Maria Alvarez is a special education and Leadership/A.S.B. teacher and adviser at Taft High. Before Alvarez came to Taft High, she worked at the Kern High School District, Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, and Las Vegas School District. She has been teaching for 17 years, but specifically taught general education for 12 years out of the 17. Alvarez went to Point Loma Nazarene University for two years, and she went to California State University, Bakersfield for three years. We asked Alvarez how her first year of teaching A.S.B and Leadership is going and she said, “We have grown a lot. I have also learned a lot about A.S.B. and what it is all about.” We also asked what her favorite part about the campus was and she said, “The free coffee! And I love the people and kids; I can see myself retiring from here.”