Los Altos High Assistant Principal Galen Rosenberg retired this summer after nearly 40 years at the school, and is being replaced by longtime social studies teacher Derek Miyahara.

Rosenberg's departure coincides with principal Wynne Satterwhite's retirement, who also left this summer after almost four decades at the school. The pair didn't coordinate their retirement plans, Rosenberg said. Satterwhite is being succeeded by Tracey Runeare, who was previously the principal of Harbor High School in Santa Cruz.

Miyahara's promotion to replace Rosenberg was announced last week. Miyahara has taught at the high school since 2004 and his wife has taught English at Los Altos since the 1990s. The couple's two children also graduated from Los Altos High.

Over the course of his time at the school, Miyahara has taught courses including economics, U.S. history, psychology and world studies. He has also taught Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), which helps students from underrepresented backgrounds prepare for college.

Miyahara has served as the social studies department coordinator and the coordinator for the school's accreditation process. He was also involved in getting an ethnic studies course approved for all ninth graders starting next school year.

In moving into the assistant principal role, Miyahara told the Voice that he is interested in continuing to work to achieve the school's equity goals, ensuring that students from all backgrounds are able to be successful during and after high school. That includes working on the school's Career Technical Education offerings, which prepare students for various job fields after graduation.

In his new role, Miyahara will join three other assistant principals: Nicolás Betancur, Kristin Castillo and Fabian Morales Medina. While he will have the longest tenure at the high school of the four, Miyahara stressed that this will be his first experience as an administrator and said that he will have plenty to learn.

"I'm looking forward to getting started and I'm looking forward to learning new things," Miyahara said.

Incoming principal Runeare said that Miyahara's experience at the school as well as his enthusiasm for the job stood out during interviews for the assistant principal position.

"I'm really excited about next year and just continuing to build on the work that everyone has already done for the school," Runeare said.

Miyahara will take over for Rosenberg, who worked at the school since the 1980s and became an assistant principal in 2012. Before moving into administration, Rosenberg was an English teacher and department coordinator at Los Altos High, as well as an athletic coach, the founding advisor for the student newspaper The Talon and the school's accreditation coordinator.

After leaving Los Altos High, Rosenberg told the Voice that he will start a job teaching at an international school in Seoul, South Korea. He and his wife enjoy traveling and wanted to experience another country without being tourists, Rosenberg said.

In looking back at his time at Los Altos High, Rosenberg said he believes the school is the best it has ever been. While Rosenberg noted that Los Altos has always been viewed as a good school, particularly academically, he said that the campus has made strides over the years to create a community where students from diverse backgrounds are respected and included.

Rosenberg credited the improvement to choices the school made over time, including working to hire more diverse staff members and the decision years ago to create standardized English and social studies classes for all incoming freshmen (rather than splitting students up by academic level). He also pointed to initiatives like the school's annual Diversity Assembly, where students get a chance to showcase elements of their cultures.

Rosenberg said that it has been rewarding to work at Los Altos High and get to be part of the community over a long period of time.

"To know that you can do something that matters in that kind of way is very gratifying," Rosenberg said.