ELLEN FRASER – COUNSELING

Ms. Fraser first worked in wellness at Piedmont, and has been in the counseling office for 7 years. She is leaving in the third week of May with the current Administration Assistant Darlene Low taking her position. 

Where are you moving?

“We are moving to Glasgow, where my husband is originally from and where my older daughter Katie lives.”

What are you most excited to do in Scotland?

“Besides seeing my daughters, being just a short flight away from anywhere in Europe. I want to see the Aurora Borealis in northern Scotland. I want to see the puffins.”

Are you retiring or do you plan to work in Scotland as well?

“I think at first I will volunteer, probably with animals. They have red squirrels there that are endangered and I would love to be a part of a charity that helps with that.”

What will you miss the most about Piedmont?

“Just in general…good Mexican food: the sunshine, my pals in the counseling office, and a lot of the beauty in California.”

What is your favorite Piedmont tradition?

“My fave PHS tradition is ASB Spirit Week; I love seeing students and staff dressed for the theme days.”

What do you hope either changes or continues to remain the same at Piedmont?

“I hope that Piedmont will continue to strive to be a more diverse place and to welcome new people. I hope that Piedmont students will be encouraged to explore things outside of the Piedmont Bubble…Piedmont can be very isolating. So I hope Piedmont students will be brave.”

What else would you like students to know?

“I’ve really enjoyed working at PHS. I think the staff here are great. They’re very supportive of each other and I think students probably don’t realize how much goes behind the scenes to support students. But they all do really care.”

BENJAMIN PEREZ – SCIENCE

Benjamin Perez teaches two sections of AP Environmental Sciences and three sections of freshman biology. He is leaving at the end of this year. 

What have you enjoyed most about your time at Piedmont?

“I would say the students and their energy, and the general vibe of the school”. 

What has been your favorite Piedmont tradition? 

“The teacher’s treats are always a favorite, from the [Parent Teachers Association] and Admin. Whenever they put food out there for us to eat.” 

What do you hope either changes or continues to remain the same at Piedmont?

“I believe that they’ve got the area of accommodating a diverse student population down; where they’re lacking is messaging towards improving performance, like giving these students the tools to do better.”

What are some things you hope to do over the summer or next year? 

“I have another business that I work on. I’m a former chiropractor and an influencer on managing injuries and pain. So I’ll spend more time on that.”

Do you have any advice for the person who takes your position?

“I think it depends on what that person’s idea of being a teacher is. I’d have to say that 60 percent of it has to do with connecting with the students personally, never mind the science.”

What else would you like students to know?

“We’re starting to get to a place where students learn by relying on non-traditional classmates’ means, by these artificial tools that are out there, and that’s something that I don’t think can be stopped.”

STEPHEN RUBY – MATH

Mr. Ruby teaches a range of grades in Integrated Math 1, 2, and 3, and will be leaving at the end of this year. 

What is one thing you have enjoyed about your time at Piedmont?

“A lot of the students are comfortable with each other. One positive of the high pressure is that you do get some students that really push hard and go much further.”

What has been your favorite Piedmont tradition? 

“What I really enjoyed this year was the diversity assembly. I enjoyed seeing some of my students speak really openly. That was really powerful and students really took a lot out of that.” 

What do you hope either changes or continues to remain the same at Piedmont?

“That pressure. Because of the very intense pressure to do well, there’s definitely a lot more cheating. I definitely know that certain habits could definitely hurt them in the long run. I know that it’s stressful and I think it comes down to the pressure to do well.”

What are some things you hope to do over the summer or next year? 

“A lot of family stuff. I like to go on long walks with my dog. In the summer I teach a class at UC Berkeley, the ATDP program. Other than that just spending time with my family and trying to help my wife with her business that she started.”

What else would you like students to know?

“I think they’re strong, I think they have a good culture. I hope that they continue to help each other out and be more inclusive to all students. I hope they continue to be on each other’s side, and help each other out, and not lose sight of that.”

GUATAM PREMNATH – ENGLISH

Mr. Premnath teaches three sections of freshman English and two sections of sophomore English.

What have you enjoyed most about your time at Piedmont?

“The relations I built with my fellow colleagues, especially in my department but also beyond. It’s a really wonderful place for collaborating with skilled, committed teachers.” 

What has been your favorite Piedmont tradition? 

“I really enjoyed the staff lunch, I especially enjoyed it when my department had to host the rest of the faculty. We did a Greek salad tragedy theme.” 

What do you hope either changes or continues to remain the same at Piedmont?

“I see a lot of students who really intellectually want Piedmont to be a diverse and inclusive community, but still feel pressured to personally conform to certain social norms. So I hope that this is a place where students can give themselves the same permission to be themselves that they want the community as a whole to have.”

What are some things you hope to do over the summer or next year? 

“The big plan for the summer is to go to India to see my parents. My mother is actually turning 80, so I’m very excited to celebrate that with her. Apart from that, I think some long overdue reconnection with my family here, and just being able to spend more time with them.”

Do you have any advice for the person who takes your position?

“Trust the kindness of the people around you.”

What else would you like students to know?

“I’m leaving with a lot of good memories.”