Kami Thordarson, Director of Innovation and Digital Learning in Campbell Union School District, is among the leaders creating the new Campbell School of Innovation. She is the District’s in-house expert in Design Thinking and the co-author of Design Thinking for School Leaders: 5 Roles & Mindsets That Ignite Positive Change (May, 2018).

She believes Campbell School of Innovation offers an opportunity to create changes to education that can better meet the needs of today’s students. CSI educators will model the Design Thinking process as they work to collaborate and create learning experiences that encourage questioning, empathy, and deeper exploration of content.

Thordarson is part of the Campbell School of Innovation Design Team working to implement Design Thinking strategies in the TK-8th grade curriculum. “We want to tap into students’ natural curiosity so they can move from being engaged learners to empowered learners,” she says.

Kami Thordarson has worked in education for over 20 years with experience as a teacher, curriculum coach, professional development designer, and administrator. She joined Campbell Union School District in 2016, working to support and lead instructional technology and innovative programs. She enjoys exploring her creativity and is always engaged in learning. She envisions schools in which teachers are empowered to transform education through intentional design and innovative practices and students are collaborative, problem-solving communities who have impact on their world.

Teacher Alicia Hamilton jumped at the chance to reinvent what schooling looks like by being part of creating the new TK-8 Campbell School of Innovation.

“I’m excited about building a place where kids can develop skills that will help them thrive in a 21st century world,” she says. “This is a huge opportunity to grow and learn together as we apply the Design Thinking process to TK-8 academics and build strong connections between the students, the school and the community.”

Design Thinking is a way of thinking about problems where students can design solutions, try them out, and learn from their mistakes. CSI will be a catalyst for bringing this new approach to all schools in the District.

Hamilton holds a teaching credential and Master’s degree from San Jose State University. In her 21-year career, Hamilton has taught many different grade levels and was a District Equity Coach who supported her peers in applying new teaching strategies. She currently teaches 7th grade, and will teach one of the elementary grades when CSI opens in August 2018.

As a passionate, positive, community focused educator of young minds, Sandy Tolbert has an authentic desire for the Campbell School of Innovation to launch successfully and flourish.

She believes that teaching young students to develop a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset is integral to helping them develop skills for success in their future careers.

“Students are capable of so much,” she says. “They are valuable assets to their community, despite their young age. My goal is to nurture that quality in our students and help make a positive impact on those around us.”

Tolbert brings 16 years of teaching experience to CSI. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Child Development from San Jose State University and a Master of Science degree in Education from Walden University. She was the 2015 Marshall Lane Teacher of the Year, she was a 2015 Goldin Foundation for Excellence in Education award recipient, and she was a 2016 ArtsEdGrant recipient.

She lives in Campbell with her husband and children.

Kimiyo Cordero, visual arts and digital media teacher is excited to be a part of the Campbell School of Innovation team and on the forefront of education. Cordero has a passion for education and the arts and feels student learning is best supported by a strong sense of safety, community and creativity. Having taught art for over 14 years, in various forms, Cordero is excited to blend creativity and innovation together using the design thinking process to advance students ingenuity to the next level. Cordero’s vision for education is to provide students a place to be heard, supported and the opportunity to let their imaginations flourish.

Cordero’s love for curriculum design has enabled her to explore several different areas of artistic design. Cordero background is teaching and designing curriculum for grades TK-12th grade in several Bay Area schools. In addition to her 14 years in the schools, Cordero has designed curriculum and taught for the San Jose Museum of Art and the Triton museum of art.

Cordero earned a Bachelors of Fine Art from San Jose State University with a double emphasis in pictorial and spatial art. She obtained her art credential from National University.

When Cordero is not creating with her students she enjoys spending time with her son and husband laughing and enjoying life.

Terri Hughes is elated to be a part of Campbell Union School District’s new preschool-eighth-grade school. She has been a passionate educator for over 25 years—all at Campbell Middle School—striving to ignite students’ passions for learning and curiosity about the world in which they live.

The challenge of working with younger students as they begin their educational journeys excites her. “This is an opportunity to change the way we educate our future leaders,” she says. “It is a chance to prepare our students to be critical and creative thinkers who will be prepared to compete in a quickly changing environment.”

Her own children attended a K-8 school, so she also understands the benefits of community that develop in this special setting.

Hughes has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Humboldt State University, a multiple subjects teaching credential from San Jose State University, and will be earning her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Santa Clara University prior to the opening of CSI. She was Campbell Middle School’s Teacher of the Year in 2016, a finalist for District 5, California League of Middle School Educator of the Year, Google Certified Educator, and Leading Edge Digital Educator.

She enjoys spending time hiking all over the Bay Area’s trails with her husband.