Teaching at La Jolla Country Day School

Faculty/Staff Directory

Department

Grade

Last Name

Torri Kallinen

Coach - Soccer

(858) 453-3440
Miranda Katz

Educator, MS English Grade 5

(858) 453-3440 x404

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by creating a strong community of learners, explorers and risk-takers. I deeply value storytelling and diverse literature. I believe in the power of sharing our stories with each other and encouraging our students to do the same. It is through community and collaboration that we learn and grow. I believe that together we are better.”

Miranda Katz, M.Ed., Middle School English educator, is inspired by innovative educational communities. Mrs. Katz felt an immediate connection to LJCDS’ commitment to social responsibility when she started in 2021. She believes that together we can inspire a community of learners to lead through intention and connection.

After graduating from The Ohio State University, Mrs. Katz taught third grade at a Title I school in Columbus, Ohio. It was during this experience that she grew her love for diverse literature. She hopes to write her own children’s book in the future.

When Mrs. Katz isn’t in the classroom, she loves to spend her time outdoors at the beach or farmers markets. She enjoys cooking for friends and family. She believes that joy and connection are often found through the comfort of sharing food with the ones you love.
Hannah Kehmna

Coach - Dance Club
Tiana Kelly

Associate Director of College Counseling

(858) 453-3440 x214

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by challenging students to look past their own lens and truly see the greatness within. Through my commitment to empower students, I advocate for them to engage and take ownership in the college search process. It is my goal that we create a truly individualized experience, where students feel cared for, confident in their college decision and at the end of the day, on a path to success for graduation and beyond.”

Tiana Kelly joined La Jolla Country Day School in July 2020, after spending seven years in the Office of Admissions at the University of San Diego, which also happens to be her alma mater. There she earned her BA in International Relations and is currently working on her MA in Higher Education Leadership.

Prior to her work in education, Ms. Kelly spent a decade in the corporate sector of Commercial Real Estate. However, her passion for working with students and continued learning led her to education. Her greatest sense of joy and purpose is being able to work directly with students, helping them navigate the convoluted landscape of higher education and cheering them on along the way!

Ms. Kelly enjoys traveling, is an avid sports fan, an outdoor enthusiast, and self-proclaimed foodie! This past summer, she and her husband welcomed their son, Dennen into the world! You can often find them and their two dogs Finn and Bunker playing in the waves at one of our local dog beaches.
Kelly Kennedy

Director of Human Resources

(858) 453-3440 x378

Bio

“I inspire greatness by ensuring our team has the necessary resources so they can focus their energy on spreading their greatness throughout our community. As the director of human resources, I guide our leadership team on a variety of employment topics—maintaining the integrity of the school and helping shape a desirable place to work.”

Kelly Kennedy joined the La Jolla Country Day School community in 2015 when she relocated from Charlotte, NC. Prior to joining Country Day, she served as the assistant vice president, human resources, for Foundation For The Carolinas, a community foundation that connects organizations to philanthropic opportunities.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Santa Clara University, and currently holds her Senior Professional in Human Resources with a California designation (SPHR-CA) certification and Senior Certified Professional certification from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP). She is also an active member of the San Diego chapter of SHRM and the San Diego HR Forum.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Ms. Kennedy grew up loving sunshine and being outdoors. When not on campus, she is likely at the beach, hiking, reading a good book, or practicing yoga.
Mariah Kennedy

Assistant Educator, ECC Tiny Torreys

(858) 453-3440 x249
Tate Kennedy

Coach - Lacrosse

(858) 453-3440
Vaughn Kincade

Assistant Educator, Grade 3

(858) 453-3440
Rachel Kinden

Assistant Educator, Early Childhood Center

(858) 453-3440 x206
Kristy King

Director of the Learning Resource Center

(858) 453-3440 x351

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by helping students recognize their own strengths and areas of growth in order for them to continue building their own skills for success and a strong future. Accepting and overcoming personal challenges develops the mindset for greatness to be achieved.”

Kristy King believes every child deserves the opportunity to grow academically, socially, and personally through exploration in and out of the classroom environment. Creating a trusting relationship with students, parents and teachers is paramount for fostering progress and lasting results. Ms. King recognizes how wonderful childhood can be and strives to provide a positive experience for all students at LJCDS. She will often say that she has one of the most rewarding careers as she experiences the “ah-ha” moments with her students.

Ms. King earned a Bachelor of Arts from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, with a major in rhetoric and media studies. She then earned her Master of Science in speech-language pathology from Boston University. She has worked extensively with children of all ages, from birth through high school age. Ms. King’s experiences have been in early intervention, private practice, private school, preschool and public school settings.

Ms. King enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and two Torrey children. You can find her reading a good book, practicing yoga, or enjoying the beach on the weekends.

Click here to read a Q&A with Kristy King.
Tina Kinkead

Educator, Physical Education; Coach - Volleyball, Soccer

(858) 453-3440 x275

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by appreciating and understanding the voices of my students, athletes and colleagues. By making these connections, I create a safe and energetic environment for students to freely explore and embrace their strengths and weaknesses, and instill the drive to give their best effort.”

Tina Kinkead joined LJCDS in 2019 as a physical education educator and head women’s volleyball coach. As a PE teacher, her role is to develop the core locomotor skills, sport skills and strategies, and to instill self-confidence and excitement for being of healthy body and mind. As a coach, her role is to use volleyball as a catalyst to establish healthy lifelong habits that create strong young people to make a difference in this world.

Coach Kinkead earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Santa Clara University, a master’s degree in physical education emphasizing sports psychology from San Diego State University, and a teaching credential for physical education and health. Her career as a coach began in 1991, and she has coached at the collegiate, high school and elementary levels.

Coach Kinkead married her college sweetheart, lives in Bird Rock, and has three children. Her favorite hobbies are watching her kids play sports and playing beach volleyball.
Sally Krause

Educator, Grade 1

(858) 453-3440 x173

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by introducing both classic and my original poetry to students, colleagues and friends, thereby exposing them to language play with accompanying ‘great ideas.’ From Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes to Shel Silverstein, language is alive and well for reading, writing, discussing and reciting. I enjoy writing good prose and am a polite and respectful stickler for proper grammar. I also inject plenty of fun and good humor to balance out my students’ days. Strong and proper communication skills are important to me, across the board, to all members of our community.”

Sally Krause has been teaching at La Jolla Country Day School since 1987. She is a first-grade teacher who teaches reading, writing, math and social studies. Her role is to inspire the young scholar, artist and athlete, and to model good character by example. She also enjoys teaching regular character education and diversity lessons with many relevant read-aloud books.

Ms. Krause’s career began as a third-grade teacher in Chinatown, in New York City. From there, she moved on to teach second grade in Brooklyn Heights, and then to her current first-grade position at LJCDS. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and obtained her master’s degree from NYU at Oxford, England. Ms. Krause was bitten by the travel bug from a young age. She has traveled to Australia and numerous countries in Europe and Asia and has driven cross-country six times. Ms. Krause enjoys live music, writing poetry and teaching young children. The latter keeps her young at heart and forever playful.
Ethan Kreutzmann

Coach - Basketball
Samuel Kullens

Educator, US Humanities

(858) 453-3440 x299

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by helping students understand the importance of the ways events and ideas from the past continue to shape our world in order to better understand who we are, both as individuals and as a society. I strive to make history both intellectually challenging and personally meaningful, while teaching students how the lessons of the past have a direct bearing upon their life experiences.”

Samuel “Sam” Kullens came to La Jolla Country Day School in 2020 after a long and distinguished teaching career in Los Angeles. He spent 17 years teaching at Benjamin Franklin High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, a predominantly Title I institution. During his time there, Mr. Kullens’s classroom became known for producing thoughtful, prepared and enthusiastic students who scored in the top 1% of state assessments and significantly outperformed national averages in AP testing. Their hard work and success earned Mr. Kullens the award of “LAUSD Teacher of Year,” as well as recognition from the Mayor’s Office, the LA City Council, the LA County Board of Supervisors and the LAUSD School Board.

In his spare time, Mr. Kullens enjoys live music, travel, horology and rooting for Chicago sports teams. He also enjoys hiking and going to the beach with his family, including daughter Adela ’33.
Aakash Kumar

Upper School Dean of Students

(858) 453-3440 x391

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by helping all students feel comforted and supported to make mistakes, ask questions, and dive into their own passions—providing opportunities for students to build on what they already know and continue to be lifelong learners. Science is all about taking chances and exploring interesting phenomena, and I inspire greatness by helping to build strength and confidence to use science as a new way to look at the world.”

Aakash Kumar completed his undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech in Biomolecular Engineering and is currently working to finish his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is working on a project titled “Using Augmented Reality to Teach Physics.”

Before he started his Ph.D., Mr. Kumar was a high school math and science teacher in Arkansas, and he chose to go back to school to learn more about how to best help students learn science. He is so excited to have the chance to use all this knowledge every day and continue to learn from his students and fellow teachers.

Mr. Kumar has an extremely chatty (he calls this an “accent”) lab-mix named Onyx, who is still adjusting to being a West Coast beach dog instead of a New Yorker. His favorite book is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and he watches way too much TV to pick a favorite show, although currently it’s a toss up between The 100 and The Good Place. The journey taken by the characters is what speaks to Mr. Kumar, and it is also why he, his fiancé Richelle, and Onyx spent two weeks traveling across the country to get to San Diego. They both love travelling and are hoping to head to Italy next summer and India after that.

Mr. Kumar’s hobbies include running, hiking, playing video and board games, and cooking. He is passionate about all kinds of gaming, staying positive amidst all of life’s uncertainty, and finding ways to connect the world to the students in a classroom.
Misha Kutzman

Educator, Computer Science and Engineering

(858) 453-3440 x474

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by creating opportunities to experiment, explore curiosity, collaborate openly and create more joy and fun. Though logical and analytical in nature, solving problems with software- and hardware-based tools is a creative endeavor that gives students the chance to bravely dive into original and out-of-the-box thinking. I enjoy guiding this process and seeing students grow into high-contributing, insightful, empathetic, efficient and confident problem-solvers.”

Misha Kutzman, M.S., teaches computer science and engineering in the Design and Innovation department, where she emphasizes interdisciplinary, project-based learning of the foundations of STEM.

Before joining the faculty at LJCDS, Ms. Kutzman worked as an engineering professor and applied mathematician. Some of her previous research projects include assessing parameters from MRI for mathematical modeling of brain tumor growth and applying novel signal processing and machine learning techniques to detect and classify epileptic seizure events from EEG recordings. Ms. Kutzman earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and an M.S. in applied math, both from the University of Washington, Seattle.