By: Britt Melinauskas & Quinn Hathaway

Sports Editor & National/World News Editor

Tonya McQuade, a beloved Los Gatos teacher, is retiring after 33 years of dedicated work in the English department. Los Gatos High School hired McQuade in 1992, following a short teaching stint in Japan and an additional year of teaching in Santa Barbara. McQuade earned her teaching credential from UC Santa Barbara and her master’s at San Jose State. While at Los Gatos, McQuade has taught English 9 Honors, English 9, English 10, English 11, and a Multicultural Perspectives elective. 

McQuade’s interest in teaching stems from her family: both her parents and her grandmother were teachers. Originally, her thoughts centered on journalism, but certain factors ultimately swayed her towards teaching. McQuade commented, “[Teaching is] a very friendly job for having a family [as you are] able to have the same schedule as your kids.” In addition to all her cherished lessons at LGHS, McQuade especially treasures teaching poetry, as it offers students the creative freedom to explore their voices and emotions in powerful, personal ways. Over the years, she has published her own poetry and continually encourages students to pursue a love for the art themselves.

  Throughout McQuade’s devoted years of teaching, she created and published her own work of nonfiction, A State Divided. McQuade explained the origin of her book: “Somebody found me on Ancestry.com and said that his dad had this box of old letters he had rescued from a house he was selling as a real estate agent, and that he found those names in my family tree.” She discovered letters written during the war by her own great-great-grandfather, James Calaway Hale, and his brother, Benjamin Petree. These particular letters are the storyline of her book, explaining her ancestors’ steps through the Southern United States and traveling through the Oregon Trail from different family members’ perspectives.

Among her most cherished recollections from her years at LGHS are her skits and performances in the annual Fractured Follies, sharing, “My most special memory of [the show] was when we did my song Phoenix.” The show raised money for the Paradise fires, and McQuade reflected on how she often channels her deep emotions and passion for heavy issues into her poetry and songs.

As she enters her final weeks at LGHS, McQuade offers some heartfelt advice: “Keep learning new things. There are too many places in the world that are new to see, too many subjects to get excited about.” With years of accomplishments behind her, McQuade remains optimistic about the future, looking forward to pursuing her numerous hobbies, all while leaving a lasting legacy.

Among her most cherished recollections at LG are her performances in the annual Fractured Follies. Specifically, she shared, “When we did my song Phoenix. That year, we raised money for the Paradise fires, Kathleen Wehr danced in it, and Zachary Davison-Wilson played guitar with me.” 

As she enters her final weeks at LGHS, McQuade offers some heartfelt advice: “Keep learning new things. There are too many places in the world that are new to see, too many subjects to get excited about.” With years of accomplishments behind her, McQuade remains optimistic about the future, looking forward to pursuing her poetry, photography, and travels to national parks and South American countries, all while leaving a lasting legacy.