By Nicolette Olson
Staff Writer
Danny Sponaugle, Advanced Placement biology and College Preparatory chemistry teacher at Mira Costa High School, has had encoded enthusiasm for biology in his DNA since birth.
Ever since he was a child, Sponaugle had a passion for biology. The fact that life was constantly changing interested him.
“When I was growing up, I was fascinated by living things. I constantly played with tadpoles, had many ant farms and owned pet fish. I still have fish in my classroom now, ” Sponaugle said.
Sponaugle’s many hobbies include collecting rocks, stamps and fish.
“More recently, my hobbies consist of playing sports such as basketball or tennis. Once in a while, my wife or daughter will still buy me fish statuettes, or more pet fish, ” Sponaugle said.
In his early life, Sponaugle lived in Japan, San Antonio, Texas and Illinois because his father was in the air force. Sponaugle thought it was interesting to experience different cultures.
“I went to Clemson University in South Carolina for my bachelors and masters degrees and majored in Zoology. After attending Clemson University, I went to UC Irvine and majored in developmental and cell biology,” Sponaugle said.
Sponaugle has been a teacher since 1986. He first began teaching biology at Magnolia High School in Anaheim.
“I have been teaching biology for twenty-three years at Mira Costa High School, ” Sponaugle said.
In previous years, Advanced Placement biology classes did not keep a set schedule for the dates of tests and quizzes.
“This year, AP biology classes are using a new schedule for test dates, when chapters are supposed to finished, and when homework assignments are due. It’s proven to be much more efficient and I plan on using the same sort of system for second semester,” Sponaugle said.
Sponaugle’s AP biology class covers a large amount of material. His teaching methods include using stories and his experiences to give his students more insight about the principles of biology.
“To prepare my AP biology students for the Advanced Placement biology exam, I hold study sessions for a month before the exam. The study sessions are evening classes at Mira Costa, and often times held in my room. Altogether, the sessions are twelve hours,” Sponaugle said.
Sponaugle serves as faculty advisor for two clubs at Costa; Ecology Club and Red Cross Club. His job as a sponsor for the clubs, calls for him to answer questions and oversee the students.
“I’ve been sponsoring these clubs since I started teaching at Mira Costa, and over time the clubs have started to run themselves. I always make sure that both clubs are getting enough volunteer time, and I try to make things more exciting for them, ” Sponaugle said.
Sponaugle is happy teaching at Mira Costa High School. He finds satisfaction in teaching biology because he likes the ability to spark his student’s interests in understanding living things.
“My first semester of AP biology with Sponaugle has been great; he really loves what he teaches. He’s also an understanding teacher who grades fairly, and tells us to keep on trying, ” sophomore Eleen Yeh said.
Leave a Reply