Hello, my name is Ana Reed (formerly Ana Kristina Santos Maligat) and I currently teach Food Science Fundamentals, Fashion & Crafts, and Graphic Design for Screen Printing/Vinyl Cutting in the Cupertino District.

Serving as the Educational Technology Mentor- I help support staff on my campus when we adopt new tech, aid them in incorporating current tech, troubleshoot hardware or software, and help them develop lessons that feature tech. 

Being on the Miller Community Education Foundation Board as the Teacher Representative- advocating for the needs of my colleagues and reporting back to the Board how the grants are supporting and enhancing the student experiences. Our focus is to support strong elective programs, technology integration, and curriculum enrichment through granting teacher/school site funding requests.

As a site SEL co-coordinator and instructional designer, creating thought provoking content and hands on activities for the development of emotional intelligence and nurture a sense of pride in community involvement. I share my ideas and lessons freely and collaborate at local, as well as national, levels. The curriculum covers several topics from the growth of emotional intelligence, digital citizenship and literacy, community involvement, communication, collaboration, environmental impact, and civic engagement.

I was selected as part of a small team to co-design data science lessons for the Santa Clara County Office of Ed, am a certified AI Pioneer with Magic School, am an Adobe Creative educator, and also a NASA HUNCH Academy teacher, which gives my students the opportunity to create solutions for real problems that are out of this world. I was also recently accepted to lead teams of students in the NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge (traditionally only open to high schools), so my Food Science students can help develop recipes for potetial use at the ISS. 

The priviliege of being part of the first graduating class for UniDiversity (an all female cohort) at the Krause Center for Innovation for Makerspace Coordinator State Certification, funded by Gay Krause, was an amazing experience. Getting females (particularly BIPOC) into STEAM leadership roles is important work and I hope to pay it forward through my work. I am also part of a small network of accelerators within my district who lead the initiative to transform best practices to better fit our newest vision of the Portrait of a Learner and goal to grow global citizens through high quality project based learning experiences.

Through Leadership/Student Council/ASB, I founded the Kindergarten Lunch Activity Program to develop a sense of unity with future students and allow current middle schoolers to give back to the elementary communities they came from because in my classroom, the character you grow is just as important as the academics you learn.

Being the founding adviser to Girls Who Code San Jose is a huge accomplishment. It’s the largest chapter in our region and a nationally recognized and championed program. I mentor club advisors all over the US and also support local educators in their aspirations to launch clubs. My first officer teams are now excelling in their positions at some of the biggest tech companies in the area. I also advise Cybuture: the campus cybersecurity/emerging technologies club and the SAGEx club, founded to create better STEM/Lab Sciences engagement amongst those that identify as female as well to provide a space for males interested in growing their advocacy skills.

I founded the campus Food Recovery Program in partnership with Special Day Classes to redistribute cafeteria leftovers to the food insecure within our community and highlight the abilities of students with exceptionalities. I have volunteered with Peninsula Food Runners for many years and was happy to partner with them for this project because getting food to those in need iin the most efficient way is their expertise. I worked with a colleague on campus and our site admin to reach out to the City of Cupertino and Recology for planning a campus wide compost adoption program (in line with what my students were already doing to fertilize our school garden). With support from the District and Board, the program is currently being launched across all schools sites for SB 1383 compliance.

Managing the Campus Cafe is rewarding on so many levels. Watching students creating and serving food and beverages to staff- both grab and go, as well as made to order is always a source of pride. I also "employ" students with exceptionalities to help them attain and practice independent living and employability skills. They are "paid" for their work in treats and trinkets- they can choose small items regularly or choose to earn bigger ticket items by saving their payments. In the training process, I call upon my advanced students to lead sessions, as working with different types of learners allows them to build stronger social skills, grows their patience and communication, and strengthens their capacity to empathize.

I bring back alumni to give presentations to current students on topics from tech to mental health and give students goals to strive for- seeing those who sat in the same chairs and walked the same halls be in positions you aspire to be in increases motivation. I also partner with alumni to lead workshops in their current places of work- it's one thing to imagine yourself working for a company you know little about, but when you're eating at their cafeteria and sitting in their desks, it makes it much easier to visualize your future there.

Gathering staff to create parody videos is something I make time to do so these silly clips can be played on school the school video announcements to help foster a warm and welcoming environment (it's also shared with the community so family members and past/future students can also enjoy the silliness). When your students, colleagues, and staff see you as a person, not just a person that fills a role, it creates stronger bonds and a deeper sense of belonging. When you humanize people in an organization, it's easier to be accepting of mistakes and come together to find solutions and work as a team to change. The ability to critically reflect is imperative for forward growth.

You will regularly see me at the high school campus that my middle school feeds into so I can keep up with the demands students face there so I am better able to prepare current students for the transition to high school and continue to offer support in whatever capacity I can to former students. I offer myself as a mentor to students, including former students through high school, college, and adulthood. When your focus is on building relationships and growing the whole child, they remember and know they can always count on you for help or advice in whatever struggles they're having or that you'll share in their excitement when they have happy news from career opportunities to big moves and other positive life events.

I lead with my heart and my core has and will always be an advocate for the underrepresented. Students seek me out because they know I will listen without judgement. Colleagues seek me out because they know I will speak up when they struggle to find the time or courage to use their voice. Community members seek me out because they value my opinion due to my abilities in researching, reasoning, and maintaining a strong moral conviction. Volunteer organizations seek me out if they're in a pinch because they know if I can make it happen, I will. 

My priorities are clear in how I spend my time and if that speaks to you, remember the name Ana Reed and fill out your ballot accordingly.