Over the years at Palo Alto High School, buildings have risen and fallen. Principals have come and gone. Traditions have started and ended.

Through it all, John Bungarden has put on a zany tie and — “by God,” as he likes to say — walked into his classroom to teach.

But after 23 years at Paly, the Advanced Placement United States History teacher, Foreign Policy Honors teacher and JV boys soccer coach is retiring.

Known for his extensive tie collection, high classroom standards and love for political cartoons, Bungarden’s impact on Paly has been immense.

Dr. David M. Kennedy, Donald J. MacLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus at Stanford University, and author of the American Pageant APUSH textbook, has known Bungarden for over 20 years. Kennedy said he admires Bungarden as a fellow teacher and scholar of American history, despite their different circumstances as teachers.

“The success that he’s had in attracting and holding the deep and serious interest of Palo Alto High School students in the subject of American history over many years is a real achievement and nothing to be taken for granted,” Kennedy said. “I don’t want to make direct comparisons — that is not really fair to anybody — but I will say, of all the schools I visited and teachers, mostly in AP classes, that I have witnessed, Mr. Bungarden is clearly the most committed, the most able, the most consistently serious, in a way that just holds and really focuses student interests. So it’s a remarkable achievement.”

Before coming to Paly, Bungarden previously served in the U.S. Army as a cadet and ultimately, as a Captain. After leaving the Army, Bungarden served in the National Guard and worked several other jobs before coming to Paly.

“My grand ambition once I went back to school and got my credential was that one time in my life, I wanted to teach AP U.S. History,” he said. “I’ve never taken it [the class] but it looked like such a cool thing to do.”

After initially teaching Economics and U.S. History at Paly, Bungarden got his wish, and APUSH has been his “niche” at Paly ever since.

“He’s just remarkably serious about the subject matter, and yet he has a manner in the classroom that is certainly quite easy and engaging with students and sensitive to student interests,” Kennedy said. “That combination of accessibility, empathy, relatability and really serious scholarly attention, that’s a difficult combination to pull off, and I think he’s just done it wonderfully.”

Simrun Rao, a Paly alum from the class of 2021, said taking APUSH with Bungarden had a lasting impact on her.

“I really felt like I was getting a deeper dive into history and the class was really engaging,” Rao said. “While it was challenging, I felt like I was being challenged to the best of my abilities. And I really learned a lot about my learning style, in addition to learning about the U.S.”

Perhaps best known for the intensity of his classes, Bungarden said he is aware of his reputation among Paly students.

“I would like to think that I’m thought of as a challenging teacher, reasonably fair,” he said. “I like to think I’d be appreciated for my sense of humor but I suspect that’s probably not the case.”

Keira Chiu, a Paly alum from the class of 2022, said she appreciated Bungarden’s passion for history when he taught APUSH.

“I learned so much about American history in that class, and almost none of it was boring,” Chiu said. “I’m a data science and statistics major right now, so I’m definitely not a history person. But it was so interesting because Mr. Bungarden taught it in a way that was just, you could tell he really loved it and he had so many little fun facts and so many stories and tidbits that only someone who really loved it would know and only someone who had been teaching it for a long time would know.”

For Bungarden, this is the right time to retire.

“I’m well beyond the traditional, normal retirement age,” Bungarden said. “My wife retired two years ago. She enjoys it. … [There] just comes a time.”

The next two items on his agenda are enjoying the last time he has with students and cleaning out his classroom.

“It’s like the end-of-the-year thing, only more,” Bungarden said. “It’s always a little bittersweet to kick this group out but there’s another group incoming. … You just go out the door. I’m going out with them. It’s a different thing.”

In retirement, Kennedy said he hopes that Bungarden will continue to exercise his love of teaching.

“He’s a great teacher — I use those two words advisedly — and, I think, just a terrific human being,” Kennedy said. “I did joke with him, the last conversation we had just a few months ago, that if I’m any example he should take it [retirement] seriously because I’ve been accused of having flunked retirement. So he may end up in the same situation, called back to active duty somewhere. But he’s a talent and a rare talent and it’s a shame to park that and let it go to waste, so I hope he stays engaged in one form or another.”

For now, as the school year comes to a close, Bungarden said he will continue to appreciate his circumstances.

“You show up,” Bungarden said. “You do the best you can. I’m pretty fortunate. … I teach mostly AP kids. I teach Honors kids. And I get to teach U.S. History. I live a pretty charmed existence.”

Mr. Bungarden’s podcast recommendation: Pod Save America