2009 – Mardy Olivas – Whittier High School
Mardy Olivas has been married to a wonderful woman, Mary Lou, for over thirty- seven years. Together they raised a son and a daughter, who each have a granddaughter. Mardy believes that “granddaughters are one of life’s special gifts”! His wife is also a veteran elementary school teacher. He feels blessed to have the wonderful family life that he has.
Following a brief but enjoyable career as a social worker, Mardy obtained his preliminary teaching credential in 1980. He first started teaching in the eighth grade as a U.S. History and English teacher at Mary Meller Junior High in Pico Rivera during the 1981-82 school year.
Mardy joined the Whittier High School faculty in February of 1983, and is proud to be an employee of the Whittier Union High School District. He thoroughly enjoys teaching and working with “diversely minded youth”. Mardy is a skilled and talented teacher who takes seriously his responsibilities to teach the course content standards, as well as infusing the teaching and modeling of proper ethics and interpersonal skills within a safe and caring classroom environment. Mardy respectfully acknowledges and accepts the tremendously important responsibilities that are entrusted to teachers by parents and community.
Mardy has taught a wide variety of classes while at Whittier High School. These include Choir, Cardinal Ensemble, Health, Geography, World Civilizations, U.S. History, Government, Psychology, Social Problems, Minority Studies, Multicultural Studies, Peer Counseling, and Work Experience. While teaching one or more of these courses, he has also taken on additional responsibilities that are essential to the effectiveness of a school. He has been the Coordinator of Alternative Studies Program, Career Center Director, Program Chairman for three accreditation cycles, Social Studies Department Chairperson, and helped to create district wide curricula in the areas of Freshman Studies, Multicultural Studies, and Multi-Literature.
