Centennial Staff
Jillian Damon, Principal
jdamon@corninghs.org
I began my career as an educator in 2002. For 17 years I served within the same district, Yuba City Unified. During that time, I worked in both traditional and alternative settings. I then transitioned to Paradise Unified School District as a member of their administrative team, supporting their return to the ridge post Camp-Fire. In 2020, I was fortunate to become a member of the CUHSD administrative team. It is my privilege to support and provide oversight to Special Education and Alternative Education programs across the district. I will support the mission of the Corning Union High School District to develop students who are responsible, respectful, and ready for all post-secondary opportunities they choose to pursue.
I am a product of Tehama County schools, and I am grateful my education has afforded me the opportunity to now serve as an educator within Tehama County. My goal is to provide long term, stable leadership that aligns with the mission and vision of the CUHSD. I have held many roles and worked in various capacities within education, one thing holds true: relationships first! I look forward to developing strong relationships within the school community, as well the community at large. My door is always open, and our CUHSD school community is my priority.
Melissa Case, IBI
mcase@corninghs.org
I am a three time combat war veteran who served 10 years in the United States Air Force. I was honorably discharged from the military in 2010 and started my career path towards working in social work and psychology. After receiving my bachelors in psychology I focused my studies on behavioral studies and started working for the non profit Youth for Change. After finding a love for working with high school age youth I moved on to Oroville School District and worked at community day school. I am starting my journey in Corning in 2021. I’m excited to be a part of a great team and bring my out of the box thinking to the Centennial team!
Brenna Hall, Teacher
bhall@corninghs.org
Benigna Lopez, IBI
blopez@corninghs.org
I graduated from the University of Guadalajara as a Social Worker with a minor in Education. Since then in Mexico, I started my journey working in the adult education system, then I worked in a non-profit organization supporting children and youth with motor disabilities to finish their basic education.
As well as, in collaboration with municipal governments, I worked with women in the development of socio-emotional and self-regulation skills in contexts of violence.
In 2020, also in Mexico, I finished my Master's degree with an academic research work about the difficulties of the young population to access the labor market and the impact of the first job in that trajectory.
In August 2020, I decided to migrate to the United States and I am glad to serve the Corning community, in particular the Hispanic community that is still facing different challenges.
Jefferey Naylor, Teacher
jnaylor@corninghs.org
Jeffrey Naylor is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles. He lived in Alaska for 15 years. He has worked in construction, cooking, and education for several years. He is a member of the Woodworking Teachers Group and has volunteered with Skills USA and as a judge for high school Speech and Debate competitions. He enjoys woodworking, motorcycles, and cooking.
Mark Nelson, Teacher
mnelson@corninghs.org
I was born in Oakland, California in 1975. I am the oldest of three boys. I come from a large Scandinavian family and enjoy my family and gathering together to eat traditional foods like a Æbleskivers (pronounced “abble skiver”). It is a traditional Danish pancake cooked in an iron skillet with round holes in it. I am an Air Force veteran. My Unit won medals for outstanding achievement twice. I worked on C-17 cargo planes. I really enjoyed working on Aircraft, but I wanted to go to college. After the Air Force I moved back to the townI grew up in. I used my G.I. Bill and I worked many odd jobs to earn my Bachelors degree in History from Sacramento State. In addition to my BA I have an AA in Liberal Arts from Los Medanos Community College and I have a Special Education Credential from National University. In the future I would like to finish my Social Science program Credential and my Masters degree. The Irony is that as a kid I hated school but I have to say I have come to love it.
I grew up in a small town, Oakley, California. In 1984 the population of our town was around 1,200. We had a half acre lot and our neighbor had over 60 acres of almond orchards behind us. The orchard is gone now and replaced by new homes. My first year teaching I taught government and Economics but I had almost a 2 hour commute to my job. The first reason I moved to the North State was I wanted to get away from the bay area. My small town was no longer a small town and I didn’t enjoy the area anymore. I really wanted to move back to a small town. The second reason I moved to Anderson was to be closer to my family. I met my wife in Anderson in 2012. We just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It seems like a lifetime ago. We currently live in Redding but we are considering moving to Cottonwood or Anderson.
After moving to the North State , I ended up working with Emotionally Disturbed children for 7 years. I also worked at a community day school for nearly 3 years. The rest of my time teaching I have been working at Continuation High Schools. I have taught just about every subject and I learned that what I am teaching doesn’t matter as much as where I am teaching. I really love the small community here in Corning and I am looking forward to a great year here at Centennial High School!
Maria Tena, Secretary
mtena@corninghs.org
Victoria Viveros-Zarco, Counselor
vviveroszarco@corninghs.org
I began working with the Corning Union High School District in 2018 as a special education Paraprofessional. Working at Corning high was a special time in my life because it was when I found my passion for supporting our next generation of students to reach their academic success. In 2020, I transitioned from a traditional to an alternative setting becoming an Intensive Behavior Interventionist at Centennial high school. As an IBI, I had the opportunity to start new traditions, form relationships and work with members of the community to support our Centennial students and their families. I have experience working with at-risk youth from working for the Tehama County Probation department as a Juvenile hall counselor. Now, I hold the role of the Centennial High School Counselor. My passion is to help students develop belief in their ability, strengthen the importance of hard work, and help them reach their goals for the future.
Jason Williams, Teacher
jwilliams@corninghs.org
I have always enjoyed being outside, it doesn't matter if it is for work or play. Working
inside and sitting behind a desk makes me super tired, but being up moving around and working
my body has always given me energy. I loved sports as a kid, my first love was baseball, as I
got older basketball became my place of zen. A place to reset my mental and emotional well
being. The focus the game required allowed me to cut out all of the noise that life can bring.
Nowadays I get out and do day hikes and go swimming as often as I can. Being up in the
mountains and in the creeks brings me much joy, as soon as the smells change driving up the
mountains.
I eventually took my love of movement and curiosity of the human body and applied
myself in school to get a degree in kinesiology. I took the path of teaching physical education. It
was a long long road with many bumps. I started the path to upper education later than the
average person, but it was a great choice. Many of the jobs I had done were unfulfilling, but
since I started teaching though it is tough the days are always worth it.
