Coast Redwood Staff
Kay Mendoza, Education Specialist Manager, Born at San Francisco General the year the first aerial H-bomb was tested over Namu islet in the Marshall Islands and the same year that Egypt took control of the Suez Canal.
In my lifetime thus far, I have seen 11 Presidents several of which held two terms and witnessed many extraordinary world events and inventions, like color TV, computers, transistor radios to boom boxes to iPods, as well as vinyl records to 8-tracks, to cassettes to cd’s. I was raised in rural Monte Sereno along with my older brother, horses, dogs and cats. I come from a very long line of teachers. Grandparents, parents and sibling were/are all educators in the traditional sense, but I was the “rebellious” one who dove into alternative education. I attended Saratoga High School, San Jose State University, Trinity College, Stanford, and LaVerne University. I have since lived in Santa Cruz for the past 23 years with Stan, Caitlin and Sarah, and my canine kids, Henry and Lola. I thoroughly enjoy walks on the beach, the ocean, golf, gardening, cooking, art, film, museums, music, watching scary movies on rainy nights, reading, and coffee with biscotti anytime! The district hired me in 1997 when several families championed the need for a high school-home school program. Together in 1997 we built a program starting with only 6 students the first semester and ended the first school year in 1998 with 15 students. We have since been growing and meeting the challenges of the always changing education landscape with enthusiasm and spirit. “Education consists mainly in what we have unlearned” ~ Mark Twain
Katie Parmenter, Education Specialist, Katie and her family are closely tied to the San Lorenzo Valley. She and her husband are both graduates of San Lorenzo Valley High School and teach in this district. Both of their daughters attend school here as well. She loves to spend time with her family, camping, being outdoors, gardening and walking on the beach.
Keidi Lewis Education Specialist was raised in the San Lorenzo Valley, and values her connection to the local community. She enjoys teaching home school workshops and planning field trips for Coast Redwood students. In her free time, Keidi walks in the woods with her two small daughters and loves to read.