Electives

Rainbow Ashton (Department Head) has been teaching middle school art since 2005. She has taught at 5 middle schools and 2 High schools in Santa Rosa and Fairfield CA. Rainbow was raised in Santa Rosa and graduated from Brook Hill Elementary, Slater Junior High and Montgomery High school. After graduating high school she attended the University of Miami in Florida, then returned home to attend Sonoma state and SRJC. She studied Art with the sole intention of teaching middle school. Mrs. Ashton has also coached track for 7 years. If you were wondering, Rainbow is her birth name. Even she thinks it ironic she became an Art teacher.

Email: rashton@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23232

Email: jcontreras@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23260

David Fiore was 24 when he started his teaching career in the Central Valley in 2008.  He thanks his mentor teachers for helping him along the way but quickly points to his students as playing a significant role in molding him into the educator and person he is today.  David was born in Berkeley, California, but grew up in Stockton. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from California State University of Fresno in 2007.  He went on to earn a Master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Technological Integration from Concordia University Irvine.  He has always taught middle-school, and appreciates this age group as students are not only impressionable, but can also appreciate his dry humor and outdated idioms.  His “dad jokes” are also on the rise.  Outside of the classroom, David enjoys spending time with his family, dabbles in home improvement (much to his wife’s dismay), plays golf and appreciates the beautiful outdoors Sonoma County has to offer.   

Email: dfiore@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23268

Tanisha Goudie was born and raised in Sonoma County. She attended the Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to Sonoma State, where she earned her Bachelor of Art in English. After college, She joined AmeriCorps working in local elementary schools. There, she realized her passion for Education and returned to Sonoma State for her teaching credential. While student teaching, she was placed at a middle school and fell in love with this wacky age group.  Tanisha loves reading, sleeping, and spending time with her four younger siblings in that order.

Email: tgelottegoudie@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23267

Erick Guzmán was born and raised in East LA. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in political science and history. Guzmán also obtained a teaching credential in social science and masters in history from CSULA. He has a decade of teaching experience and has served as an educator the majority of his life. Guzmán will be a role model at CCLA and offer our youth guidance whenever necessary. 

Email: eguzman@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23265

Jessica McNiff was born and raised in southern California before transplanting to Sonoma County after receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz. She went on to earn her Single Subject Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University. She has taught Science and Math in the SRCS district for over 10 years, with this being her 9th year on this campus. In addition to teaching, she is also our Athletic Director, Volleyball and Track Coach, Science Challenge and Amor Para Todos Club Advisor, and regularly mentors new teacher candidates. Jessica loves teaching and giving every middle schooler the opportunity to succeed in the classroom and school community as a whole.

Email: jmcniff@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23226

Katia Palacios was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in Koreatown surrounded by different cultures and languages as well as delicious food. She attended public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and knows first hand the struggle of being the child of a family whose first language is not English. Her family migrated to  the United States from El Salvador in 1982. She enjoys drawing in her sketchbook as well as paint on large canvases. In her free time she enjoys listening to oldies, reading a good book accompanied with a delicious cup of coffee, and watching Korean dramas. 

Katia received her Bachelor's Degree in Art Education from California State University, Chico and her Single Subject Credential from Sonoma State University. 

Katia is passionate about teaching her students the art of self-expression through the usage of their creativity and imagination. Most importantly, she desires to teach her students the value of believing in themselves.

Email: kpalacios@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23231

Cassandra Slagle grew up in the East Bay Area until moving to go to college at Sonoma State, where she earned her Bachelor of the Arts in both English and Theatre. After SSU, she went on to receive both teaching credentials through the University of Western Florida. Throughout her life, she has loved to act on stage and write creatively, and was able to find her voice and passion for public speaking as a middle schooler. It was her theatre teachers that inadvertently inspired her to go into teaching, because of the profound difference they made in her life. She enjoys the challenge and joy that comes with teaching middle schoolers, who are at the age of realizing their passions and goals for the future. In her spare time, Cassandra loves to cook healthy plant-based meals, work in her garden, travel, hike, do yoga, and spend time with her friends and family.

Email: cslagle@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23233

Kyle Thompson has been a member of the Santa Rosa community of music for over 25 years. He sang in the choral ensembles at Santa Rosa High School under the direction of Dan Earl and Dr. Paul Head, played cello in the Santa Rosa Junior Symphony under the direction of Eugene Shepherd (who also taught at Lawrence Cook Middle School), and then went on to receive his A.A. degree in music at SRJC under the direction of Dr. Curtis Sprenger. He received his B.A. at CSU Chico and just finished completing his Masters Degree at Sonoma State University. Mr. Thompson is excited about building a strong music program at CCLA, believes in music as a powerful force that can connect all people together, and has loved working with students in southwest Santa Rosa all of his teaching life. 

In 2010, Mr. Thompson was given the honor of being the Elsie Allen High School Educator of the Year, was awarded the Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education Award in 2009 and 2013, and received the Music Director of the Year for 2015 from the Northern California Band and Choir Director's Association.  He also received the March 2019 Teacher of the Month from the Sonoma County Office of Education. Outside of teaching, Kyle enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, disc golf, woodcarving, and making music. 

Email: kthompson@srcs.k12.ca.us | Extension: 23240