Portia Pelow
English Instructor, English Department Chair, Faculty Coordinator
Tel: (805) 646 4343 Ext 106

English Department, Residential Life
English 2, AP English: Literature and Composition, Genre Studies, Shakespeare,
Girls' Volleyball Coach

Year Appointed: 2006



B.A. West Virginia University

Portia first moved to Ojai at the young age of seven. She attended the local public schools and grew up in the valley. During the end of her 8th grade year, she decided she needed a change. She wanted a more intimate place to pursue her studies where she could grow as both a person and an academic. With the help of her mother, she began to explore her options locally and found Happy Valley School. After four years of receiving the amazing education she had dreamed of, she graduated and went on to find continued success at West Virginia University. Having never forgotten the gift that was given to her in the form of her high school education, she knew that she wanted to give back whatever she could. She returned to the valley in 2006 and began teaching English at her alma mater.

In the past four years, she has taught several English courses and a few ESL classes; in addition, she has coached both girls’ volleyball and soccer and worked in the dorms. She has recently taken the administrative position of Faculty Coordinator and had the pleasure of working as the director of the ESL Summer program. Portia loves working at Besant Hill. She enjoys the sense of creativity and family that comes with being a part of the community and helping students to develop themselves personally and academically.

In her free time, she is an avid reader and enjoys watching bad movies and going to the beach.