Silverleaf Academy Faculty
Lori Johnson
Lori Johnson, French and English teacher, graduated magna cum laude from Chapman University, where she majored in both French and Social Sciences, earning Departmental Honors in both subjects. She earned her Master’s degree in French from California State University, Fullerton where she specialized in 18th century political philosophy and 16th and 19th century theater. Lori has an intense love for languages and literature and is thrilled that she will be teaching both English and French. She has lived in Europe and has traveled extensively throughout France.
Lori taught at the University of California Irvine and at the Alliance Française de la Riveria Californienne before coming to Silverleaf Academy. She has published poems and essays, both in English and French, in various literary journals and newspapers. Lori also has extensive curriculum development experience and looks forward to developing the French AP program at Silverleaf Academy for the 2008 - 2009 school year. Lori is a member of several academic and cultural organizations including the Alliance Française, American Comparative Literature Association and the American Association of Teachers of French.
Yasmine Khan
Yasmine A. Khan, Art Teacher, earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California at Berkeley in Art Education. Among her experiences, Yasmine worked in the San Francisco Bay area along side some of the finest contemporary artists of the area. She has been curator for art exhibitions in both Orange County and Berkeley. As an artist herself, Yasmine works in a range of traditional and contemporary mediums from oil paint, ceramics, and charcoal to Digital Art, woodworking, silk-screening, Performance, Video Art and photography.
For the last three years, Yasmine has taught art in various programs to young children and teenagers. She has traveled to Europe and Central America to learn about their local art communities and is currently involved in organizing exhibits of art made locally here in Orange County. She is the second of five children native to Orange County and graduated from a local all-girls high school. She considers teaching at Silverleaf Academy to be a rewarding experience that allows her to give back to the world of academia. As a teacher, her goal is two-fold: to help her students strengthen their observation skills and to encourage them to value and enjoy their own voices as young women in our community.
In addition, for two years she studied Literature and Neuroscience as an undergraduate at the University of California at Irvine. She explores issues of cognition and experience through an inter-mixing of traditional and time-based mediums. In her free time she trains in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira!
Toni Lerner
Toni Lerner, Economics, Social Studies and Psychology instructor, started her educational journey at Saddleback College, where she earned her Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Liberal Arts and a M.B.A in Entrepreneurship at Concordia University in Irvine—all with high honors. She is currently completing another Master’s degree in Psychology and plans on pursuing her doctorate next year.
Mrs. Lerner has been teaching at the university level, but is excited to bring her knowledge and skills to Silverleaf Academy. She has worked with students in the areas of mentoring and is a Sam Walton Fellow with Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE – a collegiate program). She will bring some of the core concepts of SIFE – market economics, financial literacy, success skills, entrepreneurship and ethics – to the Silverleaf Academy classroom. Mrs. Lerner is an advocate of applied learning, and challenges her students to experience learning through active engagement.
Mrs. Lerner is not only a dedicated faculty member but she is also a proud parent of a sophomore at Silverleaf Academy.
Lynn Strobel
Lynn Strobel, Fashion Design teacher, has a degree in fashion
design and 25 years experience in various phases of the garment industry.
She has designed for many Southern California companies and has created
complete lines of clothing for Children’s, Missy Dresses, Junior and
Men’s Sportswear. Lynn has extensive knowledge of draping and fit,
creation of patterns, technical sketching and design.
She currently teaches at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM),
Orange Coast College and El Camino College. Subjects Ms. Strobel is experienced
teaching include: fashion design, patternmaking, sewing, draping, sketching,
CAD patternmaking, and business technology. Lynn is one of the few teachers
in Southern California that specializes in teaching CAD or Computer Aided
Design software for the garment industry.
Before becoming a teacher Ms. Strobel was the owner of Masterworks Design,
a private label manufacturing company. Masterworks designed prototypes and
manufactured products with private labels for large companies, using sub-contractors
in Southern California and Mexico and imported production from Asia.
Suzanne Wesley
Suzanne Wesley, Theatre teacher, received her BA in Theatre Arts and her MFA in Acting Specialization, both from UCLA. She is a member of Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity, The Dramatist Guild, and was a member of AFTRA.
Suzanne has performed in numerous professional plays, mostly in Los Angeles, New York and Connecticut. Her last stage credit was at the Pulse Theatre in New York. Her TV and film credits include Alice, Zygophyte, Slipping Into Darkness, One Step Beyond, Finale, and most recently, Lines, a film short.
She has also spent many years writing for the stage: Conversations with the Living was produced by ATA in New York and also by The Actors’ Company in Burbank; Slickers was also produced by ATA in New York; Random Acts #2 was produced by the Looking Glass Theatre in New York; Penthouse Blues had a staged reading at the Corner Loft Studio in New York; Close had a staged reading at TAWOW in Westport, CT and by Pulse Theatre in New York; Hollywood Lights was produced by Actors Alley Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles, by Polaris Theatre in New York, by TAWOW in Westport, CT and had a staged reading at Theatre West in Hollywood. It is currently being produced by The Looking Glass Theatre in New York. Suzanne has spent the last five years writing two screenplays: A Thousand Lights and Donald on the Edge.
Heidi Chiles
Heidi Chiles, Tennis Coach and PE instructor, is from a family
where tennis runs deep in their blood. Heidi began playing tennis at five
years old and has competed at the collegiate level as well as in tennis
divisions throughout the state. Heidi grew up in Redding, California where
she learned the love and art of tennis from her great-grandfather who was
ranked number one in the world in his senior division. Both her parents
and grandparents played and coached tennis. Her grandmother is still an
active coach in South Orange County. As a young adult, Heidi worked with
her mother, a head tennis coach, on developing high school tennis programs.
Heidi ranked number one at her high school in Redding, as well ranking number
one at her college. She currently instructs tennis at Palisades Tennis
Club in Newport Beach and looks forward to a long career in playing and
coaching tennis.
Nicole Tormey
Nicole Tormey, Math and Science Teacher, graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Nicole also has earned a Master’s degree in Biology from California State University, Fullerton. She worked as a Teaching Assistant in their science department, where she was involved in research on a newly discovered invasive plant species in the Great Basin Desert that is threatening extinction of native plants. She hopes that the population and germination studies will help identify the dangers of the plant and will aid in its control and eradication. Through her education Nicole has developed a deep love of mathmatics and science that she hopes to impart to her students. As a graduate of the California educational system, Nicole is familiar with the State Content Standards as well as State testing requirements. We are happy to have Nicole at Silverleaf Academy and applaud her own love of learning and commitment to education.
Petra Petry
Petra Petry, Spanish teacher, received her Doctorate Degree in both Spanish and Russian Languages, with an emphasis on Literature and History, from Universities Ca' Foscari in Venice, Italy in 2001. She graduated with the intention to teach at the same University, but her personal life brought her to Newport Beach, CA.
Petra had the opportunity at a young age to travel Europe, Asia and Central America, developing her fluent knowledge of 5 languages and achieving her goals in entertainment later acting, singing and writing. Today, in addition to working with Silverleaf Academy students, Petra teaches at the postsecondary level, developing the talents of students interested in succeeding in the entertainment industry or in professional modeling.
Additionally, Petra has published multiple projects in different European countries and is currently a writer for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Petra has been teaching Italian and Spanish for over 13 years, including business-oriented clientele.
Currently Petra is working on two new CDs, one in English with Black Point Productions and the other entirely in Spanish, produced by David Barberis Management. She continues working with Time Warner Cable on a program dedicated to reaching the Hispanic population.
Petra's Publications include: Societa Manfrini Editors "Le bellezze di Venezia", Dmitrij Bakin "La Terra Nativa" (translation from Russian to Italian),
CD Recordings and other Publications include: "Cachete con Cachete" in 1997, "Maracaibo" in 1997, a Francisco Navarro Compilation, "Amor, Amor, Amor" with BMG Records, "Movimento" in 1998, "Atomic Ego" in 1999, "My Heart's on Fire" in 2000, "Zed Tepi" in 2005, and both "Wind & Leaves" and Anime latine "Rota Do Sol - By your Side" in 2006.
Jennifer Backhaus
Jennifer Backhaus is currently on the dance faculty at Chapman University and is the Program Director of West Coast Dance Academy, home of Backhausdance. She is a certified Pilates instructor and teaches modern dance technique and dance conditioning. She is also a teaching artist with the Orange County Performing Arts Center and McCallum Theatre Institute's Aesthetic Education Programs where she shares her love for dance and choreography with local students.
Many of Jennifer’s works have been honored by Regional Dance America and her piece Disintegration was selected for national performances with the American College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. For Backhausdance she has created eleven pieces, three of which (Sitting on January, Disintegration, and Love and Other Impossibilities) have received Lester Horton Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. At the McCallum Theatre’s Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival, Jennifer has been the recipient of three consecutive choreography awards for her work with Backhausdance.
Kim Olmos
Kim Olmos is the yoga teacher for Silverleaf Academy and is also
a faculty member of West Coast Dance Academy where she teaches Ballet, Modern
Dance, Yoga and Conditioning/Pilates Mat classes. She began her ballet training
in Torrance, California and was a member of the South Bay Ballet for 10
years. Kim studied with Gloria Newman, Gus Solomon and Rebecca Wright while
earning her B.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach.
She spent five seasons as a professional dancer with Ballet Pacifica, where
she performed in ballets by such famous choreographers as Peter Pucci, Ann
Marie De Angelo, Choo-San Goh, Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Molly Lynch.
Esther Yu
Esther Yu was a student of National Taiwan Normal University where she studied piano. She studied for her undergraduate degree in New Zealand and received multiple awards for recital performances. She has taught music students in Taiwan and New Zealand. She also volunteers for the Irvine Youth Symphony. She is talented, enthusiastic and an accomplished musician.
