Seaside High School Science Teacher Gary Cannon
When Gary Cannon joined Seaside High School three years ago, he wasn’t just looking for a classroom to teach in. He was looking for a community where students’ voices and interests could shape what happens on campus.
“This is my third year, so I’m brand new,” Cannon said. “But I feel like my roots have run pretty deep pretty quickly because there are so many opportunities. The classroom is not the story of the school, and the school is not the story of the district, and the district is not the story of the community. The more involved you can get, the more you really understand your students.”
That involvement has already led to new programs for Seaside High students. When Cannon first arrived, he asked students if they surfed. “Not a single hand,” he said. “I was like, okay, well, who wants to surf? Many hands. So, okay, let’s start a surf club.”
Now, students design their own surfboards online, shape them by hand, add custom artwork, and take them out into the waves. The club has already been showcased at Seaside’s West End Festival.
The same approach led to the start of a Mock Trial team.
“A lot of kids were expressing that they wanted to be lawyers,” Cannon said. “Okay, well, who runs mock trial here? Oh, there’s no mock trial. Let’s start a mock trial team.”
The team spent its first year practicing and visiting the courthouse without the pressure of competing, and this year, students are eager to step into the courtroom for real.
“All that just came because there were a couple kids who said they wanted to be lawyers,” Cannon said. “And there’s a million stories like that.”
Cannon didn’t originally plan on being an educator. With a father who was a superintendent and a mother who was a special education teacher, he swore he would choose a different path.
“I was going to be a herpetologist and breed snakes my whole life,” he said with a laugh.
But while working in a group home, he was asked to tutor a student in algebra.
“He was 15, tatted down, had already been shot a couple times,” Cannon recalled. “At first it was really rough, but after a while, we developed a rapport, and he started to really enjoy it. He was finding huge wins and successes.”
That student’s pride in succeeding at math changed everything for Cannon.
“He felt like he had escaped this destiny that had been set for him before he was born,” Cannon said. “And he felt like there were things waiting for him in the future that were going to allow him to be a better person. That made him feel really good about himself. And for me, I was like wow, this is pretty cool. I like this.”
At Seaside High, Cannon sees students rising to the challenge every day.
“There’s a saying, Seaside Best Side,” Cannon said. “This is not about ego. It’s about when you come to Seaside, you put your best side forward. As long as you show up and put forward your best side, you know you can hold your head up high.”
That spirit is something he sees across campus. From leadership classes to music, JROTC, and now new opportunities like Link Crew, Surf Club, and Mock Trial.
Whether it’s students shaping surfboards or stepping into leadership roles, Cannon says the heart of Seaside is simple: “Our kids are proud of who they are, but they want more. And MPUSD is a place where they’re getting that. That’s the point of education, right?”