Staff Feature-Mr. Kalo

As this school year continues, we have the opportunity to get to know our teachers — diving deeper into their teaching methods and even their personal lives. Mr. Kalo provides insight into who he is and his personal experience at our high school.

Mr. Kalo actually went to our high school, graduated in 1995, and wanted to become a teacher to make a difference as well. He started out working in both education and real estate while trying to figure out his sense of direction. He ended up quitting education and pursued real estate full-time, eventually making a full circle and returning back to education. Mr. Kalo has worked in other schools like San Bernardino High School, but he always returned back to his roots. “I do like this school, I like the kids, and I grew up in this area so I feel at home. I understand these kids, I know these kids because we’re of the same subculture” he says.

He substitute taught in the Bonita Unified District since 2002 which eventually landed him a spot as a full-time teacher. Now he currently teaches freshman geography as well as world culture, U.S. History, and AP Psych. 

When Mr. Kalo attended San Dimas he felt that there was a big generational gap with his teachers which made it difficult to connect. That was something he didn’t want with his current students and made sure to have an open conversation. An open conversation left room for new voices to implement different ideas even on the rest of the Campus.

“There’s been new teachers in the last five years, new blood, that fresh perspective and people from surrounding communities. I think it makes us a little more diverse and helps us reach a wider range of our kids and brings in new ideas and new programs” Mr. Kalo says.

With these fresh perspectives, he even now has his own child learning in this district. This contributes to Mr. Kalo’s appreciation for this school/district not only because of its open-mindedness but due to his past experiences at other intense schools. That this school isn’t too big nor too small and that the teachers here really do care about their students.

Even, while teaching throughout the pandemic over zoom Mr. Kalo try to make connections with his student. He made the realization that his students’ mental/emotional health was a huge priority and tried to keep them connected through his material.  ”The good does not out way out the bad because the emotional toll it took on all of us and that is still taking out of us wasn’t worth it,” he says. Even though the pandemic made it hard for anyone to have some sort of positive outlook or activity to do, there is always a way. If Mr. Kalo wasn’t teaching, he was going hiking to get away from all the noise and distractions. His family would even rent Airbnb places near lakes or rivers instead of staying at hotels to keep life more comfortable and interesting during that time.

With that, Mr. Kalo is one of the funniest and most open-minded teachers on this campus so stop by and say hi. Don’t forget that if he busts your chops that means he really cares about you and as Mr. Kalo always says ‘make good choices’ Saints!