Cal High has seen a lot of great staff members retire during the 2016-17 school year. 

Teacher Kathy Tussy and counselor Eileen Wall are retiring next week, joining math teacher Fred Albano and college career counselor Harvalee Grimm, both of whom left earlier this year.

 Combined, they have 147 years of experience at Cal. 

Tussy, who has taught ceramics since 1985, is retiring after teaching students the beautifully serene art of molding and painting clay. 

Before working at Cal, Tussy worked at San Ramon Valley High for a year, and Neil Armstrong Elementary for four years.  

Tussy said she always wanted to be a high school teacher.

 “I like high schoolers,” said Tussy. “I like their sense of humor, developing personalities, and seeing them discover their creative side. Sometimes it’s a real surprise for them.”

Once retired Tussy intends to spend time gardening, working in an art program for recovering veterans, and working with a literacy program at the library that helps adults to read.

Wall has worked in the counseling office for 26 years. Her job entails mailing all of the transcripts to colleges, evaluating transcripts of new students, maintaining all the cumulative files, and completing all the paperwork of students who enroll and withdraw. 

Wall has been with the district for 31 years. Once retired she said she plans to “learn new things, travel, and be with [her] grandchildren.” 

When asked what her favorite thing about this job, her response came instantly.

“People,” she said. “The people I work with. And the students. It’s been a wonderful experience. I’ll miss Cal High very much. But I’ll be back to visit.”

Albano retired in January after teaching math at Cal for 42 years. Grimm, who said goodbye in December, worked as the school’s college career counselor for 10 years. She also worked on campus for eight years as a secretary.

Thank you all for your time, effort, joy and dedication. As Miep Gies once said, “Your faces are engraved in my heart.”