Biography

Before coming to OVS, Mr. Alvarez worked for two decades as a journalist for a number of California newspapers. His last stint was with the Los Angeles Times, where he worked as a metro reporter for 14 years covering immigration, agriculture, and government. Mr. Alvarez left the newsroom to become a full-time dad and joined OVS shortly thereafter. Over the years, Mr. Alvarez has developed an award-winning journalism program at the Upper Campus. Students have the opportunity to take both Journalism and Advanced Journalism, which are both UC-approved courses. Mr. Alvarez teaches Humanities and plays a key role as College Counselor, guiding high school students through the college application process. He also coaches track and cross country. He ran for Cal State Fullerton, where he earned his degree in political science, and he remains an avid runner in perpetual training after completing three Boston Marathons.

When not in the classroom, I can be found

Running. Always running. Or walking the citrus ranch in Ojai, where I live with my daughter, Alex, who graduated from the Upper Campus and now attends the Berklee College of Music.

What students call me

Mr. A (and a few unmentionables)

Adjectives that best describe my teaching style

Tough. Passionate. Enthusiastic. Inquisitive. Encouraging.

One thing students don’t know about me

I’ve become smitten with ceramics. I love the idea of making things from mud (this echoes lots of the stories we read in Humanities). And I love the idea of trying to make something beautiful in this world — and the idea that you can work and work and work on a piece, and in the end, it all goes wrong, and just collapses. And that’s ok. It’s about the process, and you learn as much by your failures as you do your successes.