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The Official Student Paper of Riverside Poly High School

Staff Snapshot: Mr. Van Here To Stay!

Sep 21, 2015


STAFF:Former middle school teacher Matthew Van starts new job at Poly High School.

By Avelina Maier, Staff Writer

Poly High School is pleased to announce the arrival of beloved science teacher Mr. Matthew Van! Van, a teacher of 9 years at Matthew Gage Middle School, decided to change directions and teach high school physics. “I have enjoyed my time here at Poly thus far, and I think I will enjoy the rest of my year here,” Mr. Van expressed.

The majority of incoming students come from Matthew Gage Middle School, so many Poly students have had Mr. Van as a science teacher. Van was extremely popular, and his former students from all different grades are ecstatic about his appearance in the classroom again. Simran Brar (10) noted, “I love having him on campus! At Gage he was such a great teacher and he was so friendly with students. It’s nice having him back as a teacher.” Another former student, Ashley Taylor (11), mentioned that she would love to take his class again. “He was a great teacher and it would be great to take a class with a familiar face teaching it,” Taylor said.

Now that Van has finally come to Poly, he does not plan to leave anytime soon. “I have no plans on moving again to another school or up into administration. I have wanted to teach Physics for the past 9 years and it was my goal even when I was studying at UCR,” Van said. As for the rest of this year, Van hopes to both improve his teaching skills and grow as a person. So far, he has shown his ability to adapt to student needs through modifying materials and creating interesting activities, but he knows the quest to reach his full potential will come with its fair share of failures and successes.

Although it took him a while to switch to teaching high school students, the Poly community welcomes him with open arms. “I already feel part of my science department, but also feel like the rest of the staff and students have given me a warm welcome. I am grateful to be part of a campus that encourages and supports pride and collaboration,” Van expressed.

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