By Aydin Akyol and Sophia Doan
Walking into the wonderful room 37, Kim Kerr’s passion, excitement and care for her students shines through. Below, we asked her a few questions about her high school days.
Where did you go to high school?
Well, I’m from Salinas so I went to North Salinas high school.
What was your school’s mascot?
A Viking.
When did you graduate?
1992
What was your favorite class in high school and why?
Actually my favorite class was German because my teacher was really cool. He formed a German club and we would go on field trips. We went to Yosemite and went sledding. He would take the whole club on the weekends and we would raise money to go.
Did you learn a lot of German?
Yes, I did. Sadly when I learned Spanish I forgot a lot though.
What was your most challenging class and why?
Anything math related was always challenging for me. I always struggled. I could not wrap my head around anything that was geometry related. I did better in calculus than I ever did in geometry.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
I was a year round swimmer. I competed in what you guys would call a club team. For North High I swam for them and did a little bit of field hockey and I threw shot put. Anything that was strength related I usually did the best at.
What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why?
Swimming was always my favorite. I made friends that I still have in my life today. I still see them all the time, tomorrow I’m getting lunch with one of them.
Who were your favorite bands/artists/songs while in high school?
NXS was big then, I listened to a lot of AC/DC. Every time I hear UB40 I go back to sitting on the swim deck at Stanford. We played their whole tape while we waited to compete.
What was your favorite tv show in high school?
We watched Beverly Hills 90210.
What was your favorite novel?
At that time most of the reading I did was in school for classes. My freshman English teacher helped me fall in love with Shakespeare. We did a Midsummers Night Dream and he was so engaging that it made us all so interested.
What was your favorite movie while in high school?
A lot of people were watching 16 Candles, and I liked that movie but I jumped around on what was my favorite.
What are your favorite memories of high school?
I had a good time in high school. I worked at Baskin Robbins. My best memories are on the pool deck with my friends. We were hanging out together all the time.
Do you still swim?
Every now and then just for fun. I got more into weightlifting when I was older.
What is your least favorite memory of high school?
As you get older the bad memories fade away and the good memories stick a little longer. But I would probably say getting dragged out in the hallway by some of my guy friends and having them try to put my head in the toilet but I fought them off.
What time did school start and end?
It started at 8 or 8:15 and ended at 2:25.
What was your gpa?
I had a 3.6
Did you receive any awards?
No, I was just an average student.
How did you get to school (if you drove, what kind of car)?
I rode my bike my freshman and sophomore year. I drove a 1985 Dodge.
Did you ever have to go the dean or principal’s office? Why?
Yes I did for back talking one of my teachers.