Lasting Impact Faculty Relationships Connect De La Salle Community

Lasting Impact

Long-Time Faculty and their Relationships with the Next Generation of Teachers at De La Salle

The De La Salle High School story began in September of 1965 with the first Spartans at Most Precious Blood. Then, a year later students walked the Winton Drive campus for the first time. That was 57 years ago, and over that time there have been many faculty members that have taught lessons in the classrooms. Many of those faculty members have come and gone, but some have lasted for more than three decades, and for a few, more than 40 years. Legendary De La Salle football coach and Religious Studies teacher Bob Ladouceur retired last year after 42 years on campus, leaving the longevity title to his “right-hand man” Terry Eidson, who has been teaching, coaching, and mentoring De La Salle students for 41 years, as the longest-tenured faculty or staff member currently on campus. As of now, only Ladouceur and Eidson have reached the 40-year mark at De La Salle, but a few others are approaching that milestone. Following in Eidson’s footsteps are four faculty members who have been teaching, coaching, and mentoring students at De La Salle for more than 30 years. Kelly Gardner, the World Languages Department Chair, has been teaching Spanish at the school for 35 years, Math teachers Steve Guthrie and Scott Hirsch ‘82 have been on campus for 34 and 32 years, respectively, and John Pelster ‘87 has been teaching English classes for 30 years, while coaching the cross country team for the last 16. Although a paragraph cannot tell the entire story about these individuals’ time at De La Salle, one thing we know is true, they all have made a lasting impression on numerous young men over the past three-plus decades.

Terry Eidson

(September 1, 1981) – Religious Studies/ Bishop Cummins Program

Coming to De La Salle in August of 1981, Terry Eidson, who has done just about everything for the school, which includes teaching, leading senior synthesis, and mentoring student leaders, while coaching football and golf and even serving as the Athletic Director for 12 years. “What keeps me coming back every day to De La Salle is our outstanding faculty and support from the administration,” said Eidson. “I have been truly blessed to come to De La Salle for the last 40 years. This is not a job but a vocation for me, and the students keep me young and on my toes.” In his primary role as a faculty member in the Religious Studies Department, beginning in 2021-22, Eidson is no longer coaching sports. He is now a “limited consultant” for football and has moved over to assist with the Bishop John S. Cummins Scholarship Program. “Most importantly, not a day goes by where I am not challenged,” Eidson said. “With the challenge, though, comes a lot of laughter and enjoyment knowing that I am a part of a community of brotherhood and love. Continuing the mission with graduates reminds me of the impact De La Salle can have on its students, and it is inspiring to see the alumni giving back to a place that meant so much to them.” Currently, there are more than 10,000 alums of the school, so knowing the exact number of people that Terry Eidson has either taught or coached over his 41 years is hard to quantify. But one thing is for sure; he’s left an impact on many Spartans. One way we can quantify his De La Salle legacy is knowing that he either taught or coached 12 of the 24 current faculty and staff members at the school.

Kelly Gardner

(September 1, 1986) – World Languages

Over her 35 years as a teacher at De La Salle, Kelly Gardner has been teaching Spanish in the World Languages Department during her entire tenure at the school. She served as the department chair on numerous occasions and currently holds that position for the school while teaching Spanish 1 and Spanish 3 classes. When asked why she returns each year she replied, “De La Salle has always been good at taking care of one another. It deeply touches you and makes you so proud to be a part of this institution. It’s not just a school, we’re like family.” She also served as the moderator for numerous clubs over the years including the bowling club, the E Club, and sophomore and junior class moderator – just to name a few. Kelly also saw how De La Salle reaches the student, as her son William graduated from De La Salle in 2012. “Willie is proof that we educate the whole boy,” she said. “Not only do we teach the lessons in the classroom, but knowing that the kids feel free to talk to their teachers about problems, things they have going on in their lives helps develop strong relationships between students and faculty.” During her career, she has had the privilege of teaching current faculty alums Tim Bedford ‘03, Jon Clark ‘04, Scott Drain ‘94, Rick Graham ‘90, Greg MacArthur ‘03, Nick Pelosi ‘91, and Marcus Schroeder ‘06.

Steve Guthrie

(August 24, 1987) – Mathematics

Hired in August of 1987, Steve Guthrie is in his 34th year at De La Salle and teaches algebra and geometry classes. Teaching in the classroom is one way Mr. Guthrie connects with the students, but he refers to his 29 years (1988-2018) as the swimming coach as an avenue to connect, not only with the students but with the parents to reinforce the family atmosphere of the school. “In my first few years, getting to know the boys was fun,” he said. “Being the swimming coach right off the bat tied into a bunch of guys which allowed me to have great relationships with their parents as well.” Like Kelly, Steve and his wife, both Catholic school teachers, believe strongly in the Lasallian charism. That’s part of the reason why his sons Ben ’06 and Jared ‘10 attended De La Salle and were able to experience the brotherhood. “It was important for us to get our kids into what we thought was a good Catholic school, and De La Salle does a great job with education,” he said. “From a personal perspective, our kids had no trouble in school after coming here.” One thing that students will always remember about Steve Guthrie is his bellowing voice. Even if you didn’t get to experience that as part of the swim team, many students, and parents, can probably still hear his voice as he directs traffic through the De La Salle parking lot, before and after school. Over time, he’s instructed seven of the 24 faculty/staff alumni, including Travis Pacos ’11, who is now in his fourth year as a Math teacher at the school. Steve has seen how Travis instills the same values in the students he teaches. “Travis has a concern for the boys and has an outstanding work ethic,” said Guthrie. “He’s teaching Math and coaching, so he gets a lot of time to connect with the students.” SPRING 2022 | 12

(August 21, 1989) – Mathematics

The next longest-tenured faculty member is also the longest-tenured faculty alum. Scott Hirsch ’82 walked the halls of De La Salle as a student from 1978-82 but missed being taught by Eidson, Gardner, and Guthrie. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, and teaching briefly in the Fresno area, Hirsch returned home to De La Salle as a teacher in August of 1989. “Everything started right here, and De La Salle shaped who I am,” said Hirsch. “As a student, I learned through service that I liked working with kids, and the mission of De La Salle, teaching the heart, mind, and soul, has always been important to me.” Hirsch continues to teach algebra and trigonometry at De La Salle, but his days as the head coach for water polo and swimming (at Carondelet) have passed him by, although he still helps out as an assistant from time to time. “De La Salle has always been my second home,” he said. “Other than my parents, all the foundational stuff about life I got here. De La Salle has always been about good people and doing God’s work, and trying to help everyone become a better person.” Starting as faculty members just two years apart from each other, Guthrie and Hirsch have formed a strong connection over the years due to their love for swimming and teaching math, as well as their connection to the Lasallian charism which brought their sons to De La Salle as well. Scott’s son Andrew graduated from De La Salle in 2016 and his son Michael completed his education at De La Salle in 2019.

John Pelster ’87

(September 1, 1991) – English

John Pelster was a student from 1983-87 and returned to campus as a teacher in 1991, promptly after earning his undergraduate degree from UC Santa Barbara that same year. When asked why he got into teaching so soon, he responded, “I got into teaching because I felt I could help these kids move on and be successful in life and make the world a better place. Working in sales or at a bank would have just been part-time jobs and not as fulfilling in the way that I thought teaching could be.” So now 30 years later, he continues to teach and reach the De La Salle students through his teaching in English 3, AP English Language, Western Literature, and Literature and Conflict. But his teaching doesn’t end in the classroom. He’s been the head varsity cross country coach for the past 16 years, leading the Spartan runners to six league and NCS team titles, 14 state meets and helping two Spartans qualify for the national championships. “You get into this profession because of the materials, you stay in the profession because of the kids,” he said. “I enjoy being in the classroom with them and sharing my love for this material. I try to help them expand their abilities, not just to understand literature, but to be able to think critically, express themselves, and develop their skills and communication. This is something I find fulfilling in a way that is more profound.” John also deeply believes in the De La Salle education so much that his son James ’15 graduated from the school 28 years after his father.

Building the Foundation: Our De La Salle Family Faculty Tree

What is the overall impact that these five Lasallian Educators have had on the De La Salle community? Well, with their combined 172 years of service, and counting, they have loved, guided, and instructed well over 5,000 De La Salle graduates. De La Salle currently has 24 faculty and staff members who are alumni of the school, including Scott Hirsch ‘82 and John Pelster ‘87, and combined with Gardner, Eidson, and Guthrie, they have either taught in the classroom or coached on the playing field, 19 alums that are employed at the school. The only three current faculty and staff there that were not taught by one of these five 30-plus year faculty members: Fr. LaSalle Hallissy ’69, Cris Rosales ’76, and Bob Guelld ’81. The connection to these alumni goes back as far as the late 1980s, when English teacher Rick Graham ’90 sat in Kelly Gardner’s Spanish class as a sophomore, to as recent as 2011 when Travis Pacos ’11, who now teaches math, was a student in Steve Guthrie’s algebra class during the 2009-10 school year and a student and football player for Terry Eidson. One unique perspective is that one can link generations of teaching to three or four generations. Like how 1991 alumnus Rick Graham learned from Kelly Gardner as a student, then Graham, who has been teaching at De La Salle for 23 years, was an English teacher for Tim Bedford ‘03 and Jonathan Clark ‘04, who are now teaching the current generation of Spartans. Another multi-generational connection runs through Justin Alumbaugh ‘98, who not only played for Eidson but sat in Scott Hirsch’s math class in the late 90s. Alumbaugh, now in his 18th year as a teacher at De La Salle, was a social studies teacher for current HPER faculty member and basketball coach Greg MacArthur ‘03, who also coached Pacos in basketball.

In evaluating who taught who, one interesting perspective falls to current Director of Student Support Service, Scott Drain ’94, who was a student in the classes of Eidson, Gardner, Hirsch, and Pelster, and is the only current alum employee that had four of the five 30-plus year faculty members as a teacher. Additionally, De La Salle has five faculty/staff members who are Carondelet High School graduates: Dr. Heather Alumbaugh CHS ‘91, Jennifer Ricketts CHS ‘91, Viki (Lazio) Acquistapace CHS ‘79, Lindsay Melaas CHS ‘00, and Jamie Frick CHS ‘08. Only Jennifer Ricketts had any of these long-time faculty members as teachers, as she had Terry Eidson for Student Leadership. But what is it that prompts these alumni to come back and teach at the school where they were students? Is it the love for the school? Is it the faculty members they learned from? Or is it that they just want to make a difference in the lives of young men and help them learn and grow? No matter what their reason for returning, they made a significant impact on the current alumni faculty members, as they have with many Spartan alums over the past four decades and counting.