Thoughts and Observations
by Trevor Cralle
I started as a freshman in the fall of 1975, and now suddenly(!) I am in my 40th year as a member of the Maybeck staff. Here are a few random thoughts that are on my mind these days:
Perhaps you have seen in the news that UC Berkeley has enclosed People’s Park with a giant wall of double-stacked shipping containers and is moving forward with turning the historic space into student housing. The image is rather dramatic and makes one reflect.
As I walk across the Cal campus with my hiking PE class, I notice that roughly 80% of the people are walking with their faces glued to their phones and ears plugged with headphones, rarely looking up and fully unaware of their surroundings. Sign of the times.
Although the roots of the pineapple as the Maybeck mascot date back to the mid-to-late 70s, it’s really taken hold in the last 20 or so years. Stay tuned for the ‘Pineapple Manifesto,’ which contains all the facts, history, and trivia, which I plan to post on the Maybeck website.
I miss former teacher Dave Kinstle’s presence around school every day. I think about him a lot and how he gave his all to this institution. He was definitely one of a kind.
As Maybeck’s Director of Outdoor Education, a lot of my energy goes into planning fun events throughout the school year that students have the option of participating in. Some of the activities in recent years have included sound bathing, Autumn Lights Festival, Pier 24 Photography Museum, Eastern Sierra camping, Flower Piano, Abbot’s Lagoon hike, and roller skating at the Church of 8 Wheels. A huge bonfire out at Ocean Beach in early September is becoming a bit of a tradition. Please feel free to send any ideas for interesting activities my way.
I always enjoy searching for Maybeck alumni, staff, and former staff publications, and I’m very proud of the bookcase we are filling up. The collection is pretty impressive, but I’m sure we are missing some, so please let us know if you hear of any. If you haven’t seen the publication Maybeck High School - The First 50 Years: 1972-2022, I highly recommend that you check it out. It’s packed full of Maybeck everything. You can contact me to order a copy.
Trevor Cralle ‘79