Published September 1, 2026
By JUNE EMERSON
Special education teacher Courtney Oropeza has joined the high school staff after spending the past four years working in a similar role at the middle school.
Oropeza teaches across all subjects and provides individualized accommodations so her students can access the curriculum alongside their peers. She also works closely with staff to develop strategies that help her students to participate meaningfully across campus.
“My biggest goal is to help my students be as independent as possible,” the teacher says. “I really want my students to make friends, participate in sports and experience high school to the fullest extent.”
A Monterey High graduate, Oropeza has spent the last 15 years working with students that have diverse learning needs including neurological, behavioral and physical disabilities. Her interest in special education began while growing up with an uncle with profound autism and seeing the different ways her family accommodated and supported his needs.
Oropeza was drawn to CHS by her strong ties to the community. Her mother, Glenda Bernardt, was once the CHS choir director, giving Oropeza a personal connection to the school.
As she begins her first year at CHS, Courtney Oropeza hopes to provide a space where her students feel supported, included and empowered to make the most of their high school experience.
