The Saratoga High School ceramics teacher gently eases the pottery to the side of the wheel and moves aside some pieces of clay residue. "I'll push it from this end," she tells the student, who is standing by with a tray. "Be careful—hold it steady."

Across town, her husband, Ralph, is likewise assisting a student in the handling of a teapot in his Los Gatos High School classroom. "Thanks, Mr. Aguayo," the student says as he stands up and takes his teapot back to his work station.

The high school sweethearts have held parallel positions at their respective schools for roughly two decades. Besides their love of ceramics, Leah and Ralph share an interest in music and a compassion for others.

As students growing up in the Los Angeles area, Ralph was a football player and Leah was the football coach's daughter. They started dating as sophomores—"We've been together since we were 15," Leah says.

At age 19, the couple transferred from a Southern California university to UC-Santa Cruz. "We drove up here in our Volkswagen bus with our belongings and started school here," Leah says. They settled into a house in Boulder Creek.

Ralph became a music major, while Leah enrolled in ceramics classes under the tutelage of mentor Al Johnsen. Both Ralph and Leah speak of Al fondly and with obvious admiration. It was Al, in fact, who inspired Ralph to give ceramics a try. "These are the thumbs of a potter," he told Ralph. "You need to enroll in my class."

As Ralph worked toward a ceramics degree, Leah earned a teaching credential from San José State University. "I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in junior high," Leah says. Leah quickly landed an interview with the Los Gatos­Saratoga Union High School District. "I walked in and almost fainted. I thought I had died and gone to heaven," Leah says. With 26 wheels and three kilns, Saratoga's ceramics classroom surpasses those of many universities.

"I was interviewed on a Thursday morning, was offered the job on Thursday afternoon, got married on Saturday and started work on Monday with a new last name," Leah says.

Two years later, the Los Gatos High ceramics teacher called the Aguayo home, asking Leah if she knew of anyone who could take her place. "I said, 'Well, I'm looking at him right now,' " Leah says.

Ralph was then in the middle of receiving his teaching credential, also from San José State. He was equally impressed with the caliber of the Los Gatos High studio. "We feel our high school programs are the exception and not the rule. It's amazing, the support that we get from the community, from the schools,"Ralph says.

In the two decades since, the couple has become a legend in their respective communities. Leah, nicknamed the "Earth Mother" at Saratoga High, says what her students learn through ceramics also applies to life. "In this class you'll learn respect, responsibility, self-motivation and discipline," she tells the high schoolers. "Leave your backpacks at the door. This is a stress-free zone."

"Ceramics is a vehicle for me to share my life experience with kids and hopefully enrich them," Ralph says. He tells his students what Al once told him—"Give me one year of your life and I'll change your life."

And lives certainly have been changed through the Aguayos' ceramics classes.

Albert Liu is a senior at Saratoga High who recently won two honors for his handiwork. Albert signed up for Leah's course last year because he had an extra period. "It was a really good class so I continued," Albert says.

Albert even took ceramics at West Valley College over the summer, and he hopes to minor in the art form at USC next year. "It helps you to be creative, be hardworking and be yourself," Albert said.

Senior Brett Behnke regularly goes to class half an hour early to chat with "Mrs. A."

"It's fun even when you can't really do it," Brett says.

"From my perspective in dealing with Brett, Leah's extremely caring and nurturing," says his mother, Velita Behnke. "Her care for her students is evident in what they're bringing home."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Teacher Leah Aguayo steadies Saratoga High School junior Ryan Newberry's hands as they work on a vase on the pottery wheel.

"Mrs. Aguayo showed me a different dimension to my life than my other teachers could. She convinced me that humans and feelings are just as important as academics. She taught me a different kind of love for arts and mankind," wrote Laura Prolo.

"I talk to Mrs. A about everything," says junior Kate Rollins. "She's like a second mom."

In addition to her teaching style, Leah takes care of her students—and school staff—by cooking for them.

"Food for Leah is a vehicle for her kindness in her heart," Ralph says. "A lot of people will just taste in her food her love."

Leah learned cooking from Ralph's parents; his mother did all the cooking at home and his father was a professional chef. "I grew up with them," Leah says. "Ralph's dad knew that I had a passion for cooking because I was his right-hand girl."

"She does very special things for people," says Assistant Principal Gail Wasserman. Leah will bring in small sandwiches for the front office, remembering Gail's dislike for mustard. "She's a very, very thoughtful person."

In fact, it is Leah's love for cooking that has caused her to become a businesswoman as of late. Mrs. A's Famous Salsa Buena—long in demand at school functions and by students themselves—is now on the shelves in Gene's Fine Foods, Coach House Liquors & Deli, Saratoga Plaza Bakery and the Los Gatos Farmer's Market.

A mixture of tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño peppers and vinegar, with heavy garlic overtones, the salsa was originally served as a snack in Leah's classes. The students pushed her to market the salsa, and two of them came forward to design the labels that now adorn the plastic containers.

Music is another priority in the Aguayos' lives. Ralph plays with various Los Gatos High bands, and the couple has formed a band of their own, Laughing Rocks. The group consists of Ralph, Leah, a Saratoga High graduate and two others.

Laughing Rocks most recently played at a Los Gatos school birthday celebration.

"We really love to support worthy causes," Ralph says, adding that the band plays a blend of jazz, rock and folk rock.

The Aguayos are partners in more than just music: Seven years ago, they became parents to Gabriel.

"It was like the biggest news on this campus for this child to be born," Leah adds. "Everybody was just so happy."

Gabriel attends Lexington School, and his parents often volunteer to help out. "He's really proud about Mom and Mrs. A's salsa," Ralph says.

The Aguayo family lives in Ben Lomond, where they have a house filled with handmade artwork and a small studio in the back. On weekends, Leah and Ralph work on pieces for school and to donate; Leah does much of the throwing, while Ralph takes care of trimming and firing.

"Every day of these 20-something years has been a magical journey," Leah says, from their start in Santa Cruz as students to the teachers and parents they are today. "So many people over the years have taken us in as part of their family and helped us through these difficult times."

Al Johnsen, whom the Aguayos not only credit with inspiring Ralph to become a ceramicist but also with helping them during the lean times, says, "I knew when I met both of them that they had a lot of energy and a lot of ability."

The Aguayos' 31-year partnership is one that thrived for them as teenagers and still thrives today. The secret of that growth? "We have always let each other grow in our separate interests and have been supportive and happy in each other's successes," Leah says.

"I don't ever want to keep him from exploring his passion," she says. Similarly, Ralph was supportive when Leah declared "I want to start a salsa business."

"They're a community treasure. A district treasure," says Los Gatos High art teacher Scott Downs.

Through May 30, the work of Leah Aguayo's students and other Saratoga High School artists will be on display at the school's library during regular school hours. For more information, call 408.867.3411.