Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier
Pam Ynzunza, second from the right, meets with students before a performance.
Town Crier Staff Writer
Teacher Profile
Name: Pam Ynzunza
School: Dance instructor at Mountain View High School since 1974.
Teaching highlights: Ynzunza took a leave of absence two years ago to teach private dance lessons. She said coming back to the high school following her leave has been a highlight.
"I can talk with the kids. I relate to that age bracket," she said.
Ynzunza said there's more emphasis on creativity and performance at the high school level, where students don't have to worry about competing.
Ynzunza said the dance department's annual performance at Foothill College is always a highlight for her.
"When the kids graduate, it's the one thing they remember," she said. "It's mostly about giving kids real special memories in high school. They will never have this experience again, but they have something they can look back on."
Background: Ynzunza said she took her first dance class during her third year of college while she was studying physical education.
"I really got turned on to dance. I didn't know what I was capable of until I started," she said. "Sometimes it just happens like that."
Ynzunza graduated from Hayward State University in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in physical education with an emphasis in dance. She started teaching right away.
"I lucked out," she said about working at Mountain View. "Not many (high) schools have dance teachers. The dance department (at Hayward) recommended me out of all of the dancers. Mountain View needed someone right away, so I got paid while getting my credential."
Ynzunza said her classes have become more and more popular over the years. She said she had to turn away about 65 students who signed up for her classes last year due to a lack of space. She said more male students have been enrolling in her classes since some students from the high school football team took part in her beginners class last year.
Philosophy: "I want kids to try everything," she said. "They want to be there, but sometimes they're really shy."
Hobbies: Ynzunza said she takes dance classes during her off time "in order to keep up with the kids."
She is currently taking hip-hop classes in Oakland and jazz and ballet classes in San Francisco and Pleasanton.
Today: Ynzunza said because she often has the same students all four years of high school, she tries to keep her classes fresh with new themes every year.
Under this year's "Creative Innovations" theme, students must choreograph routines using everyday movements and props.