Jonah-Kai Baker joins St. Andrew’s as a history instructor, head volleyball coach, and assistant boys JV basketball coach. Originally from San Francisco, Calif., Jonah-Kai graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Religion and a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. At Carleton, Jonah-Kai was awarded the Bardwell Smith Prize for Excellence in the Study of Religion, and was recognized for distinction in his major based on his thesis paper “Un-Orthodox Icons: Adaptations of the Byzantine Iconographic Tradition in the Contemporary Christian West.” Jonah-Kai’s studies have been wide-ranging, but he is particularly interested in the intersection of art, religion, and history as a lens for understanding how people live and what matters to them. His teaching experience includes a summer as an assistant first grade teacher at the Ventana School (Los Altos, Calif.), and as a seventh grade literature teaching fellow at Breakthrough San Francisco (San Francisco, Calif.).

Outside of the classroom, Jonah-Kai plays and coaches both volleyball and basketball. As a basketball player in high school, he won two league championships, one section title, and appeared in the 2019 CIF Division 3 state championship game. In college, Jonah-Kai transitioned to volleyball, where he served as team captain for three years. In his senior season, Jonah-Kai led his team to an unprecedented third place finish in the Northern Volleyball Conference and was recognized as an All-Conference player. He has also worked for three years as a student assistant coach for the Carleton women’s basketball team.

In his free time, Jonah-Kai loves watching movies, chilling outside, spending time with family and friends, playing and watching sports, and reading. He loves the San Francisco Giants more than just about anything.