John teaches astronomy, geology, and integrated science at Port Angeles High School, where his 20-year impact on the lives of those students and their families has been, you might say, seismic. John’s evolution as a science teacher began when he was an undergrad with a job at a science center explaining the Puget Sound flow model and eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Realizing that he loved explaining science to the public, John decided to teach.
“Come look at the moon!” Those are the first words students hear from John as they arrive in his classroom. Over the course of more than two decades, John has provided many exciting opportunities for his students. Here are just a few of them: Family Weekend Astronomy and Lunar Eclipse Star Parties, attracting as many as 300 people and dozens of telescopes; a science stage with guests from USGS, NASA, JPL, and the Lunar and Planetary Institute; a science club with the YMCA; an earthquake curriculum package called “Seismic Sleuths”; and, most significantly, a portable STARLAB planetarium, which has provided outreach to over 10,000 people.
John also brings the arts into his curriculum, taking students to various venues that blend the disciplines. Examples include “Visions of the Universe,” an exhibit about the Chandra X-Ray Telescope; the play “Silent Sky,” about the life of astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt; an astronomy-themed symphony; and Ray Troll’s “Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway” lecture, opened by PAHS’ own Vocal Unlimited singing “Earth Song.” Port Angeles’ Earthquake and Tsunami Preparedness event was opened with the school’s elite choir Bella Noce singing geology-themed songs and a Native American storyteller sharing flood stories.
“In a sense John Gallagher is like a gravitational wave,” observes Lillian Cone, Assistant Principal at Port Angeles High School. “He came to Port Angeles High School 20 years ago as a young teacher. Each year his actions with students, teachers, and community members have rippled through Port Angeles. Twenty years later the impact of John Gallagher is profound, and in 20 more years his actions will still be changing lives for the better.”
