If you walk through the science building at San Rafael High School, you probably always see the same tall person in the hallway. Benjamin Plourde, a teacher at San Rafael High School and a local entrepreneur, stands outside his classroom greeting his former and present students.
Building bridges with others has always been a priority for Plourde.
That’s why he added a new member of his family without a second thought. Mila Chernetska was a senior student of Plourde’s after she left her home of Kiev, Ukraine in 2022 and moved to the US after Russia invaded the country. Meanwhile, she lived with her grandfather in San Rafael but needed to leave her temporary situation. She began to look for a place to stay and asked the adults in her life for help.
Benjamin Plourde heard about Mila’s situation and later told his wife, Kate Brown, about the difficult circumstances Mila was in. In that same week, Mila asked Plourde for help and they took her in that night. He says he and his wife did not feel comfortable with the situation she was in and knew they needed to do something about it.
Having a 1 year old son and now a teen has brought a big change to Plourde’s life. He says he’s learning more and more everyday. “There is so much you want to do for them, but so much that you can only point and guide them to. As a teacher, I’ve always worked with the general and abstract understanding that many of my students are going through very difficult times. I know more now about the importance of school and the adults at school to be a support system for our students. It’s really hard to ask for help, especially when you’re a kid,” he says.
Driven by his love for science, he attended college and applied to medical school. Things took a turn when he realized his passion wasn’t for medicine. He explains not wanting to be in a constant negative environment while being with people with health issues and wanted a change of scenery. So, he was re-routed into the direction of teaching through the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows program where he moved and attended a teacher boot camp in the summer. By September he started teaching and moved to his current beloved home, California. Plourde sought a higher credential to fully understand the ways of teaching science. Meanwhile, teaching at Sacramento City College, his heart was redirected into teaching high school students.
During our interview, with an “All good never better” cap and sunglasses covering his radiating blue eyes, he fondly remembers a student of his in his third year of teaching. His name was Semaj and was in 6th grade. He was a particularly challenging student and was constantly disrupting class. Plourde remembers that in spite of his behavior, he stood out as being academically gifted and in fact did care about school. Little by little, Plourde, who lived in the same neighborhood as his students, paid close attention to details and learned that Semaj enjoyed playing baseball with his friends. Everyday after school he managed to make time to play baseball with them to create a bond. By knowing his interests and hobbies, he was able to relate to his students at a personal level. Instead of disregarding his behavior he got to know Semaj as a person and understand how hard it was to have a change in life having met a new teacher.
Although Plourde teaches different grades of students, all describe him in the same way. He is known to be sarcastic and funny with genuine care for his students. He can be seen constantly standing up to grab everyone’s attention while speaking. He ensures that his students are understanding what is being taught by putting students into groups or constantly engaging with them. Keila Sem, a former student at San Rafael High School, had Plourde as a teacher in 10th grade Biology.
“Mr. Plourde never looked at me differently even when not doing so well in class. He didn’t make me feel less than others for struggling but encouraged me to do better. He was a great teacher and was always ready when students needed help. I think more teachers like him are needed,” she says. Sem feels positively influenced by Plourde and is grateful for having him as a teacher. She recalls laughing in his class when he would bring up pop star, Taylor Swift. He is known to incorporate popular celebrities in his exams to add fun into learning.
Plourde has added new work as well as people to his life.
Benjamin Plourde is also the owner of an online sales business, Biotech Bargains, where laboratory supplies and equipment are sold. He explains that being connected to this business helps him envision his students stepping into the world of science in the future. Teaching brings him pride because he is able to impact every student in the way he knows best, the knowledge of science. He incorporates his expertise of business with the way in which he teaches science.
In February of 2024, Kate Brown left her job at the company Roblox, and the small idea of opening another small business became a reality for the Plourde family. The owner of a toy store in Downtown Petaluma was up for sale and by the end of April, they bought all the toys and signed final papers. Poppy’s, now, is named after the symbolic flower of California. Plourde explains that the name comes from their love for California. Although he and his wife were not born there, they fell in love with it and don’t plan on leaving.
Nelly Cuenco, a 19-year-old employee at Poppy’s, began working there when she was looking around Downtown Petaluma for a job. She stumbled upon the store and said the name Poppy’s attracted her because she loved the movie Trolls. She has now been employed there for 2 months.
“I met him on my first day and he brought me a smoothie and I was like WOAH a smoothie? Because, I don’t know, you never expect that from your manager because they’re your boss. It was very nice because I felt like he actually saw me as a person and not just as an employee,” she recalls her first encounter with Plourde. Despite the fact that he is not seen very often by Cuenco, she only remembers positive interactions with him such as a “Hey Nelly!” and a warm smile.
The objective of Poppy’s is wrapped around the idea that people need a “third place”, a place that isnt home or at a job. Their goal was to make Poppy’s a place where community members can, not only buy toys, but also hang out and have fun. Somewhere in which adults and kids don’t have to be invited or pay. A cafe is also mentioned to be opening at Poppy’s in the future. It is one of the many ideas that was made in hopes to attract people to get to know the store and community that it holds. Plourde mentions gathering ideas from Chernetska and employees and values them as they grow their new business.
“I think Poppy’s, Ben and Kate as a whole also, do a lot to bring the community together. They don’t mind if people just come in and play. It’s all about bringing people in and having it be accessible,” Nelly says. She describes the store as having a positive and relaxing nature.
Working as a full-time teacher and full-time dad consumes a lot of Plourde’s time. He explains he is not able to attend school events and other San Rafael High School activities. However, feeling so disconnected to his teaching community pushed him to create his own. Plourde lives in Petaluma, California. Considering Poppy’s is Downtown, when events are held at the store, he is able to get a level of satisfaction where he can feel a part of the community.
When asked where he sees himself in a couple of years from now, he sighs with satisfaction. Envisioning himself as a community person is something he has always wanted. With everything he has, he feels settled in life and wouldn’t want anything to change. Amongst all the responsibilities he may have, he highlights the importance of family. “Now that I have a little one and a big one, it’s my main thing. I will always keep growing at the other things I do. Doing it better, more efficiently and effectively, I’ll be a better teacher this year than I was last year. But once the school day ends here, I’m off to do the other thing that is more meaningful to me. My family is first, and doing that job the best I can. Everything else comes after that,” he says with a smile.
