Staff & Teachers
-
Ellen Zhou
-
Tayliah Brown
Mrs. Tayliah Brown is an Oregon Native and graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Health & Fitness and minor in Business Administration.
Mrs. Brown was previously the Assistant Aquatics Director and Competitive Swim Seam Coach at VillaSport Athletic Club and currently co-owns a youth mentorship and athletic-develoment program. Her athletic career shows her discipline and commitment towards achieving excellence by competing in swimming at a national level and on San Diego State's Division 1 Women's Rowing team.
The Associate Principle of Willamette Valley Academy.
Course(s) to teach: -
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 10A
- AMC Competition Event: AMC 10B
- AMC Competition Event: AMC 12A
- AMC Competition Event: AMC 12B
- AMC Competition Event: AMC 8
- AoPS Intermediate Algebra A (Grade 8+)
- AoPS Intro to Algebra A (Grade 6-8)
- AoPS Intro to Algebra B (Grade 6-8)
- Competition Event: MOEMS - Math Olympiad Division E Grade 4-6
-
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.
Course(s) to teach: -
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
- AoPS Introduction to Probability and Counting
- Math: Algebra 2, PreCaluclus, AGS I, II or III by Mrs. Rees
-
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 1A: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- AGS 1B: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- AGS 2A: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- AGS 2B: Algebra I/Geometry/Statistics
- F2: PreAlgebra A and B - middle school math 7/8
- Math: PreAlgebra, Algebra 1 or 2, Geometry, AGS I, II or III by Mr. Nelson
-
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
-
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 4-B + ITBS/OSA Math Grade 4->5
- Reading and Vocabulary Enhancement - OSA Test for Grade 5
- Reading and Vocabulary Level 5B - ITBS/OSA Reading for Grade 5->6
-
Leah Hoff
.jpg)
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.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 3-B - ITBS/OSA Math Grade 3->4
-
Maggie Greenwood
-
Amanda Carson
-
Andrew Sturm
-
Scott Martin
-
Drew Liu
-
Jeffrey Chan
-
Shilpa Sharma
-
Craig Kaercher
-
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 1A: Skill-based Guided Writing + Grammar - K-2
- Level 2A: Strength-Focused Writing Workshop + Grammar - Grade 1-2
- 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
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 2
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 3
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 4
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 5
- Strength-Focused Writing Workshop - Bridge to level 6/7
- Writing Skills for k-8; Writing for publish or competition by Mrs Rose
-
Brenda Andrus
-
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
- Essay Writing + Grammar II-A - Grade 10-12
- Essay Writing, SSAT, PSAT, SAT Reading/Writing by Mrs. Hlad
- High School Essay Writing & Grammar - Timed Essay!
- Level 6/7A: Skill-based Guided Writing + Grammar - Grade 6-7
- 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
- SAT Test Prep Package II: SAT Reading/Writing
- Skill-based Guided Writing - Bridge to Level 6/7
- Skill-based Guided Writing + Grammar - Bridge to Level 7/8
- SSAT, PSAT, SAT, ACT Reading/Writing Test Prep
-
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:- Comprehensive Reading and Vocabulary Level 7/8B - SSAT/HSPT for Grade 7-8
-
Tami Bake
-
Meagan Andrus
-
Randall Martinez
-
Ta-Leah Smithers
-
Zhenjing Zhang
-
Will Ferguson
-
Cedric Wong
-
Lalith Lulla
-
Kylie McAllister
-
Adley Robbins
-
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 2-3
- LEGO EV3 Robotics II - Grade 3-5
-
Taran Brown
Coach Taran Brown graduated from Campbell County High School with a state championship, Gatorade Player of the year, and was selected as a Mcdonald's All-American athlete. He started his college basketball career at UC Santa Barbara on a full-ride scholarship.
Throughout 2017-2019 Coach Brown worked for two basketball organizations: One-On-One and Portland Energy. Later he worked in VillaSport Athletic Club and formed the most respected and lucrative Sports Department within the nationwide VillaSport corporation. From 2020, he launched C.B. Academy in order to continue to educate young athletes through mind/body awareness, sports, and mannerisms in the greater Bethany area.
Course(s) to teach:- WVA PE
-
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: -
Tie Li
-
Limei Lai
Young Instructors
-
Gopal Goel
Gopal K. Goel is a freshman at MIT from Portland, OR.
Gopal was on the 2020 USA IMO team, where he earned a silver medal, and was on the 2018 USA IPhO team, where he earned a gold medal. He also is a two time USAMO winner, and a three time USAPhO gold medalist. Gopal was an STS finalist in 2021, where he earned the 4th place award. He also has several publications in peer-reviewed math and physics journals.
Gopal has also tutored math for over three years at the AIME and USAMO level, as well as physics at the USAPhO level.
-
Noah Walsh
-
Ram Goel
Ram Goel is a high school junior from Portland, OR. He enjoys teaching, and has tutored math for over 3 years at the AMC and AIME level, both privately and at the Pacific Math Association. He also is the leader of the Oregon Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT) Team.
Ram qualified for MathCounts Nationals in 2019, and placed in the top 12, participating in the Countdown Round. He has also qualified for the USA(J)MO in 2019, 2020, and 2021 earning an Honorable Mention on USAJMO in 2020, and qualifying for the Math Olympiad Program (MOP) in 2021. Outside of competition math, Ram conducts mathematics research through the MIT PRIMES-USA program.
Course(s) to teach: -
Suyash Pandit
-
Anay Aggarwal
Anay Aggarwal is a Freshman at Jesuit High School in Portland, OR. He has participated in State and National Level Math competitions for the past few years, including MATHCOUNTS, AMC, AIME, ARML, and USA Mathematical Talent Search. Anay was the captain of the winning team for Oregon at the MATHCOUNTS State Competition in 2022. He is a two-time qualifier for the AIME competition and has made the Distinguished Honor Roll for AMC 10.
Course(s) to teach: -
Andrew Su