In the year 2000, the Capistrano Unified School District set out to open a new high school in what was then a largely undeveloped part of Rancho Santa Margarita. At the heart of that project was Dr. Dan Burch, a man whose vision, leadership, and dedication would give life to Tesoro High School and shape the experiences of thousands of students who proudly call themselves Titans. Dr. Burch began the journey in a trailer on the campus of Arroyo Vista Elementary, working tireles

I have started a sentence and then deleted it at least 10 times in the last 15 minutes. It is difficult to put into words what I feel for Dan Burch. Dan is the reason we are the teachers, colleagues, and professionals we are. He hired me as a teacher; however, he saw in me more than that. He trusted in me to take on so many facets of our school outside the classroom. He asked me to serve as our WASC coordinator, not once, but five times. He was never prescriptive and allowed

Mr. Mooney, a Tesoro founding teacher, connected with Dr. Burch over cycling. “One of my favorite stories about Dr. Burch,” Mr. Mooney recalled, “is when I found out he was a cyclist.”  At the time, Mr. Mooney was competing in triathlons and had just started Tesoro’s triathlon club with the help of Mr. Tubbs. Soon after, he invited Dr. Burch to join a relay team for the Newport Coast triathlon.  “I asked Dr. Burch what he would think if we did a relay with two students and hi