Eric Ledgerwood, Science

AP Environmental Science and chemistry teacher Eric Ledgerwood is retiring after 20 years of teaching at Gunn. During his tenure, his favorite part of teaching has been the opportunity to meet new students each year. “Without a doubt, the students that I’ve had over the years are some of the brightest and most incredible, joyful human beings to be around,” he said.

Ledgerwood appreciates the support he has received from his coworkers and employers. “The incredible staff and all of the support services that are in place, from our custodial work all the way to our administrators, are just amazing,” he said.

Over the years, Ledgerwood has had the chance to teach all kinds of students. He appreciates most their attitude and mindset. “As Palo Alto has changed over time into the epicenter of the tech world, it has brought with it challenges but also an incredible mindset that I think permeates everything in the area,” he said. “The major component that I love [from my students] is that ‘can-do’ kind of attitude.”

Although Ledgerwood has enjoyed his time teaching at Gunn, he plans to change careers to mobile app development. He intends to start a company and transition into the field of user experience and interaction design. “I’ve got a lot of ideas that I think are going to be helpful to advance not just education, but environmental efforts and other things that are important to me and that I’m passionate about,” he said.