St. Genevieve High School - Home of the Valiants!

Asst. Athletic Director
Service Hours Coordinator
Substitute Coordinator

"Coach Manny" Arrived at St. Genevieve High School in 2002 after spending 12 years at St. Thomas Elementary School.

He is the Assistant Athletic Director here at St. Gen's. He also coordinates service hours for our parents and our students.

On Tuesdays and special occasions Coach Manny also cooks for the entire school, also known as "Manny's Kitchen".

In March of 2008 Manny's Kitchen served barbecue ribs to the 39th President of the United States, "Jimmy Carter" in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

Drama Teacher

After choreographing the successful Spring musicals THE KING AND I and GREASE for St. Gens, Dani Brown was brought on to join the talented and inspiring faculty and staff. Teaching drama and dance is a passion for Dani and she feels fortunate to enrich the lives of her students with the discipline and aesthetic beauty of the arts.

A graduate of the CSUN Theatre department with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Dani has taught theatre and dance for 22 years in both the educational and professional sectors. A performer in her own right, Dani has been in such shows as, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, FOOTLOOSE, MAN OF LA MANCHA, A CHORUS LINE and ROMEO AND JULIET.

Having been exposed to the arts and “bitten by the bug” at the same age as her St. Gen students, Dani hopes to inspire them to perhaps choose a career in the arts or to simply become a patron of the arts.

English
A.S.B. Moderator

I am blessed to be the Freshman Core Leadership teacher as well as the ASB Director at St. Genevieve. I previously taught elementary school for 15 years but now see that high school is my true calling. I was raised in the San Fernando Valley. I received my B.A. from CSUN and recently completed coursework for my Secondary Credential and M.A. from National University.

I have been an athlete all my life and love sports, especially USC football. You will find me and my family at soccer, football or baseball games on any given weekend. I am married to my wonderful husband who helps me raise our 2 sons. I am the person that I am today because of the amazing legacy my father left for me and my children. I hope to be as inspirational to my students at SGHS.

Executive Assistant
Webmaster

Christian was born the Philippines and migrated to the United States at the age of 12. He is the school's webmaster and photographer. He loves to play baseball and tennis. Christian also serves the St. Genevieve Church as an usher and sacristan.

English
Theatre Productions
Digital Video Production

Hello, my name is Nain E. DoPorto and I have been teaching at St. Genevieve High School for five years now. Currently, I teach English II, Drama, and Video Production. I also direct the two theater productions that our school puts up every year and moderate our televised morning announcements.

I was born in the San Fernando Valley but raised in El Paso, Texas, where I became well instructed in the dramatic arts in Del Valle High School. I came back to California and continued my education in theater arts at USC where I received my BA in Theatre (with an emphasis in performance) and a minor in Cinema/Television.

I love theater, books, film, the arts, and at the end of each year, it is my hope that my students do too.

Spanish I

Miriam Huizenga teaches Spanish I, and she is a native of Argentina in South America. She has been fortunate enough to have traveled to and stayed in each country in South America, and many of the countries in Central America and Europe. However, despite her extensive travels, she considers the USA her home.

Mrs. H is happily married and has a wonderful baby—her chocolate Labrador named (appropriately) Chocolate. This is Mrs. H’s second year with St. Genevieve, and she is overwhelmed by the opportunity to work with such a superior, unique, and spiritual school, staff and collection of students.

“Nothing we can do can Change the past, but everything we do changes the future.” –Ashleigh Brilliant

English

Kerry Roche is a native of southern California and teaches British and AP Literature to Seniors. She received her B.A. in creative writing/world literature from UC Santa Barbara in 2000 . In 2006, she finished her M.A. in English from Cal State University Los Angeles and taught freshman composition classes at CSULA for three years prior to coming to St. Genevieve last Spring.

Kerry says she is excited to become part of the staff here at St. Genevieve and is looking forward to helping her seniors prepare for their future endeavors.

Science

I am very proud to say I was born and raised on the most beautiful island of Guam, the place where America's day begins! I am deeply honored to have been given a chance to teach at St Genevieve High School. To all my fellow faculty, parents, and students please feel free to contact me anytime via email or by phone.

Academic Counselor (11th and 12th Grades)
Director of Development
College Advisor

Allan Paul Shatkin was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned his B.A., M.A. and Permanent Teaching Certificate in New York State.

His diverse career experience includes service as a school principal in Zambia, Africa, many years doing fundraising for non-profit organizations, and three terms as a Senator in the Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mr. Shatkin joined the staff of SGHS in 2001. He is our 11th and 12th grade Academic Counselor. He is also our College Advisor, providing guidance on college and financial aid-related matters to students from their freshmen through their senior years.

Allan provides parent education workshops on a variety of subjects and, as our Director of Development, plays a pivotal role in raising money for scholarships and physical plant improvements.

An accomplished pianist/composer, Mr. Shatkin arranges all the music for our Masses, prayer services and other school activities. He is also the Musical Director for our musical theater productions

English

Kara Ukolowicz teaches 11th grade English and AP Composition.

She attended UCLA and received degrees in English Literature and Mass Media Communications. Her area of specialization is Shakespearean Drama.

Kara recently completed her Masters in Single Subject Education and her teaching credential from Pepperdine University.

Kara also coaches the SGHS Cheer Team.

Foreign Language

Wendy (Wen Ling) Yang was born and educated in Guangzhou, China. She earned her B.A. degree in English at Guangzhou University and also holds an English Second Language Teaching Certificate. Ms. Yang taught English in China for more than 20 years before immigrating to the USA. She joined the staff of St. Genevieve High School in August of 2006 and drafted the University of California-approved Mandarin curriculum for Chinese 1, 2 and 3 which are presently in use by the school. Her addition to the faculty makes SGHS the first and only Catholic high school in the LA Archdiocese to offer Mandarin as a foreign language choice for students. Additionally, in 2007, Ms. Yang initiated the first classes in Chinese at St. Genevieve Elementary School.

Because of the growing interest in studying about China, Ms. Yang took 21 Valiants in March, 2008 on an exciting educational trip in China. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors visited Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. The trip was so successful that she plans to continue to organize them every year.

In her spare time, Ms. Yang enjoys travel, working out at the gym, ballroom dancing, singing, spending time with her family and playing mah jong.