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Footill High's new Biology and AP Biology teacher, Exur DeMayo. Photo by Sahara Peters.

TEACHER FEATURE:
Exur DeMayo

A series of new faculty members this year at Foothill High School.

By KAT MCDERMOTT
fhspress.com Editor
Posted August 27, 2016

Exur DeMayo is a new Biology and AP Biology teacher at Foothill High School. He is an intellectual individual that loves basketball and working on cars. He was raised in Santa Barbra and has lived in Los Angeles.

“I went to college at CalPoly, San Luis Obispo and I majored in biological sciences and got my credential studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo," said DeMayo. "After that I went back to Southern California and had a full time job teaching at the high school level at a couple different high schools.”

In college, DeMayo was active with the philosophy community. His philosophical background shows when giving his students advice and guidance.

“Just work hard. Just work hard, be dedicated, put in the effort, and just keep reflecting," said DeMayo. "Keep asking questions. Just really think about why the world is the way it is and the way it works. Just keep asking questions and try to find answers to those questions. And it’s okay if you don’t have a definite answer or you don’t have an answer at that time… because the more we know, the more we actually don’t know. So for every answer is another question, it’s a cycle. Just keep reflecting, work hard, and be dedicated,”

Shortly after DeMayo started teaching, the war in Afghanistan began. DeMayo took time off work to help his sister raise her children.

“Her husband was actually in Afghanistan in the armed forces,” explained DeMayo, “so I decided to take off, take some time off to help her with her daughters and also work part time. And after that was settled away, her daughters are older now, I decided to pursue a full time position. I was just applying and this came up.”

Now, DeMayo teaches students in a unique learning environment. His classes, especially AP Biology, utilize laptops to research and submit work electronically.

Like how biology focuses on the complexity of different bodily systems, DeMayo appreciates basketball because of its complexity.

“Basketball is my favorite sport. I appreciate how it reflects a diversity of skills: timing, speed, coordination, balance, endurance, and strength. I appreciate how different teams run different systems of offence and defense; and how each team is optimized to preform, based on the personnel, the types of players. The concept of different parts working together independently and how each part serves a particular purpose are enduring themes not only in sports, but in science and life in general,” explained DeMayo, “And I’m a big fan of the NBA. I don’t have a favorite team right now but I do like the Warriors this year. And also because I am from Southern California I follow the Lakers, so I have some loyalty down there as well.”

DeMayo also loves studying the different systems in cars:

“I do work on cars," he said. "I enjoy working on cars, my cousin and some of my uncles and also my grandfather who passed away; they were mechanics and car mechanics so I learned a lot from them and I really appreciate my time with them. And when I was younger I was really into the import scene. So I spent time after school just trying to supe-up my car and try to improve it. It’s fun. It’s fun to see the cars as a collection of different systems that work together. Just like in biology that the systems work together for a specific purpose. To improve a car or a specific system is to make the whole or overall product a lot better.”

kat.mcdermott@fhspress.com

New Faculty
2016-2017

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