VANESSA PLAKIAS

Intermediate Teacher

A Newport Beach native, Vanessa Plakias attended the Farm School on the UC Irvine campus as a child. The unorthodox learning environment emphasized art, science, culture, and world literature through hands-on lessons in almost every subject. This experience inspired Vanessa to pursue a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a minor in music from Cal Poly, plus studies at the University of London and UMass, where she earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and CLAD Certification. She joined the SLOCA team in 2022, drawn to the school's beautiful community of educators and learners. When not teaching, you'll find her gardening, trail running, playing piano/guitar, van camping, hiking mountains, or cheering on her sons as they surf and play tennis.