CSCE Teacher Directory

Lower Grades

Ms. Hanna Forde, TK-Kindergarten
hannaf@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

Ms. Forde has served as Community School Kindergarten Teacher now for three years. She was born in Sacramento, California, grew up in Folsom, California, and  attended the University of California Santa Barbara for both her undergraduate and graduate schooling. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and another in Sociology, and completed her teacher education program and Masters in Education at UCSB. She loved student-teaching,  and  was drawn toward the holistic approach to education found in Community School's Waldorf Education. Ms. Forde loves the outdoors, dance, and books, and incorporating these in rich Waldorf-inspired ways  into her classroom. 

Mrs. Sara Alvarado, 1st Grade Teacher
saraw@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

Mrs. Sara Alvarado is originally from Owensboro, Kentucky. She went to college at Bellarmine University where she earned her Bachelors in Elementary Education and Learning and Behavior Disorders. A few years later she went to the University of the Cumberlands where she earned her Masters Degree as a Literacy Specialist. She moved to the Bay Area in 2015 to begin teaching at the Community School for Creative Education. Before teaching at Community School, she taught for 6 years in Louisville, Kentucky where she taught Special Education in a small classroom for students in 1st- 5th grades. After working in the Special Education setting, she transitioned into teaching 2nd grade for several years. At Community School she has taken her class from 1st grade on to this year where they are in 6th.  

Ms. Kate Hoshour, 2nd Grade Teacher
cathyh@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

Ms Kate Hoshour chose teaching elementary school as a second career, having spent many years working as a cultural anthropologist, and working internationally to advance and uphold human rights. Armed with this background, she is  deeply committed to Community School's mission of promoting social justice and equity, and the school vision of education as a critical "on-ramp" for all students' success. 

Ms. Alison Keaney, 3rd Grade Teacher
alisonk@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

Alison Keaney has worked at community school the last 3 years as a substitute. She has enjoyed meeting and working with all of our students. Ms. Alison is coming back this year as Third Grade Teacher. Ms. Alison graduated from the University of Utah where she studied Painting and Drawing with an emphasis in Art Therapy. During and after graduation she worked at Primary Children’s Hospital as a Child Life specialist in charge of the art program. While raising her three children she worked as a Substitute and in a Moderate to Severe Autism Classrooms for Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California for 11 years before working at CSCE.

Ms. Anayaxy Barraza, 4th Grade Teacher
anayaxyb@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org
Ms. Anayaxy has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Saint Mary’s College of California and plans to continue with their master’s program next summer. She was raised in Oakland and found the desire to become a teacher as a result of the resilience and vitality she experienced in the communities she was a part of. She is looking forward to instilling some of that passion and tenacity into her classroom community.

Ms. Victoria Guinnane, 5th Grade Teacher
victoriag@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

Ms. G is excited to be joining the CSCE team for the 2020-2021 school year. She was born and raised in Santa Clara County, where she also began her teaching journey. Ms. G will be moving to Alameda County, to which she is looking forward to continuing my journey in Oakland. Victoria has a master’s degree in Education Curriculum and Instruction from San Jose State University. Her hopes are to build students’ confidence in themselves and give them the tools they need to help them gain the success they aspire for in life. She looks forward to growing as an educator and embracing all that she will learn from her students, while at CSCE.

Upper Grades

Mr. Matthew Plicner, Upper Grade English Language Arts / 6th Grade Advisor
matthewp@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

I have been passionately engaged in teaching and education throughout my life. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from San Jose State University and a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Harvard University. I began my career as a cultural anthropologist, and had the good fortune to live and carry out research and educational initiatives abroad in many fascinating locations, spending long periods of time in both India and Indonesia.  

Mr. Benjamin Amundson, Upper Grade English Language Arts / 7th Grade Advisor
benjamina@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

Mr. Benjamin Amundson had a Catholic upbringing in the land of ice and snow. It wasn’t long before the call came for the rain and fog of the West Coast to complete a self-directed degree in Human Ecology of the Americas. As a lifelong naturalist with an eye for politics, Mr. A found sharing knowledge to be as useful as knowing it. He has taught and shared experiences in Korea, Northern California, and now Oakland as a Science teacher. 

Mr. Guy Mathews, Upper Grade Math and Coach / 8th Grade Advisor
guym@communityschoolforcreativeeducation.org

I grew up in New Jersey and fell in love with Math in high school. I love the logic, the power and the simplicity of Math. In college I majored in Math and then Statistics. After graduating, I got a job with Hewlett-Packard and worked for 27 years as a computer programmer. In 2007 I retired from HP and went back to school at San Jose State to get a teaching credential. I have taught Math at various schools in the Bay Area for over 7 years.