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New Math Teacher Enjoys Santa Cruz, SCCS

By Julia Atkin, SCCS Reporter

As most students now know, SCCS has brought a new teacher on campus. Mr. Joe Kirkey has replaced Mr. Ricardo Adachi, who previously taught math. Mr. Kirkey will be teaching Algebra I and Geometry this school year.

Joe Benjamin Kirkey was born November 30, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois to Mick and Lois Kirkey. His parents are Jewish but he doesn’t consider himself to be the same. He agrees that spirituality is very important but does not believe that only one religion can be right.

Mr. Kirkey is married to Jimena Kirkey and they have one daughter, Angelina, who is 15 months old. Angelina is just learning how to walk on her own. He and his wife met on a backpacking trip in La Paz. He has no pets but does have two brothers, Andrew and Steven.

Mr. Kirkey’s hobbies include reading, traveling and playing sports. He prefers baseball or basketball but is happy to play any sport. He has visited 10 countries around the world and 39 of the 50 states in the United States. His favorite books are usually about philosophy and he enjoys books by the author Osho.

While on the topic of entertainment, I asked Mr. Kirkey about his music and discovered that his favorite bands would have to be Metallica and U2. He also enjoys rap, which was an extreme surprise. “I like action movies and one of my favorites is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I prefer regular popcorn to candy corn.”

Mr. Kirkey’s impression of Santa Cruz is hard to say. He admits he hasn’t been here long enough to really know everything but he has a feeling that it’s going to get very hot soon. And it is true that he was offered a job at the Santa Cruz International School (SCIS) but turned it down to teach math here, at SCCS.

So why math? Why not rocket science? “Math is cool, interesting, simple and beautiful,” he says. “If the rest of the world was so easy…” he begins but trails off. A big question many have asked is why he doesn’t give extra credit. He replies with a simple, “If I do, people won’t take my tests seriously.” Sorry, Jaguars, but it seems that students will not be getting extra credit from him in the future.

Many students are curious to know what other jobs teachers have had. Mr. Kirkey confesses that he was once a vender at a baseball stadium - you know, one of the people who sell soda and peanuts. He has also worked as a tutor for engineering dynamics.

When asked about his biggest inspiration he says, “Not to sound snotty or self-centered, but me. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say ‘That person inspires me; I’m going to be just like him or her.’ I believe that being me is good enough.” The staff and students at SCCS welcome you, Mr. Kirkey, and hope to be inspired by your ideas.

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