Story by Lindsey Agnew, Assistant News Editor

Next year SDA will be saying goodbye to several teachers and staff. Michael Grove, SDA’s principal of three years, will be moving on to a position in the district office. Also leaving SDA are counselor Julianne Velasco and English teacher David Tow, and yearbook teacher Carrie Land will be taking a one year leave of absence.

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Tow, who also taught debate, will be leaving SDA to move to San Francisco for his girlfriend to further her career and to be with family. After four years of teaching here, Tow said he “basically graduated from SDA.” Tow will be teaching a humanities class, covering both English and history, at a high school in San Raphael.

“I always planned on leaving. After student teaching my girlfriend and I were going to move to San Francisco, but I got here and I really liked the school, so I decided to stick around to fill for a teacher that was leaving. Then I taught summer school, and I kept coming back,” said Tow.

Tow says he is sad about leaving but happy to be near his family and to be able to share aspects of SDA with other schools. “I really like the way SDA teachers and students interact – it’s like a collaborative partnership,” said Tow.

Tow said that his time at SDA “was like a huge series of extraordinary memories – everyday is a great memory of teaching.”

“I want to advise students to really maximize their opportunities here. They should really appreciate it while they’re here – they will miss it. Coming from someone who did not like high school, this is a good place,” said Tow.

Many students will miss Tow’s unique and involved approach to teaching. “Mr. Tow is the best teacher. He takes the time to get to know and to help each of his students individually. He really cares about his students,” said junior Ben Byerlee.

“He was a great contribution to our school and has a unique teaching style,” said sophomore Kira Scott.

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Also leaving SDA’s debate department is Todd Newkirk, the afterschool debate coach. Newkirk will be leaving SDA to go to graduate school out of the area. SDUHSD has hired two new teachers from outside of the district to teach English and debate next year. One of the teachers will go to SDA, and the other will go to LCC, which also has an opening for a debate coach, according to Grove.

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Velasco, who has been in the district for one year, will be replaced by a tenured counselor next year as the district moves to eliminate counseling positions. Diegueno counselor Duncan Brown will be taking over for Velasco. Velasco was hired at Cathedral Catholic High School.

“What a great place to work – SDA is a special school with a family feel with staff, students and parents. Everyone has made me feel so welcomed and supported from day one … I can sense the students feel the same way here. I was truly fortunate to hit the jackpot working at SDA,” said Velasco.

Velasco said she feels “very, very sad” about leaving SDA. “I have really enjoyed getting to know my kids and working with their families. I will also miss working with my new colleagues. SDA staff all seem to share the same passion, ‘It’s all about the kids!’,” said Velasco.

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Yearbook teacher Carrie Land will be taking a leave of absence next year to spend more time with her children as they enter kindergarten. Teachers may request up to two years of absence from the district, according to Grove; Land only requested one. Heather Temple, English and yearbook teacher at Oak Crest Middle School, will be replacing her.

“I’m sad that she’s leaving, she’s a really great advisor and I learned so much from her in such a little time. But, I’m really excited for Mrs. Temple to start working as a yearbook advisor and I can use what I learned from Land to help Temple next year. I’m really excited for what the next year has to offer,” said sophomore Rebecca Tsai.

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Some of SDA’s new teachers may be leaving the school next year as well. Temporary teachers, including English and P.E. teacher Erin Norton and history teacher Joseph South, will need to interview for their positions next year. A decrease in enrollment in the district’s middle schools this year will result in more tenured teachers from those schools replacing high school teachers who are newer to the district, according to Grove. All district teachers have the opportunity to interview, and temporary teachers were notified that they can’t be guaranteed a job next year, according to Grove.