Courtesy of Tanya De La Cruz

English teacher Jason Friend receives recognition award from the board during an employee celebration ceremony held on May 28 at the district office. Pictured from left to right are board member Shawn Mortensen , superintendent Heath Rocha, history teacher Mike Davey, Friend, English teacher Natasha Ritchie, board member Theresa Bond and board member Katherine Tseng.

This month, the district announced that Jason Friend was voted by his peers to be the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District’s 2026 Teacher of the Year (TOTY) for his longtime excellence as an educator and leader in the English department and the Media Arts Program. He began teaching at the school in 2003.

“It’s a tremendous honor, because I know how many incredible educators I’m surrounded by in this district,” Friend said.

The award comes with longstanding effort and commitment. Up in the shelves of his classroom sits several published books authored by former students; a few of them were by a student who had many difficulties while he was in high school. Seeing those novels in his classroom always brings Friend great joy, reminding him how far he’s come as a teacher.

He said his path to reaching the profession was not linear. He worked as a writing tutor in college and as a high school substitute teacher during a gap year before returning to graduate school. 

At the time, he debated between becoming a lawyer or a teacher. Friend’s final decision came down to following his true passion.

“It was a tough decision to go into teaching, but I have no doubt that I am a much happier and more fulfilled person as a teacher,” Friend said.

That passion has translated directly into the classroom environment Friend strives to create for his students — one centered around both intellectual challenge and enjoyment of learning. One of his students mentioned to him that she had never laughed so hard and thought so hard in the same class; this duality is what Friend hopes that all of his students can experience in his classroom.

In fellow English teacher Amy Keys’ eyes, Friend’s humor and sharp intellect are part of what makes him such a memorable presence on campus.

“I just hear laughter emanating from his room, but also I know that there’s deep, deep thought that goes on there,” Keys said. “I learned so much from him as a department chair, and understanding how whole systems of schools work, how to bring out the best in our programs and in our colleagues.”

Senior Rithik Atreya — who is in his AP Lang class this year — appreciates the support he has received from Friend.

“He has always been a passionate teacher who creates a great environment for students to make their own connections,” Atreya said. “He has always been there to give solid feedback and help improve individual performance and understanding.”