Attendance Coordinator Gabriel Preciado looks around his office in the Chalmers Lounge for what will be the last time. As he reminisces over his 23 years at the school, he fondly looks at his photos from the Boxing Club he advised , tokens and gifts from previous students and a realistic figure of his favorite anime character. Preciado left his position at the school April 17 to take a position as an administrative director at Grace Academy, a hybrid ministry school founded by the Grace Community College. Grace Academy has two campuses in Sun Valley and Santa Clarita and combines biblical studies with traditional academics. Preciado said he found out about his new position abruptly.
“I found out I had to go over spring break, right before the first weekend,” Preciado said. “I didn’t want to leave in the middle of a school year, but I had to. I’m super excited to take a position as a director. It will be a fun new chapter in my life.”
Over his 23 years at the school, Preciado set up the Didax attendance system and was the faculty advisor to many clubs and student organizations, including the Boxing Club . However, Preciado said what he will treasure most about his long tenure at the school are his relationships with fellow students and faculty.
“The best thing is seeing all the students grow,” Preciado said. “Building relationships is probably by far the most rewarding experience here. Besides the students, I also have gotten to know all of my colleagues and see their growth over the years. The environment of just excellence here is also one of those things that you like when working. You feel like a huge team player in that atmosphere.”
Preciado’s familiarity and comfort with online attendance services like Didax also helps make his job very entertaining. After working many years as the attendance coordinator, Preciado said he was able to develop a skilled grasp on the school’s digital record system as well as the student body.
“I like working with computers, ” Preciado said. “And every morning when I log on I get to see all your smiling faces and all your names. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve memorized all your names.”
After Preciado’s departure, his role as attendance coordinator was temporarily filled by Fencing Coach Erika Velarde. A new permanent Attendance Coordinator has not yet been hired, according to Head of School Laura Ross. Velarde said her temporary position has been very enjoyable and she was surprised at how welcoming the school community was to her.
“Everybody adapted very fast to the new change,” Velarde said.”I try hard to give out passes for all the kids as efficiently as possible when they need to leave early. I also try to help as much as I can whenever I can.”
Velarde said she had a lot in common with Preciado, which led to the two of them getting to know each other well.
“Whenever there was a taco day at school, the two of us would always rush into the cafeteria, buy tacos, and eat them together,” Velarde said.
Zarah Colmenares ’26 said Preciado was a comforting presence and was always patient with students.
“Preciado was an important part of our community because he always reasoned with students about an absence and strived to create a space where students like me felt comfortable to get a piece of candy or talk to him about anything,” Colmenares said.
Colmenares also said Preciado was much easier to get to know and talk to than most faculty at school.
“I struggle with bonding with teachers and staff on a deeper level and since [Preciado and I] shared similar cultures, it was easier for me to open up and talk to him about stuff going on at home because I knew he understood where I was coming from,” Colmenares said.
Another aspect of Preciado’s job was being a sophomore advisor, where he oversaw a group of sophomores and fostered connections between them. Preciado said he enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of sophomore advisory.
“I know teachers see students in and outside [of the classroom] often, but for somebody who doesn’t have that, it’s so special,” Preciado said. “And it’s not in an atmosphere where you guys are going to be graded, so it’s also easier for you to really speak freely.”
Sabrina Simek ’26, who was a member of Preciado’s sophomore advisory last year, said he was a very kind a calm advisor, even during hard days.
“He was so kind to all of us,” Simek said. “He always knew when to give us snacks, and at the end of our year together he put on a fun karaoke party.”
Simek said Preciado leaving shocked her greatly.
“It felt so abrupt,” Simek said. “We were some of the first people he told, because he loved his advisory members. But I hope he does well at his next job.”
Preciado was also the head of the Boxing Club from 2013 onwards. Although the club did not officially run this year, Preciado said he will always treasure the memories of teaching students in one of his favorite activities.
“I met a lot of incredible students who have spent so much time with me through Boxing Club,” Preciado said. “We even went to a boxing gym and we went to see a Champions boxing quarter, which was great. So we did a few trips, all related to boxing. Those were really enjoyable times for me.”
Preciado also said his love of martial arts also made him participate in some funny and impromptu happenings at the school.
“One time during a pep rally, a student challenged me to a sumo wrestling battle,” Preciado said. “I told him that he could body slam me, to try to win because he should be the focus. But he said that he wanted to legitimately challenge me. ‘I want you to do your very best,’ is what he said to me . During the actual event, the most energizing part was that all the faculty were cheering for me and all the students were cheering for him. It was a very exhilarating experience.”
Even as he leaves the school, Preciado hopes that the traits he learned here will carry over into his new job. Preciado said that above all, his patience and care for students helped him through hard times.
“Some of the most tense moments for me was when we had actual fire drills or other emergency drills,” Preciado said. “I really feel the weight of making sure everybody’s safe and part of my job is to sort of look after you guys. So I power through it because I care. And in those moments, I think of you guys almost as my kids.”
