Mr. Atencio comes to us from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles where he was a science teacher and the Assistant Dean of Students. He earned his BS from the University of Richmond, Virgina in Chemistry and Physics and his MS in Chemistry from UCLA. He teaches physics and math, and is dedicated to producing students who can face the world in an inquisitive way, questioning intelligently and thinking for themselves. He is the faculty advisor to the Model United Nations.

Mr. Chow will be teaching various math courses in the Upper School. He comes steeped in the field of mathematics as a graduate with a BA in Economics from Oberlin University, an MA in Economics from the University of Chicago, an MPA in Public Finance from New York University and an MS in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) from Columbia University. James has also taught in the area of math, math enrichment and science in various schools in California.

Sara Douglas moved to Las Vegas from Akron, Ohio, and is the middle and upper school library media specialist. Sara received a bachelor’s degree in childhood education from Bowling Green State University and a masters degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University. Sara describes her position at The Adelson Educational Campus as her dream job. It is every librarian’s dream to be able to help build the library from the ground up and to ensure every book, magazine, and database in the collection is both relevant to the curriculum and exceptional in its field.

Kathryn is very passionate about health and wellness and loves to teach adolescents how to engage in the healthiest behaviors possible. During an internship at Las Vegas PBS-affiliate station, she helped to create the health documentary, “Fit Kids: Healthy Families,” which focuses on reducing childhood obesity in the Southern Nevada area. She earned her masters of public health from the University of Arizona, and her bachelors in public relations from Pepperdine University in California.

Naomi Guy has been teaching more than 35 years, the majority of which has been in middle schools and high schools in Israel. Born in Jerusalem, she joined The Adelson Educational Campus as a Hebrew teacher in 2005. Her main goal is to teach Hebrew in Hebrew, and represent Israel and its culture to allow her students to be able to apply their Hebrew to real-life situations. Her educational philosophy is that all students love to learn, and that a teacher’s duty is to encourage them by making the teaching more interesting, challenging and meaningful for them. Ms. Guy holds a master’s degree in general and Jewish history from Israel’s Hebrew University. Additionally, Mrs. Guy spent four intensive weeks at Boston’s Hebrew College with educators from all over the United States, immersing herself in the art of Hebrew language teaching.

Gordon Hale joins the Adelson Educational Campus with over 34 years of teaching experience in various high schools. Gordon, who is a recipient of multiple teaching awards, has a Masters in Education, Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. He was awarded his B.S. in Journalism/Spanish from Pittsburgh State University in Kansas.

Dr. Hindman brings the knowledge and skills he learned from his medical training at the University of Alabama to the science classes at the Adelson Upper School. A true Renaissance man, he graduated from the University of Alabama with a medical degree and from Stanford University with a B.A. in Music. He has worked both in various schools in the east and west coasts as a science, math and music teacher.

Betsy Hoff comes to The Adelson Educational Campus via the New York City school system. Holding an undergraduate degree in sociology and secondary education and a masters in business, she is proud to call herself a lifelong learner and brings this passion for education into the classroom. Ms. Hoff draws on her varied experiences as an international management consultant, professional development director and adjunct college professor to foster an appreciation of professional and cultural diversity in her students. Having lived abroad, gone dog sledding in Lapland, camped under an African moon and climbed glaciers in New Zealand, Ms. Hoff enriches her teaching by impressing upon her students that all of life’s experiences are opportunities for learning.

Milly started her career as a Language Arts teacher in 1991 at the Emerson Academy in Louisiana. In her teaching career Milly developed and implemented a highly effective writing process which increased student achievement and engagement. She completed her BA from the University of Memphis with a major in English and a concentration in British Literature. Milly has taken various graduate courses at the University of New Orleans and continues to pursue a Masters of Education program at the University of Nevada.

Hava Lurya was born in Israel, and has over 30 years experience teaching Hebrew and Judaic Studies in America and Israel. Most recently, she was a Hebrew and Judaic Studies teacher at Yavneh Day School in California. She holds a doctorate of education from University of Budapest, and her bachelors and masters are from Bar Ilan University in Israel. Her daughter will be an Adelson Upper School student. Hava has four daughters and five grandchildren. She enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with her family and friends. She is excited to be able to share her love of Israel, Hebrew, and Judaism with everyone at the Adelson Campus.

Prior to entering K-12 education, Dr. Mahoney was a university scientist and faculty member at the University of Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a doctorate in molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and conducted post-doctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Mahoney made the move to private K-12 education in 1998 as founding science chair at Columbia Independent School in Missouri, shortly after serving as principal investigator in an NIH-funded research effort at the University of Missouri aimed at better understanding why cells become cancerous. In 2004, Paul Mahoney was a finalist for the position of Educator Astronaut with NASA. Since then, he has maintained close ties with NASA, working with them to improve the science and math curricula for our nation’s students

Craig Partridge brings more than 25 years of college counseling experience from both the private secondary school and university levels to The Adelson Educational Campus community. He works with students and parents to guide them through the college admissions maze, including helping to identify appropriate college matches for each student, guiding students in the preparation and presentation of their credentials, interpreting college entrance testing, evaluating scholarship opportunities, and readying students for college visits. A cum laude graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, Mr. Partridge holds a master’s in education, counseling and human services. 

Justin Sakofs received his MA from Hebrew College in Boston. He undergraduate degree is from Toronto’s McGill University’s Faculty of Education, where he specialized in Jewish Education. He brings his expertise in Bible and the history of its interpretation to connect with students and find their place within history. Previously, he worked at the Striar Hebrew Academy of Sharon, Massachusettes, Montreal’s Aigua School and various synagogues in Canada, Massachusettes and New Jersey.

Melody Hope Stein lives her life like a work of art in progress. Art is her passion, and it is nourished by teaching art. A professional artist who exhibits and sells works in the New York metropolitan area, Ms. Stein has taught art at every level from preschool to adult in both private and public institutions. She has owned an art rubber stamp company, published a national art magazine and owned an art business in Las Vegas. Currently president of the Las Vegas Polymer Clay Guild, she runs the Bottles of Hope program at the Nevada Cancer Institute.

Jocelyne Uy has been teaching math since 1992 in grades K-12, as both a private tutor and classroom teacher. She has also practiced as a licensed immgration attorney in Michigan, Nevada and Canada. In 2007 Ms. Uy joined The Adelson Upper School math department. She continues to challenge her students to think out of the box, self teach, analyze and solve problems independently. She is honored to serve as math department chair for The Adelson Upper School and is dedicated to positive and successful development of the math department.

Music has been the focus of Susan Vex's life since, at the tender age of five, she was admitted to Julliard Preparatory School. Continuing her education at the High School of Music and Art, she conducted the choir and orchestra at the opening of New York City’s Lincoln Center. Ms. Vex was certified to teach Hebrew and Judaic music at age 17, and after graduating from Queens College, received her license to teach K-12 music. She had a successful career in show business, appearing in major productions all over the world. Ms. Vex has taught at The Milton I. Schwartz Hebrew Academy since 1998, and chairs the music department at The Adelson Upper School.