Four teachers will retire at the end of the 2012-2013 school year: Rich Serrao, David Martin, Susan Whitehurst, and Elsie Ritchie. They will be missed by Aragon faculty and students, but remembered for their individual dedication and contributions to the Aragon community.
Rich Serrao
Rich Serrao is currently the co-chair of the Math Department and teaches Algebra 3-4, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus BC.
Serrao taught at three schools over his 34-year career as a math teacher. He has been a part of the Aragon faculty for the past 14 years. He explains, “I started working here in 1999. I just needed a change from where I was before. I had a friend who was the assistant principal at the time, and he called me and said there was an opening, so I hopped right over.”
Serrao has taught all levels of math, from Pre-Algebra to Calculus. “I’ve always taught, since the second I left college. I felt a passion for mathematics, and I felt like the best way to transfer that would be through teaching. There’s so many great memories of working with students over the years. Motivating students is what I’m the most proud of.”
Although he will retire from being a teacher, Serrao wants to continue working, saying that he is “too young to retire,” though he is not yet sure about what he will do. However, he plans to take a vacation first. “I’m going to take a year off and travel to Europe, Canada, and Asia, and then I’ll figure it out.”
Says freshman Crystal Lee, who takes Serrao’s Algebra 3-4 class, “He has a good sense of humor and makes learning math seem less daunting. Last year, I had a lot of problems with math, and I was convinced that I would hate math…But it ended up okay because I saw a different way to approach math with Mr. Serrao’s help.”
David Martin
David Martin is currently the co-chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department and teaches Chorus 1-2, Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, and Chamber Orchestra. Martin has taught at Aragon since 2000 but has taught in the San Mateo Union High School District for 33 years.
For Martin, music was always an intended career. He comments, “I had a wonderful experience with music growing up, and I felt that I had a calling to share what I had learned as a musician and continue that love of music.”
After he retires, Martin plans to move to Healdsburg, which is north of Santa Rosa, and travel. “[I’ll be doing] lots of traveling, guest conducting, volunteering in schools, and teaching music to underprivileged children.”
Says band teacher Troy Davis, who has worked with Martin for eight years, “Mr. Martin is kind and thoughtful and he truly cares about his students and everyone he works with. He has taught me patience.”
On Martin’s personality, Davis says, “He is not afraid to take risks. He will do whatever it takes to get a student to understand a concept, from dancing around, jumping, and singing to goofing around. It’s pretty funny.”
Concludes Davis, “I’ll miss his friendship and the bond that we have; we get along really well and we have a great bromance.”
Reflecting on memories of teaching, Martin says, “Taking the whole music department to China in 2008 was an unforgettable experience. Performances in the community, at the Ritz Hotel down at Half Moon Bay, and just every day, just being together and having those ‘a-ha’ moments in music that you can share together. And no matter how many times I’ve seen something myself, when I see it with students, it’s different.”
Susan Whitehurst
Susan Whitehurst, department chair of the English Learning Development (ELD) Department, will also be retiring after teaching at Aragon for 32 years.
Whitehurst still has active plans post-retirement. She says, “I’m going to continue to raise beagle rescue dogs. I want to live in the streets of Paris for at least a couple of months, and my son’s wedding is next April, so I want to help with that. My bucket list is travel, because that’s what I haven’t been able to do as much. I want to watch my grandchildren blossom. I’ve done almost everything I’ve wanted to in my whole life, and I just want to do more.”
Reflecting on how Aragon has changed, Whitehurst points out the change in structure. “[When I started] it was fun and free, and there were way fewer rules for teachers and students—things like Fun Fridays and field trips to coffeehouses and poetry on the lawn. But what’s changed now is that Aragon’s teachers are even more amazing. Every group of students is different and more fun. Aragon students have always been earnest and hardworking and forthright. They speak their minds—they’re not robots, and they argue in positive ways and stand up for themselves.”
Says Chinese teacher Qi Fan, “She works very hard as a teacher and she’s very kind to her students. My first impression of her was her passion for teaching. Even though she has been teaching for so many years, she still has so much energy. She is extremely patient with her students. Her students love her so much, and her classroom is like their second home. They eat lunch together; she bakes cookies for her students and she’s a mother figure for the ELD students.”
The hardest thing about retiring for Whitehurst will be saying goodbye to her students. “They can come to me anytime, which is what I like best about this school. I feel like if any of these kids were in trouble, they’d come to me, and that’s what makes me valuable.”
Elsie Ritchie
English teacher Elsie Ritchie will also be retiring after teaching at Aragon for eight years.
Ritchie says, “All the students are so gracious. Just having somebody do little things like opening the door or offering help. It’s the little things like that, how caring everyone is, and I’ve never seen anything else like that at any other school. These are incredibly great kids.”
Ritchie plans to fill her free time teaching dance, one of her longtime passions.
