Ligotti’s last line-up

Gale Ligotti during her first year at MCHS, 1995-96 (Courtesy of Gale Ligotti)

By Ruby Costa, Co-Executive Editor

With the current uncertainty and turmoil plaguing the district, it’s perfectly normal for students to expect some change in their future. For one Maria Carrillo High School science teacher, this change will be coming in the form of retirement.

Gale Ligotti has been with Carrillo since it first opened in 1996. She’s always taught science, starting with classes such as Survey Biology and Integrated Science and is currently teaching Zoology and Living Earth. However, Ligotti didn’t always want to teach science. She originally got an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in Liberal Arts, hoping to teach elementary and something artistic like ceramics. Though, after taking a break from schooling to raise her children, she went back to school for Biology due to some insightful advice from a friend.

“Math or science,” she was told, as her best bets for getting a job. Ligotti never enjoyed high school overall, but she remembered enjoying her biology classes the most. Though this path may not have been her initial goal, she’s adamant that it's the “best decision [she’s] ever made.”

Teaching science has allowed Ligotti to do incredible things, like traveling to the Amazon, Galapagos, and Yucatan.

Coming to Carrillo of all high schools to pursue this science dream was, honestly, pure chance. She needed a job, and Carrillo was the talk of the town. “I went to the interview thinking I wasn't gonna get the job anyway, because [the principal] had been hiring all the best teachers, and I was brand spanking new,” details Ligotti. Miraculously, two hours after the interview, she got the job.

Ever since, Carrillo has helped her change and grow as both a teacher and a person. She’s “worked with some amazing people and some amazing students,” the latter of which will be the hardest to leave. Ligotti adores the “teenage energy,” which she views as something completely special. “Sometimes it gets on your nerves and sometimes it is more than you can handle…but it keeps me alive and coming back. Keeps me young. Keeps me on my toes.”

Students have certainly impacted Ligotti, but we can also see this the other way around. MCHS junior Esperanza Figueroa had Ligotti as her Living Earth teacher sophomore year and remembers both the class and her personal experience with Ligotti fondly. “She really wanted us to understand the material. If you weren’t understanding something, she’d come up to your desk and give you a whole explanation,” explains Figueroa, who was thankful for the level of dedication it was clear Ligotti had. Figueroa describes her as understanding and in touch with her students. She was also clearly invested in the subject of science, which made her class all the more engaging. “She was personally invested in what she taught, so she enjoyed teaching it.”

Along with the students, Carrillo's administration has had a huge impact on Ligotti’s time here. “The admin that we have right now is my favorite [out of] all thirty years,” Ligotti remarks, giving special praise to our principal, Amy Wiese. “She’s so well loved,” which is evident after the protests last year to bring her back to Carrillo. Ligotti thinks she is a “fantastic leader” who is “always receptive when you walk up.” She’s always smiling, ready to offer you “a hug or a piece of chocolate.” Hearteningly, Ligotti says: “I feel very blessed that my last few years of teaching were with [Wiese].”

Though retirement will bring more opportunities, and it will certainly be nice to never have to grade a test again, Ligotti will miss numerous elements of her job. “I'm a frustrated standup comic,” jokes Ligotti, so I’ll miss “having a captive audience.” Overall, she loves making her students laugh, but what she loves even more is “see[ing] light bulbs going off,” being able to tell her students are engaged, and knowing that they truly understand. “There is nothing better than that.”

In a well deserved brag, Ligotti brings up how many students have grown to “love science after [her] class.” And, for a teacher, that's the highest compliment.

Whenever someone is retiring, we can only imagine what they will be up to with this freed-up time. Ligotti plans to garden, as she “live[s] for [her] yard.” She also wants to spend time with her grandkids, and even has a road trip to the Grand Teton’s planned with her oldest, a recent graduate from UC Santa Cruz.

This roadtrip certainly won’t be the only one, though, as Ligotti is an avid traveler. So far, she’s been to many places in Europe and South America. She wanted to get most of her desired international destinations out of the way early on so she could save America for once she got older. On a national scale, Ligotti hopes to visit Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Yellowstone. Driving around and seeing the beautiful views in National Parks seems like an excellent way to spend retirement.

Pictures of Gale Ligotti in Mexico and Alanka respectively (Photo Courtesy of Gale Ligotti)

Ligotti isn’t retired quite yet, however, and will continue to be a part of Carrillo’s community for the rest of the school year. Leaving the school in the middle of such a turbulent time—with budget cuts, staff cuts, and school closures for students and staff to worry about—is no doubt difficult. Thankfully, Ligotti can rely partly on the support of the parent association. Each year, the organization Classroom Safari comes to Ligotti’s Zoology class, providing an amazing experience for the students. This is funded by the Parent Association each year, and even when things are wild in the district, Ligotti knows she can rely on them.

Overall, Ligotti is concerned about the future of Santa Rosa City Schools, and concerned for all the teachers uncertain about their jobs next year. This district is “gonna ask more of the teachers and want to pay them less,” says Ligotti. As far as the merging of middle and high schools, Ligotti sees it as the district causing more conflict and “shooting themselves in the foot.”

But, because Ligotti has been with Carrillo through thick and thin, this is nothing new for her. She strongly believes we—the district and the individual students and teachers alike—will make it through. Despite the current turmoil, and any more she has experienced in the past, Gale Ligotti has enjoyed her time here. Everything has its flaws, but as for Carrillo, Ligotti “love[s] it the way it is.”