Mr. Stone is the middle child among his four sisters, and had spent portions of his youth in Costa Mesa and Tustin, as well as Utah, having received his high school diploma from Weber High School. After spending a year experiencing life in South America, Mr. Stone would go on to receive both his bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach. A surfer and sometimes snowboarder and skater in his free time, Mr. Stone is also a devoted foodie. The quiet, yet easy-going first-year teacher shares his home with his Broadway-performer wife and two dogs. A former Edison Charger, Mr. Stone has been enlightened and is now a proud Baron as he sits down with me one afternoon for a short Q&A session.
What made you decide to become a teacher?
The most important is my passion for the area I teach, Spanish, I wanted to share it with everyone else because it’s helped me out quite a bit in life and I know that having a second language helps others to see different parts of the world. Every day [teaching] is different, it’s not the same routine – of course things are routine in the classroom, but every day there’s a different excitement that you can bring to the classroom, different situations, different students, every class is different, each has its own chemistry makeup.
Who inspires you the most?
I think my biggest inspiration is probably the generation under – you guys. You guys inspire me to come in every day and to do my best, to give you the tools you need to succeed in life, and especially at this school, I see a lot of awesome students that strive hard and want to work hard and be the best that they can be, and that’s a big inspiration to me: I want to do my best because you guys are doing your best.
How does it feel like to be a Baron?
Almost noble-like. I mean, like what I know I need to study more on the barons and their history, but just the symbol alone, it looks very distinguished and very proper. The word “charger” alone sounds almost physical. Both schools are awesome in their own way, but chargers are more physical while barons are more intellectual.
What is something quirky about yourself?
Everyone seems to call me Clark Kent. I am a fan [of Superman], but the glasses are more for helping me see, and the style just happens to be that of Clark Kent. You know, I’ve never really gotten Bruce Wayne; until I started here a couple students call me a mix between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, but I think I’d lean more toward Clark Kent. Bruce Wayne had a lot of money, and that’s something I don’t really have.
A whale and a unicorn mated to make a narwhal. True or false?
A narwhal? True or false? I’m going to go… true.
Any words of wisdom to live by?
Use the Force. Always.
great interview!