Eileen Martinez’s experience as a student growing up in the Central Valley formed her decision to become an educator.
“I think – no, I don’t think, I know – I had a great experience growing up with all my teachers and counselors,” said Martinez, who will be an academic counselor this year for Denair High School students, as well as K-12 students at Denair Charter Academy. “I always wanted to do the same: be a part of the lives of my students.”
Here are some things you should know about Eileen Martinez.
Family members: I come from a proud, Hispanic household that instilled in me the importance of hard work and perseverance.
Educational background: I earned my bachelor’ degree in liberal studies, along with my multiple-subject teaching credential. I then completed a master’s degree in education/learning/technology, followed by a master’s degree in counseling, and my pupil personnel services credential.
What attracted you to Denair? Being from the Central Valley, I appreciate communities where people build meaningful relationships and support one another. I’m excited to become part of a school community where I can support students, families, and staff.
What most inspires you about education? Helping students recognize their strengths, build confidence, and believe in themselves.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? More purple clothing! I need to fill up my closet with purple Denair gear.
What is a favorite educational tool or activity? I enjoy using technology and finding meaningful ways to incorporate it into the classroom. One tool I like to use is Pear Deck because it can be used in either teacher-paced or student-paced lessons.
What would you like your students to remember? I want my students to know they have a safe space where they can be themselves and ask for help without fear of judgment. I also want them to recognize their strengths, build confidence, and know they always have someone they can turn to.
What can parents do to support you? I encourage parents to stay connected, communicate openly, and take time to check in with their students. Sometimes, just asking how they’re doing can open the door to meaningful conversations and help students feel supported.
What’s something that would surprise people about your job? One thing that might surprise people is how unpredictable each day can be. No two days are ever the same, and you never know what a student might need when they walk through your door.
What do you do for fun? I enjoy hanging out with family and friends, watching sports, going to concerts, and trying new coffee drinks.
One little-known fact about me is … R&B is my favorite music genre.
Talk to Christian Obando for any length of time and you’ll quickly realize that he loves his profession. His boundless enthusiasm is matched only by his megawatt smile when he talks about teaching.
The 2020 Denair High graduate was a member of the school’s 2018 state championship football team and comes from a blended family of 14 children. Being a big brother to eight of those brothers and sisters, as well as being a captain on the 2018 football squad, Obando has always been a leader. He believes it’s a trait that formed his desire to be a teacher.
“Being a captain, I think, helped me grow a lot as a leader because many of the kids looked up to me,” said Obando, who played center and linebacker for the Coyotes. “That wasn’t totally new to me because I have a lot of younger siblings, but it was different having somebody that wasn’t a family member looking up to me. It made me want to be better and push harder.”
Here are some other things to know about Christian Obando:
Family members: I come from a big, blended family and have a lot of siblings. From my mom’s side I have 11 siblings and on my dad’s side I have two siblings. From my mother’s side, youngest to oldest: Santiago (3 years old), Isabel (sixth grade), Guillermo and Gabriel (ninth grade), Ezequiel (11th grade), Ernesto (2026 Denair High graduate), Elvis (2020 DHS graduate), Hector (2017 DHS graduate), Jessica (2016 Turlock High graduate), Vanessa and Valeria (2013 THS graduates). From my father’s side of the family: Jamilet (seventh grade at Turlock’s Dutcher Middle School) and Jovanni (2026 Pitman High graduate).
Educational background: I started my educational journey at Osborn Two-Way Immersion Academy (Turlock), learning both English and Spanish simultaneously. After sixth grade I went to Dutcher Middle School for two years and ended my secondary education at Denair High School (Class of 2020). Right after high school, I attended Fresno State for two years before I transferred to Stanislaus State, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture with a concentration in agriculture education. After receiving my degree in 2024, I continued my education at Stanislaus State and received my single-subject credential in agriculture last spring. I’m currently finishing my specialization credential in agriculture.
Previous teaching jobs: For the past four years, I have been Denair High School’s agriculture paraeducator. On top of that, I was a teacher resident last year for Denair High School’s agriculture department and taught two ag courses at Denair Middle School. During my years as the paraeducator, I would also help support our Special Education program with transportation and working Extended School Year, which is specialized Special Education and related services provided during the summer months. Before I came back to Denair as a paraeducator I was working for Esperanza Therapy Services as a behavior technician, helping children and adolescents with autism and developmental disabilities. This was my first step in the educational realm.
Subject/grades taught at Denair: Last year, I helped co-teach the agriculture courses at DHS, of which we have a variety. I helped with agriculture biology, animal science, soil chemistry, introduction to ag mechanics, and helped support the agriculture leadership class. At DMS, I taught ag pathways and introduction to ag. This year I will be teaching (solo) agriculture biology, veterinary science, ag pathways, and physical education sports.
What attracted you to Denair? Since I graduated from DHS, Denair has always felt like home to me. I was fortunate to have teachers and mentors here who encouraged me to pursue agriculture and education. Coming back to Denair allows me to give back to the same community that helped shape who I am today. There is something really special about being able to teach students in the same community and school district that I grew up in.
What most inspires you about teaching? Seeing students discover something they are passionate about. Agriculture gives me the opportunity to teach students through hands-on experiences and show them that what they learn in the classroom connects to the real world. I especially love seeing a student go from saying, “I can’t do this,” to realizing, “Wait, I actually can.” Those moments make teaching incredibly rewarding.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? One challenge I’m looking forward to tackling is continuing to upgrade and modernize our school farm. We have an amazing facility with a lot of land and a long history. The Earl Reed School Farm was established in 1968 by the legendary Denair agriculture teacher, Earl A. Reed. Our structures are still sound, but after 58 years there are definitely areas that could use some modernization and upgrades. I’m excited to help build on what we already have and continue making our school farm an even better place for students to learn through hands-on agricultural experiences.
What is a favorite teaching tool or activity? Anything hands-on. I love giving students opportunities to learn by actually doing something rather than just hearing about it. Whether we’re working with livestock, conducting a lab, building something, or getting outside, I think students remember experiences much longer than they remember a worksheet. Agriculture gives us so many opportunities to turn the classroom into a real-world learning environment.
What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that they are capable of more than they think they are. I hope they remember my classroom as a place where they were encouraged to try, make mistakes, learn, and keep going. Most importantly, I want them to know that they were seen, valued, and believed in.
What can parents do to support you? Parents can support their students by getting involved and encouraging their students to get involved in all aspects of our agriculture program. That could mean joining our ag boosters, attending FFA activities and events with their students, or simply encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. The best part of agricultural education is the three-circle model: classroom instruction, FFA, and SAE. When students are involved in all three areas, they get a much more complete experience, and parents can play a huge role in motivating and supporting them along the way.
What’s something that would surprise people about your job? I think people would be surprised by just how many different things an agriculture teacher does. One day I might be teaching biology or veterinary science, the next I could be working with livestock, fixing something on the school farm, planning an FFA event, or helping a student with their project. Agriculture education really is a little bit of everything, and that’s one of the things I love about it.
What do you do for fun? Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and fiancé, working with livestock, and being involved in agriculture. I also enjoy staying active outdoors: hiking, walking, and running. And on the nerdier side, I’m a big superhero and Pokémon fan and love collecting Pokémon cards and other collectibles.
An interesting fact about me is … One interesting, little-known fact about me is that I was extremely active during my time at Denair High School. I played three sports all four years and had the opportunity to be a captain on the 2018 state champion football team. I was also heavily involved in FFA, where I showed sheep all four years, and I was active in ASB. I started as a rally commissioner my sophomore year and eventually became ASB president my senior year. It’s pretty special to now be back at Denair as a teacher and have the opportunity to give back to the same school and community that gave me so many great experiences growing up. #BecauseDenair
Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees President Billy Myers summed it rather nicely.
“I’m beginning to think that no one actually had a summer break,” he quipped during the first board meeting of the new school year.
Sandwiched between the usual rest and relaxation of summer were a bevy of activities throughout the district, which were highlighted during Thursday night’s meeting. The most notable, of course, was the Denair Elementary Charter Academy cafeteria project, one of several improvement projects funded by Measure Z – the $34.3 million bond measure approved by voters in 2024 – that will take place across the campuses over the coming months.
The DECA cafeteria was operational on Day 1 of the 2026-27 school term, as was the new playground equipment at the elementary campus.
“We hit the ground running on Day One,” said Food Services Manager Kim Fuentez. “Our upgraded kitchen is fully fired up and serving. Staff loves the new space, and students love what we’re cooking. It says a lot about what’s possible when you have the right equipment.”
Another summer highlight was the Denair FFA program’s successful run at the Stanislaus County Fair.
“We’re growing in numbers, and we had a very successful fair season,” said FFA advisor Roger Christianson. “To think that when I started here, we had five sheep exhibitors and two swine exhibitors. To see our growth in the last seven years has been amazing.”
Other summer endeavors included the Rising Stars Robotics and Lego Building class, in which students learned to wire a working robot car from start to finish and were allowed to race their vehicles at the conclusion of the class. Additionally, a summer Multi-Sports Class fostered teamwork and sportsmanship while teaching students the rules and intricacies of several sports.
Finally, Denair Charter Academy Principal Jamie Pecot pointed out that 95 percent of students re-enrolled at DCA for the 2026-27 school. year and 80 percent of the students completed that process during the summer. DCA first-day enrollment was 97 students.
Pecot also mentioned that summer school enrollment numbers declined in 2026.
“And that’s a good thing,” she said. “Students are getting the necessary work completed during the year and are not having to do it over the summer.”
The board also heard from Chief Business Official Daisy Swearingen on Tuesday, who informed the trustees that nearly $69,000 of additional spending is required to complete the new kitchen and HVAC improvement project at existing Gym Building M at DECA after adjustments to the scope of work were discovered during ongoing construction. The contractor submitted Possible
Change Orders (PCOs), which were reviewed by the district, district’s owner’s representative, Valley Construction Services, the project architect, and the inspector of record.
The $68,799.84 in additional funding will come from contingency fund – of about $217,000 – set aside for such instances.
“Most of the things that have come up have been due to unforeseen circumstances – things we couldn’t’ have known about until actually cutting into the building,” said Swearingen. “It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen under the ground.”
The board unanimously approved the Prime Contract Change Orders.
The next board of trustees meeting is slated for Sept. 10.
In addition to duties as an English Language Development teacher, Rachel Rodriguez will teach seventh-grade English at Denair Middle School during the 2026-27 school year and ninth-grade English at Denair High.
But Rodriguez didn’t have the typical English-class experience when she was in seventh and ninth grades.
“In seventh grade, my teacher went out on maternity leave, and we had a long-term substitute,” said Rodriguez. “Then, during my freshman year at Pitman, my teacher made a career change during the year, and we had a long-term substitute. I didn’t get the full experience during those years.”
She’s looking forward to learning alongside her students.
“I’m excited about reading ‘The Outsiders’ for the first time,” she said. “There’s definitely going to be a lot of learning for my students and myself.
“I know there will some methods that won’t work in my classroom, but that’s going to set me up for future success. I’m humble enough to know that this is not going to be a perfect year, but it’s going to be a good one.”
Here are some other things to know about Rachel Rodriguez.
Family members: Husband Isai Rodriguez, a math teacher at Oakdale High School.
Educational background: I graduated from Pitman High School, spent a year at Sonoma State and then graduated with my bachelor’s in English from Stanislaus State, where I also attended for my teaching credential.
Previous teaching jobs: This is my first real teaching job. I student-taught under Katie Jeans at Pitman, and I spent some time substitute teaching.
Subjects/grades taught at Denair: ELA at Denair Middle School, four sections of seventh-grade English at DMS, and one section of ninth-grade English at DHS.
What attracted you to Denair? It’s good to be somewhere local and close to home. I love the small community vibe.
What most inspires you about teaching? I love the ability to connect, support, challenge, and encourage students. I love getting to know each individual student and see how all their unique personalities bring something valuable to the classroom environment.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? Because this is my first year teaching, everything is a challenge I’m excited to tackle. From building lessons to establishing my teaching style, it’s going to be a wonderful adventure.
What is a favorite teaching tool or activity? I love using journal responses and class discussions to get students thinking deeply and connecting content to their own experiences.
What do you want your students to remember? I want them to remember the joy of getting lost in a good story.
What can parents do to support you? Let your students learn to take the initiative when it comes to asking me questions or needing help. I want to keep guardians in the loop as much as possible and I am open to communication. However, your students will be the ones most familiar with classroom expectations, due dates, grading criteria, etc. Support them in navigating how to communicate with teachers interpersonally before swooping in on their behalf.
What’s something that would surprise people about your job? There are so many creative opportunities to make education fun and meaningful.
What do you do for fun? In my free time I play sports recreationally. My main ones are volleyball, pickleball, and softball. I also enjoy traveling, going to concerts, and watching baseball games.
A little-known fact about me is … I’m very good at puzzles: jigsaws, crosswords, escape rooms, word searches, riddles, logic puzzles.
Lilibeth Bravo knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was in the sixth grade.
“I was inspired by my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Carrie Jones,” said Bravo, who will teach Dual Language History, as well as Spanish, for grades 6-8 this year at Denair Middle School. “She helped all of the students; she included everyone and cared for everyone. Most of all, she always motivated us, and she made us feel like we could accomplish things. She really inspired me. I knew that I wanted to be an example for others.
Bravo, like so many first-time teachers, is excited and nervous about the first day of school.
“I can’t wait to meet students and families,” said Bravo, who was born and raised in Modesto and now resides in Turlock. “I’m excited not just to teach them, but to learn from them, too. I think it’s important to learn from students and families. We can’t teach them if we don’t know what they value or what their culture is.”
Here are some other things to know about Lilibeth Bravo.
Family members: I have a 6-year-old son and my life partner who always fill me with love and support.
Educational background: I went to Thomas Downey High School, and I graduated from Modesto Junior College and Stanislaus State with a degree in liberal studies. I am currently enrolled at San Jose State University, pursuing a master’s in instructional technology.
Subject/grades taught at Denair: I will be teaching Dual Language History and Spanish.
What attracted you to Denair? What attracted me to Denair was its community-focused environment and its support for bilingual education. I like that it is a district where teachers can build meaningful relationships with both students and their families.
What most inspires you about teaching? Helping students learn and grow. I want students to feel safe and supported. My goal is to help students see that they are capable of learning by helping them build their confidence and valuing their strengths.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I look forward to tackling challenges that come with being a new teacher. I am looking forward to learning, growing, and becoming the best educator I can be for my students.
What is a favorite teaching tool or activity? A favorite teaching activity of mine is hands-on learning. Hands-on activities give students the opportunity to explore the lesson while staying actively engaged.
What do you want your students to remember? I want students to remember they are important and able to achieve anything they set their minds to. I want them to remember that they will always have my support; and they will always have a classroom where they feel safe, valued, and loved – a place where both their strengths and weaknesses matter.
What can parents do to support you? Parents can support me by reaching out at any time to share any concerns or ideas they may have. They can also encourage their child to do their best and support classroom expectations. I believe working together can help the students be successful.
What’s something that would surprise people about your job? I think people would be surprised that even though lessons are planned, teachers often have to make quick adjustments in the moment to meet their students’ needs.
What do you do for fun? I love spending time with my family. I enjoy having ice cream and playing board games. I also enjoy exercising, running, shopping, and buying plants.
One interesting, little-known fact about me is … I collect Mini Brands Plants.
