A Passion for A Game, Soon to Make History

Having the stereotype that history is a boring subject, many students dislike reading and listening to lectures about people that will have no significance to them in their personal life. Not seeing how history shapes the lives of the world today, many students at Palos Verdes High School take history courses over the summer to not stress about it during the school year. However, one teacher is changing this stereotype in the classrooms.  Mr. Wilson is a world history honors and world history regular teacher along with being the macro-economics teacher at Palos Verdes High School. He has been teaching for the past five years at PVHS and has been very involved in the school. As an advisor for the school’s Model United Nations club and coaching the girls’ golf team, Mr. Wilson has received positive reviews from his past students and athletes.

“Time goes by so quickly in that class,” said tenth grader John Munóz, “it’s a hard class, don’t get me wrong, but one thing that really makes him different from any other history teacher I had in the past is how he makes us pair up with partners and go into groups to analyze and thoroughly understand historical texts and statements. He takes his time to focus on his students and it makes me look forward to come to his class.”

Although Mr. Wilson was a great reputation in the classroom, what sets him apart from any other history teacher in PVHS, is his skillful knowledge throughout the game of soccer.“Soccer is a massive part of my life. Being a huge Manchester United fan, I love watching, as well as, playing the game,” stated Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson was the star defender for his high school in Orange County. Although he never made the CIF championships, the University of California Santa Barbara recruited Mr. Wilson for his athleticism. In spite of the fact that Mr. Wilson was originally recruited to play for UCSB, he was not able to pass the tryout during his freshmen year and was cut from the team. Mr. Wilson explained, “Playing any sport collegiately is very hard. It’s really competitive and it’s serious.”

At the time that Mr. Wilson was not able to make the collegiate team, Mr. Wilson made a decision to give up the game. Wanting to concentrate on his studies and enjoy his life as a college student, Mr. Wilson decided to play in several men’s soccer leagues on campus along with several of his friend rather than to try to make the team again his sophomore or junior year. “Steadily my passion for the game returned and I decided to try out for the collegiate team again.” stated Wilson, “I knew that it would take day and night to make the team and I trained for long hours every day.”

By the end of his junior year, Mr. Wilson was able to play collegiate soccer for UCSB which helped influence Mr. Larkins, the head soccer coach of PVHS, decide to recruit Mr. Wilson to help coach the JV soccer team at PVHS. “ I like the way he thinks. Knowing the fact that he makes his students work hard, I like the intensity that he will bring. Another great trait that Mr. Wilson has, is the ability to take his word very seriously which is great for accountability reasons. It’s tough to find coaches who coach soccer well along with understanding high school culture, and Mr. Wilson is a great fit for the soccer program.”

Last season, the Palos Verdes Seakings placed second in the Bay League, falling short behind archrival, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Having a team that was mostly populated with freshmen, last year, the junior varsity team focused on improving their stamina and endurance by daily conditioning. According to tenth grader, Kevin Crump, defender states, “We did great last year. We had two coaches last year that had a great amount of passion for fitness, which really helped us perform to our maximum potential last year. I feel that adding Mr. Wilson to the combination of building stamina and conditioning, will lead to winning Bay League this season.”According to Crump, many of the players had Wilson as a history teacher. Being favorited throughout the soccer team for his creativity as a teacher, the soccer team looks forward to another great year.

“He is one of the best teachers that I’ve had in my life and I hope to see him bring his creativity along with his knowledge of the game to further our potential for this upcoming season,” stated Crump.

As the new year comes to a beginning, the athletes and the students have high expectations for the history teacher that is now a part of the PVHS Soccer program. As a junior on varsity, Joey Mardesich, defender stated, “The soccer team is a big family at PVHS. It doesn’t matter if you’re athlete, we all respect each other and each other’s skill and knowledge for the game. We’re united by one thing and that’s the passion for the game that we all love and we welcome Mr. Wilson to our family.”