It was announced that history teacher Mike Lord will be leaving West Linn High School for another position at Oregon City High School. Lord sent out a memo to staff announcing his decision to transfer out of WLHS after 10 years. This news comes after Lord resigned as head coach for baseball in early October.

While some may think that the timing of his resignation as head coach and the news that he will be leaving WLHS are related, Lord says that this isn’t the case.

“My resignation as head coach came before the job at OCHS was offered to me,” Lord said. Lord added that he wasn’t actively pursuing a new job, but decided to make the switch when OCHS offered him a position.

In the memo sent to staff members, Lord said that the opportunity to teach at OCHS presented an offer that he couldn’t pass up. The head coach for the baseball program over in Oregon City happens to be Lord’s father, Greg Lord. Lord says that this didn’t influence his decision as he is unsure if he will coach there. At OCHS, Lord will teach social studies.

Before his sudden resignation, Lord had been the baseball coach for 10 years. Kevin Mills, math teacher at WLHS, will replace Lord as head baseball coach.

“As (Mills’) friend, I think that he will do a great job. I’m really happy that he was offered the position,” Lord said.

Lord’s last day is this Friday before Thanksgiving break, but this will vary depending on how quickly the administration can fill Lord’s teaching position. Lord doesn’t think that his leaving will affect his classes because he “will work with the new teacher to ensure a smooth transition.” If the administration cannot find a suitable replacement in the coming weeks, a substitute teacher will take over Lord’s classes until a qualified teacher can take his place.

Lord feels bittersweet about leaving West Linn.

“I’m really sad (about leaving). I’ll miss the kids and teaching here. That’ll be the tough part,” he said. “Change is good, but I’ll miss everything, especially the students.”