS during their commutes to campus and could recall students’ names with ease. Eventually, coming to work meant connecting with a community. Now, with another school year coming to a close, these teachers bid their farewells as they plan their next chapters in life.

Matthew Oakland has been at Nueva since 2020. He spent his first year working alongside former Director of Equity and Social Justice Alegria Barclay in the ninth grade Science of Mind (SOM) classroom and as an admissions associate. During his second year, he taught Systemic Oppression Understanding for Liberation (SOUL). This past year, he continued working in the classroom while serving the role as Upper School JEDI Coordinator.

“It’s cool to be in a place where I’m intensely curious and find it hard to sit still, and that’s not abnormal at all,” he said. “My hope is that affinity groups, clubs, and any student leads continue to feel really empowered in this space.”

Oakland is headed to Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco where he will be the Director of Student Inclusion.

Superlative: Most likely to freestyle rap, improv on guitar and dance across the Rosenberg courtyard all in one day.

Savannah Strong spent her year at Nueva working as the Director of Social Justice and Equity. In the fall, she will be joining Head Royce School where she will be the Dean of Equity and Community.

While her role has not yet been filled, she has supported the hiring committee by crafting the criteria for the job and thinking through what it means to set up this candidate for success.

“I’m going to miss the students most,” she said. “I’m also going to miss my colleagues and the equity and inclusion team in particular.”

To Strong, “Nueva is a space for expansive dreaming.”

Sam Timinsky just finished his fifth year at Nueva. When he joined in 2018, he worked part time as the debate coach. For the past four years, he taught upper school history.

“My colleagues and students are absolutely wonderful,” he said. “It’s cool to be a nerd at this school, so I like it.”

Timinsky is moving with his wife to Seattle where he will work at Northwest Yeshiva School on Mercer Island as a U.S. history teacher.

As he departs from the community, he advises students to cultivate more kindness for each other.

“When I got here, students in particular were kinder to each other, and [now] there’s