While most teachers have settled into the rhythm of the school year by the time January rolls around, Redwood’s most recent staff addition sailed into the fray for the first time at the beginning of second semester.

Integrated Science 1-2 teacher Brent Rubey joined Redwood’s science department this January, replacing a teacher who left the school at the end of last semester.

Rubey said that he is glad to have come in at the beginning of a semester, when everyone has a clean slate.

“I’m looking forward to the unit we’re going into,” Rubey said, adding that most students are genuinely interested in the origin of the universe, which they began to cover when they came back to school. “Mostly, I’m concerned about new labs that we haven’t tried yet, but that’s about it.”

Rubey came to Redwood from Berkeley High School, where he spent a year and a half teaching with an independent study program.

Although the teaching structure in the program was very different than Redwood’s, Rubey said that the science department’s clear organization made adjusting to Redwood easy.

“Things have been pretty smooth, and my students have been welcoming,” he said.