Staff & Teachers
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Ellen Zhou
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Manny Norse
Manuel Norse has been teaching mathematics at the middle and high school level since 1986, covering all levels from basic math to calculus. He holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Johnson State College and an M.S. degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Portland State University.(He was also the District Math Specialist for the Beaverton School District for three years.)
For the past 25 years, he has tutored both individuals and groups in competitive math, focussing on MathCounts & the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML). He has had numerous students reach the national level of Mathcounts and has been the state coach five times. He is also involved with the American Math Contest (AMC) & the American Invitational Math Exam (AIME). In addition, he has been awarded the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching and the Samuel L Greitzer Distinguished Coach Award.
The Board Member of Willamette Valley Academy.
Course(s) to teach:- A2: AoPS Intro to Algebra Review (Grade 6-8)
- A3: AoPS Geometry Review (Grade 7-9)
- AMC Competition Event: AIME I
- AMC Competition Event: AMC 8
- AoPS Intermediate Algebra A (Grade 8+)
- AoPS Intro to Algebra B (Grade 6-8)
- Competition Event: MOEMS - Math Olympiad Division E - Grade 4-6
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Purushottam Goel
Purushottam Goel is a principal engineer and computer architect at Intel. He holds a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Roorkee and a masters degree in Computer Science from BITS Pilani - both in India.
He has a passion for teaching in general, and especially for teaching physics. He taught physics to his homeschooled sons upto USAPhO (USA Physics Olympiad) level. Both his sons have competed at USAPhO level for many years, and one of them (Gopal K. Goel) went on to win a gold medal at the IPhO (International Physics Olympiad) in 2018.
Purushottam would love to share his knowledge of physics with younger kids.
The Board Member of Willamette Valley Academy. -
Joanne Rees
Joanne Rees is an educator with more than 25 years of experience working with students in and out of the classroom. She has spent the past 17 years teaching math in the Beaverton School District, with the last 14 years teaching higher maths within the Summa program. She spent three years with the Oregon Mathematics Leadership Institute doing graduate-level work. She holds a BME from Alverno College.
Class will be a place where students are challenged to explore problems, make conjectures, and generalize ideas to create meaningful problem-solving strategies that will develop into lifetime skills.
Course(s) to teach:- AGS 3B
- AoPS Introduction to Number Theory
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Connor Nelson
Connor Nelson is a Beaverton High School graduate and received his master’s degree from Pacific University, specializing in STEM and ELL. He has worked for the past 10 years as a math tutor and teacher. As a teacher, he has worked in a variety of settings from grade 6 through high school and is currently teaching advanced math for the Beaverton School District.
Mr. Nelson works to create a classroom environment in which students feel challenged and supported. He regularly integrates curricula materials with high-ceiling problem-solving tasks and activities. He coaches students on how to cope with difficult tasks, constructively deliver and accept feedback, and maintain a growth mindset.
Course(s) to teach:- AGS 1B: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- AGS 2B: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- F2: PreAlgebra A and B - middle school math 7/8
- F3: Algebra 1 B - AGS 2-A: Algebra part
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Angela Norse
Angela Norse has a B.S. Degree in Business from Oregon State University and a M.A.T in Teaching from George Fox University. She started her teaching career in 2002. For 11 years, she taught pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry. For 5 years, she was a MathCounts coach and facilitated the American Math Competition(AMC) and Pentagames. She also participated in problem-solving data collection & research analysis for Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), Instructional Materials Evaluation for Mathematics for the Oregon Department of Education, and problem-solving scoring for the State of Oregon.
After leaving the Beaverton School District, she has been working with elementary students in the Salem-Keizer School District. Her goal in joining Sunshine Elite is to help younger students start building a foundation of competitive math skills.
Course(s) to teach:- AoPS PreAlgebra A (Grade 5-7)
- AoPS PreAlgebra B (Grade 5-7)
- Beast Academy Math Level 2A- Grade 2-3
- Beast Academy Math Level 2CD - Grade 2-3
- Beast Academy Math Level 3A - Grade 3-4
- Beast Academy Math Level 3B - Grade 3-4
- Beast Academy Math Level 3CD - Grade 3-4
- Beast Academy Math Level 4A - Grade 4-5
- Beast Academy Math Level 4B - Grade 4-5
- Beast Academy Math Level 4CD - Grade 4-5
- Beast Academy Math Level 5A - Grade 5-6
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Pamela Robinson
Pamela graduated in 1993 from George Fox University with a degree in elementary education and an endorsement in mathematics. She was a middle school math teacher for 8 years teaching general math, beginning pre-algebra, advanced pre-algebra, and algebra to seventh and eighth-graders in the Hillsboro School District.
Pamela has been tutoring and substitute teaching since 2002 in BSD. For the last two years she has taught 7th and 8th grade math at Stoller Middle School. She has been teaching online classes at Sunshine since 2020.
Course(s) to teach:- AGS 2B: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- F1: Number to Algebra - math 6/7 - learn ahead for middle school math placement test
- F1: Number to Algebra B - ITBS/OSA Math Test Prep for Grade 5/6
- Math Level 5-A - ITBS/OSA Math for Grade 5
- Reading and Vocabulary Level 5B - ITBS/OSA Reading for Grade 5->6
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Leah Hoff
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Leah Hoff received her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Seattle University, with additional coursework in software engineering. She went on to study accounting and is currently working toward her CPA licensure.
Leah is a licensed K-8 general education teacher, with middle & secondary math endorsements. She has many years of experience teaching mathematics, including K-8, pre-algebra, advanced algebra, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus, probability and statistics. She has functioned as head of the math intervention program at a private school, while also teaching special education and gifted & talented mathematics courses.
Leah instructs in AMC8/10 bridge during times she is not working with Sunshine Academy students. She also provides private math and ELA tutoring for several students ranging from 3rd grade through college.
Course(s) to teach:- AoPS PreAlgebra B (Grade 5-7)
- F2: PreAlgebra B (Grade 5-6-7)
- Math Level 4-B + ITBS/OSA Math Grade 4->5
- Math Olympiad / Math League Training for Grade 4-6
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Christopher Dupuis
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Kyle Golden
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Andrew Sturm
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Scott Martin
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Drew Liu
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Jeffrey Chan
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Shilpa Sharma
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Craig Kaercher
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Jennifer Rose
Jennifer is a professional writer with more than 20 years' experience in education. Her publishing credits include language arts, social studies, and science elementary textbooks, and she has expert knowledge of the standards by which students are tested. She has classroom experience teaching creative writing, college preparatory writing, and ELL. She received her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from New York University.
Course(s) to teach:- Level 2B: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 2-3
- Level 3A: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 3-4
- Level 3B: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 3-4
- Level 4A: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 4-5
- Level 4B: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 4-5
- Level 5A: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 5-6
- Level 5B: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 5-6
- Level 6/7A: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 6-7
- Level 6/7B: Skill-based Guided Writing + Grammar - Grade 6-7
- Level 6/7B: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 6-7
- Level 7/8A: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 7-8
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 3
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 4
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Brenda Andrus
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Julie Hlad
Julie has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside, and over 10 years of experience helping students succeed in English. She has taught English Literature at the high school and college levels and loves to help students understand literature. She also taught writing in both high school and college and has great methods that help students improve quickly and become confident writers.
She likes to make learning fun, and her methods of teaching writing are particularly effective. She helps students with their essays for lots of classes from middle school through grad school but especially English, AP History, AP Art History, Humanities, and Philosophy.
She finds helping students improve their SAT and ACT scores and write winning college entrance essays very rewarding. The materials she uses for improving reading, vocabulary, and grammar skills work quickly to improve scores, and she has some great success stories.
Course(s) to teach:- Essay Writing + Grammar IA - Grade 9-11
- Essay Writing + Grammar IB - Grade 8-10
- High School Essay Writing & Grammar - Timed Essay!
- Reading and Vocabulary Level 8/9B - SSAT & PSAT 8/9 Test Prep for Grade 7-9
- SAT Test Prep Intensive Package: Reading/Writing
- SAT Test Prep Package I: Reading/Writing
- Skill-based Guided Writing - Bridge to Level 6/7
- Skill-based Guided Writing + Grammar - Bridge to Level 7/8
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Debby Dodds
Debby Dodds has been teaching Standardized Test Prep strategies for over 20 years. She began her career working for the largest test prep company in Southern California in the 1990s: Ivy West. She tutors for both the ACT and the SAT, all sections, as well as for the SSAT, ISEE, HSPT, APs, SAT 2s, GMAT and GRE. When Sylvan Learning Centers acquired Ivy West, Debby was flown all over the country for a year to facilitate tutor training sessions. She has also done Research & Development for many other test prep companies, creating study materials, and spiralling tests. She taught test prep courses in over 25 different Los Angeles Unified Schools.
She is also a professional author and teaches Creative Writing classes in many Portland venues. Currently, she teaches summer courses at Catlin Gabel and works with students in the Teaching and Learning Center on campus year-round. She runs a popular test prep course for both the SAT and ACT at Riverdale HS. She also works with a few private clients for academic tutoring, writing skills, Test Prep, and college application guidance. She received her BFA from NYU and her MFA from Antioch University.
Debby Dodds has taught creative writing classes for Newport, Oregon's Writers on the Edge (summer 2015), Willamette Writers Conference (2015 and 2016), Catlin Gabel (11 years), Antioch University, The Empty Stage and The Fulton Opera House. She's the author of the soon-to- be-released novel Amish Guys Don't Call (Blue Moon Publishers, spring 2017) and has stories in many anthologies including My Little Red Book (Twelve) and SheWrites. “My Mom and The Dead”, a story about taking my mom to a Grateful Dead concert, appears in the anthology series Thin Threads. She was interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning on 4/21/13 for a piece featured in the Amazon and Barnes and Nobel bestselling, Things That You Would Have Said (Penguin, 2012). Aregular contributor and was the Fiction Editor to The Living Dead magazine, she's also been published in The Sun, Portland Family Magazine, FlashesintheDark.com, Stumptown Underground, The Crimson Crane, Zinkzine.com, and twice in Hip Mama. Ahumor essay was editor's pick on Salon.com and another appeared April 2016 on xoJane.
Course(s) to teach: -
Tami Bake
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Meagan Andrus
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Randall Martinez
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Ta-Leah Smithers
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Elizabeth Lawry
Elizabeth Lawry received her M.A. from the University of Oregon in Communication Disorders and Sciences in June 2020. Although she is not practicing as a speech-language pathologist at Sunshine, she is a language and communication specialist with a particular interest in developing the public speaking and discourse skills of her students. She has more than 5 years of teaching experience and was a competitive Toastmaster in South Korea where she taught English for two years. Her goal is to help students express themselves and their ideas as effectively as possible while teaching stress-management strategies before, during, and after a speech.
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Zhenjing Zhang
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Lalith Lulla
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Adley Robbins
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Erika Toliao
Erika Toliao is a STEM student at Portland State University currently studying computer technology. She is originally from New Jersey and moved to Oregon to pursue higher education. Ms. Toliao holds an associates degree in science and mechatronics, a combination of mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering as well as robotics. She has been working with technology and students for 5+ years.
Ms. Toliao has led teams to win many competitions including the Science Olympiad. She loves to tutor math and teach students how to code. She can’t wait to show the students at Sunshine not only how to build robots but also how to code them as well!
Course(s) to teach:- LEGO EV3 Robotics I - Grade K-3
- LEGO EV3 Robotics II - Grade 3-5
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Sheyla Dirabtes
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Alina Tudorica
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Tyler Bortel
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Jay Kelley
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Jacqueline Acres
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Charles Schulien
Mr. Charles Schulien is FIDE international Chess master and he is a professional Chess coach for more than 20 years.
Mr. Schulien coached many students who are Champions in the State Chess tournaments. He coaches the competitive Chess teams, teaching Chess in different schools like OES, and he also offers private lessons to students at Bethany area.
Course(s) to teach: -
Jerry Sherrard
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Tie Li
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Limei Lai
Young Instructors
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Harry Zhou
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Gopal Goel
Meet Gopal K. Goel, an exceptional student from Portland, OR, currently pursuing his studies at the prestigious MIT.
Gopal's accolades in various academic competitions are nothing short of remarkable. He was a valuable member of the 2020 USA International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) team, earning a IMO silver medal for his outstanding performance. Notably, in 2018, he was an essential part of the USA International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) team, where he earned a IPhO gold medal for his exceptional prowess in physics.
Not only has Gopal excelled in competitions, but he has also demonstrated a commitment to sharing his knowledge and expertise with others. For over three years, he has been tutoring mathematics at the AIME and USAMO levels, as well as physics at the USAPhO level, helping aspiring students hone their skills and achieve success.
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Noah Walsh
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Ram Goel
Ram Goel, growing up in Portlan, Oregon, is currently study in MIT.
Ram's mathematical talent has shone brightly in various competitions. In 2019, he qualified for the prestigious MathCounts Nationals, where he displayed remarkable skills, securing a spot in the top 12 and participating in the coveted Countdown Round. Additionally, Ram's consistent brilliance earned him qualifications for the USA(J)MO in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Notably, he received an Honorable Mention on the USA(J)MO in 2020 and qualified for the esteemed Math Olympiad Program (MOP) in 2021, further affirming his exceptional abilities in the field of mathematics.
Beyond his impressive competition achievements, Ram actively engages in mathematics research through the esteemed MIT PRIMES-USA program, delving into cutting-edge mathematical explorations.
However, Ram's passion extends beyond personal pursuits. He finds great joy in teaching, dedicating over three years to tutoring math at the AMC and AIME levels, both in private settings and as part of the Pacific Math Association. His commitment to education and mentorship is further evident as he leads the Oregon Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT) Team, guiding and inspiring fellow students to excel in the realm of mathematics.
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Anay Aggarwal
Introducing Anay Aggarwal, a remarkable high school student currently attending Jesuit High School in Portland, OR.
Anay's passion for mathematics has led him to excel in numerous State and National Level Math competitions during his middle school years. He has showcased his prowess in challenging contests such as MATHCOUNTS, AMC/AIME, USAJMO, ARML, and the USA Mathematical Talent Search. Notably, in 2022, Anay's leadership skills shone through as he captained the winning team for Oregon at the MATHCOUNTS State Competition.
An outstanding achiever, Anay has qualified for the prestigious USAJMO and achieved top honors by securing the first position nationally in the USAMTS (USA Mathematical Talent Search). His exceptional abilities have earned him a place on the Distinguished Honor Roll for the AMC 10 twice, and he has successfully qualified for the AIME three times.
Apart from his high achievements in math competitions, Anay has proven himself to be a talented teacher. Since 2020, he has been actively teaching and tutoring young students in mathematics, sharing his knowledge and inspiring others to explore the fascinating world of numbers.
Course(s) to teach:- AIME/USAMO Competition Training
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Andrew Su