He is known around Sahuaro for his intriguing stories and rigorous teaching skills. “My favorite story he told us was one about when he was in the military.  They had to run these crazy obstacle courses and he was the only one to complete the hardest one, so he was super-proud of himself.  But when he got to the easiest one, he was cocky and not paying attention and ended up crashing into a branch,” recalls junior, Mallory Friedman.  Figure out who the young military man is yet?

Former Emergency Medical Technician, David Francisco Kornmuller, has been a Social Studies teacher for 29 years. He has been working at Sahuaro for 15  years. In his youth, he attended Cholla High School, and fell in love with his favorite class subject: History. Sahuaro senior and former student of Kornmuller, Jessica Luna, says, ” I had Mr. Kornmuller last year for United States History. Although his class was difficult, I learned a lot, and enjoyed coming to his class. The thing that I enjoyed most about his class was his great stories!” Senior Max Becker,  a student currently taking his class,  states, “He makes his class fun with his fantastic storytelling. It was the end of sophomore year and he told us the tear-gas story.  Part of the training was to get tear-gassed. He had us all laughing.”

Q: Are there any quotes that you live by that you would want other people to know?

A: Yes, there is! A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. I think about this while I’m relaxing on weekends. I love being alone and on my own, but my purpose as a teacher is to be here at school. I think about myself as the ship, and my home as the harbor.

Q: Is there anyone who you looked up to while growing up?

A: There was one teacher that I had during seventh and eighth grade that really made an impression on me. I use to enjoy going to his class everyday. He was a sailor in World War II and taught Math and Social Studies. During class he would tell stories about being in World War II as a sailor in the Navy, fighting in the Pacific Ocean. That’s why I try to tell stories about myself from my Army experiences.

Not only is Mr. Kornmuller a great teacher and story teller, he’s also a good peer to his fellow teachers. “Mr. David Kornmuller is an amazing person, phenomenal teacher, has great relationships with his students, and is a very good friend!” Coach Patterson says, a teacher who works with Kornmuller in the social studies department.  Each year he does the Baton Memorial March in White Sands. He says, “I do it just to meet the men who actually went through it just for the honor of shaking their hands.”