Although Mike Gianelli is only in his second year of teaching at Buena High School, he has quickly made a positive impact on students and staff around. Mr. Gianelli has been teaching history at Buena for almost 2 years now and has created a great name for himself. He is also acknowledged by many for his contribution to sports. Mr. G is the defensive line coach for the Bulldogs’ football team and assistant coach for the girls basketball team. Mr Bolland, the head coach for the football team says Gianelli “has a passion for football, and just sports in general”.

With over 20 years of high school teaching experience, Gianelli enjoys implementing fun lessons throughout everyday activities. While having a big role at Buena High School, he still finds time to sit back and enjoy life.

Starting from high school, Gianelli acquired his strong work ethic from his father as he worked for a family beer company. Years later the family decided to sell the company, which created other opportunities for Mr. G to take.

After a few years of schooling and positions at Oxnard High, St. Bonaventure, and Cuyama Valley High, Gianelli is happy to be at Buena High School. Mr. Gianelli always had a passion for helping people and a strong interest in history. When asked about famous people he’s met, Gianelli is most proud to have met Sandra Day O’Connor, who was the first woman to serve in the Supreme Court. He says this because of her significance in society that went unnoticed.

When asked for one piece of philosophy he wishes everyone could hear, in true form, Mike Gianelli responded with three. “The three rules I live by are: Don’t be a baby. Do your job. And be honest… You gotta be tough, and that’s mental toughness because that is more important than physical toughness. Do your own job and just be good at what you do. And finally you gotta be honest with yourself to learn from it”.

Outside of school hours, Mr. G lives a simple & enjoyable life. Finding the balance between school responsibilities & personal life is very important to him. When overwhelmed with everything from school, Gianelli likes to take a step back and remember to spend more time with his family. Gianelli’s plans in life moving forward consists of creating memories with his family and watching them grow. It’s a tradition in his family to have big BBQ’s where he cooks for everyone. Mr. G enjoys playing guitar nearly every day and it’s something he finds relieving for himself. He feels a very strong connection between music and himself. One person Gianelli wants to meet is Jimi Hendrix, who is one of the most iconic American rock guitarists.

Mike Gianelli states his purpose is to “make a positive difference in as many young lives possible…that’s what motivates me”. Gianelli continued, “I just want everyone to have a sense of fulfillment”. Overall, Mr. Gianelli is a very welcoming person to all and just wants to see everyone smile at the end of the day.