“Bob Marley said, ‘The perfect song is yet to be picked from the air,’ and that’s something I hold with me every day,” said high school oceanography teacher Gil Bantay.
Mr. Bantay has been teaching Oceanography for several years at Kempsville High school and intends to continue down this path. He graduated from Kellam High school and during that time began pursuing his love for music. While keeping his passion in mind, he majored in Geology at ODU.
Over the course of his life after high school Mr. Bantay went to college with the medical field in mind. However his love for music and his growing band, made this a difficult field to get into. After switching to becoming a geology major, he had his mind set on becoming a technical engineer. That was until Mr. Bantay’s mind changed.
He said, “Until I met a girl who influenced me into becoming a high school teacher.”
One of the primary things that formed Mr. Bantay into the person he is today was his strong love for music that he still holds close to him. When discussing his favorite genres, he said “My current favorite genres are reggae, alternative punk, and rock. These have been my favorite since high school and are what I listen to most.” Showing how consistent he has been throughout his love for music.
Grace Pierce, a senior previously enrolled in Mr. Bantay’s Oceanography course described him as being “very good at keeping the class interested and engaged.”
When discussing a variety of key moments and details throughout his musical career, Mr. Bantay mentioned his local band, The Lemmings. When asked about this former band Mr. Bantay elaborated and stated that “We released 3 CD’s and toured up and down the east coast. We opened for different artists and bands, and were on a couple local radio shows to talk about our next shows.”
When asked what persuaded him into making music in high school and after, Mr. Bantay opened up and stated, “I struggled with my emotions and anxiety, it was an outlet to express emotion and cope.” His openness to express himself and his often vulnerability has helped to form close relationships with a plethora of students.
Despite the long road here, Mr. Bantay is currently enjoying his time intertwining his love for music and teaching into his everyday life. His strong and up beat energy keeps his students engaged and excited for his classes everyday.
“He played the riff from the song ‘Plush’ by the Stone Temple Pilots and it made me fangirl over him” said current senior enrolled in Mr. Bantay’s class, Jackson Vevoda.
He continues to have a forever impact on his students, especially those that share the same love for music he does.
