By Nick Block
Staff Writer
On Jan. 30 Mitch Williams, a Mira Costa teacher in the computer department for over four years, resigned from his position at Mira Costa after he was offered a job for a computer corporation that Williams claimed was “much like NVIDIA.”
At Mira Costa, Williams taught in specialized areas like 3D Graphics, Web Design, and Video Game Development. In addition to his role as a high school teacher, Williams was a part-time college professor at UC Berkley for 3D Graphics Engineering. He trained people for possible careers in growing broad-based computer technologies for the Southern California Regional Occupational Center.
Williams left half-way into the year, and students felt lost in their year-long course. As a SCROC employee he was outside of Mira Costa jurisdiction.
“As a SCROC employee he didn’t have a contract with us so he could leave at any time,” Principal Ben Dale said.
As a temporary replacement, Photography teacher Jill Schoenemann will take over for both AP Computer Science and Web Design. Since Schoenemann is experienced in Photoshop, but isn’t in coding. Some students believe it will be difficult to get things back on schedule until the new teacher is hired. The school administration has been interviewing applicants to find a potential replacement for several weeks.
“AP Computer Science is a tough subject that requires a teacher with a precise background,” senior Devon Gold said. “With one of the most difficult AP exams approaching, we need a teacher who can prepare us as efficiently as possible.”
Along with Williams, some students are upset that the web design website has been taken down. It has several demos to help students better understand how to code for each assignment. With the website taken down, students believe that the curriculum will become increasingly difficult.
“The demos and notes provided on the Web Design Site helped us learn how to code,” sophomore Brandon Seidel said. “Taking the site down is going to make it harder to learn it all.”
According to students, the only way to replace Williams effectively will be to hire two teachers, one for Web Design and one for AP Computer Science, or a teacher with the experience and background similar to that of Williams. Since the Mira Costa School Board is still in the application process, William’s replacement has yet to be determined.
“It is certainly going to be hard to find a replacement,” senior Michael McPherson said. “There are not many people that can do what he could.”
Although the new teacher, or teachers depending on the school board’s decision, will know which areas have been covered already in the first semester, students believe that that a different teaching method could hinder the learning experience. However, since the first semester of Web Design was geared towards coding and the following semester covers primarily the artistic side of the web, students and faculty believe it will make it easier for the teacher to cover new material.
“We are still in the process of screening applicants,” Principal Ben Dale said. “We are hoping everything runs smoothly.”
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