Campus camaraderie: Teachers keep bonds strong over shared interests, professions

In 2012, English teacher Shaina Holdener was completing her Masters in Education in the Stanford Teacher Education Program, when she was told to choose a group for a project. “I was just like, ‘Okay, this is a make-or-break situation, when who you pick is going to determine everything,’” she said. So, she decided to work with English teacher Terence Kitada, a fellow student in the STEP program...

Biology and anatomy teacher Maria Powell met chemistry teacher Dr. Heather Mellows while they were teaching chemistry together at Gunn. Mellows came a year earlier than Powell, and, as teachers in the same department, Mellows became a mentor figure for Powell. “She (was) very patient and generous with me as a new teacher,” Powell said. “She has a skill that just carries through all the aspects...

English teacher Diane Ichikawa and social studies teacher Phillip Lyons have both taught at Gunn for almost two decades, with a friendship stretching just as long. Their commonalities have brought them together, and what they value about their friendship keeps it going strong. The year she was hired, Ichikawa said around 30 new staff members were brought on. The next year, another 30 were hired,...

Spanish teacher Daissy Tabares and therapist Rossana Peña first connected in Sept 2021 at a meeting through a student who knew them both. The first thing that struck Tabares when she met Peña was the culture they shared. As they are both from Mexico, Tabares and Peña speak Spanish and share similar childhood experiences. “It was like seeing myself on campus,” she said. As she got to know...