FACULTY & STAFF

Vanessa Barajas graduated from CSU Northridge with a degree in Sociology.  She has worked in educational and school settings since 2016 as a behavior therapist, teacher assistant, and after school team coach. Ms. Barajas started teaching at Village Glen in 2021 and shares her passion for learning with her students. In her free time, Ms. Barajas enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying new foods, and going on adventures. Ms. Barajas' favorite hobbies are Muay Thai/ Boxing, Jiu Jitsu, and snowboarding!

Charlotte Bashner has been a part of The Help Group teaching staff since 2018. She directs The Help Group Choir and teaches a wide variety of subjects, including high school Music Appreciation, Diversity in Arts and Cultures, AP Music Theory and Ethnomusicology as well as elementary and middle school Music and Spanish. Ms. Bashner graduated from Indiana University- Bloomington with a Bachelors of Music in Voice Performance. After earning her degree, she returned to Los Angeles, where she began her performance and teaching career.

Kamlin Borgwardt has been teaching English in Village Glen High School for six years. She is dually certificated in both Special Education and English. Ms. Borgwardt has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Louisville and a Bachelor’s Degree in English from California State University Sacramento. During her twenty-two years of teaching, Ms. Borgwardt strives to help young men and women improve their reading and writing skills while learning to appreciate classic and contemporary literature.

Taylor Claiborne has spent close to a decade working in an array of educational settings across the United States and abroad. Her sole mission is to help students overcome behavioral challenges and achieve their academic goals. Ms. Claiborne has worked as an educator for over 6 years, teaching students in daycare and TK-12 grade classrooms. Before joining the Help Group in 2019, she worked as a Behavior Analyst, Interventionist, Tutor (contracted and volunteer), Volleyball Coach (volunteer), and Youth Counselor. Ms. Claiborne began her career at the Village Glen West campus as a High School teacher where she instructed various core and elective courses. She has since transitioned to her current role as a VGW Middle School teacher, where she currently instructs all core classes (History, English Language Arts, Math, and Science). Ms. Claiborne earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Child Development and a Master of Arts in Special Education from Kentucky State University--completing a graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2021.

Fidel De La Pena holds a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA and a Master's in Special Education. He began his career at The Help Group, Sherman Oaks campus as an instructional-aide in late 2016 and since then, completed his credential and was promoted to a teacher in early 2017 at the high school level. Since then, he has taught a variety of subjects, but primarily enjoys teaching Algebra and Geometry.

Carlos Espinel teaches Spanish 1, 2 and 3 to Village Glen’s high school students. Mr. Espinel has over 10 years’ experience working in various educational settings, including K-12 classrooms and after-school instruction. Mr. Espinel graduated with a B.A degree in Applied Developmental Science from California State University Northridge and is currently a graduate student at California State University Long Beach, working towards a master’s degree in Special Education. In his spare time, Mr. Espinel enjoys graphic design and creating digital art.

A native to the Los Angeles area, Mr. Hernandez attended UC San Diego where he earned his Bachelor's in Pure Mathematics and National University where he earned his teaching credential. He has been part of the Village Glen team since Fall of 2013. Mr. Hernandez began as a teaching assistant and transitioned into the STEM Instructor for Elementary and Middle School upon completion of his degree. He then transitioned into his current role as a teacher in the High School primarily teaching Mathematics (Algebra 1 & 2 and Geometry), Mr. Hernandez has also taught Computer Programming, and Physics in the past.

A South Bay native, Anthony Holden graduated from CSU Northridge with a degree in Health Science & Public Health Promotion. Before arriving at The Help Group Village Glen in 2016, Mr. Holden worked extensively as a behavior therapist, delivering services and support to children on the autism spectrum across the San Fernando Valley. Mr. Holden has been teaching at Village Glen High School since 2017, where he shares his love of science and continues to serve and empower new generations of young students in the special education population.

Binjuray Noro teaches U.S. History and Government to 11th and 12th graders of Village Glen High School. “Jay”, as he is better known to students and colleagues, has over 10 years of overseas experience both as a teacher of Social Sciences and head of the Social Studies Department. He has also worked as a volunteer teacher at the Developmental Center for Children with Special Needs of the Philippine Service of Mercy Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the Philippines. Mr. Noro earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Central Philippine University.

Ms. Madigapola is Village Glen’s resident Science nerd. In addition to Biology, she teaches Algebra 1 and Interactions. Ms. Madigapola’s love for science first began in 4th grade when she went on a school trip to Santa Cruz island. She went on to study Zoology and work in Marine research at UC Santa Barbara. During her time as an undergraduate, Ms. Madigapola worked in an outdoor education program called Kids in Nature and fell in love with teaching. She went on to earn a teaching credential in Biology and a Masters in Education from the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UCSB. In 2020, Ms. Madigapola completed her coursework for her Special Education credential and Virtual Teacher Certificate.

In her free time, Ms. Ms. Madigapola loves to play with her dogs Honey and Hank, cook meals from all over the world, and work with animal rescues to help shelter dogs and feral kittens. Her front yard is also certified as a wildlife habitat!

Chris has been honored to be the Art Teacher here at Village Glen West since 2019. He received his BA in Fine Art from California State University of Long Beach and continued his studies at the Academia Di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. As an art educator, Chris seeks to engage students using art-based self-discovery and creative storytelling projects. His goal is to offer his students a supportive and encouraging environment, above all aiming to inspire them to value the active process of learning through art.

Shikima is a Teacher Specialist at Village Glen West in Culver City. For the past few years, she has been teaching at the Help Group. On her teaching journey, she has found a special place in her heart for children with disabilities. She believes that they are special in their own unique way. They sometimes just need us as teachers to motivate and bring out the best in them. Shikima strives to make a difference in their lives, and to provide the extra support that will guide them along the way to success. In the near future, she plans to continue working as a Special Education Teacher, because she enjoys watching and assisting children as they grow, learn, and progress.

I started working at the HELP Group as a Modified PE instructor and moved into Special Ed Classroom Teacher in in 2018. I enjoy teaching a variety of classes. The curriculum classes taught have been Biology, Math (Geometry, Algebra and Consumer Math) as well as History. What brings me the most joy is seeing the development and maturity of students discovering their interests and choosing careers during West L.A. college program and Career Preparation classes. My hobbies consist of playing sports listening to music and practicing the guitar.

After earning his Degree from UCSB and receiving his teaching credentials, Jason Petro taught SDC/ED classes for 5 years at a public school while also coaching Varsity Basketball. Mr. Petro has been the P.E. Coach and Athletic Director for Village Glen for 12 years after deciding to leave the classroom. He was instrumental in developing a very successful sports program for Village Glen High School in which the Knights won numerous championships while competing in Flag Football, Soccer, Basketball, Softball, Beach Volleyball, and Track and Field. He is responsible for teaching Specially Designed P.E. classes for all of Village Glen. He has a Master's degree in Special Education and is passionate about helping his students in any way he can.

Brianna Plasencia joined the Help Group’s Village Glen School in Sherman Oaks in 2015. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UCSB in 2014. She went on to pursue a career in special education and earned her teaching credential in 2018 and has worked in both the Beacon and Core elementary and middle school programs. Ms. Plasencia not only enjoys teaching but is a soccer alum; her love for the sport inspired her to start and head the soccer team for Village Glen Middle School. She strives to provide the best learning environment and atmosphere for her students, and believes in offering different learning modalities so that her students can learn to the best of their abilities.

Maria Ramirez has worked in education for the past 16 years. She began teaching general education and during that time also completed her Master's degree in Computer Education and Technology Leadership. Ms. Ramirez decided to focus her career in Special Education, earned her Special Education credential and began her career with The Help Group 9 years ago. She serves as a mentor teacher with Village Glen and has also been the yearbook adviser for several years. Ms. Ramirez strives to build positive relationships with both students and families. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, visiting new places, and cooking new recipes.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ms. Van Den Berg attended Arizona State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Service and Public Policy. She joined The Help Group in Spring 2021 and has since transitioned from a TA to a teacher in the High School. Ms. Van Den Berg spent the majority of the last ten years working with students in some capacity before settling into teaching English at Village Glen. In her free time, you can find her buried in a good book, baking in her kitchen, or spending time with loved ones.

Ms. Villa graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice and a minor in Business Management. She has been working in the educational realm since 2017. She began as a paraprofessional and has since served as a behaviorist and as a special education teacher. Ms. Villa enjoys working with children of all ages! Ms. Villa is currently attending California State University Northridge to pursue her Master's in Special Education. When she is not working with children, Ms. Villa loves to watch sports and attend sporting events while rooting for her favorite teams!

Ryan received his Master's in Special Education from Cal State Dominguez Hills and his Master's in Education specializing in Cross-Cultural Teaching from National University. Also, he has a Mild/Moderate specialist teaching credential from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education from the California State University of Chico as well as a Health teaching credential. Ryan's philosophy is that education is the foundation to learn practical lifelong academic, social, and emotional life skills. He enjoys traveling and exercising in his free time.