World Languages

List of 5 members.

• 

  Angela Volpicelli 

  Spanish Department Chair, Spanish Teacher

  University of Wisconsin-Madison - MA
  Indiana University - BA

  angelavolpicelli@vistamarschool.org

  Bio

  Angela came to the World Language Department at Vistamar after teaching Spanish language and literature at the Archer School for Girls here in Los Angeles. With fifteen years as an educator, she has experience teaching Spanish to all ages and levels in a variety of settings.  She taught Spanish to international high school students in Salamanca, Spain with The American School In Switzerland´s summer program and has lead many students through international service programs in Guatemala, Peru and Mexico.   

   

  Angela completed a B.A. in Spanish from Indiana University and an M.A. in Spanish language and literature from the University of Wisconsin.  She studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and has done graduate-level work in language teaching in Santiago de Compostela and Granada, Spain. 

   

  In her free time she enjoys hiking, cooking, yoga, going to the beach and spending time with her husband Kyle and baby daughter Willamina.
• 

  Marco Andrade 

  Spanish Teacher

  Universidad Catolica - Bachelors Degree

  marcoandrade@vistamarschool.org

  Bio

  Marco earned a BA in philosophy from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador. Before moving to the United States he taught Spanish language and literature for two years at a high school for girls in Quito, where he also served as assistant editor of the monthly journal Casa de la Cultura and as Spanish teacher and tour guide for Escuela Español Equinoccial, which specialized in programs for foreign students. Before joining Vistamar, he served as an assistant teacher in Spanish immersion classrooms in Culver City public schools and as a Spanish tutor for high school students and adults.  He came to work at Vistamar in 2006, and has taught all levels of Spanish language, from Spanish I to AP Spanish.  In the summer of 2015, he was invited to be a part of a team of AP Readers, evaluating AP Spanish exams for students from all over the country.
• 

  Minhua Gu 

  International Admission Coordinator, Chinese Department Chair, Chinese Teacher

  Pepperdine University - MA
  University of Nebraska - MAT
  Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade - BA

  minhuagu@vistamarschool.org

  Bio

  Minhua has been teaching Mandarin in independent schools for 10 years.  She holds masters degrees in Education and in Psychology.  She has developed and started Chinese programs at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina and at Polytechnic School in Pasadena.  She believes that building cultural competence and communication skills are vital components in language acquisition.  She incorporates this idea in her curriculum.  She is teaching Chinese I. Chinese III, Chinese IV, and AP Chinese.
• 

  Qian Kang 

  Chinese Teacher

  qiankang@vistamarschool.org

• Enrique Ruiz Soto 

  enriqueruizsoto@vistamarschool.org

  Bio

  Enrique comes from Cantabria, Spain, and earned a BA in English from the Universidad de Oviedo. He spent an academic year abroad in Northern Ireland and holds a Master of Arts in teaching English at the secondary level from Western New Mexico University where he student taught in Spanish and English. He also holds a Master of Arts in teaching Spanish from Northern Arizona University where he taught Spanish lower level courses for the last two years. He enjoys teaching, playing the guitar, singing, cooking, sports and traveling. He works very hard, always has high expectations and his goal is to make a difference in education.