Beloved Vallejo art teacher retires after 48 prosperous years – Times Herald Online


After 48 years of teaching art at Vallejo High School, beloved teacher Manuel Moreno is retiring, leaving behind a legacy of impacting thousands of students' lives.
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Following four decades of teaching, Vallejo High School Art teacher Manuel Moreno is set to retire at the end of the current school year — perhaps swapping out his paint brushes for a fishing rod.

Although he’s not quite sure what retirement may bring, the decision to close out his life-long dedication to education did not come easy.

Known to many as “Mr. Moreno” or “Reno,” after 48 years in the Vallejo City Unified School District he feels like his students have gradually become family.

Putting off retirement, “I’ve gone so many more years than were required by law,” says Moreno. The reason being? The students.

“They nurture me,” says Moreno. “They’ve sent me home with tacos for my son that they’ve never met, they’ve come over and worked in my yard, they’ve become family.”

Maybe it was his self-deprecating jokes, general goofiness, or ability to be respectfully blunt. Either way, Moreno has won over the hearts of Vallejo students.

While growing up in East Los Angeles, he recalled being the kid who never quite had a grip on school, particularly math. In response, he jokes, he learned to hide in school. “Those are the kids that I kind of seek out in my classroom,” said Moreno.

Born into a working family and raised in Los Angeles, the teacher — before he became one — was never really sure about his aspirations for the future. As he jokes, in grade school, he was confident with three things: “I could draw, paint, and run fast.”

After a few twists and turns of life, he managed to attend San Diego State University, where he ran collegiate track and field and, of course, majored in art. After a decision to let his collegiate athletic career fizz out, he landed a job at the boys club in San Diego.

Here, he worked closely with kids either from struggling families, broken homes, or at developmental crossroads.

“I just started having this real tenderness for these kids,” he recalled. So, he put two and two together and dived head-first into student teaching — specifically the deep end, i.e. West Sacramento.

“I tried it out and I saw that I hit it off with the tough kids,” said Moreno. “I think I’m really blunt with the kids, you know? And so they like that, and I guess I get liberties that maybe the Anglo teachers aren’t allotted.”

Around 1977, he wound up in Vallejo, where he got his official start at People’s Continuation High School and 20 years later, Vallejo High School.

“I’ve just been so blessed to do something that I love doing,” says Moreno, “Everybody has told me ‘retire, retire,’ but I just love these kids and I love what I do.”

Keeping him grounded throughout the years, he thanks his wife Lisa “who has always been an encouragement and inspiration,” and two sons, Josué and Reno. “I have to check their DNA though because they turned out good,” he joked.

Within the Vallejo City Unified School District, he also expressed gratitude towards the great custodians, campus security, and clerical staff, who he says always looked after him.

As for the students, he thanked the thousands with whom he “grew through great times with, (through) laughter and the joy of creativity … yet also shared tender moments of loss and tragedy,” he said.

The teacher also credits the students for, among other things, keeping him young.

“I’m 76 and if you saw me, you probably wouldn’t think so,” he laughed, “I think that aging has passed me by visually, and my spark — my little life force — remains because of the teenagers.”

Beyond impressing upon students his painting techniques and strategies for clay creations, he’s also made a life-long effort to impart something deeper — change. As a teacher, “I want these kids to not just learn facts,” he said. “I want to go to my grave knowing that they learned how to navigate the world without being victims or victimizing other people.”

His hope is that of the many generations of students who have cycled in and out of the seats within his beloved classroom, his teachings on respect and compassion have stuck.

“If they can make a pottery cup that’s beautiful, if they can draw a tree or painting, that’s all frosting on the cake,” said Moreno. “But I wanted to be the teacher that I never had…that kind of talked to me about navigating life, you know?”

For many, he was just that.

Originally Published: May 27, 2025 at 12:13 PM PDT

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