This year, Diamond Bar High School welcomes additional members to its ever-growing staff: Melinda Corral and Whitney Prenger, along with returning alumnus, Gyasmine George, as the College/Career counselor.
They will be joining teachers, Albert Lim, Taylor Canatsey, and Sally Jarvis to make DBHS’s newest teachers of the year, who were profiled in last month’s edition.
Melinda Corral begins her first year at DBHS as a full-fledged teacher in Special Ed English, working with students of all grades. Corral’s pursuit of teaching began when she was inspired by her 12th grade English teacher’s passion toward her job and how her teacher seemed to enjoy every minute of teaching. Before coming here, Corral was an intern teacher at Torrance High School in Special Ed. She believes that she can help students have a better understanding of the school’s curriculum and the English language in general.
“I just enjoy seeing kids’ faces when they understand the subject or when they learn something new,” Corral said.
Another new member of the Brahma family is Whitney Prenger, the Pep Advisor for DBHS, who now teaches sophomore Pathways English and English Language Development 1 classes.
Prenger grew up wanting to dance on Broadway and never planned on becoming a teacher, but she knew she wanted to do something that would have an impact on people. Teaching has given Prenger the opportunity to pursue her passions and make a difference in the lives of others.
“My credential allows me to teach English for now, but I won’t stop there. I would love the opportunity to continue educating myself in different areas,” Prenger said.
Prenger attended Cal State University Long Beach and majored in Journalism and Public Relations. She has taught in the Walnut Valley Unified School District for nine years and was a teacher for CJ Morris, Castle Rock, and Westhoff Elementary, as well as summer school classes at South Pointe Middle.
Class of 2000 alumnus, Gyasmine George, returns to DBHS as the career counselor to guide students to a better understanding of their next stage in their lives.
“My immediate goal is that they [the students] know who I am and what I do. My second goal is providing the students with resources and information. I want the Career Center to be the one-stop shop for anything that’ll help them get to the next level,” George stated.
George received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Cal State Los Angeles University in 2005 and Masters in College Counseling and Student Services five years later from the University of La Verne. She previously worked at the McKinley Children’s Center in San Dimas, where she helped students with behavioral, emotional and reading disabilities. While there, George also coached girls’ basketball for five seasons and softball for one season.
She will now be finishing her Pupil Personnel Services credential at La Verne in December allowing her to counsel students of all grades and currently also teaches Multicultural Psychology at La Verne once every week.
George’s return was inspired by the support that the teachers, GLCs, coaches and teammates gave her.
“This is Diamond Bar’s home to me and I’ve had nothing but great experiences here,” George said. “And I hope that whatever kids I come across, I can help them have a better experience too.”