By Pham Tran
Every teacher at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) has a desk, and every desk is uniquely made by the teacher to give off a sense of familiarity whenever they sit down. The desks are decorated with comfort items chosen by the teachers to represent who they are and their other interests in life besides the career they hold.
Let’s take a look at some favorite items FVHS teachers have on their desks and get a little insight into who they are as a person!
Photos by Emma Nguyen.
KENNY NGUYEN: THE WISDOM OF THE SAINTS BY MATTHEW KELLY
“The book The Wisdom of the Saints would be my favorite [item on my desk],” math teacher Kenny Nguyen said. “It has these quotes from people who are very intellectual. They teach you the way of the world, the way to be better, the way to be healthy, the way to grow yourself in a positive way in a more mature way and to also look at everything, everyone around you in a more understanding perspective.”
MARIANNE KARP: FLOWER BOUQUET
“So, a student gave me this flower bouquet because I listened to her [talk about] having a bad day, and she wanted to say thank you,” math teacher Marianne Karp said.
BILL BIRINYI: CERAMIC CONTAINER
“It’s ceramic and has a bunch of sayings or pictures that represent me,” health teacher Bill Birinyi said. “It was done by a student back in 2018. There’s a picture of a pineapple and one of my quotes was ‘be like a pineapple, be sweet on the inside and wear a crown on top.’ [There’s] a picture of my family and my dog. [There’s a picture of] the subject I teach. They know I’m a baseball fan and ‘believe in yourself,’ something I always said. So, this was made out of someone’s heart for me. I will always cherish it.”
MIKE OLSBERG: LIFEGUARD AWARD
“I won Junior Lifeguard Instructor of the Year 2023,” chemistry teacher Mike Olsberg said. “The reason why it’s special to me is that I got recognized for my service as an instructor, and that’s why I love this award.”
JAMIE TUNGYOO: A FAMILY PHOTO
“This is a family photo of just the men in my household,” math teacher Jamie Tungyoo said. “It’s my husband and my two sons. I’ve got other family photos but this one is just the three of them together. They look so handsome, and it makes me smile every day.”
JANE SPRINGER: CERAMICS CUP
“A student made this for me in pottery class,” math teacher Jane Springer said. “it’s supposed to say ‘SOHCAHTOA’ to help remind them how to do trig but it says ‘OHCAHTOA’ because she then ran out of room for the ‘s.’ It’s just my favorite because I really like the student, and I think it’s funny.”
