By: Claudia Casal

Culture Editor

Kerry Northern Keplinger, known by students and faculty as Ms. Kep, is beginning her sixth year at Los Gatos High School and continuing the school’s legacy of excellence in math programs.

This year, Ms. Kep is teaching several math classes including Algebra Two Accelerated and Geometry. She explained, “Algebra Two Accelerated is really fun to teach because it’s the first time a lot of students are challenged in math and we move really fast. I also love geometry and doing proofs, even if students don’t like doing them.” Her passion for teaching shines through as she is known for her kindness and helpfulness. Her classes are mixed grade; however, her favorite students to teach are sophomores, especially since she is the sophomore class advisor.

As the sophomore class advisor, she is very involved in Leadership, often helping with school events such as Spirit Week, rallies, and fundraising. She is not only the sophomore class advisor, but also the advisor for several clubs, such as the Arts and Crafts Club, where each meeting focuses on seasonal crafts. She also advises the Students Interested in Medical Science (SIIMS) Club which encourages  discussions about all things health related. Previously,  Ms. Keplinger played a pivotal role in the robotics team, but recently, she stepped back to spend more time with her family.

ABay Area native, Ms. Kep lived in Palo Alto during her childhood. As a high school student, she felt that “the whole world is in front of you, and you can do anything you want to do. That’s just a really cool place to be.” Ms. Keplinger ultimately decided to go to UC Santa Barbara for her undergraduate degree in math. She later returned to the Bay Area for her teaching credential and masters degree in STEM education at Santa Clara University. 

When she is not at school, Ms. Kep enjoys going on harbor walks with her family and doing yoga. She frequents a harbor in her hometown, with a ship-themed playground for her kids and a cafe where she spends her afternoons. She is often seen at Los Gatos football games along with various other school sports games including volleyball. An avid music fan, she went to see New Kids on the Block, a boy band from Massachusetts, with the opener Paula Abdul at the Shoreline Amphitheatre over the summer. Ms. Keplinger shares her love for music with her family, as she went to Kidz Bop with her seven-year-old daughter, Freya.

When asked for any advice she’d give to current high schoolers, Ms. Keplinger said, “No one asks you as an adult what grades you got in high school or where you went to college, so just enjoy your life.”