Millennium School is an innovation lab exploring the intersection of Developmental Science and Adolescent Education in the heart of San Francisco. In partnership with professors from leading universities, Millennium is developing an integrated educational program based on neuroscience and developmental psychology.

These educators have convened to create a model middle school that implements best practices for holistic student development, translating leading research and experiential learning techniques into practical application. The program combines integrated academics with self-discovery and real-world application through student-centered projects.

Beyond operating the lab school, Millennium disseminates its whole-student development methodology through professional development programs for teachers. The combined result is an integrated learning organization exploring humanistic education for the 21st century.

Purpose

Our mission is to design and disseminate developmental-science based methods and models of education that advance human well-being.

We believe in developing each student to their fullest potential. This involves providing both a rigorous academic program and a science-based foundation for human development. 

Developmental Science is the integration of neuroscience and developmental psychology. It offers us a scientific foundation for healthy individual formation. In contrast to academic testing alone, it provides a more integrated educational framework through which educators can apply a range of immersive curricula and experiences to foster healthy human development as well as advanced academic readiness. 

Developmental science points us to three essential elements for a healthy passage through middle school:

1. Space for Self-Exploration

“Who is that in the mirror?!” Not only are their bodies changing daily, an adolescent’s sense of Self is expanding rapidly. Young teens are consumed by a heightened experience of their changing emotions, beliefs and self-awareness. If these capacities are consciously developed, students can build the ‘non-academic’ skills – mindfulness, emotional intelligence, resilience, and others – that research indicates correlate with long-term success more than any other factor.

2. A Safe Social Environment

Middle school is the most socially-influenced time of our lives. Peers become trusted more than parents. A positive, safe, pro-social environment and authentic relationships at school are essential for healthy identity formation.

3. Connection to the Real World.

As students enter adolescence, they crave greater autonomy and independence. They are highly curious about how the world works, and loudly resist what doesn’t feel “Real” to them. Their academic motivation depends on a direct sense of relevance and agency.

Equity & Social Justice at Millennium

At Millennium School, we know it takes commitment and prioritization to offset systems of oppression and implicit bias. We are committed to becoming a fully anti-racist multicultural organization helping to transform society. This means we are constantly learning about personal, cultural, and systemic barriers in our society to better understand how to create structures of accountability that increase equity. 

Millennium School serves both our students and the community best when we include a wide range of perspectives, talents, and experiences. For this reason, we actively seek out faculty, students, and families of diverse backgrounds in areas such as gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, culture, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic background.

We are committed to our J.E.D.I values (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) in every area of our school community and the world beyond. Our belief in the importance of these values stems from our developmental understanding of identity formation and empathy development. Middle school is the time when adolescents ask and answer three fundamental questions: Who am I? How do I relate to others? What will I contribute to the world? By guiding our students to learn how to incorporate multiple viewpoints and experiences, it enables them to honor what is unique within themselves while developing the ability to affect meaningful change in the world.

Partnership with SMART: We are proud to partner with SMART, a San Francisco non-profit organization, and work together with them to close the achievement gap by offering participating students access to an academically rigorous school with scholarships and other forms of support.

Abigail Henderson: STEM Guide

Abigail is a person of many passions, most of which involve teaching and learning in some form. Some of her past learning adventures have included facilitating guest interactions with sea animals at a Florida aquarium, guiding kids through nature at a summer camp in Wisconsin, helping college students understand consent in Pennsylvania, and most recently, teaching middle school computer science at an all-girls school in Connecticut. During her undergraduate career at Swarthmore College, Abigail built a cognitive science major by taking courses in six different departments. Her thesis work focused on animal cognition and communication, specifically viewing animal communication systems through a linguistic lens. She enjoys taking things apart and looking at them in a new way, both literally and figuratively. In the classroom, she recognizes that failure is a necessary part of any learning process, and she strives to make it fun for everyone involved.

Ashley Nickels: Director of Admissions & Communications

Ashley was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI, Ashley grew up surrounded by makers and dreaming of far away lands. After completing undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Michigan and Middlebury College in Madrid, Ashley spent five years teaching at an international school in Valencia, Spain. She then moved to San Francisco, where she helped build the Spanish program at SF Friends. Ashley is also a professional quilter, and in October 2019, she published her first quilting book. Here at Millennium, Ashley has lead the Admissions effort since the beginning, and is especially honored to be able to use her language skills to connect with the Spanish-speaking community in San Francisco. She has also taught Spanish, Quests, and was an advisor from 2017-2020. These days, you can also find Ashley leading communications at Millennium, supervising sewing projects and zafu-making, as well as spreading the word about our amazing school. Fun fact: Ashley and Roberto met at Middlebury College!

Alice Pope (Humanities Guide)

Alice Pope, she/her, brings over 15 years of educational experience and commitment to real-world learning and inclusive practices as she joins The Millennium School community. Trained as a Montessori educator, Alice prioritizes student-centered and experiential learning methodologies to nurture creativity and foster joy within the classroom. Originating from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Alice began her teaching journey as a high school English teacher in St. Paul. However, it was during her tenure in Seoul, Korea, that she was introduced to the Montessori philosophy. Serendipitously, she met her spouse, a now-retired army officer, with whom she has shared 22 years. In addition to her instructional duties, Alice actively organizes local and national learning initiatives and guides student service excursions. Returning to the West Coast following her recent role as department head for an inclusive Montessori school in Salt Lake City with her spouse and youngest daughter, Alice eagerly anticipates continuing her educational endeavors at Millenium. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys traveling for fun, exploring museums, honing her culinary skills, and laughing whenever possible.

Aya Carpio: Assistant Director of Operations

Aya brings 8 years of office management and administrative experience to Millennium School in fact, Aya managed the temporary office where the Millennium team worked before the school doors opened and she helped design the student’s journals. Aya is originally from Chicago, Illinois where she earned her degree in Art. Her interest in creative expression and finding new ways to facilitate personal and positive growth have always been part of her life and that’s what drew her in to Millennium. In her spare time, she continues to take various art classes, enjoys spending time with her family, and loves comedy.

Briana Stockton: PE Guide

Briana is an inspirational motivator, who radiates the ‘wealth of health,’ through her everyday commitment of teachings. She is a Raw Vegan food Chef, certified Personal Trainer and Nutritional Therapist with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, and also leads mediation through Yoga Nidra. Briana and her students together create a vision of what they want and as a team consciously create reality through awareness and intention. She challenges each individual mentally, emotionally, and physically which amplifies the strength of their intention and moves the forces of the universe to manifest their vision.

Through food, body and soul, Briana shares her passion and knowledge of health. She guides her students to create and prioritizes space for the importance of themselves with true belief that every person has the strength to accomplish a life of overall wellness.

Candace Bribiesca: Creative Expressions Guide

Candace has a deep passion for the arts and serving middle school youth. From teaching in New York City’s Chinatown to Bayview, San Francisco, she joins the Millenium team with 16 years of hands-on-experience guiding adolescents through the artistic process. She earned a MA in Art Education from Teachers College Columbia University and received her National Board Certification in Art in 2019 while serving at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, California. Candace has a personal relationship to the profound impacts of exploring creative methods, and emphasizes it with mindfulness in the classroom. Her nurturing style is grounded in building relationships while facilitating experiences that investigate identity, social justice, and relating to different world views.

She is currently completing a special SEAL certification (Social Emotional Art Learning) and is invigorated by the thought of introducing it to our unique community. Outside of work, she enjoys family time, soccer, exploring the outdoors, yoga, creating art, and reading multiple books at a time.

Christine Flores - After-Care Director, Creative Expression Guide

Christine (she/her) began her love for education and learning at a young age, picking up tutoring gigs and playing school at home with her little brother. This love eventually returned her to the classroom as a credentialed science teacher. Christine taught middle school science and agriculture for four years before moving to the Bay Area. Now, she continues to explore her love for learning and teaching in different ways. She currently works as a youth culinary educator for Culinary Artistas and works at Millennium as an admin assistant and aftercare coordinator. Christine ultimately wishes to combine her love for education and learning with her passion for food and healing. She wishes to empower others through nutrition/wellness education to make life choices that promote good overall health and well-being.

Colleen Erickson: Math Guide

Colleen has spent most of her adult life working in education and brings a wealth of content diversity and experience. She’s taught everything from pre-algebra through calculus in addition to designing innovative math classes like Financial Algebra and History of Math. In the classroom, Colleen focuses on helping students see the beauty and power of mathematics while fostering community and encouraging a growth mindset. Beyond her love for mathematics, she’s devoted her teaching career to helping students develop social emotional skills. For years, she ran the Peer Counselor program at Bentley Upper School, a program that centered around creating a culture of kindness among the students. When she’s not designing curriculum or obsessing over self-directed learning and the gamification of the classroom, she can be found in the local climbing gym with her husband and kids, out geocaching, working on a podcast, or meditating!

Daniel Reschtschaffen: Mindfulness Guide

Daniel is a Marriage and Family Therapist, and the author of The Way of Mindful Education and The Mindful Education Workbook. He is the founding director of Mindful Education, a mindfulness and social-emotional learning platform for educators. Daniel offers keynote speeches and mindfulness training at conferences, schools, communities, and businesses, such as the University of Wisconsin Madison, Google, Esalen Institute, and schools around the globe. Daniel teaches mindfulness through music, sports, storytelling, games, and other creative and engaging ways. He is no stranger; he has supported our school in the past and has been an active creator and facilitator in our Millennium Forum program, which supports hundreds of educators across the country.

Erin Gevertz: Director of High School Counseling

A Bay Area native, Erin has been working with youth for over 20 years. Focusing on individual needs and nurturing personal growth and development of the student are at the base of her passion for this work. She graduated from University of Oregon with a B.A. in Educational Studies and a Masters in Educational Leadership. After teaching at a private school in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, she returned to San Francisco where her passion for educational access and equity began. Her experience in independent schools and educational non-profits solidified her understanding of the value that choice and access play in the discovery of right fit schools for children. She is aware of the gap that families are facing discerning the wide range of options based on individual student needs. Since 2010, Erin has taught and mentored students through the admissions process of independent middle and high schools. Counseling and coaching, she guides students in all facets of the complex and challenging process. Erin is thrilled to join a passionate Millennium School team. Outside of education, she loves reading, salsa dancing, cooking, gardening and spending time with her family and friends.

Isaac Velarde: PE Guide & Athletic Director

Isaac was raised in Bellevue, WA a suburb of Seattle. He attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA where he earned a BA in education. After graduating, Isaac relocated to New York City where he lived for 5 years. After working at a school in Harlem for 3 years, he relocated with his partner to the Bay Area. Isaac has 7 years of teaching physical education with many years of coaching soccer and badminton. A passionate lover of all Seattle sports, tacos, and his dog Paloma, Isaac is eager to continue his career with Millennium and is so excited for this upcoming year.

Jeff Snipes: Chairman, Millennium School

Jeff serves as the Chairman of Millennium’s Board of Trustees where he leads the strategic vision and collaboration of the lab school, research and professional development programs of Millennium.org. Jeff loves working weekly with students in the co-creation of the school’s Forum and leadership development practices. He has served on the boards of Mindful Schools, Challenge Success, Education Superhighway, and is an advisor to San Francisco Public Schools, the Learning for Well-Being Foundation, and the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education. Previously Jeff spent 16 years leading the largest U.S. corporate leadership development company (now KornFerry), where he was named a “Top 25 US Leadership Advisor” and “CEO of the Year” by the American Business Association. Along the way, Jeff served as the Board President at Marin Montessori School, where he helped launch a model land-based junior high program. That experience, along with raising his three own children, inspired him to help adolescents develop a broader definition of success. Jeff has degrees in Philosophy and Business from Southern Methodist University.

Jessica Li (Humanities Guide)

Jessica believes in lifelong learning and learning alongside her students. She is passionate about supporting social emotional wellbeing and creating awe and joy in learning. Jessica joins Millennium from Avenues Silicon Valley, where she was a founding interdisciplinary project teacher and the DEI Learning Guide for faculty. She designed and delivered a project-based curriculum for students and professional learning meetings for faculty. Jessica’s prior experience includes teaching project-based learning in a Mandarin immersion school in San Francisco, and teaching English as an additional language, both at an underprivileged elementary school in Boston and to the Chinese National Women’s Youth Ice Hockey Team. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree in bilingual education from Boston University and her master’s in international education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys bouldering, tending to her houseplants, and replicating Chinese family recipes in the kitchen.

Kate Moriarty: Dean of Students & Director of Experiential Learning

Kate has been teaching and working with children of all ages in a variety of settings for over 10 years. She is passionate about creating supportive, responsive and student-driven learning environments that honor and respect the whole child. Kate started her teaching career at Northfield Mt. Hermon, a boarding school in Massachusetts, where she taught Psychology and Humanities, coached varsity soccer and led three international trips to South Africa, Israel and Russia. She most recently served as Assistant Head of School at AltSchool Fort Mason after serving as the school’s Personalization Lead and lead educator in a mixed-aged, project-based Elementary classroom. She earned a Psychology degree from Amherst College and a Master of Education in Mind, Brain and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Kyle Blase - Creative Expression Adjunct Guide

Kyle (he/they) is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, singer, and educator. His smooth baritone voice, electric bass, ukulele, and hilarious stage presence has captivated many audiences in his 30 years of musical performance. Kyle finished his music degree at San Francisco State in 1999, where he studied guitar, voice, and theory. After college Kyle spent a year in France performing and touring with The Acid Jazz Orchestra "Buzart," as their guitarist, flutist, and vocalist. In 2002, Kyle then moved on to perform with Miss Faye Carol and the queen of cool Kellye Gray. In 2010, Kyle added Ukulele to his repertoire. Sharing similar ethnic backgrounds as the ukulele, Hawaiian, and Spanish, Kyle felt a kinship with this small but complex instrument. As a Guitar and Ukulele player, Kyle studied primarily with jazz guitar Master Tru Born (AKA Anthony Michael Peterson). Kyle received his Masters in 2010 in education and Multi-subject credential in 2018. 

Karina Becerra (Spanish Guide)

Karina is a 9th year Spanish Educator but has been coaching, mentoring and aiding students of all ages her entire life. One of her most impactful guide experiences was as a student aid in an English Language Development class when she was a middle schooler herself. That, among many other fond memories of her childhood, served as catalysts for her love of language and helping others find meaning in their educational opportunities.  She is excited for her return to middle school after having taught six years at Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley.  She was born and raised in Mendocino County where she developed her love of the beautiful outdoors. An avid camper and passionate karaoker, you can find her living simply at a campground or belting out (mostly) slow sad ballads at a karaoke spot on any given weekend.

Lindsay Berk: STEM Guide

Lindsay brings 13 years of experience in STEM curriculum design and project-based learning from upper elementary to graduate school students. She has taught Environmental Sciences for undergraduates while backpacking 300 miles in the California wilderness, led middle school students on multi-week service-learning in the Makah Reservation, and designed cross-disciplinary Quests in a project-based STEM high school. For the last 4 years Lindsay has found her niche in the middle school science classroom. She has led "Passion Projects" based on student interests, engaged students in Socratic Seminar, and coached Science Olympiad teams in robotics, aviation, and forensics.  At Millennium, she incorporates her background in wildlife biology, GIS, and outdoor education into multi-disciplinary projects with real world application. Lindsay is a graduate of UCLA, with Master's degrees from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and the University of Washington.

Newton Martin: Director of Operations & Finance

Newton is a unit of force, a student in the ever-demanding interdisciplinary study of life. He is above all the walking, breathing, embodiment of diversity who hopes that kindness can someday be perennially cool. His main aim is to mobilize as many ‘units of force’ as possible, from all walks of life, cultures and schools of thought, so that we can create a system, a movement so powerfully intelligent, compassionate and resourceful that we start fostering true egalitarianism. Newton has studied Psychology at the undergraduate level and International Affairs at the graduate level. He is forever striving to qualify as a professional human being. He has taught art, coached soccer, mentored young adults and managed a start-up. Part time humorist, percussionist, and jester. Full time inquisitor.

Roberto d’Erizans: Head of School

Roberto is a seasoned progressive educator. For more than 18 years, he has been fortunate to live and work in truly exceptional learning environments. He taught Spanish at the Eagle Rock (an experiential adventure-based residential school in Colorado) and the prestigious Taft School in Connecticut; served as the Director of the Middlebury-Monterrey Language Academy, a program of Middlebury College; Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the American School in London; and most recently as the Middle School Principal at the American School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Roberto embodies Millennium’s values of wisdom, love, and conscious action, and has a passion for adolescent education that is grounded in developmental science. Roberto holds degrees from Wofford College, Middlebury College, including a doctoral degree in education from Northeastern University. Roberto grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where his father's family is from, and moved to the USA when he was in middle school. A frequent writer, you can find some of his articles archived at http://robertoderizans.wordpress.com/ Fun fact: Ashley and Roberto studied together at Middlebury!

Stephanie Kinkel: Integrated Academics Architect

Stephanie is a passionate educator broadly interested in science, art, and equity. Thoughtful and open, she believes in the power of curiosity-driven learning. Stephanie spent six years teaching at Meridian Academy, a highly progressive and inquiry-based middle and high school in Boston. Here she wore many hats, though her main roles were to teach math and science and serve as the Dean of Faculty. In her latter position, she supported her colleagues in their own inquiry, observation, and feedback. Currently, Stephanie is studying science illustration in Monterey Bay, where she has refined her illustration skills while becoming even more excited about sharing the beauty of science with her students. Stephanie holds an undergraduate degree in molecular biology from UCSD and a Masters from MIT.

Stephanie Ponce: Spanish Guide

Stephanie brings fun, spark, and cheerful smiles to Millennium School. Born from Salvadoran and Nicaraguan parents, Stephanie is a first generation San Francisco native. Stephanie has lived her entire life in the beautiful city of San Francisco, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.  Stephanie is passionate about incorporating the lively and colorful richness of her Central American culture into her classroom so that her students can experience the same fascinating culture that she grew up with. Stephanie’s primary goal is to provide her students with unforgettable learning experiences both inside the classroom, and out. Stephanie is a strong believer in being an impactful mentor to middle school students so she can help guide them on their path of becoming successful citizens of the world! A graduate from San Francisco State University, most recently Stephanie taught middle school Spanish at Spanish Infusión School.

Taryn Elliott: Math Guide

Taryn joins the Millennium team with 8 years of experience teaching mathematics at a range of levels from middle school through college. For the past five years, Taryn has taught Algebra 1 at Envision Academy, a small project-based learning high school in Oakland. In her role as a ninth-grade teacher, she developed practices for building community and supporting students’ social-emotional well-being that she is excited to share with the Millennium community. She began her teaching career supporting undergraduate learners as an adjunct instructor at UC Berkeley, where she received her B.A. in Mathematics. She also holds a master’s degree in Mathematics Education from Stanford University and is a Teaching Fellow with the Knowles Teacher Initiative.

Current Openings:

After-School Program Coordinator & Facilitator

Part-Time Position (Hourly Rate) - 2024-25 School Year

Learn more and apply HERE.

Head of School Search:

Millennium School has retained Resource Group 175 (RG175) to support the search for its next Head of School.

Click here to read the Opportunity Statement and learn more.

The application deadline is Sunday, July 28, 2024. The start date for the role is July 1, 2025. Candidates are requested to submit these materials online at: 

https://rg175.com/candidate/signup 

For an initial inquiry or to nominate a potential candidate for the exciting opportunity, please contact: 

Steve Morris 

steve.morris@rg175.com 

415-370-2388 

School Hours:
8:30am - 3:30pm
Monday - Friday.

Terms: Millennium School has five terms each year, each approximately six weeks long. Within each term, students focus on two "Quests" at a time. These Quests are interdisciplinary classes, enabling students to deeply explore problems and projects which link to the real world. See our blog post here on the "Questions" that each Quest explores. Students spend most of each morning in their Quest, able to go deeply into their project topic, while in the afternoon they have a rotation of Math, Spanish, Creative Expression & Physical Expression classes.

Intersessions: Before and after each term, we have a one week "intersession." Intersession is an opportunity for even deeper and more focused learning. Students may spend the week apprenticing with a local company; doing an educational trip; designing and completing a challenge project; or participating in a whole-school simulation, for example if Millennium School turned into Ancient Greece for a week. This is not a vacation period; school is still fully in session at the same hours. The first and last intersession of the year are both outdoor expeditions, rich with opportunities for learning about oneself, building resilience, and forming a strong bond with fellow students and faculty. 

Millennium School is honored to work with the following leaders in education, developmental psychology, and neuroscience. These partners guide our research and program design, and we are deeply grateful for their shared wisdom and experience.

Steve Arnold: Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Polaris Partners; Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, George Lucas Educational Foundation; CASEL Board of Directors; Chairman, Healthy Minds Innovations

Wendy Baron: Co-Founder & Chief SEL Officer, New Teacher Center; Program Faculty 1440 Multiversity; SEL Consultant and Coach, CA Department of Education.

Linda Lantieri: Co-Founder and Sr. Program Advisor for CASEL; Associate Adjunct Professor of Education, Columbia University City College; Founding Director of the Inner Resilience Project; Co-Founder of Transformative Educational Leadership

Madeline Levine: Adolescent Psychologist, New York Times Best-Selling Author; Co-Founder, Stanford’s Challenge Success Program

Rhonda Magee: Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco; Author of “The Inner Work of Racial Justice”, internationally-recognized thought focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education.

Evan Marwell*: Founder and CEO, Education Superhighway; Founder, Shaka Capital; Partner, Criterion Capital Management; MBA, Harvard Business School; Past Board Chair, Burke’s School.

Lisa Miller: Professor of Psychology and Education, Director of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University, Teachers College; Founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute; Founder, Collaborative for Spirituality in Education.

Denise Pope: Senior Lecturer in Emergent Curriculum Design, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Author; Co-Founder, Stanford’s Challenge Success Program

Deborah Quazzo: Co-Founder and Managing Partner, GSV Acceleration, LLC; Founder & Partner, Global Silicon Valley Advisors; Co-Founder and President, ThinkEquity Partners; MBA, Harvard Business School

Daniel Rechtschaffen: Director of Mindful Education; Co-Founder, Transformational Educational Leadership; Author, “The Way of Mindful Education”

Kim Smith: previously Co-Founder & CEO, New Schools Ventures; Founder & CEO, Pahara Institute; Co-Founder & CEO, Bellwether Education Partners

Jeff Snipes*: Chairman & Founder of Millennium.org; Previously CEO of Ninth House/Korn Ferry, past board member: Mindful Schools, Education Superhighway, Challenge Success, Marin Montessori, Learning for Well-Being Foundation.

Jenny Wade*: Professor of Integral and Transpersonal Psychology PhD Program, CIIS; Developmental Psychologist, Lecturer & Researcher

James Willcox*: President and CEO, Strategic Growth Partners; previous CEO at Aspire Public Schools and Principal at NewSchools Venture Fund

Xiaoan Li: Senior Program Director, the Fetzer Institute. PhD in Higher Education & Organizational Change, UCLA

* Governing board member