Mr. Anthony Hofius: he is the voice of our announcements and a constant presence in the bustle of GBHS activity — now, he is the Blue and Gold’s Teacher of the Issue.

   Mr. Hofius has been teaching at Gulf Breeze for six years and is currently teaching Physics and Earth Space Science; in the past, he has taught Physical Science and Biology.

   Of all the subjects he has taught, Hofius notes Physics as his favorite, saying, “Physics is always seen as this daunting subject, and it shouldn’t be.”

   While discussing his favorite parts of teaching at GBHS, Hofius highlighted his love for the faculty and staff — specifically noting his colleagues in the science department.

   “I’m really fortunate, with the teachers that I work with,” Hofius said.

   Hofius also described the benefits of connecting with his students and helping them learn and grow, as well as the difficulties of not always being able to see the impact made on a student’s life.

   “I think one of the most difficult parts of the job is that there’s not always a very instant satisfaction of, ‘you have definitely helped this student.’ You can see it when they get something, and obviously with grades on tests you can see the improvement, but you don’t necessarily see how that has helped them in their lives. ” Hofius said.

   He proceeded to tell me a story of how, recently, he ran into a former student four years out of high school, confided that he was using what Hofius had taught him to help work on aircraft electronics.

   “And I was like, ‘Oh man,’” Hofius laughed, “it just warms you. Seeing how you were actually able to help somebody is really cool.”

   I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Hofius as my volunteer sponsor for an Academic-Team competition earlier this year.

   Though I had never met him, Hofius was an incredibly kind, welcoming presence that day.

   The competition was nerve-wracking, but Hofius eased a lot of that pressure. I felt supported and knew I had someone in my corner — something I am incredibly grateful for.

   Mr. Hofius is widely regarded by both students and faculty. The care he puts into his teaching, involvement and support of the student body can be easily seen in the admiration Gulf Breeze High School has for him.

   “One thing I’ve always known from the be-ginning is that I didn’t want to be known as the teacher that was just there to teach, and then went home — and that was it,” Hofius said, “I wanted students to know that I can be there to support beyond that.”