On May 7, 2021, French and AVID teacher Jeffery Moore resigned his position as a teacher, and at the end of this school year, English teacher Melissa Munoz-Matheny will resign as well. Moore moved to Omaha, Nebraska to be closer to his family, while Munoz-Matheny plans to return to her hometown of St. Helena, California to teach at her alma mater St. Helena High School.
“It’s more like leaving California than leaving San Marin,” Moore said. “The school didn’t factor into it that much. We wanted to live in a place that had less smoke and fire, that was a bit more affordable, and where I could be closer to my parents.”
Moore taught at San Marin for eleven years. He was the World Languages Department Chair; Adviser for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, the French, and the Do Good Be Kind clubs; an Equity Member; and the AVID teacher for the class of 2021. He also organized and participated in a lot of student travel through Global Glimpse throughout his time at San Marin.
“I love doing student travel,” Moore said. “Every other summer I would take students down to South America. Then the other summer I would go to Europe with students. I’ve visited twelve different countries since I’ve been at San Marin with different student-related travel.”
Aside from traveling to Europe and South America, Moore most recently traveled to Quebec with a student group during winter break of 2020.
“On the Quebec trip he functioned a lot less like a teacher and administrator, and a lot more like an adult mentor,” senior and french student Luke Venezia said. “He was very adamant about getting us out there, and letting us explore on our own. He emphasized personal independence.”
Moore made a conscious effort to make his classroom a welcoming place for all students, and this effort was recognized and appreciated by a lot of the student body.
“If the whole class is down in the dumps then he’ll have a slow lesson and let us get through it, but he’ll still be super supportive of everyone,” junior Katie Curtis said.
Munoz-Matheny has taught at San Marin for six years. She was the co-chair of the English department, a member of the Equity team, a member of the District Teacher Leadership Team, a Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) adviser, and the AVID teacher for the class of 2020.
“It’s going to be really difficult to leave here,” Munoz-Matheny said. “From day one I have felt welcome, and comfortable and here in the department and at this school. But, this opportunity will afford me some more time to be spent with my immediate family.”
Many students felt that Munoz-Matheny’s class helped them better understand the content of the texts they read.
“She always had a really good sense of humor, and she did really well explaining the books we read,” junior Gabe Choi said. “She generally just helped us analyze them better.”
When reflecting upon her time at San Marin, Munoz-Matheny expressed her gratitude for the growth that the school has allowed her.
“All of this has made me a better teacher, but it has also made me a better person. I’m very grateful for everything here.”
Melissa Munoz-Matheny and Jeffery Moore pose for photo together. Both teachers are leaving San Marin to move closer to their respective home towns.
