A longtime Los Gatan who, together with wife Sharon, raised three children in this community, Laird is a 21-year member of the Los Gatos Lions Club and has taught science at Fisher Middle School for 34 years—save for the eight he spent as an administrator before going back to his first love, teaching.

"I like the complexities of life and its variations. Biology is ever-changing, and it's all around us," the San Francisco State graduate says of why science is his favorite subject to teach.

Having a classroom also lets him indulge his love of unusual animals; his current menagerie includes zebra finches, leopard geckos, tree frogs, Pacman frogs, bearded dragons, box turtles, hissing cockroaches, snakes and arachnids.

"Science and adolescent kids are similar—you never know what you're going to see. The change and variation are constant," he adds with a chuckle. "You have so much power as a teacher to do good for kids. I enjoy every day at school; it's not even like a job."

Laird's interest in science, his enjoyment in teaching it and his empathy for those learning it doesn't go unnoticed outside the classroom, either. In fact, Laird is a frequent winner in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times' annual "Best of Los Gatos" ballot, under the category of "best middle school teacher."

Something else for which Laird is known is the way he and Sharon have opened their Santa Cruz Mountains home to foreign exchange students for more than a decade. One reason Laird enjoys welcoming exchange students so much hearkens back to his own teenage years in Martinez, when his parents hosted a student from Italy, which he says was a great experience. Additionally, soon after he and Sharon were married, they served for two years in the Peace Corps, which furthered Laird's interest in learning about far-off people and places.

"We've had 12 kids total over the years. They all fit into the Laird family very well. It's a wonderful, enriching experience every year; our whole family dynamic changes," says Laird, whose house is now the home away from home for two Norwegians.

Laird is also a world traveler himself. For the past two years, he and Sharon have escorted small groups of students and parents down to Costa Rica, where they study the tropical country's rich biodiversity. Another trip is planned this spring. Although the excursions have an educational purpose, they are not connected with Fisher Middle School.

As if teaching and travel haven't kept Laird busy enough, he has also been an active member of the Los Gatos Lions Club for the past 21 years, and served a term as president from 1997 to 1998. He says his greatest accomplishment as part of the service club was helping implement "Skills For Adolescence" at Fisher, a popular class that ran for nearly 16 years. It addressed a wide spectrum of adolescent concerns, including drug abuse, peer pressure, self-esteem and personal health and hygiene.

The program was developed by Lions Club International, with local Lions Clubs having the option of bringing it to the schools in their community.

Although he is now 62, Laird says he has no plans to retire in the near future, as he still finds his career too fun and rewarding. "I can do magical things with kids," he says happily.