Every student looks forward to their graduation day, which brings happiness and grief. While many students look forward to leaving high school, some decided that they did not get enough out of it and have returned to teach.

After college, alumni Paul McEntee knew he wanted to return as the campus band adviser.

?I graduated in 1993,? McEntee said. ?I went to Fresno State and Western Baptist for college and I majored in music education. When I was in high school I had a string desire to coming back to teach here.?

Unlike McEntee, alumni football coach and American history teacher Jon Hall had no original plans of returning to his high school.

?I majored in kinesiology in college,” Hall said. “I spent two years at Fresno City then I went to Whitworth in Spokane, WA. Coming back to teach here was not a predominate thought, but I did think about it. I came back because I liked it here and it felt like home.?

To Hall’s surprise, he was not the only alumni returning to campus.

?I graduated in the class of 1989,” Hall said. “When I came back to teach, there were a lot of teachers and students that I knew when I was in school and there still here, like Paul McEntee, Michael Fuller, Dr. Arnold, George Freeman, Chris Schultz, Gary Schultz, Ericlee Gilmore and Tim Wilkins.?

Others came back to make a difference in teaching because they could related to the students.

?I came back to teach at Fresno Christian because I wanted to make a difference in the math department,? Ericlee Gilmore, alegbra I teacher, said. “I already went through the same math I could really connect to the students and help them out and raise their performance level.?

Initially Gilmore planned on a future in architecture, not teaching.

?When I was in high school I didn?t think I was coming back here, because I was planning on being an architect,? Gilmore said. ?I wanted to also be a coach, but to be a coach you needed to have a teaching credential so I became a teacher and a coach at Fresno Christian.?

Many current teachers have taught their younger counterparts as students and have continued their legacy on campus.

?I graduated in the class of 1992,? Gilmore said. ?When I was in high school Scott Callish was my P.E. teacher. When I came back to teach I thought Callish would of moved on, but I soon found on he was still here.?

Even though Chris Schultz really wanted to be a coach, he also wanted to be a teacher.

?When I came on staff I really wanted to coach,? Chris Schultz, Alumni faculty said. ?I also wanted to improve in my teaching.?

Some even came back because their friends from high school taught here.

?I graduated in the class of 1991. I came back to coach for Fresno Christian for many reasons,? Schultz said. ?But one of them was that two of my best friends were here. Joe Baroussa was head of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Jay Falkans was my other friend he graduated from FC to. Baroussa was coaching for FC and he asked me if I wanted to help and I did. ?

Some even came back because it was the best job they had had.

?I graduated in the class of 1987,? Michael Fuller, football coach said. ?I came back to teach here because it is the best Christian teaching job I have had.?

When Hall was in high school he liked the school and the teachers.

?Going to Fresno Christian in high school was cool,? Hall said. ?Because of the small school atmosphere. You would know almost every one and were able to participate in a lot of activities. Plus the faculty was down to earth and related to the student body.?

Over the years the school has pretty much stayed the same, but it has had some improvements.

?The dynamics and feel is pretty much the same here as it was when I was in high school,? Hall said. ?However, the culture has changed and there are some definite general differences. The academic and extracurricular activities have also expanded and improved.?

Michael Fuller, English teacher, graduated in 1987 and remembers his first football game.

?It was our first football game of the season and it was against Central Valley Christian (CVC),? Fuller said. ?I went to tackle one of the other players but I tackled a tree by mistake.?
Katie Mendenhall, cheer coach, favorite memory is cheering at our campus.

?When I was in high school I had many memories,? Mendenhall said. ?But my favorite memory is when our team placed second at USA nationals in cheerleading.?

Mendenhall loved her experience here so much she came back to coach.

?I decided to come back to this campus because I loved my experience cheering here,? Mendenhall said. ?I wanted to provide these girls with the same fun memories that cheer gave me when I was here. I also knew that this is where the lord wanted me to be. He blessed me with some awesome girls and families that truly love and support FC cheer.?