Rachel Ravelli, English teacher

By Stephanie Li

Rachel Ravelli grew up in Massachusetts with a passion for writing. She enjoyed the empowerment that writing gave her, and wanted to pass down the same experience to younger generations. Ravelli graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst, majoring in English and Psychology with a master’s degree in secondary English. Ravelli enjoys using the material within her classes not just to teach, but to connect with her students. She hopes that her students will discover the same love she has for writing through her teaching.

What inspired you to be a teacher?

It’s hard to summarize. I grew up really passionate about reading and writing. I felt like reading was a way I could connect with diverse perspectives and other voices in ways that didn’t feel accessible otherwise. With writing, I feel like it was a source of empowerment because I could find my own voice and could express it in my own creative way. That got me really excited to share that passion with young folks.

If you could teach another subject, what would it be? And why?

Ooh, journalism! I feel like it was a cool way for me to learn more about my communities and get to know people and events I would’ve never expected. It felt like the community was really fun and upbeat and shared this one purpose of putting out a great paper. It was really fun, that’s how I would describe it.

What’s your favorite thing about teaching?

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I would say developing meaningful relationships with students and being able to come in and be real with each other, just connecting with each other through the text. The material is put at the forefront, but it’s also like a vehicle to make connections and develop a sense of community together.

What’s the most shocking thing or unique fact about yourself?

I don’t know about shocking, but I will say I hiked 172 miles through Europe up the coast on the camino and I don’t know if its shocking, but it’s kind of badass.

Any message you would like to share with Lowell students?

I’m really excited to be here. I’ve been having a lot of fun and I really think the kids here are very impressive, so I just want to put that out there.

Gavin Meeker, Spanish teacher

By Amálie Cimala

Gavin Meeker grew up in Santa Cruz, California. He went to Willamette University, a small liberal arts college, before getting his teaching credential at Monterey Bay. He has also lived in Spain twice, once abroad and once for work. He has been residing in his favorite city, San Francisco, for over a year now, and has begun teaching Spanish 3 Honors at Lowell this fall semester. Outside of school, you can find him hanging out with friends and going to concerts. 

What is your favorite part about teaching?

I love trying to make academic concepts more fun and accessible for students so that they can use them outside of my classes. 

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

Everybody in my family is a teacher. My mom, my grandparents on my dad’s side, my grandparents on my mom’s side and my aunt and uncle were all educators in some way or another. 

What motivated you to become a teacher?

My parents. I think my parents were always bringing home their work in a positive way. They didn’t bring any negativity home, and seeing that really helped me. It motivated me to become a teacher, which I didn’t decide on until college. My mom always told me to do what you like, not what’s going to make you money. I was good at Spanish in high school, and in college it gave me the opportunity to travel. Teaching Spanish means expanding cultural horizons. The work that I do isn’t just now, but later – inspiring students to think of a world outside of the one that they grew up in.

What made you choose Lowell?

I love San Francisco, but mainly I heard how creative of an environment it is. Like not necessarily what the school itself does, but the students who make up the school and what a great environment it creates for them. I heard that from former students who went there and are my age. Seeing how much the students like it – that’s huge for me.

Do you have any interesting hobbies outside of school?

No, my hobbies are just saying yes to things people invite me to. I like to play basketball with friends, and I hang out with my wife’s running club. We also go hiking together. The main thing I like is live music. I go to shows probably once a week.

What’s your favorite show you’ve gone to?

When Kendrick opened for Kanye that was insane. Best show in recent years that I’ve seen? Either Rosalia at Coachella or that same year I saw Metro Boomin with the Weekend.

If you could teach any other subject what would it be?

Probably English, I think I could do a lot with that. The way I like to teach isn’t like super ‘hit these points of instruction’, rather like thinking skills. If I were able to teach English I would do it in a way that’s creative.

Leonardo Flores, English teacher

By Thomas Harrison

Leonardo Flores was drawn to Lowell by its supportive environment. His connections to the school run deep, with his girlfriend’s stories about Lowell fascinating him long before he got the position. He was not the best student, but he loved high school, and he grew passionate about helping young people realize their potential. Now, as an English teacher, he hopes to uplift student voices and center his classes around what his students care about.

What’s your favorite part of teaching?

Meeting the students. I’ve been at a couple different schools now, and everywhere I go, it amazes me just how close to the ground you guys are. You guys know the lingo, what’s cool and what’s interesting, and what’s fun and what’s relevant. You’re so in touch with what’s true to you. In literature class we talk a lot about literary truth, which is like, if it resonates, it’s true, [as opposed to] a factual truth. I feel like when I hear what they think about a book, I find myself so much more interested in it when I get it through their lens [instead of] what I interpret. I love hearing what students think and I think their perspective is rich.

How many years have you been teaching?

This is my first year. I graduated from the credential program at SF State in May of 2023. I applied in the summer of May, [then] I got the job and I started in August.

What made you choose Lowell specifically?

I want to be in a place where people know that I’m new and they respect that, trust that, and want to help and support me. I feel like here at Lowell, I’m getting that support and seeing that. Also, my girlfriend of many years graduated from here in 2017. She’s an alum and her sister is an alum. When I met her, she had graduated, but she made Lowell sound like it was a place she was still going to because of how much it fascinated her and took up her time and energy. It was just always in the back of my mind, like what a place, what an interesting place to be. These students are so motivated, [it’s] the top school in the city, and it has this atmosphere. When they reached out,  it was like, oh my God. I like to believe in synchronicities and things like that, and it sort of started to feel like, oh my gosh, this is like a conspiracy [that] the universe is making. And then sure enough, I applied and I got accepted on the first round, and the second round, and it all worked out really beautifully. [My girlfriend] was so happy when I joined and started here. She loves hearing about [how] every day goes. That’s my personal connection.

Did you go to high school in San Francisco?

I went to school in South San Francisco at El Camino High School. Not too far away, but not in the city for sure. I’m a city person, though. I went to Catholic school in San Francisco, at Saint Cecilia’s. I had really bad grades. I was a bad student, so I didn’t get to go to a private school or a really good high school. I went to public school, and I kind of blossomed. I think in high school I learned a lot about what other people go through, and what a private school life is like versus a public school life, and I got exposed to a lot. I found beauty in the difference, and I found the contrast interesting. I enjoyed that a lot. 

What was your high school experience like?

I loved high school. I loved the people I met, I loved the friends, the battles, and even the challenges. The anxiety, even, is so familiar to me, and I have a lot of empathy for what it must have been like for me at that time and what it’s like for you guys right now. I try to [treat] teaching like, I don’t know all the things, I don’t have all the answers, but I’m here to make it more interesting and more impactful. I love that experience and I want to be around it. It makes me feel alive to be around young people in school.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I’ve always been passionate about helping young people realize their potential. I think that’s my life’s work and will continue to be my life’s work, no matter what I do. But what I really like about English specifically in regards to working as a teacher is that it lets you see [that] we all have pain, and we all have something to say, and we all have something very important to get off our chest. What we all may not have is a good teacher, good instruction, good knowledge, or a good set of skills that puts us in an opportunity to get those ideas out in a way that maybe gets us the job, or the girlfriend, or the prescription. School is supposed to be the place in your life where you get opportunities to see how language is powerful, and the power of language to change your world, your life, your perspective, [or] your mind. I want to share that with people. I want other people to know about that. I want people to experience that.

Have you noticed differences between Lowell and the schools you went to?

There’s no difference between the students [here] and the people that have been at these different schools. It’s just [that] everybody here believes that we have to do better, and so they do better. Not every other school has that same belief system. It makes me very proud to be here at Lowell, because I love believing in what we’re doing and making it important. I’ve been at places where not all the students can see that for themselves, and I wish, because I only have a one-year position here at Lowell, that every student [could have] an opportunity to be here for a year just like I have so they could see that it’s not any different, it’s just what you believe. I wish every student had an opportunity to be in a place where more people believed in what they were doing.

What’s something that you think your students would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a professional photographer, and not for weddings and graduation pictures. I take street photography, which is a special kind of photography that’s about people walking around, living their life. [They’re] very quick scenes, I take the photo before you’ve seen it and noticed it. I do that because, for one, it’s devoid of language and I like to do things that are different from other things that I do. But also, I think of myself as being employed by the future, and my job is to capture what’s happening right now, and to make it look interesting, and make it really show what was and preserve it, share it, see the beauty in it, and enjoy it.

Besides photography, what are your hobbies outside of school?

Beyond photography, I’m an amateur mycologist. I love mycology, like mushrooms and fungus. I do IDing, and grow oyster mushrooms, shiitake, [and] all these really delicious, gourmet, edible mushrooms. I’m also really passionate about gardening and hiking outdoors. I’m an avid backpacker and I like to write a little bit.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to Lowell students?

My door is always open to anyone who wants to talk and learn what’s going on in our class. If you ever have a free period, I invite you to come in and check out what’s going on. I teach in a way that’s really focused on uplifting student voices and the center of what we’re learning is always about what you’re thinking. If that’s interesting to you, then sign up for my class, ask about my class, take some interest, [or] come down and see it. I’m free blocks three and six if you ever want to chat, and my door is always open.

Mark Matsuzaki, math and science teacher

By Kai Lyddan

Lowell alumni Mark Matsuzaki is back at his own high school. As a teacher of math and science classes within special education, Matsuzaki has always had a passion for education and loves forming close connections with his students. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys going on vacations to Cambodia and partaking in physical activities. Matsuzaki says his first year back at Lowell is off to a great start, with his classes being exciting and eventful and his students being kind and curious every step of the way.

What made you want to become a teacher?

After I graduated from college, I couldn’t really find work, and a lot of my jobs were related to education. So it was tangentially related to engineering work and other kinds of things, but then slowly, over time, I just started building curriculums, doing tutoring, and interacting with students in different ways. I worked at a botanical children’s garden, and more and more, as I was doing it, I realized that I really like teaching and working with students.

Is there something in particular that made you want to come to Lowell?

Nothing particularly. I was just looking for work after I was at Lincoln for the first two years of my career, and then I needed to find a new school because they weren’t going to rehire me. Lowell was offering a job and it was nearby, and I’ve heard good things about Lowell. Living in the city, Lowell has its reputation for being a really top school.

What would you say is your favorite part about teaching?

Definitely interacting with students. Just building relationships with them, seeing them challenge themselves and grow and learn new things and be interested in things. Helping them to try to achieve that or being a mentor to them. It’s just great to have a good relationship with students. That’s my favorite part.

If you could choose a different subject to teach, what would it be?

I think I’d really want to teach environmental science, that’s just something I have a passion in. Maybe just for fun, I would maybe want to try U.S. history, because I really liked that class when I was in school.

What’s something your students would be surprised to find out about you?

Something that may be interesting is that I went to Lowell, this is the school I attended. What else? I guess some people get surprised by how old I actually am — I’m 33. I don’t think I have such an amazingly out-there life.

What are some of your hobbies outside of school?

I’m big into physical activity, a lot of different sports. Currently I’m doing a bunch of kickboxing, so that’s been taking a lot of my time. Other than that, I have a lot of the same interests as my students. Movies and video games, comic books, stuff like that, so that’s why I can relate to them, talk to them about those kinds of things. I do some traveling, camping. I guess my favorite place would be Cambodia, because I’ve been there multiple times, but I think I just really enjoy traveling with friends, camping trips with buddies, that’s always memorable. A couple of months ago, I went to Vegas with some friends and that was a really fun time.

Anything else you want to add?

So far, I have really enjoyed my time here. All the students have been very kind to me, so it’s been good to adjust here. I really do appreciate the culture here so far. Everyone just seems like they’re here to learn and try, so that helps me in a lot of ways too.