Meet Our Staff

"Educators have the power to change the direction of young people's lives and have a positive impact on the lives of future generations. Teaching and learning require great enthusiasm, thoughtful planning, deep desire, time and effort. I have the utmost respect for teachers and their practice. Learning is a joyous and continual process that leads to better living and has a positive impact on our families and communities. It is imperative that I share my journey as a learner, and continually model my love of learning where I expect our students, teachers, and parents to do the same. As a school principal, I am responsible for the safety, learning, and emotional growth of our students and teachers, and working with every part of our school community to achieve this is both my obligation and invitation."

LeAnn Ruffin is the youngest of seven children, born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA.  From an early age, Ms. Ruffin found her passion working with children ranging from infants to young adults. In her younger years she worked in a variety of positions at schools, after school programs, recreation programs, as well as coaching soccer, basketball, and volleyball. As a First Generation College Student, Ms. Ruffin received her Bachelor's degree at California State University Monterey Bay in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and her Masters in School Counseling, with the MFT and LPCC Option from California State University East Bay.  

Ms. Ruffin will be joining Redwood High School with eight years of experience as a School Counselor.  She believes the first and most vital step in working with her students and their families is building a genuine and supportive relationship.  Ms. Ruffin utilizes a strength and solution based counseling approach to inspire her students to reach their goals.  She has also found that students need a caring adult who listens to work through their difficult times.  Ms. Ruffin utilizes all available technology, and research to ensure her students are successful in high school and post graduation.  

In her free time, Ms. Ruffin enjoys spending time with her loved ones and close friends.  She has four adult children and three grandsons!  She enjoys hiking, traveling, walking her dog Apollo, going to the beach, volleyball, dancing, comedy shows, concerts, and karaoke!  Ms. Ruffin is thrilled to join the Redwood High School Community and her door is always open to support!! 

Tony Stavropolous (“Mr. S”) has been teaching for twenty four years, and has worked at Redwood for the past year. Mr. S manages the Independent Study and Home Hospital programs, which offer kids alternatives to the traditional classroom.

Goal setting is the most important thing for Mr. S’s students, and he supports his students by making achievable short, mid, and long term goals. Mr. S loves that Redwood is small enough for the students and staff to really understand the student’s needs for success.

Outside of school, Mr. S loves to play music and see live music. We’re living in a golden age!

Matt Hassebrock currently teaches US History, Government, and Foods at Redwood. Mr. Hassebrock loves teaching at Redwood because our students constantly overcome huge obstacles. To help students continue learning at home, Mr. Hassebrock makes all classroom work available through Google classroom.

Mr. Hassebrock enjoys spending time with his wife and children. Their favorite family activities include hiking, hunting, riding horses, and are always looking for the next great book to read.