At Calexico Mission School, Seth Katada is back on campus doing what he loves best—working as the school’s athletic director and junior high Bible teacher. With a few adjustments to their on-campus routines, CMS welcomed elementary students back a week before their spring break, and welcomed junior high and high school students back starting April 19.
“I’m ecstatic,” Katada said. “Probably the happiest person here. I got into this profession to interact with kids, so COVID took a toll on me when it comes to having to interact with them over a computer versus being able to teach them sports and the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard to tell someone that over a computer screen versus to show them.”
Katada is in his second year teaching at CMS. He’s a graduate of Hawaiian Mission Academy and La Sierra University. Originally from Hawaii, Katada is used to paradise, but moved to the Calexico desert to follow God’s leading.
“I totally believe God needed me here,” he said. “It mattered that the kids needed me and God showed me that.”
His drive is to be like the teachers who made an impression on his life.
“The kids look up to you like you’re a superhero,” Katada shared. “The thing is to get them to know that I’m not the superhero—it’s God.”
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P.S. Did You Know? Calexico Mission School serves approximately 300 students, most of whom are non-Adventist Mexican citizens.
