This year, as Ronda Vierra, Jerry Sheehy, Yuko Aoki and Kristen Thomson celebrated their 25-year anniversary as part of the school, they recalled just how memorable their first years were. When the Falcon interviewed them about their experiences, they reflected on their challenges, favorite stories and life since.
Language pathologist Ronda Vierra remembered a warm first impression of the school
When Vierra first stepped on campus in 1999, she was pleasantly surprised by the faculty and students that surrounded her — even though she struggled with a lack of mentorship as the only language pathologist on campus. “When I started, there were no big buildings on campus; there was a big lawn instead of the music building and everything was pretty much single-story,” Vierra said. “I was impressed by just how polite and well behaved the student body and everyone on the teaching team was. My peers were incredibly welcoming, helpful, kind — and they all seem[ed] to really enjoy working here.”
History teacher Jerry Sheehy remains despite a quarter-century of ups and downs
Sheehy described the challenges of teaching and the times he questioned whether he was making a real difference.
“In those moments when you experience a lack of respect for the profession, that can be very disconcerting and depressing —like a shot to the gut,” Sheehy said. “But you also sort of develop resilience in the job. You learn that at the end of the day, you just need to do the best you can and reach as many students as you can.”
He also discussed some of the high points in his career, with several of his memories revolving around the relationships he built along the way. He fondly recalled a visit from a former student, who then kept the class he had walked into entertained with several stories about his experience as a member of the basketball team coached by Sheehy. After teaching thousands of graduates through the years, he still gets excited meeting various alumni at school functions and hearing about the paths he and the school put them on.
PE teacher Yuko Aoki once taught Japanese
Born and raised in Japan, Aoki got her undergraduate degree in education at Tokyo Gakugei University and later completed her graduate studies at Indiana State University. Following graduation, she got a position teaching Japanese and P.E. at a private preparatory school, followed by a couple of semesters teaching Japanese at California State University Monterey Bay.
When she first became a teacher here in 1999, Aoki was immediately overwhelmed by the task of teaching more than six Japanese classes across five levels. However, over the years, as enrollment went down, she transitioned to simultaneously teaching P.E. before switching fully to P.E. several years later. (The decline in the popularity of Japanese resulted from the school offering Chinese as a competing language offering.)
Aoki fondly recalls her time as a Japanese teacher, remembering an incident during a school trip to Japan when a student misplaced their transportation pass.
“The train and subway system are extremely sophisticated, and they use a Japanese railroad pass,” Aoki said. “One of the students lost it, and because we were foreigners and there were around 20 of us, we had a separate line to show our passes. We all flashed our passes and rushed in, and we also smuggled her in. I remember being very nervous but it’s a very vivid and fun memory.”
Now, 25 years later, she realizes that her love for teaching at Saratoga has grown. She especially appreciates the effort her students put in during P.E. and their love for learning.
Science teacher Kristen Thomson grimaced at her past classrooms
After teaching a semester at Independence High and then another at Woodside High, Thomson was hired as a science teacher here — and began a teaching journey of occupying five different classrooms, some of which were far from ideal. She recounted the difficulty she faced while having to teach chemistry in a math classroom, noting that labs were especially challenging.
“I had my students do microscope labs on the floor because I was really worried that the microscopes were going to fall off the math desks,” Thomson said. “Thank goodness Ms. Cochrum let me swap into her room to complete dissections. Can you imagine dissecting pigs in a math classroom with carpeting on the floor? That’s horrific!”
Apart from first-day feelings and nostalgic memories, all the educators noted that the relationships they built with their colleagues had the largest impact on them. They expressed their love for their role at the school, and appreciation for the hard-working nature of their students, stating their plans to finish their careers here.
“I think I’ll have to be pushed out of [the school] when it’s time for retirement. I don’t see myself leaving this school because I love it here,” Vierra said.
