Mr. Cassette by Nancy Ponder

With Otis Redding playing in the background, Mr. Cassette sits back in his chair and prepares for the interview. This is not surprising since most people who have met him can see that he is a pretty laid-back individual.

This self-proclaimed "sports fanatic" has been a teacher and baseball coach for the past twenty years, and it is something he has wanted to do since he was in the fifth grade. He has also taught at about seven different schools in Michigan and California. Most recently, Mr. Cassette was a teacher at Mira Costa. His replacement of Ms. Hoover is actually a homecoming. He was counselor here at ESHS eleven years ago. "I wanted to come back to a smaller school. I think you get to know the students better and there is more involvement," he said. He enjoys the relaxed atmosphere and feels that this experience is what makes him a good teacher.

Students depend on their counselors to provide guidance and Mr. Cassette hopes that his students think he is, "someone to talk to." He considers himself to be an advocate for students and an encouraging person.

He truly enjoys what he does and has always known that this was his life's calling. This explains why he has been doing it for so long. Mr. Cassette wants to motivate students and help them to realize their potential with positive feedback. This feedback, he feels, is what inspires students and helps to make classes enjoyable.

Mr. Cassette's goal for this year is to get to know the students and to make sure that they are successful in whatever they do. He wants to leave a legacy of being "someone who cared about students." However this legacy will not be left behind for quite a while considering the fact that he intends to continue doing this until he retires in about ten or fifteen years.

From the interview it was easy to gather that he is a very positive person. This is mostly due to the influence of his father whom he says was never one to complain and was always optimistic. One of his aspirations is to just be happy and to enjoy life. This is also something that he wants for his students. He says "Enjoy life and appreciate what you have."

Although he has been away from El Segundo High School for a while, it still feels like home. "I'm very happy to be back, I missed it." His hopeful and genuine attitude is refreshing. That is something that is always welcome at ESHS.