by Oscar Aranda

St. John Bosco’s very own Nathan Corkhill, class of 2009, returned to Bosco to give back to the place he calls home and educate the new generation of Braves.

Mr. Corkhill attended St. John Bosco from 2005 to 2009 and follows a family legacy not too many people are aware of. Mr. Corkhill’s former Bosco teacher, Mr. McMorrow, was his idol when it came to teaching. A combination of Mr. McMorrow’s impact and a time of self-reflection in Europe subsequently led Mr. Corkhill down his path of teaching. 

Mr. Corkhill started off as a volleyball coach at Bosco, and shortly after became an administrator due to a convenient job opening. 

“It was the circumstances that got me here (Bosco), but being back on campus kept me here. No place is like it here, it’s like you are coming home,” said Mr. Corkhill. 

Mr. Corkhill is the Computer Science Pathway Coordinator at Bosco, and before that was a part of the Science Department. While being a teacher in these various departments, he felt that the teaching environment has stayed the same in terms of teacher-student relationships. 

“Teachers are involved in students’ lives that are not seen in other high schools. My favorite math teacher came to all my volleyball games, they took interest in me outside of school which really pushed me to become a teacher,” said Mr. Corkhill.

Mr. Corkhill was also very involved in the Bosco community back in high school where he played football and volleyball. He played football for two years where he was the quarterback and earned his varsity letter by being the holder. Though, it was in his junior year that he decided to focus more on volleyball, where he made First Team All-Trinity League, and was named scholar-athlete for the CIF. 

Not only was he a super athlete, but he also earned valedictorian in his class. After Bosco, Mr. Corkhill attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

“I felt academically prepared, but really the social aspect was beneficial because Bosco really kept me focused,” said Mr. Corkhill.

Mr. Corkhill also felt that Bosco most definitely had more school spirit back in his time as a student, but has stayed the same when it comes to the oratory model. He knows that the core beliefs at Bosco have stayed true throughout the years and are still practiced at Bosco today. 

Mr. Corkhill was also taught by instructors who are still here on campus today, such as Mr. Wippler, Mrs. Hunt, Coach Negro and more. He was also involved in the Christian Service Club where Mr. Mestas worked as his instructor. 

Mr. Corkhill pointed out a big difference between Bosco back then and now through the variety of courses that are available to the students now. There were only 7 AP courses offered back then, compared to 17 now. In addition, there are new courses being introduced that are more suited to help a student find out what they truly enjoy, such as classes in computer science. 

“Try things that you are not good at. In high school, you have many opportunities to take classes you know nothing about. It will pay off to take that jump and take that class you know nothing about,” said Mr. Corkhill