Northridge Academy High School is a hub for wonderful and caring staff. With the start of 2023’s school year, we welcome two accomplished women to become a part of NAHS’ faculty and staff. We welcome with open arms, our new L-Q counselor, Melissa Proctor and our new Spanish teacher, Sandra Flores.
Ms. Proctor joins NAHS from Lawrence Middle School and was previously a dean for Patrick Henry Middle School for nearly a decade. Ms. Flores comes to us from Miguel Contreras Learning Complex. Flores also worked for the Los Angeles School of Global Studies Academy, which is located in the heart of Downtown LA.
Ms. Proctor began her journey in school counseling because she knew she wasn’t going to retire from teaching any time soon, but she knew her heart wasn’t set on going into administration. She wanted to work with kids and felt like counseling would be the quintessential job to accomplish that. She loves that NAHS is a small school and that the community and environment feels very personal. Proctor feels that the most important reason for becoming a counselor is helping students see their potential and help give them the tools they need to be successful in life. In order to develop a positive relationship with students in individual counseling, she feels that finding a common interest/ground and finding some level you can relate to them on is essential, along with letting them know you care and that you’re there for them. She feels that if you don’t know that she cares about you as a person, you’re not going to listen to her. Being genuine and letting them know that they matter is key. She loves sports; when she’s not at work, she’s a soccer and basketball mom. In addition, she is a bookworm and she is very happy to be a part of the Puma family.
Say hola and cómo estás to our new Spanish teacher, Ms. Sandra Flores. Ms. Flores was supposed to join the NAHS family last year however she was stopped when LAUSD froze the jobs, not letting anyone transfer or quit. Better late than never. Flores joins the Puma familia from Miguel Contreras Learning Complex. Flores says that her mother influenced her to become a teacher; she always tells her students that her mother is illiterate—she cannot read or write in either Spanish or English. Growing up, she had to help her mom when it came to reading and writing. Much like Ms. Proctor, Flores likes that NAHS is a small school and from what she’s seen, she thinks that it is a tight knit community. Theres a parent involvement program (Friends of NAHS [aka FONAHS]) and she feels that the kids are seen as special. The students are very kind and helpful and the teachers work together, resulting in a sense of unity. Her son also attends NAHS so she loves that she can have her son here with her. She claims that her most important reason for becoming a teacher is her mother, as mentioned earlier. Her mother was a great inspiration and being able to see her navigate the world in her lenses, she realized the importance of education. Through her mother, she understood the significance of being educated. Ms. Flores helps sustain her organization by planners and compartmentalizing her life. At school, she’s a teacher and when she’s at home, she gives herself a bit of me-time to ground herself. She runs and walks and then she becomes a mom and a wife, and then it’s back to work. Ms. Flores believes that developing a positive relationship with students in individual teaching comes naturally. She has to listen to what her students say and ask questions; that’s how we get to know people. Answering their questions about who she is as a person—she believes that’s how you build worthwhile communication. She is happy to be here.
We hope that you get to know them within the time that they are here, working and caring for our brilliant Pumas.
