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El Camino Real Charter High School

Meet the Faculty

 

Mr. Harbourt has over 18 years of art education experience, including Community College, Middle School and High School.  Before becoming a teacher he worked as a Graphic Designer for nearly a decade before getting the teaching bug.  After six years teaching art at Hale Charter Academy, Mr. Harbourt transitioned to High School where he currently is the Co-chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department.  Other than collaborating with teachers and administrators to develop the VAPA Program, he helped pilot Visual Arts integration into the 9th grade curriculum for the Humanitas Program.  He also started the first V.P.A. credit based program into the Independent Study Program.  His AP Studio Art class has won several prestigious awards and many of his students have majored in career-driven creative fields at some of the top art schools in the country.  Mr. Harbourt graduated with a B.F.A. in Illustration from Syracuse University and earned his teaching credential from CSUN with top honors.  In his free time, he enjoys traveling, trail running, hanging out with family and friends, and of course creating art.

Mrs. Brennan was in Camerata as a student at El Camino Real High School.  She then studied Voice at the University of Richmond and received her Masters in Education from Pepperdine University.  She began her teaching career as a math teacher in 2009, while teaching singing to students during lunch breaks and at a summer theater program at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.  She took over the choral program at her alma mater in 2016, where she also serves as co-chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy.  She is thrilled to now be running the very program that inspired her so much as a student!

Mr. Cole is a visual artist specializing in drawing and earned both his bachelor’s in drawing and his teaching credential from CSUN. After getting his degree, he moved to Japan to work as a teacher for a year before returning to California to teach. He has taught art for five years before coming here to El Camino to teach drawing classes. He believes that everyone can be taught how to draw, and that creativity is a vital part of human life. 

Ms. Conte is a photographer, visual artist, and educator who was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Photography from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2017, and her Teaching Credential from California State University, Northridge in 2020. In her spare time, Ms. Conte loves reading, writing, camping, and traveling. Her approach as an educator is to instill a growth mindset in all students, providing students with the framework to embrace the process rather than fearing the result. She believes that teaching art has as much to do with teaching creative problem solving, empathy, persistence, and reflection as it does with teaching craftsmanship.

Mr. Rodriguez is a Guitarist/Producer/Composer whose love for music started as a kid while playing in church. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Music Studies from the Berklee College of Music, Teaching Credential from the University of San Diego and is an AVID Pro Tools Certified Instructor. As a musician, Mark has had the opportunity to play around the world in places such as Mexico, Canada, and Europe. His professional performance/production credits include RIAA Platinum Certification, Nickelodeon, Telemundo,VH1,NFL on FOX plus more. 

In his free time, Mr. Rodriguez enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants and watching live music. He is passionate about passing along his love of music and experience to his students to allow them to thrive in the world of music. He is a firm believer in equipping students in the Audio Arts with the necessary and relevant skill sets to thrive in the 21st century.   

Ms. Hutson holds a BA in Theatre and an MA in Teaching. She began her career as a professional actor and has performed at numerous regional theatres and at the Globe Theatre in London. She also spent 8 years in residence as an Equity actor at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, and worked professionally as a casting director for a number of independent films. Ms. Hutson spent years working as a teaching artist in public schools and is thrilled to bring her experience to nurture the love of theatre in her students.

Ms. Gooze graduated from El Camino in 2001.  She has been teaching Design and Drawing at El Camino for 4 years, in the same classroom that she had art class in when she was a student! She has been teaching High School and Middle School Art for 12 years total. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Studio Art in 2005.  She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Technology in 2011 from CSUN.  She enjoys experimenting with many different types of art mediums including painting, drawing, collage and digital media.  She is very inspired by modern art movements including Expressionism, Surrealism, and Pop Art. Her teaching objective is to make Art relevant to students by connecting what is learned in Art class to other disciplines and the real world. Her goals for students are to help them realize that Art and Design exists all around them.  She aims for students to develop their critical thinking skills by creating art and also for students to be able to express their feelings, interests, and ideas.

Kevin Thurow hails from Exeter, California where he attended public schools. At the age of 11 he began studying the saxophone and discovered his passion for music. Throughout high school he got very involved with his schools music program, which included concert band, choir, marching band, and jazz ensemble. Throughout the summers he attended a variety of jazz camps including Brubeck institute, Idyllwild summer arts, jazz at Sac State and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat jazz camp. In 2008 he moved to Southern California to pursue music education at California State University Northridge where he studied saxophone with Jerry Luedders. During his studies at CSU Northridge, he played with the CSUN Wind Ensemble, CSUN Wind Symphony, and CSUN Saxophone Quartet. Upon graduating from CSUN in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education he began playing with Los Angeles Symphonic Winds under the direction of Steve Piazza and has toured throughout the state of California and internationally to China. He student taught while getting his credential at Westlake High School under the direction or Brian Peter and Nobel Charter Middle School under the direction of Anthony Espinosa. Additionally, he taught 3 years in LAUSD at Grant High School. He continues to expand his knowledge through music conferences such as CASMEC, Mid West Clinic and JEN.

Zachary Kauffman graduated from El Camino in 2007 and received an Associate's degree in Fire Science and Bachelor's in Kinesiology from California State University of Northridge.  Has worked in the fitness industry, medical industry, as well as the entertainment industry prior to becoming a teacher.  Worked at Creation Entertainment hosting science fiction conventions all over the country and internationally.  Hobbies include martial arts, fitness and blacksmithing.