Mr. Blake Hill has been working at the Islands since 1989, making this year—his 36th at CI—his last. A beloved Spanish teacher and the Filipino Club advisor, Mr. Hill has been working at CI for as long as he’s been teaching, but there’s so much more to learn about him.
His family moved to Spain when he was 5, where he first learned Spanish. When he returned to the U.S., he continued to take Spanish classes all through his school years. Mr. Hill shared how he admires the language, culture, and food. He says that he likes to inspire others to “see different parts of the world” and that Spanish is such a useful language when traveling.
Throughout his journey finding his career, he decided to get his degree in Spanish Language and teaching credential from UCSB. He had to make a decision between working in the hot, dry climate in Palm Desert with his own classroom or the pleasantly warm, beach weather of Oxnard without his own classroom.
“I wasn’t going to get my own classroom,” he remembers. “I was going to have to travel around, and it was very crowded in this big school. I took living in paradise, working here, and it didn’t turn out to be that bad!”
It was nerve-racking, first working at the Islands at only 23 years old, but he ended up staying for 36 years. Mr. Hill’s favorite part about working at Channel Islands is the students. He’s even still in touch with his first set of students, showing his heartwarming impact as an educator.
Over the years, Mr. Hill coached soccer, softball, water polo, and swimming. His favorite memories were shared with the girls water polo and swim teams, which he coached for 12 years.
“It’s about watching people accomplish their personal best,” Mr. Hill says.
Aside from teaching and coaching, he is also the advisor for the Filipino Club. Years ago, a student came to him asking him to be the advisor for PASA, which connects Filipino students to networking opportunities at universities and becoming a part of a community. He says, “I’ve learned so much about Filipino culture that I didn’t know… I love their food!”
Beyond his passions and feats at CI, Mr. Hill also loves board sports like surfing, skating, and snowboarding, as well as fishing. Fun fact: Mr Hill lived on a boat for nearly 20 years! He shares that he hopes to one day get a boat again to start fishing again.
Mr. Hill also picked up a new hobby, bee keeping, which he plans to continue after retirement. For about 4 years now, he’s been rescuing and keeping hives at the Santa Paula Unified School District agriculture center. He says that it’s nice to help people out who are struggling with unwanted hives, while also giving the bees a home.
Although it’s bittersweet that he will be retiring in June of this year, he’s looking forward to moving his family to Spain in the next few years. Mr. Hill and his wife, Renee Hill, have been married 17 years and she is a financial advisor. He intends to move to San Sebastian so his son, Luke, who is currently a 7th grader, can continue to use and learn Spanish during his high school years.
He shares a moving message: “When I first started I thought I’d be here for 5 years and move on, but every day is different. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some really amazing kids who are still in and out of my life today. The relationships are what matter.”
