BY XIMENA GALINDO

Ms. Kangas is one of the many science teachers at West Covina High School. She has been teaching for now 12 years and previously taught in the Arcadia school district. She currently teaches AP Biology and Honors Biology, but has also taught psychology, earth science, biology, world history and U.S. history. However, Ms. Kangas chose to teach science because she loves science, although she also has a degree in history and a couple other degrees in psychology, she “loves science” and “how it makes sense.”

Her passion for teaching was discovered when she started teaching as a Sunday school teacher for her daughter. At that time, she realized she enjoyed teaching. As her girls got older, she wanted to make sure she “had a back-up plan..or security.” Shortly after her realization, she earned her credentials at UCLA and eventually got her masters at Azusa Pacific University. Outside of school,  Kangas spends time with her daughter and does household cleaning. In addition, she also prepares lesson plans for the coming week and does a lot of grading. Aside from her responsibilities, her hobbies include quilting, sewing, watching Netflix, traveling, scrap-booking, and “discovering new things.” She also has her beloved pets: three turtles, three cats, and a dog.

Kangas’ goals for this school year are for her “AP students to get at least a 75 percent passing on their AP test in May, which is way past the average pass rate of 50%.” Preparing her students and letting them know her expectations, she hopes they do achieve it. Overrall, Kangas loves teaching because everyday is different, but her favorite part are the kids, or how “special and important they are.”