December 1, 2023
That statement according to Mrs. Humphrey was very much something that David Guild, Class of 2014, as a junior high student would have said. Her class of noisy junior high students weren’t minding her and she had asked, “Are you all with me?!” That’s when David piped up with his response. She’s never forgotten it – it lifted her spirits in that class!
David returned to the Jr/Sr High School campus as a special speaker to the entire student body with a focus on the incoming 9th grade class. As someone who graduated nearly 10 years ago, his insights of what PCS meant to him evolved into his three main points to the students – community, extra-curricular opportunities and a Christ-centered education.
With regards to community, he remembers from an early age attending Portland Christian sporting events that his family had no apparent ties to outside of belonging to the PCS community. He recalls becoming close with various other families through these events – creating community with these shared experiences. David’s personal experience at PCS spanned the time his siblings Dylan (2016), Demi (2017), and Dakota (2020) were students at PCS. He joined Mrs. Humphrey’s school group tour to Italy even though he had graduated. “PCS offers a great community,” explaining to the students that part of his community included not only the students, but also his teachers. He noted that many PCS teachers have longevity here which fosters the community. He greeted his former teachers with hugs and handshakes.
Mrs. Humphrey - French and Latin classes
Mrs. Kristen Caldwell - World History class when he was a freshman
Mr. Andrew Jannsen - Calculus teacher and track & field coach (middle) with DavidMr.
Mr. John Felton - JV head coach in basketball and assistant coach Varsity basketball (far right).
Mr. Erik Lyslo - Varsity basketball head coach
Mrs. Rhonda Rogers, currently PCS superintendent. She was the preschool director when David entered preschool.
More importantly, David shared that PCS’ small class sizes helped him make friends that he knows he has for the rest of his life.
David participated in football, basketball and track his entire high school life. He remembers how sports helped create a sense of community, develop life-long friendships, and teach valuable life lessons. This sense of belonging was illustrated as Mr. Lyslo, now PCS Athletic Director greeted David, exclaiming, “One of my favorite [basketball] players!” It was a walk down memory lane in his former track coach, Mr. Jannsen’s, math classroom. The classroom is decorated with ski resort maps and more importantly, students who won Track and Field State Championships. There David reminisced with Mr. Jannsen about his three State Championships in hurdles - 300 meters in 2013 and both the 110 meters and 300 meters in 2014!
After graduating from PCS, David attended George Fox University, graduating in 2017 after studying history and politics and once more in 2018 with his master’s in business administration. He then moved to Washington D.C . where he attended the George Washington University Law School — graduating in 2021 with his J.D. He currently practices law at Sokol Larkin in Portland with a focus on construction litigation. He, his wife, and his golden retriever live in the Portland area.
As David reflected on the opportunities he had because of the small-school setting and extra-curricular activities, and the relationships his family made in this Christian environment, he told our students, “Take advantage of what PCS offers! It’s a lot of fun!”
We’re thankful for David’s words of encouragement and reflection to our current student body.
END
Photos & words by Grace Dugger