Meet Our Staff

Kenneth Kahn, Principal

Kenny Kahn is in his fourth year at the Redwood High School site and in Castro Valley Unified School District. An East Bay native, Principal Kahn is overjoyed to connect with all students, staff, parents, and school community members. He previously worked at Monte Vista High School in San Ramon Valley, where he was an Assistant Principal for the past five years. Prior to working in school administration, Principal Kahn worked for 10 years as an English teacher, head football coach, Restorative Justice coordinator and School Climate coordinator at his alma mater, El Cerrito High School in West Contra Costa Unified School District. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor’s degree in Literature/Creative Writing, followed by a master’s degree in Education and teaching credential in English Language Arts. He’s a graduate of UC Berkeley’s ‘Principal Leadership Institute’ program that continually emphasizes and promotes Equity and Social Justice within school communities. He’s a lifelong California Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Athletics, and Golden State Warriors fan. He’s a father of two boys, Theo and Harris, and husband to Alexandrea Creer Kahn, Senior Director of Academic Programs at Alder Graduate School of Education, and co-author of Identity Safe Classrooms: Grades 6–12 Pathway to Belonging and Learning.

"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."

Stephanie Aponte, Registrar & Secretary

Stephanie Aponte is Redwood High School's Secretary and Registrar! You can get your work permits and official transcripts with her.

Ms. Stephanie loves all things Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars. Her favorite sport is football, and her favorite team is the San Francisco 49ers! Her hobbies include reading, watching movies, and going to Disneyland. She has 2 daughters, Luna and Amelia, and has another baby on the way, coming Spring 2024. Stephanie's husband graduated from Redwood in 2014, and Redwood is very dear to their family.

LeAnn Ruffin, Counselor

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 Stavropoulos, Teacher

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, Teacher

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.

Matt Hoffmann, Teacher

Matt Hoffmann has been teaching at Redwood High School for twenty-one years, and teaches economics, virtual academy courses, credit recovery courses, and horticulture. When Mr. Hoffmann started at Redwood, he transformed a desolate concrete pad into our lush garden area full of trees, vegetable plans, and a green house. Our students have the opportunity to get their hands dirty and see their hard work come to fruition.

Mr. Hoffmann offers support to our students by listening to them and not passing judgment. In his years of teaching, he has learned that our students often give themselves the best advice after being able to speak candidly with their teachers.

Ray Villegas, Teacher

Ray Villegas has been a teacher for over twenty years, and has spent his last 13 years at Redwood. Mr. Villegas always makes himself available for students, and he knows that when students get the help they need, they succeed. His goal at Redwood is to see every student graduate.

Mr. Villegas teaches Integrated 2 and Integrated 3 math, as well as Physical Education. He also runs many after-school athletic clubs for students. When Mr. Villegas isn't at school, he loves to watch sports and play sports.

Khaleisheia Jones, Teacher

Khaleisheia Jones has been teaching at Redwood for seventeen years, and loves the diverse student population. Ms. Jones knows that Redwood is a school of choice for some students and a necessity for other students' success. She knows that the teachers and staff at our school make students feel welcome and comfortable. Ms. Jones wants her students to be able to reach her when not in class, and is available to students after school, by email, and through Google Classroom.

Ms. Jones teaches biological science, forensic science, and runs our Cyber High program. Ms. Jones also teaches at the Castro Valley Adult School in the concurrent program.

Noa Mandel, School Social Worker

Noa Mandel joins Redwood High School with over 10 years of school social work experience. At Redwood, Ms. Noa will be focusing on family engagement, student engagement, connecting families to community resources, social and emotional support for students throughout the school day, and crisis support as needed. As the school social worker, Ms. Noa strongly believes in social and educational equity for all Redwood students and families and is excited to join the Redwood community and all of support our families.

In her free time, Ms. Noa enjoys exploring nature, playing soccer, doing yoga, crocheting and other crafts, spending time with friends and family, and playing with her dog Sienna.