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Mr. Chris Gray is a well-known teacher to our middle school students! In addition to teaching history to 6th grade (Ancient Civilizations) and 8th grade (U.S. History), he manages all of our sports programs and teams as our Athletic Director. He has a passion for both teaching and youth sports, sharing, “I most enjoy getting to know my students and forming lasting relationships.  Watching students grow and learn is fulfilling to me both inside the classroom and on the courts and field. When students find success and develop new skills, whether in their studies or in sports, I know I have made a difference.”

Mr. Gray has a degree in History from the University of California at Irvine. He received his Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Certificate and teaching credential through Concordia University, also in Irvine. A teacher within the Diocese of Orange for 24  years, Mr. Gray has taught at St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa, Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, and St. Simon and Jude in Huntington Beach. Once a former student himself at both St. John the Baptist and Mater Dei, he feels called to teach in Catholic schools. One of the things he remembers most about being in school is playing sports. He says, “Some of my best friendships, to this day, were made in the eighth grade and high school playing sports.” Because of this, Mr. Gray tries to make sure to include as many students as possible in sports at St. Serra, in hopes that they will have similar positive experiences and memories.

Mr. Gray and his wife, Barbara, also a teacher, live in Huntington Beach. They have a very active gray labrador named Kody, who enjoys getting up early for three-mile morning walks. When they are not working, the Grays enjoy riding their bikes to the beach, kayaking in the harbor and swimming in their pool. They also enjoy traveling (their most recent vacation included a visit to Boston, Massachusetts, where they walked the Freedom Trail and visited many historical locations) and going to concerts (Mr. Gray loves the band U2 and has seen them in concert more than two dozen times!).

And yet, at the end of the day, Mr. Gray’s love of sports dictates where he spends most of this time. During the Winter sports season, for example, Mr. Gray can also be found running the Varsity basketball team through practice drills at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, where he has been the team’s assistant coach for 13 years. His favorite quote is one from John Wooden: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” To Mr. Gray, it means that everyone is good at something, “we just have to find out what that something is!”