As this is read, I will be officially retired from the William S. Hart Union High School District. It has been my pleasure and honor to work with such great people.
I can honestly say that after working in another (not to be named) district, the Hart district is head and shoulders above all others.
My first school was Arroyo Seco. It was my first teaching position, and I received tremendous support from all of the teachers and staff. I especially want to say thank you to Jacque Snyder for having the courage to hire me without any prior teaching experience.
It was her willingness to take a chance on a non/new teacher that allowed me to have the great opportunity to work as an educator and mentor. Thank you, Jacque.
Secondly I want to thank Rob Gapper and Pete Fries for taking me on first as a teacher and then as a counselor. Both men became mentors to me and helped me navigate the bureaucracy of education. Thank you, Rob and Pete.
I would especially like to give a shout-out to all of the office personnel and custodial staff, and to all of the teachers I have worked with over the years. I cannot begin to tell you how much you are appreciated.
To the La Mesa office staff, thank you for all you do. The special education department at La Mesa is fantastic due to the hard work and dedication that our teachers put in.
Ana, Kathy, Pete, Steve, Jan: It amazes me that 12 years have flown by so quickly. We all supported each other in so many ways over the years in good and difficult times. I look forward to continuing on with all of you outside of the school arena.
I close with the words of someone I consider to be my great friend and a brother: What type of day is it? It’s a great day for learning!
