We Are Randolph. This Is Our Story.
The official podcast of Randolph Field Independent School District.
We Are Randolph. This Is Our Story.
1.2B The Alumni (Part 2).
What if your high school teachers were once students sitting in the same classrooms as you?
Join Amanda Bauer and special guest host Mr. Vance Sarlow as we celebrate Randolph alumni who have returned as educators and staff, bringing their unique journeys full circle.
In The Alumni. Part 2., we welcome Mrs. Nathalie Woodruff, Coach John Flores, Coach Briana Gomez, and Student Teacher/Coach Deshaun Borders.
Their narratives highlight the importance of fostering a strong sense of community and cherishing those fleeting high school years. You'll hear heartfelt advice for the current students on making the most of this special time in their lives.
We also explore the powerful pull of Randolph that brings people back, like our guests who returned to their roots after years away.
Each of our guests emphasize the unity, support, and lasting bonds within the Randolph community, highlighting the importance of cherishing every stage of life. Tune in for a nostalgic and inspiring celebration of Randolph's enduring legacy and the people who continue to help make it so special.
Welcome to the official podcast of Randolph Field Independent School District. We are Randolph. This is our story. Tune in on the third Wednesday of each month and join our host, amanda Bauer, director of Community Engagement and Public Relations, as she visits with special guests from the Randolph community, and don't miss the Randolph trivia portion of each episode. We've got cool swag and it could be yours. Subscribe, download, share and definitely listen as we tell our story. Welcome back to part two of our special Homecoming Alumni Podcast episode, featuring many segments of interviews with former Randolph students who have now returned to work in the district. As a reminder, mr Sarlo, our Randolph High School theater teacher, is serving as a guest host for this episode, so I am going to turn it back over to him as we continue with part two.
Speaker 2:We are here with our next guest, Natalie Woodruff, who I knew as Natalie Goad when she was here as a student. Welcome, Natalie. Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Can you tell us a little bit about when you were here at Randolph as a student?
Speaker 3:Sure. So I was here kindergarten through second grade and then back six through 12.
Speaker 2:And what year did you graduate?
Speaker 3:2009.
Speaker 2:2009. Fantastic, and what is your current role here?
Speaker 3:I am a part of the technology department. As the technology assistant I run help desk and all of the inventory for the district.
Speaker 2:But you didn't start in the technology department, did you?
Speaker 3:I did not. I came in 2019 as an inclusion aid in the SAC room. In 2021, I was moved over into the technology department and I've been there ever since.
Speaker 2:When you were a student here, did you ever imagine that one day you would work for Randolph?
Speaker 3:Can't say that I did when I was in school. I did want to be a teacher, but I never imagined that I would be coming back to my alma mater, so it's been pretty cool to um see people coming and going and see the people that I went to school with that have come back as well. Um, and it's pretty rewarding to see the kids coming through.
Speaker 2:So as as a student and now kind of looking back on things, now we have homecoming coming up. Yeah. Did you or do you have a favorite Randolph homecoming tradition?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and so we used to have a parade around the base, which was really cool because we would go all the way around the base. Everybody would line the streets and all the you know the homecoming court and all the sporting events that were happening throughout you know, that season. They all had floats and they all had different. You know, we got really cool old cars that the court got to ride in and all of those things, and we would go around the base and kids just thought it was the coolest thing ever. You know all of those things and we would go around the base and kids just thought it was the coolest thing ever, you know. So after we went all the way around the base, we would end up back up at the Taj for the homecoming pep rally, which it was pretty cool because, I mean, it wasn't just students, it was parents and younger siblings and teachers, and everybody was there. Like if you weren't there, you better have a good excuse.
Speaker 2:So it felt like an entire community coming out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, you know you, you as a military kid there's so many opportunities where you just don't have the chance to get that small town feel that a lot of these kids that grow up in the surrounding areas have, and so it was just a really cool experience and so I think Randolph has always done a really good job of just bringing that small town feel and that community feel to everything, especially sports, but everything I mean any extracurriculars, I feel.
Speaker 2:I think I agree, element of the small town, but we have the benefit of being in a city where there are other things you know going on and that our students can experience out there as well. But here there is definitely a sense of community. So during your time here as a student was was there a teacher or or I guess it could be teachers were there any teachers that were particularly influential for you or that were your favorites maybe? And what about them? Made that?
Speaker 3:college and so I think it's safe to say she had a bond with pretty much all of us in that class just because we were her babies. So another one that I can think of is her mentor teacher, ms Colglazier. She was really important to a lot of us in my class. She was kind of like a mama duck. You always went to Ms Colglazier if you had an issue and she was just very easy to understand, very easy to talk to and always making sure that we all knew what we were doing. And then obviously, coach Miller I think he is top tier favorite 100%.
Speaker 2:Yeah, All of those very influential, I mean every one of them makes sense.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:And of course Mike Miller.
Speaker 3:He doesn't work here full time, but there are people that didn't really work with him that know him and love him and appreciate him and admire him, and so it's just, he's a staple.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, natalie, last question for you. Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share with the Randolph community as a whole?
Speaker 3:I think, just gratitude, to be honest with you, just gratitude for, especially as a parent, also to kids that go to Randolph, just gratitude for kids always being welcomed in and taking care of, no matter what the circumstances are, and just knowing that they've got parents all around them rather than just, you know, teachers, they've got a family around them.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Natalie, for joining us.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2:I want to welcome our next guest, Mr John Flores. Thank you so much for coming out today. We appreciate it.
Speaker 5:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Tell us about when you came to Randolph as a student. How long were you here?
Speaker 5:I got here in either 1997 or 1998. I don't remember exactly. I was in second grade, so I went from second grade all the way through my senior year and graduated in 2007.
Speaker 2:And then something brought you back to Randolph as an employee?
Speaker 5:Yes, so I was. I was actually at the youth center for I don't even know, I don't know six years or so maybe, and a spot at the elementary school opened up for elementary PE. So I did that for a year and there those teachers are saints. That is plenty of time to be at the elementary school. And then, 14-15 school year, I came to the secondary.
Speaker 2:And we have homecoming coming up pretty soon. So do you have any memories about homecoming from when you were a student that stand out for you, or do you maybe have any homecoming traditions that you think are the best?
Speaker 5:It's a good question. I think I'm going to kind of say something now and then something from when.
Speaker 2:I was here.
Speaker 5:I really like the big district pep rally now.
Speaker 5:So that's, just a really fun hour out there with I don't know 600, 700 kids. It's just a really fun environment. I think it helps build the community a little better. Kids, it's just a really fun environment. I think it helps build the community a little better. What I always look forward to when I was in high school, which you guys probably remember too the decorating the hallways. Well, yeah, that was always just you could, I mean, with it within reason, obviously, you could just be silly and kind of do whatever you yeah wanted to do, and then there's a little competition between all the classes and that was just always something I look forward to.
Speaker 2:So you know what they did during that time is each class like, for example, the freshman class, the sophomore class, the junior class? Each class would have a certain hallway this was in the old school building that we had here and each there were kind of core classes that were in each one of those hallways.
Speaker 2:So each grade level was designated hallway and they had a theme to decorate their hallway and they would put construction paper and lights and things hanging from the ceiling and there would be kind of faculty judges that would go around with their clipboards and pick the winners and they won. I don't know if they won. Did they win actual stuff? Bragging rights probably.
Speaker 5:Probably bragging rights and some donuts or something.
Speaker 2:But yeah, it was definitely something and these kids would work hard on this.
Speaker 5:You just got to go and take pictures and videos and that was always a big one we would do for the hallways at homecomings. That was always a lot of fun. Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 2:or most influential teacher from your time at Randolph.
Speaker 5:Ooh, that's they're. I mean, even now, I still, even though I'm going to include them with it, I think we have the best teachers around.
Speaker 2:It could be, you know, your top three, top five, whatever, whatever pops into your head, whatever you got.
Speaker 5:They're always. Mr Reuter is always up there, for sure. Just because he's. If you've been here, you might mean you know him with his long hair and his earrings. That was always awesome. Coach Gendron, that was a pretty unique experience playing for him in high school and then coming back and coaching with him for seven, eight years, I think, before he hung up his basketball shoes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and probably coach wefts too. Just yeah, the kind of example those guys shown was, I think, probably has more influence on me than I think or even realize right now yeah and mr wilson definitely the band director director when I was here.
Speaker 5:Yeah, same of thing. They're just good people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely so. Do you have any advice for the students of today?
Speaker 5:I always tell them to just enjoy the high school life, just hang out with your friends and go to football games and, don't you know, miss out on stuff.
Speaker 2:So last question Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share for the overall Randolph community?
Speaker 5:I think the biggest thing that we're and in the last few years it's been kind of a point of emphasis the just building that community that's outside of this half of perimeter or this half of the flight line, because there's, we're here and some people don't know. So just building that community and we're, we're the best of both worlds. We're a tiny little school in a big old city so we can have all those different experiences and ideas and just all that diversity. We have it all here and those of us that are here know like it's. It's pretty awesome. So we want to keep spreading that out there so everybody else knows well, coach flores, we appreciate your time.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much for coming out, thanks for having me. Fantastic, we'll see you. I want to welcome our next guest for today, brianna gomez hi guys hi, thanks for coming out to talk to us today. Thank.
Speaker 6:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:So, brianna, ms Gomez, you've been at Randolph for quite some time, originally as a student. What years, what grades? What brought you here?
Speaker 6:no-transcript.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow.
Speaker 6:I was one of the lucky ones.
Speaker 2:So that's a good point, because I would probably say the same thing that that does make you lucky. And then you came back as a teacher. Tell us about when you came back and what it is you do.
Speaker 6:I actually started as a student teacher and then I ended up finishing my student teaching at the Randolph Elementary School. I guess I was still trying to figure out what grades I wanted to pursue. Once I graduated college, after my student teaching was finished, I decided I want to come back to the high school, and then they had a job opening, thank goodness, and I applied, and then I'm back now.
Speaker 2:No, and we're grateful for that.
Speaker 6:Yes.
Speaker 2:You said you wanted to come back. Yes, what made you want to come back?
Speaker 6:So, being in high school, I don't think I really thought about what I wanted to do for my career. I got into college, I was taking core classes and then I had an English professor. She had handed out an assignment. That was who was the most influential people in your lives? And then I had an English professor. She had handed out an assignment that was who was the most influential people in your lives? And I came back to Randolph and I talked about my teachers, my coaches, and then I think, in that moment's, when I really knew how big of an impact they had on me, and so I think I knew that I wanted to have that same impact on others, and so that's kind of like how it drew me back in. And then I of course knew that I had to come back to Randolph if there was an opportunity to and did you say what you're teaching now I'm a special education teacher and then I coach.
Speaker 2:I'm an assistant coach for softball and volleyball, get to be the person that has those impacts on people. When you think back on your Randolph time and now we know that's a long time who are some of these teachers? Or is there a teacher that you felt like had the greatest impact? It might be more than one, but if there was somebody or some folks that had the greatest impact on you when you were back thinking about that essay and it could be a different answer now. Right.
Speaker 6:Well, I'm going to start with you, mr Sarlo. You were great. Gosh, there's so many that I could think of. I know Coach Pache, coach Ortiz, they played a big impact, or they had a big impact on me, miss Hamilton. Gosh, there's so many. There are so many. I'm trying to think of all of them Coach Basir, Coach Grace, Mr Ritter yeah, I know I'm forgetting somebody. I feel like now I'm naming the entire staff at Randolph.
Speaker 2:I was going to say we got a great staff. I feel honored to be on that all-star team you just built. So do you have a favorite memory as a Randolph student? Oh my goodness, there's so many I feel like when I think of good memories, I just go back to the sport aspect of it, like game days, road trips, team bonding, team dinners. It from then too, we have homecoming coming up right.
Speaker 6:So excited, are you? Yes, I love homecoming.
Speaker 2:See, that's great. Okay, because that fits. That's great, because what I'm going to ask you about is homecoming traditions. Are there homecoming traditions that you like, that you love, that you value? The fact that you say you love it means that there's something there for you.
Speaker 6:Yes, I love Spirit Week, dressing up, pep rallies, the homecoming pep rallies it was always a lot of fun. I would say, like the biggest thing is probably moms, because not everyone does them. I remember being in high school and there are people come in from all over the world and I'd be like, yeah, like let's make our moms. And they're like what are moms?
Speaker 2:All right, moms, and they're like what are moms? All right, my last question for you today is do you have any final thoughts for the randolph community as as a whole?
Speaker 6:yeah, I think, as a student, being a former student, I, if I had like advice to give them, I would say, like, just take it all in, like live in the moment. I feel like normally we're so excited for the next thing and so like, if I had someone to tell me like to just live in the moment, that's what I would tell them. I feel like when you're in elementary school, you can't wait to get to middle school. When you're in middle school, you can't wait to get to high school, and then, when you're high school, you cannot wait to get to college, and then, like, before you know it, like it's all over. So like, oh my god, I emotional, but yeah, like, I would just say, like, live in the moment. If I had to tell anyone that I mean me, I missed it so much. I'm now back. So, yeah, randolph is a great place to be and I'm so thankful and grateful that I'm here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's great, Thank you. Thank you for coming out and sharing your thoughts. We would greatly appreciate you, ms Gilman.
Speaker 6:Lots. We greatly appreciate you, Ms Gomez. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. Now I want to welcome our next guest, Mr Deshaun Borders. Deshaun, thanks for coming out today. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:This is exciting and we're excited to have you because, as currently and I know you're going to get to tell us a little- bit about this, but you are probably our youngest, most recent graduate to be on our show, right, and so we're excited about that kind of a different perspective, a more recent perspective. So before we get too far into that, let's talk about before right. Tell us about the years and the grades that you were here at Randolph.
Speaker 7:Okay, so we're gonna go back further. So my family first moved here in 2011. My dad got stationed in San Antonio, so I was at the elementary school for like a year and a half. I was there in third grade and fourth grade, and then we moved to New Mexico for a couple of years and then we came back in 2015. And I started in eighth grade and then I graduated from Randolph in 2020.
Speaker 2:All right. So the second time around five years, all in a row, from eighth grade all the way through Right, all right, fantastic. And then you've recently come back. Tell us about that experience and how that came to be.
Speaker 7:So I knew when I got to college I wanted to do teaching, wanted to coach. So, you know, did everything we had to do to get there. And then in January I reached out to Dr Malone to see if it would be possible for me to do student teaching at Randolph, because it wasn't a school on the list of schools at Texas A&M, san Antonio. And so I reached out and he said we'd love to have you. So I had to do a lot of paperwork, a lot of, you know, asking different people sign things for me to get it all going. But we got it all worked out. So in around July I found out that it would be okay to do my student teaching at Randolph, and then Coach Ortiz also said it'd be okay for me to coach as well too.
Speaker 2:So there were a significant amount of extra steps you had to take to make that even happen. Correct, because you wanted it. You wanted to come back. I didn't want to come back. So what was it about, randolph, that made you want to come back? I?
Speaker 7:just when I was here. Those five years from eighth grade to my senior year, those were I had a great time. I ran off. Some of my closest friends met them here, still talk to them almost every day, so like and then like, obviously a lot of the teachers here helped guide me to where I was, because when I got back to Randolph in eighth grade I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. And so having Coach Ford like take me under his wing and he was really really nice to me and kind of helped guide me to like you should want to go to college, you should want to do a lot of different things, that helped me. And then Ms Montez, my junior year. She was like I think you'd be a really good teacher, and then that sent me down that path of wanting to try to teach.
Speaker 2:And so for me it was like if I could do that to another kid, come back here so those teachers kind of instilled on you the fact that you could make a difference and you could do this exactly. Yeah, and so and I know you kind of touched on it, but is, was there a favorite teacher or a most influential teacher?
Speaker 7:uh, yeah, coach forrest was probably one of the biggest influences here my entire time, from eighth grade to my senior year always there when I had questions or if I needed advice or anything like that. He was still a resource for me even after I graduated from Randolph. I knew I could reach out to him if I had questions while I was still in college and things like that and then so it all worked out really well too. When he was like you want a student teacher, I'll be your cooperating teacher as well. So I'm doing that with him, and that's been quite the experience as well.
Speaker 2:So, going back to that time that, when you were a student, do you have a favorite memory of your time when you were here as a student?
Speaker 7:yeah, favorite memory I would say my favorite memories would probably come from my time in the lunch bunch. This was a time, uh, in high school, where me and a bunch of my friends would go eat lunch in Coach Forrest's classroom and those were the times where we all got to hang out and I thought those were the best times with each other, just because it was so nice to have a place. You could go talk, eat all that fun stuff. You could go talk, eat all that fun stuff, um, but the lunch bunch was always just fun to be in because everybody thought it was like some secret club. But it was like just want to eat lunch and then you just come, just some guys hanging out, that's all we were really doing. And so people were like we want to be the lunch bunch, you want to be the lunch bunch, and it's like you can come you just all you got to do is bring your food.
Speaker 7:People thought it was like a club or something. It's like we're not really doing anything. Well, did you ever imagine that there would be a time or that you would be back here in the capacity as a teacher? Because, again, since Randolph wasn't at the list of Texas A&M, san Antonio, I thought that wasn't really a possibility. But then one of my teachers last year she told me don't let that stop you from trying to do it, and so that's why you know that's when I reached out to see if it was possible. But my goal, honestly, was just at some point. I hope that I'll be able to get back to Randolph.
Speaker 2:I didn't expect it to be this soon, but we're here now, so All right. Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it's a common sentiment is we're glad to see you back, we're glad to see you. I appreciate that. Thank you, the. So let's go back down memory lane for a little bit for you. What about homecoming? You know homecoming is coming up. Do you have a favorite memory or favorite homecoming tradition regarding your time at Randolph?
Speaker 7:For me. I played football in high school so obviously homecoming was always a big game for the football players. We always wanted to make sure if we win any game this year, it has to be the homecoming game I would say the favorite thing about homecoming. It's going to sound kind of crazy, but Coach West would always tell us the same story every single year on homecoming and it was making sure that we treated the girls we went out with very politely Every year without fail on homecoming. He would tell us the story on the Saturday of the actual dance. So I think that was probably my favorite thing. But something I'm looking forward to is I've heard the homecoming pep rally has gotten actually pretty big here at Randolph, so I'm looking forward to seeing what that looks like here in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2:It's a district pep rally, right, so even the younger kids come over and participate in all of that and it's a lot of fun. So last question Well, okay, so it's sort of I guess it's sort of two questions. The first one is do you have any advice for current students?
Speaker 7:My biggest advice for current students is to just enjoy your time here.
Speaker 7:I feel like Randolph is a really special place and I feel like our teachers really do a great job of showing that they care about you outside of their classroom, where they want you to succeed and do a lot of different things and really encourage you to try to like make the most of your time here. And I feel like at different schools that I've been at, when I've been like observing or just, you know, subbing other things like that. I haven't seen that as much as I've seen that here at Randolph. So I feel like Randolph's a really special place where the teachers are putting that extra step in to show you that, hey, I'm gonna go to your game because you asked me to go to your game. I'm gonna think that goes a long way in showing that the students that we care and that we want them to be successful in all the things that they're doing and not necessarily just being, hey, you're in my classroom, I don't really care about you when you're in my classroom. I think that goes a long way for us.
Speaker 2:Is there anything that you would like to say or you wish that the community as a whole, any thoughts you'd want to share with them as a whole?
Speaker 7:I would think the biggest thing is I just like that the environment feels so friendly and very like family oriented here, and I think that starts with everybody, right? That's not just the teachers, not a staff or anything. That's everybody that's involved at Randolph. You can I feel like I can never go past someone who doesn't wave to me after a game parents, students you know everyone's hi. How are you doing Things like that? But I think that's just. It just goes a long way, this feeling that you feel welcomed at a place, and I feel like the more we keep doing that, the more you know students and teachers are going to want to be here and want to come back, because I feel like that's a real thing that we built here.
Speaker 2:Fantastic. Thank you very much to Sean Borders for joining us today. We really appreciate you, thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, this brings us to the conclusion of today's very special alumni employee podcast episode. Mr Sarlo, thank you again for being the guest host for us today. I have been sitting in, of course, for each of these sessions and this has been such a treat for me to get to hear I'm sure you feel the same way but just to get to hear all of these former students who now are employees talk about the pride that they felt, not only as students but now, so much so that many of them waited years and years for the right opportunity, were you kind of surprised, I was.
Speaker 2:I think that you're right that there are some folks a number of them mentioned that waiting for the opportunity, waiting, waiting, and meaning that there was something that was in their minds pulling them back that they really wanted to be back here and that it was a matter of you know when that opportunity would arise, right, and I think that's fantastic. I really had a good time. I had a good time getting to hear some of these stories and, yes, there are certain themes that sort of kind of keep coming back in.
Speaker 2:And it's like hey, that means that our district has been doing something.
Speaker 1:That's right and I think one of the things that stood out most, one word that came out over and over again, again, when they were each talking about Randolph and our community is special and I do genuinely believe that any of us who have worked here or, in the cases of these students who went to school here, we all identify with that phrase as a descriptor of Randolph, because it really is a special place and sometimes it's hard to articulate what it is about Randolph or why, what is special about Randolph, but I think it's everything it's the people, it's the community, it's the pride, it's the sense of this is home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's something about our not only the staff but also the students that is very, I think, welcoming to those kids that transfer in, and so I think you're right, I think that helps. It brings a sense of comfort and a sense of home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, familiarity. Yeah, it's really interesting, you're right.
Speaker 2:We've heard a lot about that and the special aspects of what it is that happens here.
Speaker 1:Yes, and one thing that has come up a lot in regards to when you've asked them about maybe one of their favorite homecoming traditions, one of the newer traditions that we started a few years ago, is this all-district pep rally. A few years ago is this all-district pep rally? And I was really happy to hear several of them mention that, because that is something that we have worked as a district to really try to promote these last few years and help develop that district-wide community feeling, and so, for those who don't know, this is an annual tradition that we started a few years ago and we typically hold the pep rally in our stadium either the morning of the homecoming games or sometime that week, and it's an opportunity. We bring over some of the elementary school students, we have our middle and high school students participating, we get our teachers involved. It's just a really neat time for camaraderie. We will have that again this year, very excited about it.
Speaker 1:And, of course, the main events for homecoming. We have our homecoming events taking place on Friday, september 27th this year. We have our volleyball game. Our varsity volleyball girls will be playing at 5 pm that day, and then our football kickoff for varsity that night is at 7 pm and we hope to see all of our current Randolph community members, as well as all of our alumni. We would love to have you guys, and I just want to say one more huge thank you to Mr Sarlo for being the guest host today. You did an excellent job. Is there any final message you would like to share with the greater Randolph community?
Speaker 2:I think that the Randolph community has been really good to this school over the years. Whether know whether you're a local business owner or you're, you know some of the other folks that are on base that there are opportunities here that that to in a lot of different ways. It could be through our CTE programs, it could be through sponsoring some of our extracurricular programs and things like that, where you can still have an impact on the future, as in these young people that are growing up, and you can help build the bonds of that community and help continue to make this a home.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I think that's a great final message. Thank you everyone for listening. Please join us again for future episodes and remember we are Randolph, this is our story. Thank you for tuning in today. If you have an idea, question or trivia suggestion for a future episode, please reach out to Amanda Bauer via email. Come back to listen again anytime. New episodes release on the third Wednesday of each month. To listen again anytime. New episodes release on the third Wednesday of each month. And, as always, thank you to our guests, past, present and future, our listeners and the entire Randolph community. Remember we are Randolph, this is our story.
