After 13 years of teaching at CHS, math and computer science teacher Brian Cooper will be leaving CHS and embarking on a new journey to Santa Cruz. For many, Cooper’s departure is a tough one, as his delightful presence and great ability to teach will truly be missed.

Starting out 13 years ago teaching Algebra, Cooper gradually moved up towards higher levels of math and eventually became the AP Calculus BC teacher. Teaching AP Calculus BC has always been his goal and out of all the math classes he has taught here at CHS, he calls that one his favorite. His aspirations to teach this course were personal as it had been a course he thoroughly enjoyed and found it to be unique.

“Calc BC was a course that I had really enjoyed in high school because it was the first math course I had taken that was much more complex and completely different from any other math course I’d taken,” Cooper said. “In Calc, you would need to use several different techniques and formulas before you even truly got started on the problem. The complexity within Calc was what drew me to enjoy learning and teaching this course so much.”

Over the course of his time here at CHS, Cooper has had many memorable experiences both within and outside of the classroom. Whether it be helping students out during office hours or helping a student work through personal issues, Cooper has found his interactions with students to be the most impactful and memorable. His thorough passion for working with students is apparent through his love for teaching and the manner in which he interacts with students. For Cooper, bonding with students has been the highlight of his time here at CHS as he recalls numerous moments that he still remembers vividly.

“There’s just so many moments that have felt like we were all a family,” Cooper said. “Whether it be funny moments like everybody feasting on the last day before Christmas break or students coming in and eating lunch in my classroom, they’ve all been great moments.”

As Cooper reminisces on the good memories and experiences he has had here at CHS, he also looks forward to a new chapter of his life in Santa Cruz. The decision to move to Santa Cruz was one that Cooper had been thinking about for a while. His fiance is originally from Santa Cruz and being able to move to be closer to her family and hometown was something that Cooper had been wanting to do. In Santa Cruz, Cooper will be teaching math at Santa Cruz High School while also spending time outdoors. Cooper is excited to explore the nature that Santa Cruz has to offer through rock climbing and going to the beach. The move to Santa Cruz is an exciting one for Cooper as he has spent his whole life here in Southern California and looks forward to the new experiences he will have.

“I’ve always lived in Southern California, so it’s gonna be nice for a little change. I’m looking forward to spending more time in nature,” Cooper said. “I’m also looking forward to meeting new people, new colleagues, and opening a new chapter in my life. I’m excited to call a new place home.”

For Cooper, the move to Santa Cruz is bittersweet. Originally when he had interviewed for a new job and planned this journey to Santa Cruz, he had not anticipated the current situation. As excited as he is for this new chapter in his life, he feels that the ending he had with his students and fellow colleagues was too abrupt.

“I had my first interview a week before this whole thing had happened and hadn’t anticipated not being able to say goodbye,” Cooper said. “This wasn’t the way I had hoped to leave. There’s so many colleagues and students that I couldn’t say goodbye to. However, I’ll definitely miss the students more than anything else.”

As Cooper leaves CHS and embarks on a new journey to Santa Cruz, he will hold the memories he has made here at CHS close to his heart. Through the past 13 years, he has spent here at CHS, he has undoubtedly been able to make a tremendous impact and will sincerely be missed by his students and colleagues.