Mtn. View PE teacher replaces retiring LA athletic director

By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer

Kim Cave will be a new face at Los Altos High, though many at the school are probably already familiar with her family.

The school’s incoming athletic director is married to Ralph Cave, an assistant principal at Los Altos. Their son Robert is a sophomore who plays football and baseball for the school.

“We can carpool,” said Kim, who lives in Scotts Valley. “They won’t have to drop me off anymore.”

Kim has been traveling as far as Mountain View High, where she is finishing up her second year as a physical education teacher and assistant girls volleyball coach. Cave will officially take over as athletic director at rival Los Altos when the school year ends in June.

“I’ve enjoyed my stay at Mountain View,” she said, “but I’m looking forward to working with the staff and coaches at Los Altos.”

Cave will also teach three PE classes at Los Altos - just like her predecessor. Cave is replacing Monica Lodge, who is retiring after 41 years at the school.

“I feel really fortunate she came along, applied for the job and accepted it,” Lodge said of Cave, whom she helped hire. “There are long hours and a lot of work and not many people are willing to do it. Kim is very organized and she’s done a good job teaching and coaching. She’ll do a good job; I’m leaving the program in good hands.”

The program is enduring almost as many changes as a department-store dressing room. Not only will Los Altos have a new athletic director for the next school year, but also at least four new varsity head coaches and a slew of new assistants. Cave is assisting Lodge and principal Wynne Satterwhite in their search for coaches for football, girls volleyball, boys water polo and girls basketball.

“I’ve been spending a couple afternoons over there, going through applications and setting up interviews,” Cave said. “We hope to have them hired by the first part of (this) week.”

Cave, hired two weeks ago, will be assuming the role of athletic director for the first time in her 21-year career as a teacher and coach. However, she did assist the athletic director at Santa Cruz High, where she worked for eight years.

“I helped with scheduling and the budget for a few years,” Cave said.

Although she acknowledged her new job will be a challenge, Cave is excited about it.

“My dream has always been to be an athletic director - it’s been one of my goals - and the opportunity came knocking,” Cave said. “Sports have been my life: observing, playing or teaching them. It’s in my blood.”

Growing up in Pleasanton, Cave played competitive club soccer as a youth, was a multisport athlete in high school and played volleyball at Fresno State. She has coached an array of high school sports, including volleyball, basketball, softball, soccer and diving.

Cave’s experience as a coach has taught her that communication is key, and that’s something she will stress as athletic director.

“When you have open communication with the coaches, it trickles down to the players - and that’s important,” she said.

Cave said she’s already learning a lot from Lodge, who has spent the majority of her career in athletic administration.

“Monica has been great, and things are moving along well,” Cave said. “I want to continue the excellence of athletic director and support the players and coaches.”

Cave added that her biggest challenge will be “just moving into the office and school and getting started. It’s like moving into a brand-new house.”

On the subject of houses, Cave said her family is looking for a new one - closer to work, because she anticipates spending a lot of time at Los Altos.