Aliso Niguel High School has had many teachers and staff that have come back to work at their former school. The school has changed in many ways but a lot of the staff is still the same. While there are many more teachers and staff, some include Mrs. McCann, Mrs. Rose, Ms. Lee and Dr. Mahindrakar.
Many teachers and staff have found their way back to the high school they went to as students and have seen how it has changed throughout the years.
Ms. Lee, the AP computer science teacher at ANHS, was part of the school’s 2014 graduating class.
When asked about what led her to come back to ANHS as a teacher, Lee says, “I had good experiences in high school. I had a lot of good teachers who were good influences and after working a little bit in industry, I decided that that was kind of what I wanted to do. They kind of led me into the teaching career.”
Lee stated that about half of her teachers are still working at Aliso Niguel and that it is a great experience for her to be working alongside the people who influenced her way into teaching.
Lee says that the biggest change she saw in Aliso Niguel was the use of technology. Back when she was a student, technology was not as present in the classrooms, but now she uses it every single day as a computer science teacher.
Next is Dr. Mahindrakar, the principal of ANHS who has seen the school change since he graduated from ANHS as a student in 2002. Teachers and staff don’t necessarily get to pick where they get to teach, so Dr. Mahindrakar says it’s luck that led him to return to the school.
“I taught here almost 20 years ago,” he says, “and then coming back as principal was just an opportunity where I was asked to come back as principal, and of course I said yes”
The school is constantly changing, but Dr. Mahindrakar says that the main things he notices are the constant changing of trends such as music and style. The school itself is largely the same, except for the newly built STEM building, which opened up a lot of opportunities for students at ANHS.
“The trees are bigger, some trees are gone, we didn’t have the solar panels, but a lot of it is the same,” says Dr. Mahindrakar.
Dr. Mahindrakar says he recognizes more similarities in the school than differences when asked about how it has changed.
One of the key differences that Mrs. McCann noted was the actual education. When she attended, there weren’t as many options to pick from coursewise.
She says, “The school has really elevated its offerings, especially with the growth of AP courses.”
She also notes the differences in the campus, pointing out the many additions to the school.
“I would say the most noticeable physical change is the addition of the portables and the STEM building.”
Despite all the changes, Mrs. McCann is eager to point out one thing that has stayed consistent forever: the school’s heart.
“The pride, the sense of community [and] the dedication of the teachers… are still very much alive today.”
As the years pass by, the scenery changes and the courses change, but the attitude and atmosphere at ANHS will never change. ANHS hopes to have students love our school so much that they return and teach just as these teachers did.
