As the school year comes to an end and summer break approaches, seniors graduate and move on from high school, as do some of our teachers.

This year, Cal’s retiring teachers include Steve Armstrong, Richard Hight, Lucerne Mottaz, and Cheri Ng. Each has made many memories at the school throughout their careers, especially those that have been here to witness Cal’s transformation.

Armstrong has been teaching at Cal since 1979 and has taught everything from architecture to web design to Honors Anatomy and Physiology.

“I remember driving to Cal High when Alcosta was a dirt road,” said Armstrong.

In the early years, Cal’s campus mirrored the simplicity of the city.

“It was very small, there were less than 1,000 students,” said Armstrong.  “The classrooms had no walls, so you’d have four to five classes going on in an open area and one teacher would be showing a movie, and the other teacher would be lecturing, but the kids weren’t interested in the teacher’s lecture, they’d turn around and watch the movie in the other class.”

Armstrong has made a strong impression on many of his students, past and present.

“Mr. Armstrong is really funny and makes you feel really comfortable in class,” said junior Casey Applegate. “He’ll never judge you for having a question or asking for help and his sense of humor makes the class that much more fun.”

Armstrong isn’t the only teacher who has been at Cal for over three decades. Hight has taught English at Cal for 33 years.

Hight is very fond of not only his English classes but also his British Literature course as well.

“I’m teaching British Literature, a subject matter of which I am enamored,” said Hight.

Aside from interacting with his students, Hight will miss spending time with his colleagues. One colleague, fellow English teacher Donna Montague, will miss Hight tremendously.

Montague started teaching at Cal in 1986 and met Hight soon after. The two then started to date, were later married and have worked alongside each other ever since.

“We would eat lunch together and talk about students and lessons,” said Montague. “He was always the voice of reason in meetings and he was an amazingly wonderful teacher to ask for advice.”

Another one of Hight’s colleagues, campus supervisor Tim Ford, reveres him as one of the best teachers at Cal with his fun personality and his great sense of humor.

Hight also directed the drama program for 18 years, which has put on shows that have made him very proud.

Mottaz, the choir teacher, has also been a part of the drama program throughout her 21 years here at Cal.  Her teaching career includes classes but not limited to instrumental music, guitar, piano, and AVID.

“One thing that I will never forget is my first student that got his first Broadway show,” said Mottaz.

Throughout her time at Cal, Mottaz has also been able to build many relationships with her students, many of whom are sad to see her go.

“I’m going to miss Mottaz most because she has been such an awesome role model the past three years, and she has helped me become who I am today,” said senior Dallin Slavens.

He will never forget singing carols in her class around Christmas and then going to Disneyland to perform them.

Ng, an English teacher, also has developed a special relationship with students over the past decade.

Having taught many years in the district prior to Cal, Ng joined the English department in 2000.

“The staff are wonderful and we’re all really close,” said Ng.

Ng’s dedication has not gone unnoticed by her students.

“I admire her dedication to education and she gives us really good insight for things we need to know in the future,” said senior Nicole Schofield.

The life lessons these teachers have given to Cal students will last longer than any subject they taught, and though the beloved staff members are leaving, their legacies will live on.