By Katelyn Lam; Editor-in-Chief
Mills is saying farewell to Ms. Tiziani, our beloved P.E. teacher of 15 years. While she’s sad to end a wonderful decade-and-a-half of Viking spirit, Ms. Tiziani is excited for a new start closer to home. Of course, even at a new school, P.E will always be her passion, and she looks forward to continuing.
Ms. Tiz has officially left Mills as of January 13 and will now be working at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, only about a 10 minute commute from her home compared to the hour long one way drive it took to get to Mills. She explained she “didn’t even have to get on the freeway, it would be like driving from Millbrae to Burlingame.” It was a big decision for her to change schools, but the commute was just too long, carving precious time out of her already busy schedule.
As an adult, she “can’t change her family or job”, but she can change her work location. By transferring schools, she’s able to get two hours back a day to spend with her family instead of spending that time commuting back and forth between home and Mills. Ms. Tiz currently lives in Sausalito so her new school is just one city over. It was a “big decision but now I can have more balance in life”. She thought it over long and hard and finally decided the move was worth it. Although she won’t be teaching at Mills anymore, she’ll “always love Mills and the community” she’s found here.
Ms. Tiz has had an amazing time at Mills. Having students be a part of her life, watching her get married and have two kids, she’s “gr[own] a lot and experienced lots of life events. it’s gonna be hard to leave here”. This has been a really special time in her life that she says she’ll never forget. As hard as it is for her to leave, it is equally hard for Mills to lose such a crucial part of our faculty. The tales and stories of Ms. Tiziani being a scary, kind P.E. teacher have been passed on through generations, and her absence will surely be felt by all. Her fellow P.E teacher Mr. Moss explained how “instrumental [she was] in helping myself and [and other P.E teachers] get comfortable” and how her computer knowledge helped their department get stronger.
And when asked what she’s going to miss the most, Ms. Tiz said the students. In the past 15 years, she’s had hundreds of students pass through, with many having siblings come through the same locker rooms. For her, meeting parents was always really special, and she’s gotten to see so many kids grow up and come back to visit.
Her replacement, at least for the rest of the year, is Olatunji Dean. Mr. Dean has shadowed her classes and she appreciates the effort he’s put in to interact with the kids. When he first came, he introduced himself and explained that he would do his best to ease them through the transition, putting everyone’s minds at ease. Her kids have definitely enjoyed his enthusiasm for the class and his background in sports has made him a hit among the students.
Ms. Tiz is looking forward to “continuing to do the good P.E work” and a much shorter commute! She looks forward to more time in her day to spend with her kids (or just by herself). Mills will be different without Ms.Tiz, and it’s clear from the number of students who have stopped by to say bye that she was loved and will never be forgotten. As she said, “I appreciate all the opportunities that I’ve had with my time at Mills and I appreciate and love the students and staff”. And everyone appreciates her too. The work Ms. Tiz has put into the success of her students is not one taken for granted. Mr. Moss stated that she “knew her subject and knew it well.” and it was “hard to find good quality people like her”. Her time here at Mills has made a huge impact on hundreds of students’ lives, leaving a lasting legacy, and hopefully her future students will appreciate her as much as we miss her! Have a wonderful time at your new school Ms. Tiz and don’t forget to visit!
