Dr. Dan Burch poses near the school’s logo. (Photo by The Orange County Register / https://www.ocregister.com/2013/05/24/pied-piper-of-tesoro-high-to-retire/ ) Dr. Daniel James Burch, the founding principal of Tesoro High School, passed away on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, peacefully at home.  He graduated from UC Los Angeles with a mathematics degree before pursuing a doctorate in education at Pepperdine University. In 1975, he started his career by teaching math and coaching socc

In the year 2000, the Capistrano Unified School District set out to open a new high school in what was then a largely undeveloped part of Rancho Santa Margarita. At the heart of that project was Dr. Dan Burch, a man whose vision, leadership, and dedication would give life to Tesoro High School and shape the experiences of thousands of students who proudly call themselves Titans. Dr. Burch began the journey in a trailer on the campus of Arroyo Vista Elementary, working tireles

I have started a sentence and then deleted it at least 10 times in the last 15 minutes. It is difficult to put into words what I feel for Dan Burch. Dan is the reason we are the teachers, colleagues, and professionals we are. He hired me as a teacher; however, he saw in me more than that. He trusted in me to take on so many facets of our school outside the classroom. He asked me to serve as our WASC coordinator, not once, but five times. He was never prescriptive and allowed

Mr. Mooney, a Tesoro founding teacher, connected with Dr. Burch over cycling. “One of my favorite stories about Dr. Burch,” Mr. Mooney recalled, “is when I found out he was a cyclist.”  At the time, Mr. Mooney was competing in triathlons and had just started Tesoro’s triathlon club with the help of Mr. Tubbs. Soon after, he invited Dr. Burch to join a relay team for the Newport Coast triathlon.  “I asked Dr. Burch what he would think if we did a relay with two students and hi

24 years ago, Tesoro High School was opened in Las Flores, California. Designed to accommodate the rapid population growth of the surrounding communities, planning for Tesoro began in the late 1990s as the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) designed modern facilities focusing on student success. The school started with just one building for classrooms (what is now the 100-500 halls), a library, and an office. There were no fields, gym, locker rooms, or cafeteria. A tra

Players from Tesoro High School take the field before a football game. (Courtesy of Tesoro Titan Athletics / tesorotitanathletics.com ). Over Principal Dan Burch’s 13-year career at Tesoro, he helped lay the foundation that led to six team CIF championships, five individual champions and 55 league titles. Burch prioritized integrating academics and athletics to build a strong school culture. He wanted students to take pride in their sports teams while also excelling in the cl

Dr. Burch, the founding principal of Tesoro, created the mantra of the school: “wisdom, strength, and honor.” According to the Oxford dictionary, wisdom refers to “ the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” Strength is defined as “the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure.” Honor is “adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct.” At Tesoro, this mantra is read daily in the morning announcements, a

After swearing into office on Mar. 14, I have officially been deemed the ASB President for the 2025-2026 school year. With this role, I...

Jaelyn Chung, a recent graduate here at Tesoro High School, plans to attend the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to further...

Jenna Radwan is graduating from Tesoro High School and going on to attend Point Loma Nazarene University, majoring in psychology and...

Another senior success story Is Mackenzie O’Byrne.  O’Byrne has been in ASB for four years, with many notable contributions to the...

On May 19, Tesoro honored many Titans in its twenty-second annual Senior Awards. Including one of the four individual and most...

Nico Assalian, a Tesoro senior, is heading to UC Irvine to play water polo. Nico has been playing water polo since the summer before his...

In the upcoming 2025-2026 election, freshman Gavin Boosalis will run against freshman Meliah Woolston for the position of Sophomore Vice...

In the upcoming 2025-2026 election, freshman Meliah Woolston is one of two candidates running for the position of Sophomore Vice...

As elections for Tesoro High School’s student body government heat up, AK is making his case to voters as he campaigns for the Junior...

Meet Alistair Geis, one of the candidates for next year's ASB Junior President. “I will continue to be dedicated to maximizing my class’...

One candidate running for Senior Class President of her 2026 class is Irish Carey. A dedicated student leader, Carey hopes to reinstate...

In this year’s election, junior Emma Dietrich is running for Senior Class President against one other candidate, Irish Carey.  During...

Tesoro ASB elections are coming up and junior Abby Shin is running for ASB Vice President against Emaan Ghaffarian and McCartney Minter. ...