“I worked and went surfing. That was it,” Foothill’s math teacher Spencer Kellogg said as he described his high school years.

As many students know, Kellogg has a passion for surfing. Living only a mile from the beach in Goleta and then moving to Ventura as a kid, he spent his childhood playing at the beach “as much as possible.” 

“It was sort of a natural progression to want to be out [in the water]” he said. “From body surfing, to riding a boogie board to finally going surfing.”

Although he doesn’t have time to surf as much as he would like to now, he keeps his passion for surfing alive and thriving through making surfboards.

For years, he owned and worked at the surf shop Our Blue Planet, where he built and sold surfboards. He loved building and selling surf boards but, he eventually decided to close up his shop and become a teacher. Now, he makes surfboards on the side. It is here that he is able to continue his love for surfing.

Surfboards not only bring him joy through the physical experience of shaping and crafting them, but it was because of surfboards that he met his wife, when she bought a board from him. Ever since, they have been able to bond over surfing for years, making surfing a large part of their lives.

Just as surfing has brought his family joy, something little people know about Kellogg is that he also enjoys cooking for his family.

In high school, Kellogg worked at the Pier Fish House at the harbor. He feels that his love for cooking “goes back to when I was growing up” and working at this restaurant.

Although he loves to cook, he feels that his small kitchen limits what he can cook. However, he has still managed to whip up some delicious dishes. His favorite dish was one that he made for Christmas dinner which consisted of a roasted pork loin served with mushroom soup and shredded brussel sprouts with bacon.

For Kellogg, cooking and surfing are his passions. He believes that having passions outside of school and work is important.

His favorite part about teaching is seeing his students succeed in outside of school activities, in activities that really make them happy such as sports and acting performances.

“Seeing them earn something, you know, something over and above their diploma is pretty neat,” he said. “Watching you guys doing something outside of math class. Those are the things I enjoy.”