Dr. Elizabeth Chronister, Director of Education 26569 Community Center Drive Highland, CA 92346 (909) 864-8933 Fax: (909) 864-8818

Elizabeth Chronister grew up in Washington State in a wonderful family consisting of five sisters, a brother, and parents who have been married for almost fifty years.

As an academically motivated individual, she attended Washington State University, Heritage College, California State University, and La Sierra University. In 1994, Dr.
Chronister moved to California to pursue her second master’s degree and has since made this great state her home.

With a bachelors degree in Bilingual Education, two masters degrees (one in
Professional Development and one in Administration), and a doctorate degree in Leadership and Administration, she enthusiastically welcomes the new challenges that await her.

Dr. Chronister’s experience is vast in the area of education; she has been an
elementary teacher, a high school teacher, a Reading Recovery teacher leader, a literacy trainer, a consultant, a program specialist, and a school administrator.

For the last ten years, she has served as a consultant to CSUSB, program specialist, vice principal and principal at Rialto and Yucaipa USD. Elizabeth is appreciative of all the knowledge and experience she gained during her tenure at the local school system.

Elizabeth has been happily married to her husband, Dale, for fourteen years and lives in Redlands, California.

San Manuel Department of Education
Tutoring Program

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians considers a quality education critical for the survival of our culture and a necessity to maintain the economic and cultural welfare of our Tribal Nation. San Manuel wishes to ensure the future viability of the Tribe by providing a quality education to our children and for future generations.

San Manuel recognizes that educational attainment and achievement are critical to providing the skills and knowledge that all tribal members will need to ensure the survival of the Tribe. San Manuel is dedicated to providing tribal members with access to quality educational opportunities from early childhood and throughout life.

Additionally, San Manuel is committed to assisting our tribal members and their children in maintaining an education that is culturally relevant. The Tribe has a significant interest in ensuring that our children receive an education in Serrano culture, history, and language.

San Manuel’s commitment to education also extends beyond the borders of the San Manuel reservation. In keeping with the Tribe’s belief in education’s vital role in creating a vibrant and strong community, the Department of Education also serves on advisory boards for several local educational organizations on behalf of the Tribe. In addition to the goal of
creating broad-based educational programs, the Department of is also working actively working with San Manuel endowment recipients: California State University, San Bernardino, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Claremont Graduate University.

San Manuel Education Committee

The Education Committee is a standing committee of the San Manuel Tribe, appointed by the General Council in February 2006. The Education Committee is comprised of tribal members who facilitate San Manuel’s educational vision. The Committee was delegated with the responsibility of overseeing the educational needs of the Tribe. The Education Committee is also responsible for guiding the development and administration of the San Manuel educational system.

Department of Education

The purpose of the San Manuel Department of Education is to assist in implementing the Tribe’s educational vision. Given its relatively new position in the San Manuel government, the Department continues to build its administrative foundation, expand existing educational services and programs, and continue in developing exciting educational opportunities for tribal members. The Education Department staff consists of a Director of Education, three linguists, eight tutors, and an Administrative Assistant.

Serrano Language Revitalization Project (SLRP)

The Serrano Language Revitalization Project’s mission is to ensure the continuation of the Serrano language. SLRP aids in the teaching and
documentation of the language through developing materials such as grammars, dictionaries, and educational multimedia. SLRP seeks to promote and sustain San Manuel’s unique linguistic heritage. All of the project’s efforts go toward the ultimate goal of teaching tribal members to speak Serrano so it can be used in everyday communication.

The San Manuel Learning
Resource Center

The goal of the San Manuel Learning Resource Center is to provide San Manuel tribal members with the necessary tools and skills needed to successfully navigate their educational career endeavors. Through indigenous methods and culturally relevant curricula, the San Manuel Learning Resource Center will create a learning environment that will help cultivate the future leaders of San Manuel.

Mission

Established by the Department of Education in 2006, the San Manuel Learning Resource Center is committed to promoting the Serrano language and culture to our San Manuel Band of Mission Indians first, sharing the culture with students outside of the San Manuel Reservation, and establishing an academic awareness and understanding of the Serrano past, present, and future endeavors. In addition, the Department of Education is devoted to
providing the Summer Academy, GED, tutoring, athletic programming, academic skills building workshops, career preparatory pathways, and cultural programming to all the members of the San Manuel Tribe.

Tutoring Program

The Tutoring Program provides tribal students various services to help them be successful in the classroom. Our elementary students receive services including: homework assistance, multi-subject tutoring, proofreading and essay writing, long and short-term project assistance, organizational skills, time management, computer/typing skills, note taking methods, educational games and activities, over 1,000 books for students to read, and incentive activities. For middle school and high school students these services consist of: homework assistance, senior notebook preparation, college and scholarship applications, GED study, SAT study, CAHSEE preparation, resume building, career development, organizational skills, time management, computer skills, research techniques, and much more.

Summer Academy

Students, who participate in the Summer Academy, will take part in weekly themed activities focusing on contemporary Native American issues. Through guest speakers, experiential activities, field trips, and cultural programs, students will explore different themes and topics pertinent to Indigenous groups and tribal nations. Additionally, students will survey themes involving history, economic development, politics, sovereignty, cultural resource management, and different cultural practices. Serrano culture and language is emphasized throughout the duration of Summer Academy.

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and
enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.”

~Paul J. Meyer~

Alycia Smith, Office Administrator

Alycia was a tutor for the San Manuel Department of Education for two years, before becomingthe Office Administrator in 2009. She attended the University of Redlands earning a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, graduating suma cum laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and with departmental honors.

As a student of the U of R, she was a member of the Proudian
Interdisciplinary Honors Program, Maroon and Grey Student Ambassadors, Mortar Board National Honor Society, and WRW, a community service and equality based sisterhood. She also spent time studying abroad: May Term in Japan, Summer Term in England, and a semester in Barcelona, Spain. While in Barcelona, Spain, she completed an internship as assistant to the president of Friends of UNESCO, Barcelona. She has also worked as a tutor, grader, and Professor’s Assistant for the University of Redlands.

Alycia’s hobbies include completing community service, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Marcus Smith, Consultant Linguist

Marcus has been working on the Serrano Language
Revitalization Project for three years as a linguist consultant. He is working towards his Ph.D. in Linguistics from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he has focused on documenting Native American languages of the southwestern United States. When he is not working on Serrano, he is
writing his dissertation or taking photographs of the Los
Angeles area.

The main focus of Marcus’ work is to document the words and grammar of the Serrano
language. He works with current speakers of the language and recordings of those who have passed on to create a dictionary and grammar textbook. He also aids in teaching
language lessons to tribe members. He hopes to be able to publish dual language books of traditional Serrano stories in the near future.

Ixchell Keller, Staff Linguist

Ixchell grew up in Mexico City, Mexico. She has always been fascinated by other cultures and languages. This led her to work in Japan teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to students of all ages.  She currently teaches ESL to
international students at CSU San Bernardino. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and teaching. She firmly believes that with the right attitude, no one is too old to learn
something new!

Annalisa Zavala, Tutor

Growing up in a middle class working family of five children, Annalisa was determined to go to college and graduate. After having a child of her own, four years later her dreams became a reality. She graduated from Cal State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) with a BA and a teaching credential in Liberal Studies. Shortly after graduating, Annalisa was hired by Rialto Unified School District, where she is still teaching. She has taught in grades K-2.

As an educator, Annalisa finds the opportunity to teach and learn in every experience, in and out of the classroom. Annalisa has two goals for herself at this point. A short term goal is to continue her education and earn a masters degree in administration. A long term goal includes her plan on giving back to society what has been given to her and powering every student that she comes in to contact with. Annalisa wants every student to believe in themselves and set a pathway for their futures, now.

Brittany Balderama, Tutor

Brittany is 20 years old and was born and raised in the city of
Highland. Brittany attended San Gorgonio High School, where she recently graduated. During her time at San Gorgonio, Brittany was a scholar athlete, all four years, and she graduated with highest honors in her class.

After graduation, Brittany went on to work as a teacher’s aide with the San Bernardino City Unified School District. In addition, she worked as a first grade teacher in the after-school tutoring program. Brittany is currently attending Crafton Hills Community College where she is completing her lower division course work. Upon completion, Brittany plans to transfer to Cal State San Bernardino to complete an RN degree.

Brittany is married to her sweetheart Robert. Together, they have a daughter, Isabell.

Lorena Salto, Tutor

Lorena grew up in Orange County, where she
completed her elementary and high school education. Lorena graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Biology from La Sierra University in Riverside. She is
currently completing the culminating research requirement for her Master’s in Public Health from Loma Linda University. Lorena is passionate about serving the underserved in any medical or educational capacity.

Lorena enjoys working with children and teenagers of all ages. She has taught fourth grade and enjoys tutoring any science subject. In her free time, Lorena likes to travel and spend time with her family and friends.

Denicio Lopez, Tutor

Denicio is a lifelong resident of the San Bernardino/Highland area. He graduated in 1991 from San Gorgonio High School, after which he went on to CSUSB to earn three degrees in Education: 1999 B.A. in History, 2004 M.A. in Special Education Mild/Moderate, and finally 2007 M.A. in Education Administration.

Denicio has worked as a teacher with the San Bernardino City Unified School District for the past 10 years. He has experience working with many students with varying disabilities such as muscular dystrophy, ADHD, visual and auditory processing issues, and students who are categorized as emotionally disturbed. Outside of the classroom, he has worked with hundreds of students in small group tutoring situations including 2 years with Sylvan Learning Center in Rialto and four years with Home and Hospital with San Bernardino City Schools.

Denicio met his beautiful wife during his freshman year of college, and married her 8 years later. They recently celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary. Together they have a set of twin daughters that are juniors at Cajon High School, and an eight year old son who is a third grader at Manuel Salinas Elementary.

Denicio states, “I am privileged, and honored that you are entrusting me with your precious children and my hope is to help each one reach their academic potential and become
lifelong learners.”

Fernando Villalpando, Tutor

Fernando is originally from the border city of Calexico, California. After completing high school, he moved to San Bernardino to attend Cal State San Bernardino to pursue a degree in Spanish Literature. Upon completion, he continued his education by attending Cal State Fullerton to pursue a Master’s Degree on Spanish Literature and Linguistics, which is in process to be completed. He also attended University of Redlands to pursue his Teaching Credentials.

For the past eight years, Fernando has been teaching Spanish in public high schools. He has taught all levels, from beginners to Advanced Placement Spanish Literature classes. Also, incorporating his passion to any athletic activity, he has successfully coached Cross Country, Girls Soccer, and Boys Tennis at the high school level. He has also worked for the past eight years as a Special Consultant at CSUSB with the EOP Summer Bridge Program advising at-risk incoming freshman students.

In his spare time, Fernando loves traveling, taking road trips, camping, hiking, exploring
new things and places, running, and reading, among other things. He also tries, whenever
possible, to attend sporting events, but mainly soccer and baseball games.

Elizabeth Brierty, Tutor

Elizabeth has been employed with SMBMI for over five (5) years, during which time she took a year off to teach at a local private school.

Elizabeth has earned a BA in Business Administration from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). She is planning to return to CSUSB to earn a MBA degree as well as a teaching credential.

Elizabeth states that “tutoring has provided the Tribal students with a place to come and not only get homework help, but also improve their skills in other areas. Tutoring is very
diverse in what we offer and students can come in with anything they need help with. Our programs are a mix of their cultural background and educational information. We are in the process of adding more programs, which will build upon what the students are currently working on and motivate them to further their education.” 

Shawn Mohamed, Tutor

I was born in Riverside, California but was raised most of my life in Highland. Growing up my parents always instilled the notion the education was an important part in anyone’s life. I graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a B.A. in Political Science and am currently finishing up a second B.A. in History of the Middle East and a Masters in Education. Once I finish with my Masters, I would like to move abroad and teach everywhere from the Middle East to Japan to South America. I have lived in Hawaii and Egypt for extended periods of time, but as I love Travelling, I have also travelled to England, Costa Rica, France, and over 10 states. When I am not studying hard, I enjoy snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, dancing, and rock climbing, I enjoy being around people and helping them whenever I can and look forward to working with everyone at the Community Center.

Vanessa Chamberlain, Tutor

My name is Vanessa Chamberlain and I was born and raised in San
Bernardino, California. I have three children and two grandchildren. I have worked in Education for over twenty years and my greatest joy is working to help children of all ages grow and learn. I am happy to be working for the children of the San Manuel Education Department. Thank you for this opportunity!

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

~Nelson Mandela~