School Board
What is the School Board?
The RHLS School Board is the governing and policy-making body of Red Hill Lutheran School. The School Board consists of members of Red Hill Lutheran Church who are appointed by and governed under the Church Board of Directors.
What does the School Board do?
The primary objective of the School Board is to establish policies for the school, as a ministry of Red Hill Lutheran Church, which will adhere to the mission, vision, purpose and statement of faith as set forth in the School Board Policy Manual. The School Board exists to establish policy, but is not an entity to manage the day-to-day operations of the school. The School Board is also responsible for approving the School’s annual budget before submitting it to the Church Board of Directors and the congregation for approval.
Who is on the School Board?
- Danalyn Belgen- Chairperson
- Claire Markovsky- Vice Chairperson
- Sonja Scott- Secretary
- Alexander Kitano- CFO
- Carolyn Driscoll- Member
- Jim Weber- Member
- James Donich- Member
- Jennifer Morrow- Member
- Brian Cooker- Advisor Ex-Officio
When does the School Board meet?
The School Board meets on a Tuesday of select months. The School Board meets in General Session first, followed by an Executive Session, with the exception of August (Executive Session only).
Tentative School Board meeting dates for the 2023-2024 school year are as follows (and are subject to change):
All meetings start with general session at 6:30 pm
Oct 10, 2023
How can I attend a School Board meeting?
Any current RHLS family or current RHLC member is welcome to attend during the General Session. Parents who would like to bring a question or item of concern to the attention of the School Board should submit his/her request in writing prior to the meeting. A request form is attached below. The School Board will review the request and schedule appropriate action.
Latest School Board News
Posted below are the meeting minutes from the most recent General Session meetings of the School Board:
School Board Bios:
Danalyn Belgen is currently serving her 20th term on the School Board. This will be her 10th non-consecutive term as Board Chair. She is also serving as the school representative to the Board of Directors. She has served on the RHLC nominating committee, as PTF president for 2 years, and a room parent for 10 years. Danalyn's two children attended RHLS preschool through 8th grade. Prior to her coming to RHL, she owned and operated the post-secondary educational school and modeling agency, John Robert Powers of Orange.
Claire Markovsky is currently serving her 6th term on the School Board, and is serving as Vice Chair for the 2023-2024 school year. Her two children attend RHLS (3rd and 6th grade). Claire served on the executive board for the RHLS PTF for the 2018/2019 school year, as well as on the executive board for the RHLS American Heritage Girls troop for 6 years. RHL Church and School are very near and dear to Claire as she attended RHLS for elementary school and got married at RHLC in 2007. Claire is the Vice President of Client Success and End User Activation at Supportiv, a digital peer-to-peer mental health service, where she uses her God-given creative talents to help reach populations that need mental health support.
Sonja Scott is currently serving her 9th term on the Board, and serves as Secretary of the Board. After attending RHLC with her parents while in college in the late 1970’s, she and her husband, Clint, became members in 1990. Sonja has served in the RHLC Praise Band and Praise Choir, and currently is a part of the Chancel Choir and serves as the Lay Reader Coordinator for the Church. For the past 34 years, she has been employed by Pacific Life Insurance Company, and in her current capacity as Assistant Vice President, Compensation, is responsible for the development and administration of the company’s pay programs.
Alexander Kitano is currently serving his first term on the school board, as CFO. He is presently acquiring his Bachelor of Arts degree in both Finance and Marketing, with a minor in Data Analysis as a student entering his final year at Concordia University Irvine. He has been a member of Red Hill Lutheran Church for over 20 years and was both baptized and confirmed here. He is also an RHLS alumni after attending the school from preschool to 8th grade. When he is not studying, he can be found serving as a manager of a local Chick-Fil-A franchise, or taking photos for his own photography business, Kitano Photography.
Carolyn Driscoll is currently serving her 7th term on the Board. Three of her four children attended RHLS with a 7th grader still attending. Carolyn has been an active member of RHLS in various capacities over the years. When she is not raising three – almost four teenagers, Carolyn is a corporate tax attorney.
Jim Weber is currently serving his first term on the School Board. Jim and his family have been members of Red Hill Lutheran Church for more than 15 years. Jim has two children that attended RHLS, Pre-K through 8th Grade. Recently retired, Jim worked for UPS for 34.5 years, most recently as managing director of operations.
James Donich is currently serving his first term on the school board. James and his family have attended Red Hill Lutheran Church for the past two and a half years and became members in 2023. James has a son, Logan, who has attended RHLS for the past three years and is currently in 6th grade. James is a Senior Partner at the law firm of Woodruff & Smart where he specializes in representing government agencies and advising the Board of Directors of such agencies.
Jennifer Morrow is currently serving her first term on the school board. Her three children attend RHLS (2nd, 6th and 7th). Jennifer and her family are active members of Red Hill Lutheran Church and enjoy participating in Youth and Family Ministry. Jennifer has over 20 years of classroom experience as a teacher, mentor, and leader in professional development. She is passionate about education and looks forward to using her experience to support the RHLS community through this new role.
Brian Cooker is currently serving his first term serving as Advisor Ex-Officio. Brian and his wife Johanna decided to move their son Brandon out of public school and into a private, Christ-centered school. Red Hill Lutheran Church and School was near their house in North Tustin and seemed like a natural fit. Shortly thereafter, they became members of the church and have never looked back. Now Red Hill is their home and the place where they come to fellowship, recharge their spiritual batteries, and spend time with some of the most wonderful people they have ever had the pleasure of knowing. The Crooker family could not be happier with Pastor Seth and with Red Hill Lutheran Church and School as a whole. Brian currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors and has previously served as Director-at-Large.