For the 2025-2026 school year, three Santa Fe alumni have returned, this time as teachers and coaches.
Firstly, Sophia Berges also graduated from Santa Fe in 2021. When she was studying to become a teacher, Berges was between teaching history and English, but ultimately chose English; she’s currently an English III & IV teacher.
Berges’ career aspirations stemmed from her experiences with past teachers, specifically those from Santa Fe.
“Honestly, I think I had a night where I cried to myself, where I was like, I don’t know what I want to do, but I started thinking like, I’ve had these great teachers, and I’ve always felt safest at school, or most comfortable at school,” Berges said. “Home is fine, but [there’s] something about these teachers who always are there. I think I was [thinking], ‘yeah, maybe I could do that,’ and just also having the routine in the school day and summers off— it’s kind of appealing.”
Her previous teachers, specifically her junior year English teacher, Valerie Roberson, played a major role in influencing the rules and standards of Berges’ classroom. Every few weeks, Roberson had a Google check-in form where students could address their perspective on the class.
“Especially as a first-year teacher, since I am still learning and growing, I want my students to be able to know that it’s okay to tell me, ‘Hey, can we try something else?’,” Berges said. “You know I still have the final say on if we are going to switch, but I want my kids to feel comfortable sharing with me if they’re struggling, whether here at school or outside of school.”
The reasoning behind Berges’ return is both the atmosphere and the community at Santa Fe.
“No hate to North or Memorial, they are great schools, but Santa Fe is special in a way. I think that’s part of, when I was offered the job was like yes, you know, Santa Fe is special—and its people, and its students—in a way that Memorial and North just aren’t,” Berges said.
Santa Fe’s teacher of the year, Stephanie Bray, left a positive impression on Berges, specifically by securing her a job at Santa Fe. Upon arrival, Berges was flooded with positive reactions and attitudes.
“Everyone has been so welcoming to me again,” Berges said. “You know, obviously there’s the first of, ‘oh my gosh, but you were my student, and now you are my colleague’, but they have been so supportive, and they have been my biggest cheerleaders. Especially Teacher of the Year, Ms. Bray, she was one of the ones who was like ‘yes, hire Ms. Berges, she is worth it’, and I owe her so much just as a student, a colleague, and as a friend.”
Her plans for the future consist of staying at Santa Fe and building both her teaching career and professional background.
Algebra I teacher and assistant boys basketball coach, Kamden Gipson, also found his way back to his roots at Santa Fe.
Gipson played college basketball at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in health care and administration and his master’s in business administration.
Previously, Gipson was a coach at Putnam City North (PCN) high school last year for boys’ basketball. He claims he would have stayed at PCN if Terry Evans, Santa Fe’s head boys basketball coach, didn’t get a job offer at Santa Fe.
“I played for Coach Evans who is a coach now, that’s a big reason why I am here today,” Gipson said.
The influence Evans left on Gipson’s return opened opportunities for him to enhance his coaching skills.
“When he got the job here, he called me and said, ‘I want you to become my assistant, ‘it was hard to pass it up because I graduated from here, and he was my college coach,” Gipson said.
Santa Fe’s unity was just another reason that Gipson accepted the offer.
“I’ve always loved this school just ‘cause the comradery of everybody, you know the spirit that’s within the school, and everybody roots for everybody,” he said.
With his coaching job, he also became a teacher.
“My plan wasn’t to teach, but I want to coach, so [I’m] getting into that coaching route, especially in high school,” Gipson said. “I want to be in the building, so you just got to get your alternative certification to teach.”
Gipson’s plan for the future is to expand his coaching career and capabilities.
“I want to become a head coach, whether that’s being the head coach at high school level and winning state championship, and winning games, and getting kids up to college level to play and building my name that way and then growing and growing into just becoming that high level coach,” he said.
Although Gipson’s passion is coaching, his perspective of the classroom is similar to having a team.
“But coaching and teaching are the same, just different subjects, that’s how I look at it, every hour is a different team,” Gipson said.
His experience at other schools showed Gipson the notable differences between Santa Fe and other schools.
“I came from some other districts, and some kids are different, and there is nothing wrong with that,” he said. “Santa Fe, we are one of the top schools in the state for a reason, one of the top schools in the nation for a reason, we get awards and all that, not just in one specific area, we just get a bunch of sport ones, academic, music, arts, everything, that’s what makes it such a great school.”
Classroom and coaching expectations came from lessons and advisors that he had in the past, whether it was a coach or a teacher.
“One thing we always live by is that hard work plus discipline equals success, and if you don’t have the discipline to get the job done, you won’t reach your goals at all, cause discipline is doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time, and that’s where it starts,” Gipson said.
The cycle of Santa Fe not only comes from the new students and teachers, but the alumni as well; it’s shaped by the atmosphere and community.
2021 graduate Ethan Barnes is an English II teacher and an assistant girls’ soccer coach. Despite the fact that his original plan wasn’t to teach, he found his way home.
“It kind of just felt right,” Barnes said. “I had offers to go other places, but everything kind of just led me back here.”
Originally majoring in sports marketing, Barnes graduated in May of this year with a communications degree. This degree ultimately led him down the educational route.
Upon returning, Barnes noticed a change in his perspective of Santa Fe.
“Kids are very different, that’s how I’d put it. I feel like maybe [we] are a little bit less mature, but the people are the same; same great environment to be in [it’s] very welcoming. Everyone is welcoming with open arms, and everybody just holds each other accountable,” Barnes said.
Between his student years and being an educator, the Santa Fe community has always been present.
“Family, welcoming, unity. We are all united, like we may not get along at all times, we still fight and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, we are going to back each other up,” Barnes said.
