Hearing Cal High teachers fondly recall their days attending their alma mater as students is not as uncommon as one would think.
Many current and former Cal teachers claim Cal as their alma mater, bridging gaps between generations. These teachers have witnessed the school evolve from a campus with designated smoking sections and classrooms separated by folding walls to what it is now.
“Being able to teach at Cal is something that everyone from around this area wants, and all the teachers, even veteran teachers, want to come to Cal,” World Geography teacher Jackson Collins said. “We have a good balance of all different kinds of people, all different kinds of cultures.”
Collins who graduated in 2019 believes that Cal is a school many teachers prefer because it discourages homogeneity by fostering diverse perspectives from different cultures.
“I think sometimes [Cal] can come across as a little cliquey,” former Cal teacher Jessica Carvalheira, who now teaches at San Ramon Valley High in Danville, said about her experience at Cal in the early 2000s before graduating in 2005. “But in reality, there’s just a lot of different communities and people that you can lean on.”
Former and current teachers agree that the diversity on campus has long been a unique characteristic of Cal.
Kelly King, a 1993 graduate who teaches Algebra 1, initially came to Cal as a chemistry teacher after deciding to move back to San Ramon after college.
“I came to Cal High because it was familiar and I lived close. There were still teachers here that I knew,” King said. “It was a very comfortable environment. I think that’s why I came back.”
Similarly, Collins said he returned to Cal because he was already familiar with it since he was a former student.
“I’m really lucky that Cal had an opening because I already have a community here,” Collins said. “All of the teachers that I had back when I went to Cal are pretty much all still here.”
Carvalheira was recruited from her university as a student teacher at Cal by former AP U.S. History teacher Scott Hodges, who was also her teacher when she was at Cal. She recalled that her experience as a first-time teacher was not as daunting as it would have been if she had joined another school.
Many other teachers who taught Carvalheira became her colleagues, including King. Collins said that a familiar environment made being a first-time teacher much easier.
Many teachers who attended Cal said they see themselves in current Cal students, and being former students helps them relate with their students more.
King said the community around Cal and San Ramon in general has not changed much since the ’90s, when she attended the school. She believes the community is close-knit, similar to a neighborhood which allows her to connect with students more.
Carvalheira recalled relating with students who would hang out at The Marketplace after school because she had similar experiences growing up in the same area.
“Everyone has an experience, you know, walking down the Iron Horse Trail with friends or going to Central Park, going to The Marketplace, City Center,” Collins said. “I understand what those experiences are, so I’m able to connect and relate with students a lot more.”
Social studies teacher Chris Doherty, who graduated in 1988, said being a former student who slacked a lot helps him identify students who aren’t putting in enough effort to maximize their potential.
While Cal has remained the same over the years in many ways, these teachers have noticed various changes as well. King remembers the buildings being much different when she attended Cal.
“Our building was a round building, and all the classrooms were next to each other,” King said. “You had these sliding doors where you could open up your classrooms if you wanted to be with other teachers.”
Before it was renovated, the school had a main building and three quads. The quads were color-coded groups of lockers assigned to different groups of students. The school was made of several large rooms divided into classrooms by curtain-like strips of cardboard and fabric.
Doherty recalled a designated smoking area at Cal in the 1980s for teachers and students who were at least 18 years old, the age they were allowed to smoke on campus.
King said that her graduating class in 1993 was around 300 students, while the current senior class is more than 700 students.
Many alumni-turned-teachers were involved in extracurricular activities at Cal. Doherty was on the basketball team, and even has his old jersey hung up on his classroom wall.
King played soccer all four years, ran track for two years and did leadership for two years.
Collins earned multiple ribbons throughout his athletic career at Cal. He currently serves as a coach for Cal’s soccer team.
Carvalheira was an avid participant of the theater program, and recalled particularly liking her theater teacher. King participated in many productions and completed all of the theater courses at Cal up until Play Production.
“In general, I think Cal High has always been a very welcoming school to people,” King said. “No matter where you come from, and I think kind of being centrally located, a lot of people are super comfortable here and I think it’s very accepting.”
