After nearly three decades of service, Physics teacher Gabe de la Paz is retiring, leaving behind a legacy of dynamic teaching and mentorship, plus an active presence in and beyond the classroom. Throughout his 27-year career, de la Paz has coached the volleyball team, sponsored the Asian Student Union and supported the robotics team on their recent journey to a world competition.

Changing the Way Students Think

In his ninth-grade physics classes, de la Paz built a classroom culture centered on curiosity and collaboration. He introduced students to the more individualized, self-motivated world of high school academics by challenging them with model-based labs and problem-solving. 

“You need to understand it for yourself. A teacher can’t teach you anything; they can just show you a bunch of cool things, and then you have to figure it out yourself,”  de la Paz said.

This approach shaped how students viewed both physics and their learning.

“His class is student-driven, and you get out of it what you put in,” senior Anna McAndrew said. “Especially in my freshman year, it pushed me to ask questions and be more curious. This will help me a lot [in the real world] because I understand that it is up to me to take control of my learning and that education is a two-way street.”

Building on this, de la Paz’s approach created an environment where communication and collaboration are critical for success, contributing to strong peer-to-peer learning.

“He has been able to create great communities within his classes. Learning in his class is a shared experience.” McAndrew said. 

More than physics, de la Paz has taught students how to learn and maximize their time in high school, beyond academics. 

“He’s taught us not to overwork ourselves and still enjoy our lives,” junior Katherine Nguyen said. “He talked to us about college and his life, F1 racing, food and all these things, but he also motivates us to be good students.”

De la Paz’s impact on students and the science department through his positive energy and flexible teaching style will not soon be forgotten. 

“The energy he has is one that is super fun, upbeat and carefree, because even though sometimes we see him get frustrated or be bogged down by something, he always perseveres and maintains his spirited energy,” Nguyen said. “[His energy] definitely makes the other physics and science department teachers very positive [and creates] a great legacy [to leave] in this school.”

Beyond the Classroom

De la Paz’s involvement doesn’t stop at the classroom door. As a long-time mentor of the robotics team and sponsor of science clubs like Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) and Academic Challenges in Engineering and Science (ACES), he encouraged students to dive into science with determination and humor.

“Mr. de la Paz makes TEAMS so much fun,” sophomore Megan Tai said. “Without him, it would be really boring and sad. He has a great sense of humor and is very enjoyable to talk to.”

De la Paz also served as a JV volleyball coach, bringing his vibrant personality to the court.

“De la was only my coach for one year, but it was my freshman year, so I think he had a bigger impact on me getting used to the school. He’s just a bubbly guy,” sophomore Flynn Niehaus said. “At practice, it’s funny, because we’ll be working hard, trying to get better and then he’ll whip out his phone and show us a strange drill that he found on his Instagram reels and he’ll be like, we gotta try this, and we do and it’s fun it’s a blast. He just makes things exciting all the time.”

More than just being fun, de la Paz’s energy helps lead the JV volleyball team to victory. 

“There was always a way he could build us out of a hole, whether we weren’t playing very well. He has a calming presence, and I think that that is something that people will not forget about when he’s gone,” Niehaus said. 

Beyond the court, students are drawn to his presence throughout the school day.

“I would say not even just volleyball. I didn’t have him as a teacher, but I would find myself wandering into his classroom if I had free time, and talking to him and asking him about his day,” Niehaus said.

Legacy of Mentorship

De la Paz’s influence extends to his colleagues as well. Science department chair Rob Laux credits de la Paz with mentoring him early in his career and continues to contribute to the department’s collaborative initiatives.

“I am super appreciative of how he helped me as an individual teacher [with] creating the models that I was going to share with students, and he’s taught me how to do physics earlier on as well,” Laux said.

After working with de la Paz for 24 years, Laux appreciates him for his character and versatility as an educator.

“He has always put everybody else before himself; he’s super giving,” Laux said. “And because he’s brilliant, he can teach anything.”

One of de la Paz’s lasting contributions was helping implement the Physics First program at the University of Missouri, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative that introduced physics as the foundational ninth-grade science course and trained other teachers to use model-based instruction.

He’s done [modeling workshops] several times over the years, which means he’s teaching other teachers, [who] are now teaching their kids differently. So he is influencing students, well beyond his classroom,” Laux said.

Physics First is designed to prepare high school science teachers to instruct freshmen in physics. The goal is to build a cohort of teacher-leaders and improve physics understanding for teachers and students across Missouri schools.

“It was actually wonderful. It was my first experience running workshops for teachers. It was really neat, because it’s almost like having an ideal little classroom of kids, they’re all super eager to learn because they’re motivated to do it next year,” de la Paz said.

The experience helped de la Paz refine his teaching style.

“To teach something to somebody, you have to have a good understanding of it yourself. And so it just really made me look deeply into what we do, and why we do it,” de la Paz said.

What’s Next

As he steps away from teaching, de la Paz looks forward to slowing down and pursuing his lifelong passions.

“I’m just looking forward to not having to think about the Physics curriculum all the time and just having some time to relax and think about things I want to do. My ideal retirement would be very full of art,” de la Paz said. 

De la Paz has loved photography since his father gave him a camera in second grade and retirement will finally give him time to pursue it more deeply.

“I just really got into [photography]. It’s had fits and stops, sometimes I do it a lot, and sometimes I do it very little,” de la Paz said. “[Photography is] something that I’ve done and been interested in all my life.”

He’s also excited to return to music and experiment with trying new things.

“What I really always wanted to do is learn another musical instrument. When I was younger, I played piano, clarinet, tuba and since I played tuba in college, I’ve always been interested in bass. So I thought maybe if I want to play the string bass,” de la Paz said.

Final Goodbye 

After 27 years, de la Paz leaves behind more than an empty classroom and lab equipment, as students and teachers readily explain. 

“Everybody’s gonna miss his brightness and his everything’s okay attitude,” Niehaus said. “That is something people will not forget about when he’s gone.”

Laux echoed the same sentiment.

“[The physics teachers] rely on one another about school stuff every day and things beyond school. When he moves, I’m going to lose one of my best friends,” Laux said.