Two truths and a lie. Patrick Reyes, Mt. SAC ECA’s current Math 3 and AP PreCalc teacher, A. Caught a bullet B. He got run over by a tank, or C. Is Jo Koy’s secret twin brother.
You are correct if you guessed C, Jo Koy’s secret twin brother, as a lie. As sad as option C is not true, Mr. Reyes is one of the newest faces on staff and is already adored by students and staff.
“I like how nice he is,” said junior Mia Romo. “At the start of the year, he made clear how much he cares about us. He also constantly talks about how much he’s gonna yap during class, which is always funny to me. His stories are also absolutely wild.”
During his first week at MECA, he played a game of true or false with his students as an icebreaker. He simply put statements on the TV and asked students if they believed the statement was true or false. Despite being a simple game, this game sparked conversations regarding Mr. Reyes’ life before MECA.
“I was in the Marine Corps for 26 years,” said Reyes. “I was in light armored recon (also known as LAR Battalions), and then I was a drill instructor, but mostly at the end, I did communications, like anything that had to do with cyber technology or radio technology, satellite, all that stuff.”
Most interestingly, though, were the stories of his time in the Marine Corps. One of the most memorable stories was that of when he caught a bullet while on duty.
“I was on a tank, and I was holding my water. Then we started getting shot at, and I felt some weird vibration happen in my hand,” revealed Mr. Reyes. “I thought I got shot because my shirt was wet. [After a] couple of minutes, I went to get a drink of my water, but there was no water left in it. What happened is, when I was holding the water bottle, the bullet pierced it and the tank. That’s the vibration feeling in my hand. But when I went to get my water, the bullet was still inside.”
Another memorable story was when he got run over by a tank.
“I was inside the [tank], and it was a sandstorm. It got that dark, and it got so dark we couldn’t see anything. [Eventually] I fell asleep with my head against the side of the vehicle. And then I just woke up to the loudest sound ever. I thought it was being crushed because the tank had rolled up on us. The vehicle was shaking because the tank was really heavy, and then when I got up, it was so loud my ears were ringing. When we looked at the tank, we looked at the side of the vehicle. It’s just been dented up by the tank. But I’m not even sure if it went over or when it started going because there were marks on both sides.
Even though Reyes spent a couple of weeks at the MECA campus, he has nothing but nice things to say about the students and faculty.
“The culture on the campus, maybe because it’s small or because you guys are the greatest bunch of kids I’ve been around,” says Reyes. “You guys are all happy to be here, ready to learn. You guys have a culture here that [feels] like we’re all on a field trip together. I hope I don’t go elsewhere because I wouldn’t want to leave here.”
Despite his exciting stories and love for MECA, Reyes cares most about his family. He often states he is doing something with his family when not at school. Whether going out to eat or simply hanging out with his kids, he always makes time for his family and cherishes every moment with them.
