Mr Mooney Honors Dr. Burch

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 him for the triathlon, and he loved the idea,” Mooney said. “I picked one of the top male swimmers and one of the top cross-country runners to partner up with Dr. Burch. I went out and did the triathlon, and lo and behold, they won.”

Mooney recalled his students’ respect: “The two students were even bragging about how fast Dr. Burch was on his bike,” he added.

Even beyond his passion for sports, Mooney pointed out Dr. Burch’s dedication to students and how students admired him back: “Dr. Burch loved his students, and he loved building up the reputation of our new high school.”