Jim Klipfel

Jim Klipfel is a ninth- through twelfth-grade Social Studies and Athletics teacher at Saugus High School in the William S. Hart Union High School District, Los Angeles County. He’s also California’s representative for the National Teacher of the Year competition, which will be announced in the spring.

Our national teacher of the year candidate is a history teacher, swim coach, and a survivor and first responder to the Saugus High School Shooting that occurred in November 2019. While Jim Klipfel (Coach Klipfel) is a very humble man and does not lead with this story of heroism, his letters of recommendation from his principal and superintendent share the true magnitude of how he was there for his students on that fateful day, and how he supports their growth and achievement on a daily basis.

“Somehow, even with his high standards and expectations, he manages to be one of those teachers that attracts dozens of students to his classroom before school, during brunch and lunch, and after the end of the school day,” said William S. Hart Union High School District Superintendent, Michael Kuhlman. “Students gravitate toward him because they know that he genuinely cares for their well-being.”
Coach Klipfel believes that student mental health needs to be a priority in schools and is committed to the essential role that literacy plays in the education of a child. He says it’s not just him accepting this honor. He’s sharing it with all of his colleagues at Saugus High School because he believes they are all heroes.