Agriculture/Science (Ag/Sci) teacher Pat Rooney teaches Welding, Small Animals and Horses, and Landscaping. Rooney and his wife recently had their first child, Jake Rooney, on Feb. 17. He went to Merced Junior College and then transferred to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and graduated in 1997.

What is your idea of a perfect day? “I would want to have a great lesson plan for all my classes, have all the students interact and engage, and after work, I would want to get a good workout.”

What do you love most about your job? “I love all the time off, the weekends are the best, summer is great, and I enjoy working with students and seeing them grow and move on to bigger and better things.”

Do you have any hobbies? “I enjoy hunting, fishing, traveling, and spending time with my dogs, I would prefer to spend my summers in exotic places, preferably outside of the United States.”

What is the best trip you have ever taken? “I really enjoy going to Spain. I have been there three times and have been to Pamplona and ran with the bulls a total of three times.”

What is your favorite sport? “I enjoy baseball and I am an avid cross-fitter. My favorite baseball team is the Boston Red Sox.”

What is the best book you’ve ever read? “I have to say the best book I’ve ever read was ‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck, I had to read it three different times because of how long it was.”

What are your current goals? “I’m not sure if I have a goal, I just live every day.”

What will your students learn from your class? “I think the most important thing the students learn from my class is life skills, something that they won’t be tested on by a state exam.”

What is best part about working at Tracy High? “I think that there is great camaraderie among the staff and there are great traditions that most schools don’t have.”

What is the toughest part about being a teacher? “The toughest part about being a teacher is attending the meetings every Monday after school, that is by far the toughest part.”

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Pat Rooney