Craig Rendon
World Geography Honors (9th grade)

Samuel Harris
World History Honors (10th grade)

Bret Bigelow
U.S. History A.P./Dual Credit (11th grade)

Jeremy Guerrero
Government/Economics A.P. (12th grade), Street Law (elective)

Craig Rendon
World Geography Honors

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Craig Rendon was born in San Antonio. The son of an Air Force colonel, Mr. Rendon lived in Grand Forks, ND, The Panama Canal Zone and Naples, Italy. He attended Randolph Junior and Senior High Schools near San Antonio and graduated from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, CO. Mr. Rendon graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Government. Upon graduation, he went to Japan as a member of the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program. He team-taught English as a foreign language at four Yokohama Junior High Schools for three years. Mr. Rendon returned to San Antonio and joined the faculty of Communications Arts High School in 1998. He has lived in or visited eighteen countries other than the US and has a genuine interest in World Geography and foreign affairs.

Seven of Mr. Rendon’s students at CAHS have been national winners in the United Nations World Refugee Day poster contest sponsored by UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie. Their works of art have been on display at the Statue of Liberty in New York and at National Geographic in Washington, DC. Mr. Rendon traveled to Washington, DC with some of the poster contest winners and their parents to attend World Refugee Day events with UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and other government leaders including US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Mr. Rendon won an Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award from the Texas Council for the Humanities in 2003. Mr. Rendon was nominated for this award by the 2003 CAHS Valedictorian and her mother, a professor at UTSA. Mr. Rendon was honored by the Texas House of Representatives with House Resolution 36, 78th Texas Legislature, 3rd Special Session. Representative Ken Mercer of House District 117, which includes Communications Arts High School, sponsored the resolution.

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Samuel Harris was born and raised on the coastal plains of Victoria, Texas, where he attended Victoria High School. After high school Samuel attended Texas State University where he majored in History and minored in Political Science. He was highly involved in university organizations such as the Interfraternity Council and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Samuel graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts and moved shortly thereafter to the San Antonio area.

Samuel has a passion for history, and because he is impressed by both their energy and enthusiasm for learning, he enjoys working with high school students. Since 2001, he has been teaching year round with few breaks which means teaching in the summers as well as evenings. When he did have a week off in March 2005, he traveled to Italy with both students and parents. He has also recently traveled to France, S. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Samuel is currently organizing a trip for CAHS students to Paris for March 2008. He has found that travel enriches his studies and allows history to come alive.

Samuel sponsors the Student Council and National History Fair/Day. He also sits as a member of the School Advisory Committee and is a member of Texas Classroom Teachers Association. Samuel also continues to work with Pi Kappa Phi at Texas State University by serving as head of the Board of Alumni Advisors.

Other interests include politics, going to concerts, eating sushi, and working out. Samuel carries a strong belief that it is important to stay mentally and physically active.

His parents, both elementary school teachers, now reside in the small town of Smithville, Texas. Samuel's younger brother currently serves as a police officer in Austin, Texas.

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Bret Bigelow
American History Advanced Placement
2008 Teacher of the Year

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Bret Bigelow grew up immersed in history. His mother is a published author and historian, and Mr. Bigelow quickly gained an interest in the past and our understanding of it. In addition, Mr. Bigelow's father is also an avid reader who possesses a great understanding of history. Both grandmothers were local teachers and Bret remembers fondly his early trips to museums, air shows, book readings and yes, even history conferences.

Mr. Bigelow began attending Trinity University in 1994 and graduated in 1998 with dual degrees in History and Political Science. While attending Trinity, Bret was fortunate enough to work with well-respected historians in a variety of areas ranging from U.S. social, urban, and political history to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He was also greatly influenced by his work in communications/media and creative writing.

While at Trinity, Bret also worked for two years at the Witte Museum, where his efforts showed him the value of hands-on research and historical preservation work. In his last year at Trinity, Mr. Bigelow was the first to participate in a political science/history internship with the City of San Antonio Historical Preservation Society.

After working for two years, Mr. Bigelow returned to school to begin work on his Master's Degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Although he took courses on subjects as varied as Asian and African history, his main focus was United States history. His thesis paper attempted to unravel the complex interplay between President Truman and his staff over the issue of Holocaust survivors and the recognition of the state of Israel.

Bret spent 2003 at UTSA finishing his educator's certification courses and was chosen in the fall as the distinguished student teacher of the year. In 2004 he studied at the AP program at DePaul University in Chicago and in 2005 was selected to attend a conference on the Cold War at Cambridge University. This conference was sponsored by the London School of Economics Cold War Studies Centre and included scholars from the U.S., U.K., and the former U.S.S.R. He also took part in the Trinity University Teachers as Scholars program on Vietnam War history and film. Bret continues to be an avid reader on a broad range of topics and hopes to bring this love of reading to all of his students.

When he is not teaching, Mr. Bigelow enjoys spending time with his family and friends, jogging with his Boston Bull Terrier, NFL and boxing history, rock music from the mid-1960's to the present, and going to the gym.

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Jeremy Guerrero
Government/Economics Advanced Placement, Street Law

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Jeremy Guerrero was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. A graduate of Tom C. Clark High School, he went on to receive his Bachelors degree in History as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching, both from Trinity University. During his time at Trinity University, Mr. Guerrero was given the opportunity to study a wide variety of subjects and work with a diverse group of students, including serving as a peer tutor and discussion facilitator for “The Alamo” first-year seminar course. At the end of his senior year at Trinity, Mr. Guerrero was honored to be named the first ever recipient of the Eunice Harrington Scholarship, given to one student graduating from the social studies each year.

Mr. Guerrero received his teacher certification as part of his masters program and completed his student teaching at Lee High School. While teaching at Lee, Mr. Guerrero was also given to opportunity to work with the staff and students at the International School of the Americas, including serving as a chaperone and group leader on their week-long junior civil rights trip through Alabama and Mississippi.

When not teaching, Mr. Guerrero enjoys going to the movies, gaming, and listening to music of almost every genre. He is excited to be joining the staff at Communication Arts High School teaching Advanced Placement Government and Economics, as well as the Street Law elective course. Mr. Guerrero believes that all students are capable of achieving at high levels and that education is a lifelong process, which does not stop at graduation.

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