Chris Mannal, Theatre Arts Chris (SAG-AFTRA) was born in New York, grew up on Cape Cod, graduated from high school in New Mexico, went to college in Maine, and has been a professional actor & voice over artist for over 25 years. After teaching Theatre Arts for the Arts Education branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2008-2012, Chris was hired by the South Pasadena Unified School District in the summer of 2012. His focus for students and Theatre Arts centers around the "4 C's"; creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.
Ashley Diggs, Music Ashley was born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in Henderson, NV. It was in Henderson where she found her passion for music. She returned to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California where she received her BA in Music as well as her Masters of Art in Teaching Music. She has been teaching in South Pasadena Unified since 2011. Mrs. Diggs teaches general music at all three elementary schools and Intermediate and Advanced Orchestra at the middle school level.
Sarit Swanborn, Visual Arts Sarit is a native to Los Angeles. She received her BARCH degree from The School of Architecture at the University of Southern California in 1992. She has worked for architecture firms in Los Angeles and Mexico City, and as a graphic artist in LA for The Galef Institute (a non-profit organization developing K-12 arts-integrated curriculum for charter schools titled, Different Ways of Knowing.) In 2009, she received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, then Single Subject Credential in Art from California State University Los Angeles. Seeking meaningful artistic partnerships within the South Pasadena community, she began collaborating with SPACE-South Pasadena Arts Center through their Artist-In-Residence Program (AIR) to develop and bring high-quality visual arts instruction to South Pasadena Unified School District's three elementary schools. In the fall of 2013, she proudly became the Elementary School Visual Arts Teacher for SPUSD. She enjoys developing thematic visual art courses that are engaging, deeply relevant to a child's life, connect with grade-level curriculum, and spark imagination, critical thinking and self-expression.