I attended Summerville High School from 1989 to 1993. But my memories with the school, its teachers, staff, and students go back much further. As the son of teachers, my earliest memories in childhood include attending Summerville sporting events, traveling to southern California with the Academic Decathlon Team, exploring empty classrooms and the gym on the weekends, and getting to know some of my dad’s students (who seemed so old and so cool at the time!). I believe this familiarity with the school and everyone who worked there made it an easy transition into my own high school years. Summerville was like a second home to me.

As a student at Summerville, I tried to take advantage of the wide variety of classes and activities that were offered. Looking back at it now, there really was a lot to experience for such a small school in the mountains. My academic activities included membership in the California Scholarship Federation (for which I served as President my senior year), Academic Decathlon, and Spanish Club, helping revive the school newspaper, taking part in the Bear Bowl, as well as taking numerous AP and college prep classes. For my athletic ventures I ran Cross Country for four years, ran Track for two, and played on the Golf team for a year. I also enjoyed taking art classes every semester of those four years, earning an appreciation that I believe helped me to discover the career I have today. At the end of my Summerville adventure, I graduated as the class of ’93 Valedictorian and ready to launch into college.

Following Summerville, I attended U.C. Santa Barbara where I graduated with a B.A. in Geography and then travelled back east to get my M.S. from Penn State University in Geography with an emphasis in Cartography. I have worked just outside Washington D.C. as a Cartographer for the U.S. Census Bureau for the past 22 years. This summer, our family of five moved back to the California mountains where it all started for my wife (a Bret Harte graduate) and I so many years ago.

Summerville High School will always be a special place to me for so many reasons. I have gratitude for the many people who have played a role in my journey, but I would like to give a special thank you to my parents for helping me realize my potential and encouraging me to be the best Bear I could be.