Jorge Gonzalez was the first teacher I met at Kings High School who made me feel welcome.  Coming into the high school and the district in 9th grade, I felt nervous, self-conscious, and uneasy.  But the moment I walked into his room that changed.  The posters he hung on his walls brought a smile to my otherwise grimacing face.  When he spoke it felt like he was speaking to me as an individual as well as the whole class.  

Mr. Gonzalez loved Bruce Springsteen and I can remember his ringtone was one of his songs and it would go off every single day in class without fail.  And every single time he laughed as he rushed over to silence it.  Mr. Gonzalez was a lover of music.  He was in a band with fellow KHS teachers Darrell Boreing, Timothy Hicks, and Peter Moore.  Mr. Gonzalez sang and played guitar, I’m sure with some influence from The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen of course.  

As a freshman, I wasn’t allowed to donate blood for obvious reasons, but Mr. Gonzalez encouraged every student in his class over 16 to donate with parental consent of course.  Every single blood drive, you could bet on Mr. Gonzalez being there, donating as much as he could.  He did this because he cared.  He got nothing more than the satisfaction of helping those in need out of it, but that was enough for him.  It’s these values I hope to carry on so he may live on through kindness.  Mr. Gonzalez had an incredibly positive outlook on life and wanted nothing more than to help others.  Whether it was through Kings Organized Against Racism or his involvement in the Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce, he wanted every single student to feel welcome.

I hope everyone can take a moment to look back at a memory shared with Mr. Gonzalez and think of happier times, because he would wish nothing but happiness for all of us.  If you never knew him, then take this moment to think back to a happy memory shared with another loved one or friend.  

Jorge Gonzalez will live on in my heart as the man who made Spanish class fun for me.  A class I previously had dreaded.  For the community, he will live on as the man who brought joy to our school.  Kings High School will forever be missing a puzzle piece now, but the memory of that piece will remain forever.  

To quote Bruce Springsteen,

Coffee cups on the counter, jackets on the chair

Papers on the doorstep, you’re not there

Everything is everything

Everything is everything

But you’re missing