Teaching at La Jolla Country Day School

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Faculty and Staff Directory

The La Jolla Country Day School faculty, administration and staff are strong, diverse and talented individuals who have been drawn together for a common purpose. Ours is a vibrant community with an exciting charge—to create a stronger, better place where our children and those of future generations can grow to become excellent individuals, citizens and adventurers of the world.

Below is a list of the administration, staff and faculty. To locate a member, click on the drop-down menus below to search by division, department or last name. Faculty and staff bios are also available below.

Faculty/Staff Directory

Department

Grade

Last Name

Robert Wagner

Director of the Arts

(858) 453-3440 x234

Bio

“Through an arts education, is an education in the human condition. Through painting, building, singing, performing and shaping, students learn to understand themselves and the world around them. I inspire greatness by ensuring students have a safe place to discover their true selves as they experiment with how to create art which shapes, reflects and challenges the world around them.”

Robert Wagner received his Bachelor of Arts in theater and dance from Muhlenberg College. He founded a nonprofit high school performing arts program for inner-city youth in Allentown, Pa. and served as the manager of education and outreach for Muhlenberg College’s Summer Music Theatre.

Mr. Wagner started at LJCDS in 2012 and has taught Middle and Upper School dance and drama and choreographed and directed all of the theatrical productions. In 2022, he became the director of visual and performing arts.

Professionally, Mr. Wagner performed with the Enchantment Theatre Company’s national tour of The Velveteen Rabbit, sang and danced his heart out in countless summer stock productions on the east coast, and choreographed and assistant-directed the La Jolla Playhouse W.O.W. Festival productions of Heaven on Earth and Under Construction. He has served on the board of the international nonprofit Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, Inc., and was the director of performing arts at the Swain School for four years.

In his free time, Mr. Wagner loves playing with his Goldendoodle, Midas, and traveling with his husband Brent.
Casey Walker

Educator, Design and Innovation

(858) 453-3440 x477

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by helping students see the connection between learning to tinker with projects in the classroom, and creating opportunities to innovate and make changes in their communities and society.”

Casey Walker joined the Design and Innovation team in 2021. She is passionate about using inquiry-based education to help students develop a critical mindset, personal agency, and a love of both learning and making.

Before joining LJCDS, Ms. Walker taught art, design and engineering for six years at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison, New Jersey. She helped to develop their STEM curriculum and established their educational makerspace. Ms. Walker grew up in New Jersey where she earned her A.F.A. from County College of Morris and B.A. in studio art from William Paterson University. She spent two years in Philadelphia, where she earned her M.Ed. in student personnel services from Widener University and learned to call long sandwiches “hoagies.”

In 2018, Ms. Walker worked as a freelance contractor, assisting with product design and crowdfunding for a small tech-craft business. This intersection of design, technology and entrepreneurship primed Ms. Walker for her role in the Design and Innovation department at LJCDS.

Ms. Walker is a cat mom who enjoys roller skating, live music, meeting dogs, and all kinds of making; she has even dabbled in blacksmithing. Two of her favorite things to make are jewelry and food.
Nathaniel West

Educator, US Humanities

(858) 453-3440 x269

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world by sharing the world with my students and giving them the tools to change it. By exposing students to stories and viewpoints often overlooked in education, I strive to transform my students from consumers of history to critical readers of history. Thus, they can question the world around them, and ultimately, work to make it better.”

Nate West believes that teaching in a participatory democracy means giving students the necessary tools to shape the world around them and enact social change. Mr. West works to provide students with the academic and social skills necessary to enact that change, while also honoring each student’s individual identity pursuant with LJCDS’s emphasis on dignity. Everyone is welcome in Mr. West’s classroom, and everyone has something to contribute.

Mr. West’s career in education began in Shanghai, China, where he spent time as an English language teacher after graduating from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He returned to Oregon to pursue a master’s degree in education at the University of Oregon and spent time teaching in the Eugene area before joining LJCDS in 2018. A native of Philadelphia, Nate is an avid Philadelphia 76ers basketball fan and cheesesteak enthusiast. When he’s not at school, Nate can be found cooking Chinese food with his wife, Cassie, or playing with his cat, Dumpling.
Renna Wolfe Ph.D.

Educator, US Science

(858) 453-3440 x336

Bio

“I inspire greatness by connecting students with the natural world and empowering them to ask scientific questions. Given the interconnectedness and interdependence of all living things with the environment, I believe we are obligated to appreciate the inner workings of life on this planet and to take care of it compassionately. I aim to lead by example, by treating others and our environment with respect, and igniting in my students a zeal for science.”

Renna Wolfe, Ph.D., believes strongly that education is key to shaping our world for the better. She has eagerly assumed countless roles in teaching and instruction during her academic training, in which she married two of her great passions, learning and science, by focusing her own research in the field of brain plasticity. Attaining a career in teaching science to students at LJCDS provides the ultimate reward for Dr. Wolfe because in addition to loving the material and the teaching, she loves the kids!

Dr. Wolfe earned her bachelor’s degree with a major in biology from Smith College. Following a year of research in Boston, she was too enticed by San Diego to remain in her home state of Massachusetts and spent the next phase of her life completing her Ph.D. in neuroscience at both UC San Diego and UC Berkeley. Dr. Wolfe is impassioned by faith and spirituality, believing in a fundamental harmony between science and religion. She is also an avid outdoor enthusiast. However, lately, all that rock climbing, hiking, and surfing have had to take a back seat to her two very active small children, not that she's complaining!
Pearce Wright

Coach - Basketball, Baseball

(858) 453-3440

Faculty and Staff Directory

Faculty/Staff Directory

La Jolla Country Day School

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