Tom Renner is the Fine Arts Coordinator at Tracy High. He enjoys working with students and building upon his own musical skills when he has the free time. Also, Renner enjoys performing jazz music and he hopes that one day Tracy High’s Performing Arts Magnet will be a place a performer wishes they were at.

What are your hobbies? “I perform jazz. It is spontaneous creativity, which is what I like most about jazz.”

What is one piece of advice that you would give to high school students? “One piece of advice that I would give to high school students is that having good work ethic, humility, and self-value are just as important as your skills and transcript. The advice that I would give to graduating seniors is that if you ever go back in the future, don’t touch nothin’.”

What is the most difficult part about your job? “The most difficult part about my job is people that have a lot of needs just beyond music.”

If you could change something about education, what would it be? “Funding is something that I would change about education. Funding for education should match the true value that education has to society.”

What is your most memorable moment this year? “My most memorable moment this year was that this year’s Tracy areas honors concert showed me that our Arts Department is moving to a whole new level. The quantity of people who were involved and the quality of music performed was amazing.

What motivates you? “A quote by Theodore Roosevelt that motivates me is: ‘No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.’”

What is your favorite place to go on a day trip? “My favorite place to go on a trip is the practice room because I enjoy working on my own skills of expression. It is a lot of hard work, but it is rewarding.”

What are some items on your bucket list? “Have Tracy High’s performing arts magnet be a place a performer wishes they were and I want to play B-bop as cool as Jazz Cats in the 1950s.”

Who is your favorite superhero? “My favorite superhero is the Tick because Fox television does not like him.”

What is your main goal in life? “My main goal in life is to grow up and be like Stephen Colbert.”