Basic Skills Forum

Salutations! I am thankful and excited to be part of a project aimed at empowering our students to reach higher goals in their lives with the help of stronger basic skills. Our students already have dedicated teachers who care about their success! Through this project, let’s learn together by taking a closer look at the great ideas we can share with each other as well as learn what practices have been the most successful across the country, especially California Community Colleges. There is an amazing amount of research that has taken place (and still continues) to discover what the best practices are.

I can already tell you there are many, but 26 practices are considered the “best.” So, what are these practices? Are these practices part of our every day teaching already? Will learning more about these practices actually make a difference in our students’ lives? Let’s look at the research! You don’t need to read gobs and gobs of material (unless you want to). We’ll try to make the info concise, directional and interesting! My and Malena’s job along with our teams, is to help break this research down to how it applies, or can apply, to our students. The research isn’t a “one size fits all” kind of thing. We need you to help discover what does fit. Providing information for information-sake is not effective. Let’s read, think, talk and learn together about what works best for our students!

We’d love it if you could spend a little time looking at the information provided on the blog as often as you can. “Blog” is an odd little name, but we are working hard on it. It is simply the place to go via Internet to read, get information and comment if you like. There is so much more on the blog too! Malena will be updating it constantly. PLEASE make suggestions. We want to make this a real group effort among ALL our instructors and staff.

There are other ways you can participate as well. Malena and I have plenty of ideas and would like even more!

At your service,

Denise Dowling

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Basic Skills Coordinators:

Karen Dennis

Basic Skills Faculty Coordinator

Karen Dennis is the former ESL Coordinator at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education (SAC SCE). She is now the Basic Skills Coordinator for non-credit, and she and the other Basic Skills Core Team members are busily designing a new Learning Center for CEC as Phase 1 of the Basic Skills plan. MEC will be the focus of Phase 2. Karen has been deeply involved in the field of ESL for over 25 years. She believes that reading is the key to success and happiness, and she is excited about this new Basic Skills Initiative that provides funds for the many new projects now happening. She is past president of CATESOL (California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), and currently serves as president of the CATESOL Education Foundation.

Luis Dorado

Administrator/Basct Team Member

Laura Franklin

Administrator/Basct Team Member

Rob Jenkins

Basic Skills Faculty Development Coordinator

Rob Jenkins has been teaching ESL at the college since 1992. He also serves as the Faculty Development Coordinator for continuing education. Rob has a Master’s Degree in TESOL from California State University, Fullerton. For the past two years, he has also served as the Orange County center manager for CALPRO (California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project), a leadership project of the Department of Education for adult education. Rob is the co-author of the six-level ESL textbook series, Stand Out. Before entering into the teaching profession as a full-time instructor, Rob worked in the textbook publishing field.

Nilo Lipiz

Administrator/Basct Team Member

Nilo Lipiz has served as Dean of Instruction and Student Services at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education since 1999. His areas of responsibility have included Adult Basic Education, the High School Diploma Program, Counseling, the Career Center, Outreach, the Student Transition Program, Citizenship, the Disabled Student Program and Services, and classes for developmental adults. He is now the administrator in charge of our ESL, ESL Family Literacy, and Parent Education programs. He possesses a master’s degree in Educational Leadership/Administration from California State University, Los Angeles as well as a second master’s degree in Secondary Education/TESOL from the same university. He taught ESL, Spanish and Social Studies at the high school level for 14 years before becoming an academic administrator.

Sue Mendizza

Basic Skills ABE Representative

Sue Mendizza has been the ABE/GED Coordinator since 2007. Prior to this assignment, she taught in the HSS, ABE/GED and ESL Departments. Other Coordinating positions formerly include: Inmate Education and Older Adult Coordinator, Workplace Resource Learning Center Coordinator and Bilingual Eligibility Technician Coordinator. Sue is very excited about the Basic Skills Initiative projects and the opportunity to integrate disciplines and best practices with instruction in ABE and GED.

Melanie Mowrer

Basct Team Member

Melanie Mowrer has been the High School Subjects Diploma Program coordinator since 2007. Prior to working in the high school department, she served as the coordinator of English Literacy Civics and Citizenship. Her professional experience includes teaching language arts on the secondary level as well as all levels of ESL. She received state and federal recognition for the citizenship program she established at Centennial and is the creator of The New Citizens’ Celebration, a student recognition ceremony that honors new U.S. citizens. Melanie is really enjoying working on the basic skills project with her colleagues and is looking forward to the grand opening of the new reading/writing and math centers.

Joanne Shields

Curriculum Development Coordinator

My name is Jolene Shields. I have been working in SAC’s School of Continuing Education for four years, teaching in ABE/GED and High School Subjects. I have developed or aligned more than twenty curriculum projects including four technology based English courses. In 2005 I opened the High School Subjects program at Marketplace Education Center. The program started with two students and has grown to over two-hundred students and boasting fifteen graduates last May. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of California, Irvine and this May will graduate with a Master in Educational and Instructional Technology from National University.

Sergio Sotelo

Administrative Advisor/Fiscal Officer

Dr. Sergio Sotelo has worked with community colleges for 27 years. He began his career as an instructional assistant with the original CEC in the mid-1970s. Dr. Sotelo is a Santa Ana College alumnus, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Cal State Fullerton. He has a Master’s degree in Counseling from San Diego State University and a doctorate in Higher Education from UCLA. Dr. Sotelo’s work experience ranges from ESL instructor, counselor, Title V Director and Academic Director. He is currently a Dean of Instruction and Student Services with Continuing Education. Dr. Sotelo has also served as a consultant/evaluator for Hispanic Serving Institutions’ Title V Grant Projects with several campuses

Julia Vercelli

Counseling Representative Coordinator

Malena Copeland

Blog and Communications Coordinator

Malena Copeland taught at Saddleback High School, Sepulveda Elementary School and has been teaching at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education for more than ten years. She is currently a Citizenship teacher and has taught all levels of ESL. She has also been a technology mentor at Centennial Education Center. She has run her own internet-based company and been the coordinator at two educational agencies for foreign students. She worked as a lobbyist for education and is heavily involved in community organizations.

Denise Dowling

Studies Coordinator

My name is Denise Dowling. Starting out as an elementary and high school teacher in Santa Ana lead me to discover the deep desire many parents have to empower themselves to help their children succeed by learning English and improving their education. I’ve taught ESL at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education since 1993. As part of the freeway flyer club of teachers, I’m also an ESL and Composition instructor at Long Beach City College. I have a BA in English and a teaching credential from Vanguard University, CA and a TESOL certificate from UCI. I later completed an MA in English at California State University, Long Beach.

Eric Glicker

Web Designer/ Blog/Wiki Specialist

Eric Glicker grew up nearby & has been at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education for 15 years. He’s currently an ESL teacher & has taught all levels of ESL, Citizenship, Writing, Pronunciation & VESL. He’s been Adult Education Chair for CATESOL; taught High School & acted as a Technology Mentor at the Centennial Ed Center. He’s been published in CATESOL Journal & is completing his PhD. in Composition and TESOL. He enjoys teamwork & has co-authored four ESL Curricula. He’s taught English abroad; served in the military; & volunteers with two community organizations. One group participates in building homes for families.

Carlos Perez

Goals and Student Success Coordinator

Carlos Perez is a Southern California native, originally from Compton, California. He moved with his family to Santa Ana in 1986. He graduated from Santa Ana High School and Santa Ana College with an A.A. in liberal arts. Next door to Santa Ana, he graduated from Vanguard University of Southern California in Costa Mesa with a B.A. in sociology. He then went on to earn a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, MA. Carlos also earned an adult education teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. He is currently a part-time student in a Ph.D. in Education program at Chapman University in Orange, CA. He has taught various courses, including ESL, for RSCCD and NOCCCD, Schools of Continuing Education.

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