Kyle Luther, history teacher

By Thomas Harrison

Kyle Luther grew up in the Bay Area and moved to New York for college, where he earned his bachelor’s Degree in political science and history at New York University. Afterward, he worked at a law firm, where Luther recalls being surrounded by “terrible things” and “terrible people”. Now, as one of Lowell’s new history teachers, he finds comfort in knowing that he’s helping others through his teaching. After teaching at Wallenberg High School and taking over Ms. Klein’s AP US History course during her maternity leave, Luther is back at Lowell to teach U.S. History and World History full-time.

If you could choose a different subject to teach, what would you teach?

English. I’m terrible at math and terrible at science. I don’t think I can explain other languages that well. I don’t read enough as it is, so it’d be a good opportunity to read things I’ve never read.

What’s your favorite part of teaching?

Probably the answer and response part of the class. If you go over notes to cover things that kids already know, you just ask them questions and they’ll tell you the answer – that’s the best part. 

What’s something that your students would be surprised to find out about you?

I am a lifelong Dodgers fan.

What was your high school experience like?

I went to class, had a 4.4 GPA, and didn’t do anything after class. I had one or two friends, and mostly went home and just read stuff for the next class. It was very boring.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I used to work at a law firm, and what I was doing there was terrible. People were terrible, and I didn’t feel like I was doing anything for anybody. When you do this, at least you know that you’re helping kids, that you’re helping other people, and you just feel better doing it. A lot of the modern world is just nonsense stuff. Being a teacher is at least a human interaction with other people.

What made you choose Lowell specifically?

I knew its reputation before. I had just finished at Wallenberg, and I needed somewhere to go, and last year Ms. Klein was out for maternity leave. I took over her maternity leave last year, and they asked me to come back because I liked it so much here. Mr. Barkemeyer was my mentor teacher; when I first started teaching at Wallenberg, he was the guy that I was under.

What are your hobbies outside of school?

Cooking. Chess. I walk around a lot. 

Anything else you would like to say to Lowell students?

[With sarcasm] Fear my class. Fear me. I am the dictator of that class. Fear. Have constant fear.

Bella Gentile, math teacher

By Hayden Miller

Bella Gentile grew up in San Diego and has been teaching various subjects since the age of 16. Gentile always knew she wanted to find a career working with people and making a difference. Attending UC Santa Barbara for college, she earned a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a master’s in education. After teaching high school in Santa Barbara, Gentile was drawn to San Francisco and joined Lowell’s math department, teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry.

What inspired you to be a teacher?

I’ve been teaching since I was 16 when I coached gymnastics. Later, I taught preschool, then I was in a kindergarten classroom, and last year a high school in Santa Barbara, so I knew I liked it. I like working with youth, being able to talk to people, and [doing] something impactful. Having summers off is also nice!

What drew you to Lowell in particular?

I taught last year in Santa Barbara, but I knew I wanted to move to San Francisco and away from Southern California, where I had lived until this point. San Francisco is unique because, unlike other school districts, you can apply directly to a school, so I applied to Lowell. The culture, the responsibility, and the rigor were something that drew me. I applied for the job, really wanting it, and I got it! I’m really happy to be here!

What are some of your hobbies outside of the classroom?

I love to do yoga! I’ve been going to all the studios around where I live, which has been a fun way to get to know the city. I also love hiking. So far I’ve been walking up all the hills and exploring the parks in my neighborhood, but …I plan to go beyond the city and see what more NorCal hikes have to offer.

Was math always your subject?

I liked math because it challenged me and I could listen to music or watch TV while doing it. I think math lends itself because it is interdisciplinary and has different ways of doing it.

What are your first impressions of Lowell?

It’s crazy there are no bells, but everyone just goes where they’re supposed to right away. The students have so much initiative, and everyone seems so kind and compassionate here. It’s [been] a really great experience so far.

Darren Zeng, history teacher

By Thomas Harrison

Since graduating from Lowell High School nine years ago, Darren Zeng is back on home turf, but this time as a teacher. Zeng, who teaches U.S. History, hopes that his students will one day be able to look back at Lowell as fondly as he can.

If you could choose a different subject to teach, what would you teach?

Physical education. I do a little bit of breakdancing and I’m trying to make a breakdancing club. I’m going to teach all the kids how to breakdance.

What’s your favorite part of teaching?

[With sarcasm] When my students suffer from me giving them work. 

What’s something that your students would be surprised to find out about you?

I like to drive sports cars. But I don’t have one right now. I used to drive my car in the mountains. 

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I worked at AP Giannini for the after-school program and I taught breakdancing there and it was really awesome. I taught in 2019, just before the pandemic, and it was really great. I loved teaching at AP Giannini and miss it a lot.

What made you choose Lowell specifically?

I used to go to Lowell; I graduated in 2014, and Lowell is the best.

Anything else you’d like to say to Lowell students?

Lowell is a struggle now, but you will look fondly back at it when you get older.

Santina Delligatta, history teacher

By Thomas Harrison

Since Santina Delligatta was a young girl, she knew that she wanted to work with kids. She attended a competitive Catholic school, where she was forced to stay motivated to maintain her grades. Now, as a World History and Ethnic Studies teacher at Lowell, Delligatta witnesses a new generation of students that share that same motivation she had decades prior. Feeling the motivation of her students drives her; her students being the best students they can be every day inspires her in turn to be the best teacher she can be.

If you could choose a different subject to teach, what would you teach?

I have a background teaching English language arts as well, because I did teach blocked groups of kids in eighth grade, [where] I taught English and history. But I don’t know that I’d go back to teaching English. I know it very well, so I would teach English, but I I think there are plenty of other things that would be more fun to teach like art or music if I really had the knowledge [for] it.

What’s your favorite part of teaching?

My favorite part of teaching is being able to really praise students’ great work. Helping students who maybe have weaknesses in certain areas and helping them to be stronger in those areas and seeing their accomplishments brings great joy.

What’s something that your students would be surprised to find out about you?

Well, maybe they’d be surprised to find out that I have a daughter that’s 29 years old, and she lives in Brooklyn.

What was your high school experience like?

I went to an all-girl Catholic high school. So I would have to say my experience was kind of like Lowell, where you have a college prep school and you have to test to get in, and you just have to work really hard in order to, you know, maintain grades. There’s a lot of competition. So I would say that my experience in high school was pretty difficult, and I had to be really driven and motivated and disciplined as well.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Having my daughter at a very young age kind of inspired me because it was something that worked well — being a single mom and raising a daughter and also helping with her education. But also I feel like even when I was a young girl, I always wanted to work with kids; I just wasn’t sure what avenue that would take as I got older, and teaching sort of came up upon me. It was something I was pretty natural at, so I just kind of followed the path that my life took me on.

What made you choose Lowell specifically?

I met the department head, Ms. Johnson, at a district event that we had gone to, and I had basically told her my experience as a teacher having come from Southern California, and how many years I had taught middle school, and how much I loved history. And so that kind of led the way and paved the road to guide me to Lowell.

What are your hobbies outside of school?

Outside of school, I like to do yoga, and practice mindfulness, and try to stay, I don’t know, fit, I guess — to keep my brain in an avenue to get out of work, you know? So, working out and yoga, and then just having time to enjoy friends, and going to certain events. Music events, sporting events, being social, those kinds of activities are things I love to do outside of work.

Anything else you’d like to say to Lowell students?

I’ve had a very good experience so far with them. Everyone at Lowell, the students, the staff — I find that they’re very driven and motivated which I find is a driving force for me as a teacher, so it drives me to want to be my best since I sort of expect the best from them too. I feel like it’s a very symbiotic kind of a relationship. So I am very excited to be here and happy to come to work. It’s a lot of work keeping up with everything, but I feel the kids drive me to be the best teacher I can be.

Juan Menendez, music teacher

By Sia Terplan

Juan Menendez is Lowell’s newest orchestra director. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Menendez grew up playing violin. He taught at an arts magnet school, and then moved to Texas where he worked as an orchestra director for 15 years. Menendez moved to San Francisco because his wife, a Lowell alumni, was born and raised here. In addition to Menendez’s love for music and teaching, he strongly values family. His two daughters and three dogs are a big part of his life. Menendez is excited to be at Lowell, where he teaches orchestra, band (intermediate and symphonic), and AP Music Theory.

What do you do in your free time?

I spend time with my two daughters; one is in 3rd grade and the other one is in 7th grade. We go to the park for walks and concerts. When I have a chance,, I like to go to musicals with my older daughter. I have three dogs, so I enjoy taking them for walks too. I spend a lot of time with my family, at parks and traveling. Both of my daughters are in choir, and they are singing with the San Francisco Girls Chorus. 

If you could choose a different subject to teach, what would it be?

It would probably be math. Math and music are very related; there is a lot of counting, numbers, and symbols. I enjoyed math when I was in school. I would probably go with a basic level of math, like algebra. I enjoyed algebra. It was one of those math classes where you could just follow the formula.I was really lucky to have had a good teacher who made the classes interesting, but it was also the math part of it that I enjoyed. 

What was your high school experience like?

We didn’t have a music program, sadly. But my parents paid for private lessons. In high school, I was more involved in sports. I played basketball, volleyball, and baseball. Where I come from, baseball is huge, so we did a lot of baseball in high school. Academically, I was trying to get involved in the math club. I became a tutor and would help other students who were struggling with math. 

Would you say the teaching or the music aspect of your job drew you more to becoming a teacher? 

I think the process of helping others made me realize that this is probably something I want to do for the rest of my life. And before, I taught very little students all the way to middle schoolers. I’ve been teaching orchestra for the past 17 years. I traveled to a middle school every single day, even though I was a high school orchestra director. I got to see them as beginners, and then going to high school in all four grades as they grew up, from being just teenagers to becoming young adults. I enjoy the process of seeing them grow mentally, physically, emotionally, and you get to be a part of the process. It is something special. 

What are you looking forward to the most in your first year at Lowell? 

I want [students] to understand that I’m here to help them. I really want to push them to reach their potential, musically speaking. I want to be a community here. Yes, we want to play music at a high level, but we would like the students to look after each other too. I would like to start a tutor program where my top players come to tutor my other classes. They have the experience. I have students who have only been in orchestra for one year. Those students need a lot of help, and I think this can come from the most experienced ones. This is something that will happen, too, as players take care of others.