Our Team / Our Team

Get to know our Hoover team!

Click on their picture to read their biography

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Gabi is in her sixth year of teaching at Hoover. Born in Colombia and raised in Vero Beach, FL, she worked as a student teacher throughout her undergraduate studies at Cornell. She majored in human development with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience, which, combined with an education minor, led to an interest in how young people learn. She relocated to the Bay Area in August after completing her masters degree in Massachusetts. She is excited to be working at Hoover Elementary this year and to getting to know the Hoover community!
Hello! My name is Raveena Birdee, the speech-language pathologist here at Hoover. I work with students regarding articulation and language. Before coming to OUSD, I worked with elementary and high school students in the East Bay, as well as with adults in hospital and clinic settings. I’m excited to take these experiences to provide speech services here at Hoover. I aim to keep speech sessions engaging, functional, and fun! When I'm not at Hoover, I love to go to the beach, knit, and watch true crime documentaries.
I moved to the the Bay Area about twenty years ago in order to attend college at Notre Dame de Namur University, where I earned my bachelors degree in English and Political Science. It was there that I met my husband of 12 years. I worked for almost 20 years in retail management as a trainer and a district manager. A few years ago I decided to work on getting my teaching credential. I'm so excited to be teaching 2nd/3rd Personalized Workshop at Hoover.
Jacky graduated from Oakland High School in 2000. She then worked at Rising Star Montessori School in Alameda for 2 years as a Teacher’s Assistant and in the after school program. She joined the Hoover family in 2008 and has been with us ever since. She started off working as a Clerical sub and then moved into being a Bilingual Clerk. After 4 years she decided to take some extra classes and was promoted to an Administrative Assistant position. She enjoys working with the staff, families and students. She loves to see the children evolve from Kindergarten until their 5th grade promotion. It brings such joy to her heart to see their accomplishments. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family and giving back to the community.
Lissette Averhoff is an East Coast transplant who loves Oakland and is dedicated to the Oakland community. She came into teaching through Teach for America. When her 2 year commitment ended, she decided to stay in education and taught for 5 years at KIPP Academy in the Bronx. After visiting Oakland for a summer, she decided to make it her home and taught at ACORN Woodland Elementary School for 7 years and as a Math Specialist for 2 years. She has been bringing her expertise and passion to Hoover Elementary since 2015.
Mark joined the Hoover teaching staff in 1994. He has taught 1st, 4th, and 5th grades and has been a literacy coach for the district. Mark graduated from UC Davis, got his teaching credential at Holy Names in Oakland, and was in the first cohort of the Principles Leadership Institute at UC Berkeley. Mark was born and raised in Oakland, graduating from Skyling High School. He lives in Oakland with his wife and two kids, who both attend Oakland public schools.
Mr. Ford is our evening custodian and makes sure our school is cleaned. He also is very dedicated to our community.
Mr. Lugo has been working at Hoover for 8 years, 5 years as an After School Instructor and 3 as the Coordinator. He was born and raised in the Southern California Desert and is a working artist outside of the school community.
Mr. Vasquez is in his 3rd year at Hoover and works hard to support students that need extra help in their academics. He leads our COST and SST teams. Mr. Vasquez ensures students with IEPs are getting their academic supports.
Mr.G is a Musician who loves to be involved in community and community building. He loves to teach and aside from being in after school program also teaches African-Indigenous music in the Bay Area. He is a radio show host for La Onda Bajita on KPFA 94.1fm and involved in City Planning efforts with the City of Oakland. Mr.G enjoys playing Chess with his students and feels that it builds forward thinking. He utilizes all of his skills to bring the most out of his students.
Ms A is a first year prep teacher. She has bachelor degree in liberal studies with a concentration in teacher prep elementary grade K-6. She graduated from CSUEB in May of 2021. She is seasoned gymnastics instructor with over 15 years of experience. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her 17 year old son.
Ms Ayala has been at Hoover Elementary for 7 years. This is her 2nd year as Hoover's Community School Manager, and she was the garden teacher for 5 years previously. Ms Ayala is very excited to be back at Hoover and working closely with the school community to ensure that students and families have what they need to be successful at school.
Ms Flores is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive library where students can develop research skills, explore literature, and learn! It is her goal to curate a diverse, culturally relevant, up-to-date collection that will engage students and create a passion for reading. Ms. Flores believes that the library is a space for all students to explore new materials freely and to have fun. She loves holding weekly library classes and getting to know each student and their interests. Ms Flores is so happy to be a part of the Hoover community!
Ms. Duong was born and raised in San Francisco, where she currently lives. She graduated from UC San Diego where she got her degrees in Psychology and Education. She received her teaching credential from San Diego State University. She has been teaching since 2013 at Hoover, and taught at another school the year before that. She believes that everyone is a learner and wants to pass on to her students a love for school that she had growing up. She enjoys arts and crafts, jogging, and rooting for the Giants and Warriors!
Ms. Irma has been working at Hoover for many years. She is dedicated to the children and community. She was born in Mexico and now lives in Oakland with her husband. She is a mother of 4 and loves to mother all the kids, staff and families at Hoover.
Ms. Jones leads our breakfast and lunch at Hoover. All food is free to students.
Ms. Lynch has been teaching at Hoover for over ten years and has spent her whole career teaching children. She is dedicated to their math education and loves spending them with them.
Ms. Maddie has been working at Hoover since 2014. She started working as an ASP Instructor with BACR and then joined the OUSD staff. She loves working with students and hopes to become a teacher in the near future. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Her hobbies include doing hair and makeup and she volunteers at her a church.
Ms. Sbani has been at Hoover since 2016. She taught in Kindergarten for 5 years before transitioning into a new role as the K-2 Early Literacy Coach. She is passionate about early childhood education and literacy development. This year, Ms. Sbani also serves on the School Site Council, and as one of the Hoover Garden Stewards. In her free time, Ms. Sbani loves to go on hikes and hang out with her parrot, Rosie.
This is Ms. McDonough's second year at Hoover. She is passionate about early intervention and bringing joy into the classroom. In her free time. Ms. McDonough enjoys roller skating, listening to live music, and reading. I have my BA in Economics and Environmental Science from University of California, Santa Barbara.