Faculty and Staff Directory

The La Jolla Country Day School faculty, administration and staff are strong, diverse and talented individuals who have been drawn together for a common purpose. Ours is a vibrant community with an exciting charge—to create a stronger, better place where our children and those of future generations can grow to become excellent individuals, citizens and adventurers of the world.

Below is a list of the administration, staff and faculty. To locate a member, click on the drop-down menus below to search by division, department or last name. Faculty and staff bios are also available below.

Faculty/Staff Directory

  • Photo of Mark Needle
    Mark Needle
    Educator, LS Science
    (858) 453-3440 x216
    Bio
     
    “I inspire greatness for a better world by developing confident problem solvers who believe in their abilities to be successful.”
    Mark Needle believes teaching is not a job; it’s a calling—one where he’s in his element. His role is to support his fellow Lower School teachers to meet the needs of our students.
    Mr. Needle began working with kids in high school as a soccer coach and referee. During his time in the U.S. Army, he became a mentor and leader to his fellow soldiers, realizing he had a knack for teaching. During college, Mr. Needle worked in after-school recreational programs. From there, he earned his master’s degree and elementary teaching credential. Mr. Needle has been part of the La Jolla Country Day School community as a parent and teacher since 2006.

    Mr. Needle is a camping enthusiast and an accomplished triathlete. He believes he can fix anything that is fixable.
  • Photo of Julia Noe
    Julia Noe
    Educator, LS Design & Innovation
    (858) 453-3440 x325
  • Photo of Tiffany Norwood
    Tiffany Norwood
    Teacher
    (858) 453-3440
  • Photo of Jessica Novak
    Jessica Novak Ph.D.
    Educator, US Humanities
    (858) 453-3440 x268
    Bio
     
    “I inspire greatness by providing my students with the classroom culture and the academic resources necessary for them to engage with new perspectives on enduring world conflicts. If students come away from my class capable of first inquiring how an individual’s worldview may be influenced by broad and nuanced contexts instead of simply judging the person as ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ then they are on their way to becoming both empathetic and empirical global scholars.”

    Jessica Novak earned her Ph.D. in anthropology at UC San Diego. Her dissertation fieldwork in Cartagena, Colombia focused on how different cultural communities practice emotional resilience in the face of ongoing political violence, an experience that inspired her to also pursue a master’s degree in psychiatric social work in 2016. Prior to working as an instructor and biomedical researcher in Global Health and Medicine at UC San Diego, Dr. Novak was a Spanish and Latin American Studies teacher at an independent school in Lake Placid, New York.

    Dr. Novak loves learning from her students as they practice perspective—taking on questions that have no single answer. She is dedicated to modeling the importance of analytical inquiry over the memorization of facts as well as mitigating the anxiety over academic writing through workshops and low-stakes draft assignments.

    Dr. Novak is thrilled to bring her love of teaching and her passion for world cultures and well-being to LJCDS. When she is not ruminating about new discussion questions for her class, Dr. Novak spends almost every free moment in Balboa Park and at the San Diego Zoo with her two toddlers and her husband, Ali.

 

Faculty and Staff Spotlights

La Jolla Country Day School

9490 Genesee Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440

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