Teaching and Learning Team

Gina McLain – Director of Elementary Teaching & Learning
Gina spent the first eight years of her educational career teaching first and second grade at Mooberry Elementary School. She then spent seven years as Mooberry’s instructional coach before moving to the District Office to become an elementary literacy TOSA. In the summer of 2016, Gina was named principal of Lenox Elementary School, and this past year she has served as the principal of Butternut Creek Elementary School. Throughout her six years as an elementary principal, Gina has led and promoted educational equity, identified school improvement goals and implemented action plans to attain them, planned and implemented professional development, and led various school committees. She is a strong instructional leader who is dedicated to student-centered instruction, engagement, and equity.
 

Arcema Tovar – Director of Multilingual and Federal Programs
Arcema began her educational career in Lancaster, CA in 1993 as a bilingual instructional assistant and Community Liaison Specialist, later serving as a bilingual, ELD, and Spanish immersion teacher from 1999 to 2009. She joined the Hillsboro School District in 2009 as an English as a Second Language Specialist and Bilingual Instructional Coach. In 2013, she transitioned into district leadership, serving as the Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning & DL Programs through 2022, and subsequently as the Director of Multilingual Programs from 2022 to 2026. Now serving as the Executive Director of Multilingual and Federal Programs, Arcema remains dedicated to creating multilingual, nurturing, and caring educational environments where all children can learn, with a strong focus on supporting PK-12 schools, Grow Your Own Programs, and advancing HSD’s Dual Language Program district-wide."

Becky Kingsmith – Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning
As the Director of Secondary Teaching & Learning, Becky focuses on the implementation of standards-based teaching and learning. She supports teachers throughout the district on best practices in instruction, assessment and grading.


 

Jenny Cary – Coordinator of Mental and Behavioral Health
Jenny currently works as a social worker on special assignment (SWOSA) and is the District’s mental health specialist - a position she has held for the past two years. In this role, she coordinates HSD’s suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention plan, and ensures compliance with Adi’s Act. She collaborates with internal teams and community partners to develop and implement school-based mental health and substance use programming. She also provides professional development, training, and consultation to school teams regarding student mental health and wellbeing, trauma-informed practices, behavior response systems, and workforce wellness.
 

Melissa Pendergrass – Coordinator for Career and College Pathways 
Melissa coordinates the development and implementation of clear and viable pathways for postsecondary opportunities through high quality K-12 Career and College Pathways responsive to the needs of Hillsboro students, community, and industry.  Melissa works closely with CCP and CTE teachers, building administrators, counselors, and community and industry partners to ensure programming is robust and accessible to all students in HSD.