After just one year of teaching Physics 1, Catalyst Biology and being the faculty advisor for the Genes in Diseases and Symptoms (GIDAS) club at Menlo, Dr. Zane Moore is saying a heavy-hearted goodbye. 

Moore is a trained botanist and began his career as an educator by teaching undergraduate biology courses at UC Davis and Cosumnes River College, after which he taught at the Harker School for two years before coming to Menlo.

Moore stated that his decision to leave Menlo was rooted in his desire for more adventure in his life. “I think life is a balance of comfort and seeking discomfort […] and I want to maybe do something more crazy with my life,” he said. 

While he hopes to potentially work for a startup company that does work focused on plant diseases in the fall, he is ultimately trying to live his life one day at a time and see what happens.

Most of all, Moore expresses how he will greatly miss Menlo’s community. “My favorite part was the house competitions. […] I like seeing the school get together; the different grades get together,” Moore said. Beyond Menlo’s community, Moore loves his time in the classroom, and he will especially miss teaching his students. “I enjoy all the fun moments, and I’m gonna miss that a lot,” Moore said.

Freshman Eva Mathur, a student in Moore’s advocacy and Physics 1 class, emphasized how great a teacher and advocate he was during their time together. “Dr. Moore was a really supportive and really great advocate. […] He was always there for me,” Mathur said. “I’m going to miss him very much.”

One of Moore’s favorite memories will be the wall in his classroom that he calls the ruler graveyard. There, he hangs the many rulers his students have broken over the school year. Currently, the wall has taken seven.

Looking ahead, Moore said he’s uncertain about his plans for the future. “I don’t know [what I’m going to do]. That’s the scary thing, but also the really exciting thing,” he said. 

Moore emphasized how difficult his decision to leave Menlo was, and how much he will miss the school. “It is a hard decision [but] I feel like I have more to offer, and I want to try and find out what that is and what that looks like,” Moore said.