History Teacher and Soccer Coach To Leave GDS After Five Years

Photo by Nick von Hindenburg.

After teaching at GDS for over five years, high school history teacher Carlos Angulo will be leaving GDS at the end of the 2022-23 school year. 

During his tenure at GDS, Angulo taught History 9: Communities and Change, 10th grade European History and multiple electives, including Constitutional Law, Europe between the Wars, AP Government and Contemporary Issues. Angulo has also been the head coach of the junior-varsity men’s soccer team since the fall of 2019. Angulo did not provide a reason for why he is leaving GDS, but he said he plans to travel.

Three students interviewed by the Bit noted Angulo’s teaching style and ability to make class interactive with games, field trips and discussions. Sophomore Atticus Coyne said Angulo is a “really great teacher who’s very interesting and has a way of making learning insightful.” 

Junior Ewan Porter said that Angulo “made the class fun.” Porter said he has not always enjoyed the history classes he has taken, but he enjoyed Angulo’s class because the projects Angulo assigned were interesting, and he liked how Angulo incorporated games like Jeopardy into lessons.

Senior Asha Adiga-Biro, who took Angulo’s Constitutional Law class, thought Angulo’s background as a lawyer and understanding of the Constitution “elevated the class.” 

Adiga-Biro also said that one of her favorite parts of Angulo’s class was a mock court trial, and Angulo pushed her and the class to ask better questions. 

When asked about one of his favorite moments at GDS, Angulo said how he took his Constitutional Law class to the Supreme Court to hear an oral argument. He said the experience was “really memorable,” adding that he thinks “the kids got a lot out of it. They really, really enjoyed it.”

Angulo also had an impact on the JV men’s soccer team, which he coached. 

Team captain and junior Max Boughner, who played on the team in tenth and eleventh grade, said that Angulo “was a really good leader.” The JV team had successful seasons the past two years — Boughner said the team won all but one game for the first month of the season this school year — which Boughner attributed to Angulo’s coaching and knowledge of the team.

Boughner explained that Angulo knew “when to give encouragement” and “when to criticize.” Boughner added that Angulo “helps the team have a very good community.”

Freshman Gavin Leonard said Angulo helped him develop as a soccer player.

When reflecting on his time at GDS, Angulo’s favorite memory was “interacting directly with the students.” He added that he will miss his colleagues, but he will miss his students’ “curiosity, energy, humor and kindness” the most.

Angulo said he would remember his students’ enthusiasm and support of each other. He recalled a student trying to buy Taylor Swift tickets, and when she finally got them, everyone cheered for her. Angulo said that it “was just really, really nice, how everyone was so happy for her.” 

When asked what he would be doing next, Angulo said that he does not have a plan. “I’ll take the summer to do some traveling and sort of explore and think about what I might want to do next,” he said.