AP Stats and AP Pre-cal might not be a class that many enjoy, yet here at Cypress Ranch, the excitement is clear. As the bell rings, many students eagerly open their notebooks, they excitedly sit down in their classroom as their teacher, Ms. Christa Alcala, is teaching.
For 2025, Ms. Alcala has been honored as Cypress Ranch’s Teacher of the Year, a recognition of her passion and commitment to education for the past 35 years.
“I’m very honored, because there’s so many great teachers here on campus, especially math teachers,” Ms. Alcala said. “So it’s just quite an honor that they chose me. I love the kids, and I love being with them every day. And this recognition is a reflection of that.”
Students credit her engaging teaching style and dedication as the key reasons behind her recognition.
“She really did deserve the award. She’s a great teacher,” said senior Gideon Forbush. “She makes sure that the students understand what’s being taught, and makes sure that there is room for questions. Uses a lot of examples and really focuses on doing her part in the teaching, rather than utilizing outside sources, textbooks or videos and making sure that she’s on the front lines of teaching.”
Sophomore Joy Farag echoed the sentiment.
“I love math. I’ve loved it since I was a child, but she just increased my love for math,” Farag said. “She has these just funny math puns. She teaches it in a way that’s very simple and in a way that, like, even like a kindergartner, can understand it. It’s amazing.”
Ms. Alcala attributes her success to her ability to make learning engaging and enjoyable.
“I try to keep it fun. I mess around with them and do some fun activities in AP statistics. And then pre Cal, I just have a great group of kids where I can let them kind of take the lead on doing their own thing a lot of the time,” Ms. Alcala said. “When I was a kid, I didn’t want somebody who sounded really boring when they were up there. So I want to keep them engaged and have fun.”
Beyond the classroom, Ms. Alcala also plays a big role as the sponsor of Mustangs for the Military, a program dedicated to supporting deployed service members.
“A student came and asked me. He said he was part of a similar community program in another city, and he wanted to bring it here. And so I thought, you know, why not? I don’t think a lot of our military is shown enough appreciation,” Ms. Alcala said. “My son is in the air force now, and while he’s not deployed, many who are deployed overseas, they don’t get a lot of the things that we have here, and they need to know that we’re still picking up on them and praying for them, and so we send them free care packages.”
Ms. Alcala’s dedication, both in and out of the classroom, makes her a beloved teacher and a true inspiration to the Cypress Ranch community.