Feature

High School Sweethearts

Anna Opalsky, Macy Swortwood, Hannah Meltzer

TPHS is home to teacher couples who share a love for teaching and each other. The Falconer takes a look at these beloved couples and their origin stories.

The Lopezes

Falling in love with someone who shares the same passion and career is lucky, and working at the same school? Even better. Getting to see your spouse throughout the day in hallways and school events is not for everyone, but Heather and Mike Lopez would not have it any other way.

The couple has been married for 14 years, a rare pair at TPHS. Mike teaches freshman Biology and Culinary Arts, while Heather teaches AP Research, AP English Language and Cheer P.E.

In their case, the Lopezes barely see each other during school hours.

They have two daughters, ages eight and 12, that need to be taken care of, so they alternate schedules, – Mike finishing before lunch and Heather starting late and working until the end of the day.

Working around their teaching schedules has become second nature for them.

“We have always taught opposite schedules so we can be with our kids,” Mike said.

They both have been teaching for over 20 years, and even worked at a school together prior to TPHS. They met teaching, coincidentally, or maybe by fate, getting hired at the same time. When they are not working or spending time with their kids, the Lopezes adore traveling. Heather has been to all 50 states, with Mike accompanying her to the last few. Together they have visited nine countries.

“When I think of my favorite things we have done, most are with travel and our kids,” Heather said.

Just like their contrasting subjects of teaching, with Heather in humanities and Mike in STEM, the Lopezes are proof that opposites really do attract.

“I love how he is laid-back and always ready for adventure,” Heather said.

In contrast, Mike describes Heather as the kind of person who gets things done. Without her, he believes, there would be a lot missing in their household.

The Lopezes’ love story started and continues with what they love to do: teaching. If they had never been applying for the same job at the same time, their lives would be completely different.

The Doerrers

In the rush of passing period, two new teachers jostle past each other, one exiting and one entering Room 108, the classroom they share. Exchanging only a few words as they rotate classes, neither would have guessed that six years later they would be married.

Chas Doerrer, an AP Psychology teacher and football and track and field coach, laughs remembering that year of sharing a classroom with his wife, Jennifer (King) Doerrer.

“With coaching and everything else, I was probably always rushing,” he said. “I don’t think I made a good impression.”

Despite this unconventional introduction, they reconnected a few years later and have not looked back since.

“She overcame my horrible first impression,” Chas joked.

While they no longer share a classroom or even a hallway, the Doerrers find time in their days to support each other on campus.

Early on in their relationship, Jennifer, an art teacher and the co-chair of the Visual & Performing Arts Department, often developed her art curriculum with Chas.

“We used to be night owls … so we would just paint sometimes,” Chas said. “She would be doing her art lesson and I would do whatever the lesson was. [At] one in the morning, we’d still be painting.”

While this routine ended when they started their family, Chas still appreciates Jennifer’s creativity; he often incorporates art into his psychology class and during breaks, will email her art inspiration.

Though their days remain separate, these email exchanges and check-ins during lunch, create treasured moments throughout the day. “We’re a serious cardinal and gold family,” Chas, also a former TPHS student, said.

With this dedication to their campus, the Doerrers have worked to find a balance between their shared career and their family life. “There are pluses and minuses to sharing the same job because it’s sometimes harder to find a boundary,” Chas said. “You have to find the right balance in your life.”

For 15 years, the Doerrers have practiced finding that balance. While they may no longer be passing each other in the doorway of Room 108, a quick email exchange about a local art installation or a knock at a door to signal a lunch delivery are reminders of the role TPHS played in their relationship.

The Ralls

A chance encounter on Catalina Island sparked not only the Ralls’ careers in teaching but also their marriage.

Both Mary Ann, now a biotech and AP Biology teacher, fresh out of her studies at the University of Nebraska, and Michael, now a chemistry teacher, returning from a job in Alaska, were each drawn to Catalina Island as a place to figure out their “next step.” They found that step together as instructors at an educational program for visiting students.

“It was a fun time in life because [we were] surrounded by like-minded people that enjoyed science … and [were] ready for adventure,” Mary Ann said.

That love of adventure defined their relationship. After setting off from Catalina Island, they spent three months traveling Australia, the Cook Islands and New Zealand, forming many of their favorite memories together.

“Mrs. Rall was my dive buddy,” Michael said. “We went on a lot of really good scuba diving adventures.”

When they settled in San Diego, their memories lingered.

“The time we spent on Catalina Island teaching really resonated with us … so we gravitated toward getting our credentials in teaching,” Michael said.

While they initially taught in different districts, un-synched school breaks that no longer allowed for shared adventures spurred Michael’s move to TPHS, where Mary Ann had been teaching for four years.

“We were losing the commonality of what we [did],” he said. Nestled toward the back of campus, in classrooms facing each other, the Ralls have shared TPHS ever since, welcoming two children along the way.

“I gaze at him from the back door,” Mary Ann joked.

“Yeah right,” Michael quipped.

While they are separated by only a few steps, their days remain fairly separate.

“We have 190 students plus … and we teach technical classes where people have questions,” Michael said, adding that their days are too “busy” to have much crossover.

However, that separation at work, especially as it relates to creating boundaries, has strengthened their relationship.

“When you work with your spouse, it’s important not to talk about work when you go home,” Michael said. “That was a rule we made early on.”

For 21 years, the balance has served them well, as they bring the same love for science and nature that they fostered on Catalina Island to the classrooms of TPHS.

The Neubauers

The clock strikes 3:25 p.m., and the parking lots flood with students eager to head home for the afternoon. Meanwhile, in the teacher lot, Julie and Eric Neubauer meet up to debrief each other on the day as they drive home.

“We really love that we have saved gas money,” social science teacher Julie said.

Julie, who teaches AP World History and AP European History, has enjoyed working alongside her husband at the same school for the past seven years. Eric works in the Career Technical Education pathway as an Automotive Technology teacher and sitting as the TPHS Chair and District Chair for CTE for the past eight years.

“It’s neat to have [students] that we both know that we can talk about because when I taught at a different school, he [Eric] would not have any idea who they were, so now we can talk about the kids,” Julie said.

Although the Neubauers’ classrooms are far apart on campus, their 12-year marriage, 25-year relationship began in two side-by-side seats in the Rhetoric and Writing 100 7 p.m. class at San Diego State University.

“[When I first sat next to Julie] I think I was intrigued,” Eric said. After class Eric offered to walk Julie to her car.

“When he walked me to my car and saw I had a Jeep, I think that is when he decided he was going to propose,” Julie said.

Although Julie’s tan ‘85 Jeep Scrambler was definitely impressive, Eric’s love went much deeper than that.

“[Julie’s best quality the] ability for both of us to accept each other’s interests regardless of if we like them at the same time,” Eric said.

While working together at TPHS has strengthened the Neubauers’ relationship, the couple’s best memories lie beyond campus.

“My favorite times with him are when we are at the river with our dogs,” Julie said. “It is our happy place for both of us … we have a lot of fun.”

The Neubauers, 25 years strong, are proof that a casual classroom encounter could introduce you to your future significant other.

Read on Issuu.

1,191 thoughts on “High School Sweethearts”

  597. During high-traffic product releases we have extra security in place to prevent bots entering our site. We do this to protect customers and to give everyone a fair chance of getting the sneakers. Something in your setup must have triggered our security system, so we cannot allow you onto the site. All data for the values is being sourced from Binance, BuyUcoin, a trusted and popular platform to trade cryptocurrency. This is because crypto prices can vary slightly across providers, so using a single source for this information is very important. In 2014, the IRS issued Notice 2014-21, 2014-16 I.R.B. 938, explaining that virtual currency is treated as property for Federal income tax purposes and providing examples of how longstanding tax principles applicable to transactions involving property apply to virtual currency. The frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) below expand upon the examples provided in Notice 2014-21 and apply those same longstanding tax principles to additional situations.
    https://reidzebz639639.theblogfairy.com/23203600/ruff-play-dog-toys
    Many people have some card decks in their houses, which they use to play different card games. Unfortunately, not many of us know where these games originated. Before we talk about popular card games, it’s essential that we look at the history of card playing to help you understand where it all started. ©2022 Random Salad Games LLC. All rights reserved. Hearts is both a trick-taking and evasion game. This means that a person with the fewest points at the end of a round wins. Hearts is played until someone scores 100 points. When that happens, the player with the least points is the winner. In several known game variants, jokers can be used like in Freecell or Klondike solitaire (the black joker can represent any black card, and the same for the red joker)

  1030. Thanks for the recommendations shared on your blog. Something else I would like to say is that weight-loss is not supposed to be about going on a celebrity diet and trying to get rid of as much weight as you can in a couple of days. The most effective way in losing weight is by getting it slowly but surely and right after some basic ideas which can enable you to make the most out of your attempt to shed weight. You may recognize and already be following some tips, yet reinforcing knowledge never damages.

  1061. Yes, it is possible to win real money when you play online blackjack. The odds in online blackjack games are very similar to those in live dealer games. While the house has an advantage, it is very slight, meaning you will have a fair chance to win. Online blackjack is the virtual reproduction of the classic card game played at Casinos around the world. When you play online blackjack you can choose between a large number of AI-powered blackjack games or play with other players and live dealers who stream the Casino-like action in real-time. At Cafe Casino, we use advanced Random Number Generators (RNGs) for our online blackjack games, ensuring that each hand is completely random. This means that traditional card counting techniques, which are typically used in physical casinos, are not effective in our online environment. Our system ensures a fair and unpredictable game, aligning with the best practices of online gaming.
    https://www.homestudiolive.net/forum/general-discussions/temple-slots-free-play
    Now you are ready to start playing a live blackjack. Go to the section for live games on the site of the online casino of your choice and choose blackjack. A new window will open and you will see a studio styled as a casino or a small casino hall. Live Free Bet Blackjack otherwise plays out almost identically to regular Live Blackjack. Check out our Live Blackjack rules page for more information on how to play Live Blackjack. With blackjack online games, sometimes it’s more than about getting “21”. With different versions in different parts of the States, as well as different parts of the world, sometimes it’s about where you are (or, perhaps, where you want to be) when you play. This live dealer blackjack game was honed by casinos on the Las Vegas strip. However, due to its popularity, it’s now available at the best online blackjack sites. The rules are basically the same as other American blackjack games, including Atlantic City rules. However, instead of the dealer peeking when they have a 10-value card or ace, the dealer only peeks with an ace in Vegas Strip Blackjack. It’s also worth noting that this variant only uses four decks.

  1062. This is very interesting, You are an excessively skilled blogger I have joined your rss feed and look forward to searching for more of your wonderful post Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!

  1063. I think other site proprietors should take this web site as an model, very clean and great user friendly style and design, let alone the content You’re an expert in this topic!

  1064. F*ckin’ remarkable things here. I’m very glad to see your article. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward to contact you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?

  1067. Binance is a leading global crypto trading platform that offers trading in a wide range of crypto assets. Volatility refers to the frequency and degree with which the price of a security fluctuates. It can drive inexperienced investors to make irrational trading decisions, but savvy investors can profit from it. Coinbase is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world and one of the best reputations for security. The exchange keeps nearly 99% of its users’ digital assets in offline cold storage. Coinbase also requires that you validate a phone number by entering a code they send you through a text message. Coinbase has mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account, to ensure that your account remains secure. Coinbase is also a publicly traded company meaning it has undergone extra financial and security examinations to reach that status.
    https://lima-wiki.win/index.php?title=How_to_buy_emax_cryptocurrency
    The combination of rising energy prices and falling cryptocurrency prices has made it much more difficult to turn a profit mining Bitcoin (BTC). The year 2023, BTC witnessed a recovery after a series of unpredictable events such as FTC fall, Terra Luna crash, macroeconomic conditions and Binance guilty plea.  The first miner to get the correct answer wins the right to confirm a block of that cryptocurrency’s transactions. When the block is confirmed, it’s added to the cryptocurrency’s blockchain, a distributed digital ledger of all its transactions. Marketing cookies are used by third-party advertisers or publishers to display personalized ads. They do this by tracking visitors across websites. Crypto mining is the process of validating crypto transactions on the blockchain by miners who perform the necessary computing work to win the bid for becoming the validator who will then win mining rewards resulting from the creation of new units of a particular cryptocurrency.

  1068. Keep up to date with Burnley Together To receive future editions of the newsletter straight to your inbox sign up below. We use cookies to track usage and improve the website. If you require help from any of these services, please click the image below for a link to their websites. Who was man of the match in our 2-1 defeat at Tottenham? Burnley Central 1.5 miles. Brierfield 1.5 miles.  Good bus connections from both stations involve walking short distances. Website by Ranatech Ltd Do you require this website in an alternative format? Website Design & SEO by Registered address: Part Lower Ground Floor, Gate House, 1-3 St.John’s Square, London, England EC1M 4DH. Registered Charity No. England 1001957, Scotland SCO40009. Company registration No. 02580377. Unfortunately not the ones with chocolate chips.
    https://trentoncwof692479.fare-blog.com/27770058/wigan-athletic-transfer-rumours
    Soccervista predictions are accurate and reliable predictions for soccer enthusiasts and bettors. These predictions empower bettors to accurately place bets. With Soccervista as your guide, you are assured of winning. Soccervista bet of the day is one of the top predictions that we provide. We ensure that all Soccervista predictions are well-analyzed before we share them. This platform provides both Free Soccervista predictions as well as premium Soccervista tips. Soccervista predictions are accurate and reliable predictions for soccer enthusiasts and bettors. These predictions empower bettors to accurately place bets. With Soccervista as your guide, you are assured of winning. Soccervista bet of the day is one of the top predictions that we provide. We ensure that all Soccervista predictions are well-analyzed before we share them. This platform provides both Free Soccervista predictions as well as premium Soccervista tips.

  1069. It’s in point of fact a great and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

  1070. I precisely desired to thank you very much once again. I do not know the things that I could possibly have gone through in the absence of the actual ideas shared by you on this area of interest. Previously it was a traumatic scenario in my opinion, but observing a skilled style you handled that forced me to weep for joy. I’m thankful for your help and in addition have high hopes you find out what a powerful job you’re doing instructing people thru a site. More than likely you’ve never met all of us.

  1071. Nice post. I used to be checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed! Extremely useful information particularly the closing section 🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.

  1083. Lottery defeater is a tool that uses algorithms or specific strategies to predict lottery numbers, aiming to give users an edge in picking winning numbers. The software usually claims to analyze patterns in previous lottery draws to help users select numbers that are more likely to come up in future draws.

  1107. After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.

  1108. Hello I am so excited I found your website, I really found
    you by accident, while I was researching on Yahoo for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a incredible post and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also added your RSS feeds, so
    when I have time I will be back to read a
    great deal more, Please do keep up the excellent jo.

    Feel free to surf to my page neotonic gummies reviews

  1118. Fitspresso is a brand-new natural weight loss aid designed to work on the root cause of excess and unexplained weight gain. The supplement uses an advanced blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support healthy weight loss by targeting the fat cells’ circadian rhythm

  1139. Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your weblog. You have some really good articles and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please blast me an e-mail if interested. Thanks!

  1142. I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this increase.

  1149. Handicap betting is a good way to manage risk versus reward when betting on soccer games. You can choose selections that are more likely to be correct but come with lower odds, or you can choose that selections that are less likely to be correct but come with higher odds. We optimise our soccer predictions and tips for maximum flexibility and convenience, with categories catering to different markets. Such as both teams to score (BTTS), over 1.5, over 2.5 goals, over 3.5 goals, 1st half goals, double chance, fulltime handicap, accumulators, Chance Mix, Combo, highest scoring half, win either half, win both halves, correct scores and many more. Taking into account all the factors that can influence today sure bet prediction with high odds, our team of specialists reveal their opinions on all games in diverse leagues across the world, the best full time prediction and tips to be favored in the coupons to bring a high bet victory predictions.
    http://www.popsotong.com/gb/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=29457
    England hot prediction site we’re the best in giving out daily hots prediction, our hot predictions and hot predict are best expert tips today. Hot prediction site in england and 99 predictions is the name we answered because of our hots predict and hot predictz offers. submitted 2nd July We use statistical information and forecasts to evaluate our predictions and to retain a 90 per cent average accuracy. So you can see why we remian the best football prediction site all round the globe. Also offer correct score, fixed games, sure odds, We also offer betwizad VIP tips, predictz VIP tips, betensured VIP tips.  This investment scheme on soccervista is solely for high stakers or investors in the sport betting gaming industry. In this scheme, we provide odds within the range of 2.00 – 5.00 odds. Odds provided in this scheme are 70-95% accurate! Join now and celebrate with us daily!

  1170. I like what you guys are up too. Such smart work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I¦ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it will improve the value of my website 🙂

  1171. I enjoy you because of all of your labor on this web page. My mom really loves going through internet research and it’s easy to understand why. Almost all learn all relating to the compelling tactic you make priceless things via your blog and invigorate response from some other people on the subject while our favorite daughter has always been becoming educated so much. Enjoy the rest of the new year. You’re the one doing a useful job.

  1177. at web, except I know I am getting familiarity all the time by reading thes pleasant posts.|Fantastic post. I will also be handling some of these problems.|Hello, I think this is a great blog. I happened onto it;) I have bookmarked it and will check it out again. The best way to change is via wealth and independence. May you prosper and never stop mentoring others.|I was overjoyed to find this website. I must express my gratitude for your time because this was an amazing read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I’ve bookmarked your blog so I can check out fresh content in the future.|Hi there! If I shared your blog with my Facebook group, would that be okay? I believe there are a lot of people who would truly value your article.|منشور رائع. سأتعامل مع بعض هذه|

  1178. pokračovat v tom, abyste vedli ostatní.|Byl jsem velmi šťastný, že jsem objevil tuto webovou stránku. Musím vám poděkovat za váš čas

  1179. at web, except I know I am getting familiarity all the time by reading thes pleasant posts.|Fantastic post. I will also be handling some of these problems.|Hello, I think this is a great blog. I happened onto it;) I have bookmarked it and will check it out again. The best way to change is via wealth and independence. May you prosper and never stop mentoring others.|I was overjoyed to find this website. I must express my gratitude for your time because this was an amazing read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I’ve bookmarked your blog so I can check out fresh content in the future.|Hi there! If I shared your blog with my Facebook group, would that be okay? I believe there are a lot of people who would truly value your article.|منشور رائع. سأتعامل مع بعض هذه|

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous post A Look at ELD
Next post Behind the velvet curtain

More Stories