Emerald Ridge inducted its second hall of fame class at a ceremony on Sept. 26, and one of the honorees was Mariano Leon-Guerrero. Or, as the students and staff referred to him for the 22 years he served as a counselor at ERHS, Mr. L.G.
Mr. L.G. worked as a US Army Ranger for 26 years before he arrived at ERHS during the school’s first year. Because he retired in 2022, many current students may not know who he is or the reasons for his induction. The Jagwire was given the opportunity to interview him before the induction ceremony, so in this article I plan to inform you on who Mr. L.G. is, as well as share some of his advice and experiences.
When we asked Mr. L.G. what inspired him to go into a counseling career after he retired from the Army, he told me that teaching, or counseling to be more specific, was always his dream. He said he always wanted to work in a school setting, but as a young man he also really wanted to jump out of airplanes and serve his country.
Asked why he wanted to be a counselor for so long, he shared his passion for the idea of every student being known. The concept of every student feeling comfortable and supported by at least one staff member at their school. “I love that, in my experience nobody ever knew me in school.” He said he got to see the results of this in the school spirit and atmosphere that is consistently cultivated by students and staff at ERHS.
Mr. L.G. always loved the cultural diversity and pride at ERHS. He spoke of how it made him so happy to see kids comfortable with their own culture and getting to share it in the form of clubs like the Pacific Islanders Club, Latino Club, and BSU (among others). As a counselor, he would encourage kids to join these clubs and show pride in their ethnicity, origin and culture. He also loves the idea of country reports and getting to learn about other countries and their cultures in class.
Our final question, since he was a counselor, was whether he had any advice for the current students of ER. Here are a few of the answers he gave:
“Try and make every day a wonderful day. Be optimistic, have a positive attitude, an open disposition, random acts of kindness. Care for one another, encourage one another.”
He says that support from other students and supporting other students is an important part of forming healthy experiences in high school. Along the same line, Mr. L.G. said, “Show an example, lead by example. Be gracious, be kind, be helpful to one another.”
The final piece of advice Mr. L.G. shared was, “Try not to be offended, and try even harder to not offend.” He acknowledged that high school can be a very difficult and emotionally charged time period, but if we all try our best to make the best of it, a friendlier and more supportive student environment is possible.
Overall, Mr. L.G. is a legend, both in his personal achievements and the impact he made on ERHS. His induction into the ERHS Hall of Fame is an important one, and the environment of support and kindness he left among students and staff will be remembered for a long time by those who have been lucky enough to meet him.
