Riordan welcomed a fresh set of staff for the 2025-2026 school year with open arms.

Despite the mathematics department receiving the lion’s share of new teachers, each core subject was blessed to receive a brand new addition to their department.

This year, 14 faculty members joined Riordan’s staff: Lindsay Bazela, Errayanna Hatfield, Dan Harlan, Michael Holper, Sylvia Ko, Siobhan Linehan, Aaron McCray-Goldsmith, Vivian Nguyen, Gabriella Panelli, Duke Reeder, Eva Reyes, Carlos Rocha ’10, Meghan Van Koll, and Michelle Wylie.

Rocha, a new social science teacher and Riordan graduate, said, “I knew that I wanted to teach out of high school. I was drawn to the idea of teaching early on”

On the other hand, for Ko, the decision to start teaching occurred after her time studying astrochemistry at UC Berkeley.

Ko stated, “Even though researching astrochemistry seems exciting-you could figure out the molecules that explain how the world began—who is gonna help Timmy who’s failing math?”

Whether teaching was an innate passion or a calling discovered later on in their career, one fact remains clear: each new teacher deeply cares for the success of their students.

Students agree that the new teachers have already had a positive impact on the student body.

“I think the class is pretty good. The workload is manageable, and Ms. Nguyen teaches very well and is really kind,” said Brian Tin ’27 about Nguyen’s Pre-Calculus class.

Riordan’s vibrant community and lively SF Bay Area location were two key factors that attracted each new staff member to the campus when asked, “why Riordan?”

“Riordan has a great resource program (RSP). Anybody who has been watching high schools in San Francisco knows that we have a great resource program. I think the culture at Riordan is also among the strongest and happiest, and inclusive cultures,” said Bazela, the newest member of the RSP department.

Whatever the reason for their arrival, Riordan is once again graced by the addition of new, passionate teachers and faculty.