Jill Shenberger (Principal)
Mrs. Shenberger has been the Principal of Academy of the Canyons since 2003. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and English and a Master's Degree in Education Administration. She began her teaching career at Hart High School in 1980, where she taught Spanish and English for thirteen years. Mrs. Shenberger spent four years as an Assistant Principal at Calabasas High School in the Las Virgenes School District and then returned to Hart High School in 1996 where she served as Assistant Principal until coming to the Academy in 2003.
Mrs. Shenberger lives in Newhall with her husband. She has three children who all have come through the William S. Hart School District.
"My favorite place in the world to be is in a classroom on a high school campus."
Stephanie Browning (Administrative Assistant/Registrar)
Mrs. Browning has worked for the Hart District since 1990, primarily as the Registrar at Hart High School. In 2004 she moved to AOC as Administrative Assistant and is honored to be part of AOC’s unique learning environment. Mrs. Browning loves the opportunity to get to know all the students attending our school and helping them realize their goals.
Over the years Mrs. Browning has served on many school and district advisory committees and has been recognized as Classified Employee of the Year. She is a Past President of the California School Employees Union.
Mrs. Browning has two sons who are Hart alumni, four grandchildren, and lives in Santa Clarita with her husband . She enjoys quilting and gardening.
Justine Cubbage (Counselor)
Ms. Justine Cubbage graduated from Hart High School to attend Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. While attending Mt. Holyoke, she studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland for her junior year which enabled her to complete a double major in English Literature (British/Scottish literature focus) and Political Science (Middle Eastern Studies focus).
After graduating from Mt. Holyoke, she decided to come home to be close to her family and changed her focus to education. She attended Pepperdine University to earn both her Master’s in Education and Single Subject teaching credential. She began her teaching career at Canyon High School and has taught English at every high school grade level, in core and elective classes, and for non-college prep, college prep and advance placement students. Her students voted her Academic Teacher of the Year at Canyon High School for 2000 and a multi-year honoree of Who's Who Among American High School Teachers. She was recognized as a Hart District Teacher of the Year for 2002-2003. Ms. Cubbage is an original member of the Academy of the Canyons faculty and helped open the school in 2000.
While Ms. Cubbage loves teaching and being in the classroom, she also loves working with students to develop academic, social, and personal goals. She completed her Master’s in Educational Counseling and moved from teaching to counseling when becoming the counselor for both AOC and ECHS. She particularly enjoys working in the challenging middle college environment and working closely with our COC partner in developing the educational plans for all our students.
Pauline Nossaman (Counselor)
Mrs. Nossaman has been in the William S Hart Union High School District since 1955, when she began her teaching career as a PE teacher at Hart High School. She became a counselor five years later, and has been helping students in that role ever since. She has been a counselor at Hart High, Placerita Jr. High, and most recently joined the AOC counseling department in 2001, as the first counselor for AOC, on a part-time basis. Born and raised in Idaho, Mrs. Nossaman holds a BA in Education from the University of Idaho, and a MA in Guidance from California State University, Northridge. She is a member of the Friends of the Libraries Organization, the Santa Clarita Scholarship Foundation, and Delta Kappa Gamma.
Joan Davidson (Attendance Technician)
Mrs. Davidson was a member of the Hart District committee that planned and created Academy of the Canyons in 1999-2000. She was so impressed with the Middle College High School concept that she gladly accepted the opportunity to work in the AOC office when the school opened in 2000.
Mrs. Davidson
grew up in Glendale, earned a BA in Geography from CSUN, and worked
as a City Planner. She married her college sweetheart, Bob, and moved
to Santa Clarita in 1980. They have three grown children that make them
very proud, and most happily, they are now adoring grandparents to a
precious baby boy named Samuel.
In her spare time, Mrs. Davidson enjoys being with her family, traveling,
hiking, walking on the beach, playing tennis, waterskiing, baking cookies,
and especially, playing with Samuel.
Cindy Kolb (Clerk Typist)
Mrs. Kolb has worked in the Hart District for 10 years. She loves working at Academy of the Canyons because of its dedicated staff and highly motivated students. She is currently working on her bachelors degree and attends College of the Canyons on a part-time basis. She feels that being a college student herself allows her to better identify with the students at AOC.
She grew up in Massachusetts and has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for 28 years. She has two grown children who were both students in the Hart School District. Her daughter is currently attending college to become a speech therapist and her son is in a lineman apprenticeship program for the city of Los Angeles.
When she is not doing homework, she enjoys reading, movies, traveling and spending time with family and friends. She especially likes spending time with her dog Maisie.
Monique Newman (Computer Lab Supervisor/Receptionist)
Born in Glendale, CA and raised in Montreal, Canada, Mrs. Newman has experienced life on both coasts. She returned to California in 1978 to study Theater and Art at Biola University, then worked as a Special Education Assistant for L.A. Unified School District until 1983 when her first son was born. Mrs. Newman's husband (Gene) is a Special Ed Administrator and computer technology whiz with the L.A. Unified School District. Computers have been part of her life since the mid 80s when Gene brought a Radio Shack TRS 80 computer into their home, the first of many personal computers. Mrs. Newman now uses computers primarily for word processing, graphic design, and Internet research. Mrs. Newman and her family became residents of Santa Clarita in 1989. Her sons Scott and Brett attended Hart High School, and during their years there, Mrs. Newman volunteered on a number of school and district committees and served as Hart Drama Booster President and Costume Designer. Joining the staff of AOC in 2001, she has been delighted to use her computer skills to assist students in the Computer Lab and to serve as editor of the Parent Newsletter.
Mrs. Newman and her family are volunteer puppy raisers for Guide Dogs of America, and she appreciates AOCs welcoming attitude towards the guide dog puppies she trains. You can usually find a puppy in the Computer Lab under Mrs. Newman's desk (a Labrador Retriever wearing a yellow 'service dog' jacket) where they are gaining valuable "on the job etiquette" experience! (Fondly known as the Computer Lab Lab!)
Daren Blake (Department Chair)
Mrs. Blake currently teaches English 12 Honors and English 10 Honors and thoroughly enjoys the interactions with students that these classes afford. As yearbook adviser, she has the privilege of watching the yearbook, a student-led production, evolve over the course of the year and is always impressed at the talent and leadership they exhibit. Overall, she finds teaching to be rich in rewards and is grateful to the many students who have passed through her classroom.
Michele Engerran
Ms. Engerran, a founding member of Academy of the Canyons, teaches Honors English 10, English 12, and Video Production 1A. Working with students is the best part of her job whether it is helping them to revise an English essay, helping them to acclimate to COC, or helping them to discover a hidden acting or editing talent
Sharon Garvar
Mrs. Garvar is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach (one of the most rigorous English programs in the state) earning her degree in English Education with a Creative Writing Emphasis. Mrs. Garvar has also earned her Master's Degree in Literature from California State University, Northridge. She has been published for her writings connecting neurological brain research to characters in short stories written by Edgar Alan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, a concept that merges scientific research and literature. She has also spoken at both national and international literature conferences including one at Cambridge University in England.
Mrs. Garvar has been teaching since 1998, when she started in the William S. Hart Union High School District at Canyon High School. She taught at Canyon for three years before transferring to the Academy of the Canyons. She has been a part of the AOC faculty since 2001. In 2005 she was recognized as Academy of the Canyons Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Garvar lives in the Santa Clarita Valley with her husband their daughter.
Felicia Heath
Ms. Heath is a transplant from Petersburg, Virginia, where she graduated from Petersburg High School. She received her BA in English from Duke University, and pursued graduate degrees from the American University in Washington DC (in Art Management) and the University of LaVerne (M. ED in Education and teaching credential). Prior to teaching she worked in the Aerospace industry, and began teaching in the Saugus Union School District in 1998. In 1999 she began her career with the William S Hart Union High School District. When she is not teaching, she enjoys traveling, attending the theatre, gemology, and spending time with her family.
Jason Wilhelm
Mr. Wilhelm is a native of the Antelope Valley. He served in the US Navy for five years, where he traveled the world and took advantage of the educational opportunities to earn his Associates Degree. He earned his BA in English and a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English from California State University, Northridge, and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from California State University, Bakersfield.
He began his teaching experience at a private school in the San Fernando Valley, teaching AP Lit/Comp as well as 10th and 11th grade English and coaching Volleyball. He was a founding teacher of the Early College High School, teaching 9th and 10th grade English, as well as Journalism. He moved to AOC in the fall of 2009, and currently teaches English 10, Honors English 11, and advisory for 10th grade and 11th/12th grades.
Outside of school he enjoys spending time with his wife, his two sons, and their two dogs. He enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping, traveling, reading, writing, learning, and ultimately, living life.
Doug Labus (Department Chair)
Mr. Labus earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Spring 1992). In the years between earning his degree and credential, Mr. Labus worked as a computer programmer and a computer operator. He earned his Teaching Credential in Mathematics with a Supplemental Credential in Computer Concepts and Applications from The Master’s College in Santa Clarita (Fall 1996). In the fall of 1997 Mr. Labus began his teaching career at Hart High School where he taught Pre-Algebra through Pre-Calculus, and Advanced Placement Computer Science. He also served as a mentor teacher. Mr. Labus moved to Academy of the Canyons in the Fall of 2008 becoming the first Mathematics teacher. He currently serves as the chairperson for the Math Department, and as advisor to the AOC Bible Club.
Jennie Siemens
Ms. Siemens has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from The Master's College, located nearby. Her love for mathematics and the joy of unraveling difficult problems has continued to grow, and she is continually excited to share the joys of math with students. Ms. Siemens is thankful for the privilege of working with the amazing students, parents and staff at Academy of the Canyons.
Ms. Siemens has been teaching in the Hart District since 2007. She was one of the founding teachers at the Early College High School, and transitioned into the faculty of AOC when the schools merged in 2009. She was named Teacher of the Year for the Early College High School for the 2009-2010 school year.
While attending The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, Ms. Siemens spent a semester abroad studying in Israel and highly recommends taking advantage of opportunities of studying in another country. She enjoys reading, crocheting, biking, and hiking... especially in the mountains of Colorado.
Michele Siner (Department Chair)
Ms. Siner has a BA in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, from the California State University at San Bernadino, and a MA in Education from Claremont Graduate College. Prior to coming to the William S. Hart district, she taught four years of Honors /AP Biology and Chemistry at a National Blue Ribbon High School, as well as five years of Earth and Environmental Science at a WASC accredited Model Continuation High School. She began her career in the Hart District in 2007 as the first science teacher for ECHS/AOC, and is currently the Chairperson of the Science Department at AOC. The driving force in her life, besides her students, is plants, especially California Native Plants. She is an active member of the Theodore Payne Foundation, and has a bad habit of re-landscaping all her friends’ front yards for water conservation.
Don Musella
Mr. Musella has been a teacher in the Hart District since 1994. He started his teaching career at Placerita Junior High School teaching seventh and eighth grade science. He was one of the founding teachers at Golden Valley High School, when it opened in 2004. At Golden Valley, he taught Biology, Earth Science, PE, AP Environmental Science and coached football. He came to AOC in 2009, and splits his time between teaching Biology classes for AOC, and teaching multiple subjects at Learning Post High School, the independent studies high school for the Hart district, which is also located in the University Center at College of the Canyons. In addition to his teaching assignment, he advises the Speech and Debate Club at AOC. When he is not teaching, and the weather is nice, he enjoys spending time on the lake with his wife and young son.
Greg Herrick (Department Chair)
Mr. Herrick, has been at Academy of the Canyons since 2004. Currently he teaches U.S. History, Contemporary American Problems, California History, and serves as an Advisement teacher. He also teaches Physical Education and is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at College of the Canyons. Mr. Herrick possesses a B.A. in History from Loyola Marymount University and a M.A. in Educational Administration from CSUN. A teacher since 1979, Mr. Herrick and his wife, Marilyn are the proud parents of sons Robert and Michael and daughter Catherine. Mr. Herrick was the 2007-2008 Teacher of the Year for Academy of the Canyons.
Victoria Rubay
Mrs. Rubay is a graduate from California State University, Bakersfield, earning her degree in Social Science with a minor in Economics. She is CLAD certified in the State of California. She has taken numerous business and marketing classes through the Kern High School District in conjunction with Virtual Enterprise. Ms. Elfstrom has been teaching since 2001. She began her teaching career working for the El Tejon Unified School District in Frazier Park before accepting a teaching position at Academy of the Canyons in 2004. She currently teaches Economics, Honors Modern Civilizations and Virtual Enterprise.
Jessica Ruiz
Ms. Ruiz grew up in the Santa Clarita Valley, attending Arroyo Seco Junior High and Saugus High Schools in the William S. Hart District. She holds degrees from the University of Alabama, including a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Curriculum and Instruction, as well as a teaching certificate in secondary social studies.
After returning to sunny Southern California, Ms. Ruiz taught Modern Civilizations and Freshman Seminar at SCV Early College High School during the 2008-2009 academic year, before moving to Academy of the Canyons. She currently teaches Modern Civilizations, American Government, and Freshman Seminar. She also serves as the ASB advisor and the advisor for the Singing Club. In her spare time, she enjoys making cards and cheering on her favorite teams: Los Angeles Dodgers and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Robert Walker
Mr. Walker is an alumni of Saugus High School (class of1995) and of College of the Canyons (AA in History, 1998). He is a graduate of the University of California, Davis (BA in History, 2000), Stanford University (MA in History, 2002) and California State University, Northridge (Teaching Credential, 2003, and MA in Computers and Educational Technology, 2005). In 2008, he achieved National Board Certification (Social Sciences - Adolecents and Young Adults).
Mr. Walker previously taught at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills (2003-2004), and has been at Academy of the Canyons since 2004. In addition to teaching he is the advisor to AOC's chapter of the National Honor Society, as well as the Karma Club. He has developed the district curriculums for the honors social studies classes at AOC, as well as the two classes in human rights and racism within the Hart District. He has twice been recognized as a Teacher of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars, and as a Hart District Teacher of the Year for 2006-2007. In his spare time he loves to travel, read, and spend time with his wife and two adorable puppies.