He was right.

On June 11, he arrived at work, anticipating a surprise after the final bell at 2:30 p.m. But a call over the public address system sent him to his classroom, where he found it transformed into an Italian restaurant that was serving up eggs, bacon and biscotti for breakfast.

But the surprises weren't over yet. At recess, the entire student body gathered in a circle on the blacktop, where they all sang the Cumberland song in tribute to Grengo. "I was in shock," he says. "It was very touching."

Grengo, who attended Sunnyvale schools throughout his childhood, served all of his 35 years in the same district that helped raise him. While he's now retiring to spend time with family and do some traveling, he already knows he'll look back on his career fondly. "I can't help it—the memories are coming back," Grengo says. "The teachers made a video of my whole career, with kids from the past 35 years. It really got to me."

While he intended to going into social work after graduating from San Jose State University in 1968, Grengo, 58, found himself substituting for the Sunnyvale School District and soon returned to school to get his teaching credential. "I remembered my own teachers, and in a way, I wanted to pay them back," he says. That task eventually took him back to Benner Junior High, where he had previously been a student, to teach science and basic skills.

He is also a product of McKinley and Adair schools and graduated from Sunnyvale High School. "None of those exist any more," he says with a laugh.

His focus stayed in that middle school and late elementary school arena for his entire career. He also taught at Madrone Junior High and Sunnyvale Middle School, but concentrated on grades four, five and six at Bishop, San Miguel and Cumberland schools. The past three years, Grengo has taught the fourth and fifth grade combination class at Cumberland, where he spent a total of 24 years.

At one point, he got his administrative credential at San Jose State, but found that he couldn't stay out of the classroom, where he is well known for his humor and nurturing nature. "I enjoy having fun with my students and laughing with them. When they're happy, they learn," Grengo says. "I've done the best I could, I think." He still hears from students that he taught years ago, who all remember his unique teaching style. He also won a Who's Who in Teaching Award in 2000 and was the Cumberland School Teacher of the Year for the 2001-2002 school year.

After gaining such accolades, Grengo will stay at his home in Saratoga for a while, recovering. "I have to rest my brain a bit," he says. He and his wife, Lucia, are thinking of spending time in the Sierra Nevadas, Hawaii and Italy. They also have three children—two daughters, Gina and Marianne, and a son, Frank Jr.—and Grengo hopes to garden and write with his newly discovered free time.

But he also anticipates doing a little substitute teaching. It seems Grengo can't stay away from his second family, who made it hard for him to leave on his last day. "There were a lot of hugs," he admits.