Ms. Westfall

Ms. Jane Westfall is a teacher at Hoover high school who teaches Health science careers, Biology, and is the new director of the AHHC Academy.

When Ms. Westfall was younger, she fell in love with teaching and aspired to become a teacher when she grew up. As she grew and went into high school, she wasn’t sure about a college path. She determined whether she wanted to become a flight attendant or a scientist and eventually decided to become a speech pathologist. That decision was altered the moment she sat in her first lecture of her career. She was amazed at how a woman was so eager and excited to explain the human throat and quickly realized that wasn’t her passion.

Throughout her college years she started studying environmental science and started taking teaching opportunities working with high school students and made her realize that she really enjoyed teaching. That’s when her mind was fully settled on becoming a teacher. She began her student teaching here at Hoover High school and absolutely loved it. When she received the opportunity to stay here full time, she was thrilled and became a biology teacher for the AHHC Academy. Ms. Westfall is also a new mom to her baby girl, Nora, who she spends most of her time with. They like going on walks, playing at the park, and swimming at the pool.

Mrs. Towers

Mrs. Ellen Towers, has been teaching U.S. history at Hoover High School for over 20 years, and leaves a lasting mark on students and colleagues alike. She is also the director of  the Media Entertainment Technology (MET) academy, formally AOIT.

Mrs. Towers classroom is a place where curiosity is encouraged and questions actually matter. She doesn’t just teach history, she makes it come alive by helping students see how the past connects to the world today and encouraging them to think critically about the events that shaped it. Students walk away not only knowing historical facts, but also learning how to analyze information, form opinions, and communicate ideas clearly. Ms. Towers takes pride in seeing her students succeed, especially those preparing for the AP U.S. history exam, which she supports with guidance, encouragement, and real-world examples.

She also encourages creativity in her students. A great example is the podcast challenge, where students researched historical topics and presented them in audio form podcasts. It gave them a chance to tell stories in a new way while sharpening research, technical, and collaboration skills. Projects like this highlight how she pushes students to take risks, work together, and feel proud of what they create

Outside of school, Mrs. Towers has a love for animals that matches her nurturing personality. She takes care of two horses, Waylon and Rosie, and a dog named Corn Wallace. She often shares stories from the farm with her students, showing that learning and life extend far beyond the classroom walls.

Over the years, Mrs. Towers has become more than a teacher, she’s a mentor, a guide, and a consistent presence in students’ high school lives. Through her knowledge, support, and encouragement, she leaves an impact that goes beyond the classroom, shaping not only how students understand history but also how they approach challenges, express themselves, and connect with the world around them.

Ms. Riego

Ms. Kristiana Riego is an English teacher and SABE director at Hoover High School. She is originally from San Diego, and graduated from San Diego State majoring in liberal studies.

Ms. Riego’s plan for this school year is to get more people engaged in athletic events. One of the things she is most proud about Hoover is seeing how the environment around it has changed these past few years for the better, and how proud she feels to see her students graduate and seeing them succeed in life. A message she has for this new school year is to make the most of your high school years, for the upperclassmen, enjoy the years in here, love the Hoover community, prepare for the future and be their best selves and the best people possible.

Ms. Riego likes to read a lot during her free time since she is an English teacher. She also enjoys paddle boarding, going to Disneyland and hanging out with her friends. Ms.Riego’s favorite food is pasta or, depending on the day, a California burrito as well. Her favorite color to wear is black but in general her favorite color is purple.

The reason she chose Hoover is because she loves the Hoover community and enjoys preparing students to be the best they can be in life. She also believes that it is pretty nice that Hoover has all the academies for students since they get to pick one they are interested in and she thinks that helps the students a lot to see if they wanna go to college, and also what they would like to do in life. It is also a plus for her that her mother is an alumni. Back in the 80’s her mom also attended Hoover and Ms. Riego thinks that is why she chose Hoover.

Mr. Pores

Mr. Pores

Mr. Aaron Pores is an English teacher and the director of the newly branded Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Determination (LEAD) academy, formally SJA.

Mr. Pores is responsible for organizing all of the academy’s events. He also has academy students that help the academy by setting up educational routes to become teachers, counselors, and other educators. They also offer college credit to students, by having them volunteer in classrooms, and gain the experience they need to become educators in the future.

Previously, Mr. Pores has worked at University City High School, in San Diego, California. He has worked in Hoover for six years. Mr. Pores decided to become a teacher to have a positive impact on people. What he likes most about teaching is meeting new people from different countries and learning what they do in their country and what language they speak.

Mr. Pores attended San Diego State University. He is married and has a six-year-old son and a dog he adopted this summer. In his free time he likes to go surfing and play guitar. Before becoming a teacher, he worked various jobs, including a coffee barista, a hat shop clerk, a pizzeria server, and at a rock climbing gym.

Mr. Heu

Mr. Michael Heu is the director of the newly branded Visual And Performing Arts (VAPA) academy, and the Dance Club advisor, Yearbook advisor, news website advisor and co – Drama Club advisor.

Mr. Heu teaches technical theatre, yearbook and is currently teaching an English class this year. He is in charge of many things related to VAPA, which is the most difficult part of his job, time management and not being able to juggle everything all at once. His favorite Hoover event is homecoming. He likes seeing students who have graduated come visit him, so they can catch up on what they are doing.

After finishing his first year teaching at Crawford, he needed a job. Luckily, a friend who worked at Hoover told the principal to call him because he was looking for a teaching position. During the interview at Hoover, he was told they had a 9th grade English position open and if he’d be interested.  He was nervous about it but he accepted and he was hired right then and there on the spot. Now he is currently in his 21st year of teaching at Hoover.

After being at Hoover for so long, his favorite part of the job is watching students figure out what they’re capable of doing. He likes their creativity and the hard work they put into whatever production they are working on. According to Mr. Heu the most rewarding part of his job is once he teaches his students and they use their new skills with just guidance. Once students learn how to do things by themselves it creates a positive working environment where the students are confident and know what they are doing and it most likely also helps Mr. Heu manage his time better.