Whether he is surfing or teaching, Christopher Pekich has played a pivotal role in the lives of many Sea Kings.
Now in his third year at Palos Verdes High School, he is the ceramics teacher, surfboard shaping teacher and surf team coach, and students have nothing but positive things to say about Mr. Pekich.
“He is super supportive, he is selfless and committed. He’s always on time to practice, he’s always there early and always there for you when you need extra help,” said senior Pierce O’Leary.
“My favorite moment with Mr. P was last year at the South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association End of Year Awards winning the waterman of the year and hanging out with the team and Pekich.”
Before teaching at PVHS, Mr. Pekich student taught at Peninsula High School.
After making the switch, the welcoming culture of PVHS soon became one of his favorite parts of the school.
“My favorite parts about the school are the students, the school culture, the faculty and staff, and the awesome courses that we have here,” Pekich said,
“This culture suits me perfectly, and I’ve loved every second of being a teacher at PV High.”
Surfing has been an activity Pekich has loved for the majority of his life.
When he moved from Peninsula to PV High he was promoted from assistant to head surf coach.
“I started coaching surf five years ago as an assistant coach at Peninsula, before I got hired here,” Pekich said.
“Spreading my passion for surfing is one of my main passions in life, sharing that with the kids who are also passionate, we have a big surf culture here, so it is fun to do it as a team sport.”
Along with surfing, ceramics is also one of Pekich’s passions. He was introduced to ceramics in high school, which led him down the path of becoming an art teacher.
“I started taking ceramics classes when I was in ninth grade at Peninsula, and continued for all four years of high school,” Pekich said.
“After, I became a ceramics major at San Diego State, and I thought it would be cool one day to teach art.”
Pekich’s hands-on teaching style has fostered a learning environment in his ceramics classes that helps him connect with his students and effectively teach them ceramics techniques.
“Mr. Pekich is one of my favorite teachers at PV High,” senior Brendan O’Donnell said,
“His hands-on teaching style has really helped me improve quickly at ceramics, and I can tell he really enjoys the subject and cares about every student in his class.”