Colfax - In celebration and recognition of 29 years of teaching at Colfax High School, everyone is urged to come and dance the night away with Steve Trombetta on Saturday, June 23, 6-10 p.m., at the Sierra Vista Community Center, 55 School Road, Colfax, Calif. The Falcon Foundation is sponsoring the Trombetta Scholarship Falcon Fling. The event is designed to raise funds for CHS students and programs while honoring dedicated service to the profession of education.

“Like most of the student population, who had the privilege of learning math skills at Colfax, I came to the conclusion that Mr. Trombetta genuinely cared about his students. It was more than just a job for him; teaching was truly his calling,” said Shannon (Knerl) Rodriquez, a 1988 graduate of Colfax High School. “I had him for Honors Trigonometry and Algebra II. He really cared about his students and I definitely connected with him. He took math and applied his teachings to reflect current situations. The way he taught, you never realized that you were actually learning the concepts of the different advanced math classes.”

“Trom” has taught all levels of math and landscaping at Colfax High School. Prior to teaching, Trombetta was a labor contractor in Butte County, where he coordinated pruning and harvest crews. He got his love of the land from his father. He is well known for his gardening, which provided the catalyst for teaching landscaping.

“My math score on the ASVAB (a military entrance exam/aptitude test) was the highest and it is directly attributed to Mr. Trombetta,” said Kyle Hawk a 2010 Colfax graduate, who recently contracted to go into the Army and train as a radiological specialist. “He was completely and totally approachable. He was into us as students, and got the information in our brains. This is the one teacher who actually gave out his home phone and said, ‘Call me if you need help.’ He meant every word, too. He was always there to help, during Falcon Period (a once-a-week designated study hall period), before school, after school and at lunch. My only wish is that he taught other subjects too – he was that good and insanely intelligent.”

“Mr. Trombetta is happy, enthusiastic and excited about teaching the subject of math,” said Colfax High School senior Sarah Kirwan. “He even wrote a letter of recommendation for me to Mills College, where I will be this fall. His gift is that he can explain a problem, while doing it, so you can understand. Typically, I struggle to grasp different mathematical concepts, but because of him, I love math!”

Trombetta is married to Susan Trombetta. Over the 32 years of marriage, she has laughingly joked that before she met her husband, she would agree to marry a man of any profession except a minister or a teacher, because they lead very public lives. Together, the Trombettas have two daughters, both of whom graduated from Colfax High School. Laura, 28, is now a school psychologist and Elena, 25, is a property manager.

"Having a final event is a great way to leave teaching,” said Trombetta. “To see some of the students and families that I have worked with over the years will be really precious to me. Colfax High School has been wonderful for me. In actuality, it was perfect. I couldn't have matched it, even if I tried.”

“Trombetta Scholarship Falcon Fling” is an event for only those 21 and over. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Ticket prices include appetizers from Mountain Chef Catering and dancing to the music of local band Recovery Road. There will also be a “no-host bar.” Tickets are available at Cafe Vista (in Meadow Vista), TJ's Roadhouse (in Colfax) and the Colfax High School office. Proceeds for the event will go towards scholarships and programs at Colfax High School.

For more information, please contact Betty Wells (530-388-8048; grant1952@aol.com).