Jenna Dalva joined the LJCDS community in 2020 as a seventh-grade social studies educator. She was drawn to La Jolla Country Day School because of the school’s commitment to creating an inclusive and dynamic learning environment for all students, as well as its focus on instilling students with a passion for social justice and an understanding of their social responsibility. Mrs. Dalva incorporates these ideals into her work with her Middle School students as they examine patterns and themes of history.

Mrs. Dalva earned an undergraduate degree in social studies education from Boston University and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Florida. Prior to moving to San Diego, she spent five years teaching social studies in both Massachusetts and Florida schools. While in Florida, Mrs. Dalva was awarded the honor of “Social Studies Teacher of the Year” for Clay County in the high school division. She is a military spouse and has been fortunate to travel and experience many places and cultures. 

In her free time, Mrs. Dalva enjoys exploring San Diego’s diverse food scene and hiking with her husband and lab mix, Jeter.

 

Andy D’Avanzo seeks to spark curiosity and creativity within all of his students. He recognizes that there can be multiple ways to approach a math problem and encourages students to be critical thinkers and patient problem-solvers. As a 5th Grade Advisor and math educator, Mr. D’Avanzo’s mission is to create an environment in which students are encouraged to grow socially and intellectually.

 

 

Laura del Moral, M.E., believes that the Middle School world language department prepares students to be part of our global community. Ms. del Moral’s role is to provide authentic and unique experiences in Hispanic languages and cultures to develop multicultural thinking.

After graduating from Humboldt State University, Ms. del Moral began teaching Spanish and English in France. At the World Trade Center of Marseille, she was part of a dynamic environment as her European students were from various cultural backgrounds and were multicultural thinkers. Ms. del Moral built innovative, dynamic language-teaching strategies to suit the blend of cultures and interests. Ms. del Moral had the privilege of teaching European Union members, who benefited from her engaging approach. Since 2010, she has developed the Spanish program at La Jolla Country Day School by implementing real-life projects and introducing appropriate Spanish novels into the curriculum. She greatly enjoys teaching Middle School students, whom she finds clever and unique.