By Spencer Bodow

There have been some great friendships throughout time: Julius Caesar and Brutus, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They are all a display of two people who truly care for each other. In the past couple months, students have been fortunate enough to see a bond like this form between friends. This bond belongs to Chemistry teacher, Mr. Cates, and Humane Letters and English teacher, Mr. Weiss.

The two come from very different backgrounds. Mr. Weiss was born and raised here in Arizona. He went to Corona del Sol for high school and spent a majority of his time in extracurricular activities. Not only was he on the swim team for Corona, Mr. Weiss also raced motorcycles as a high schooler. Before Tempe Prep, he taught at a school in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was able to enjoy teaching and have an easy access to an outdoor experience.

Mr. Cates grew up not exactly being known as the popular kid. He went through high school just to get to finish. And when he did, he joined the Navy. Soon enough, Mr. Cates found himself in one of the coolest working environments, a submarine. In his yellow submarine that probably wasn’t yellow, he worked with uranium. After his time there, he found his way to Arizona where he got a teaching job at Chandler Prep. Time went on, and both scholars, Mr. Weiss and Mr. Cates, ended up here at Tempe Prep.

Mr. Weiss and Mr. Cates did not officially meet until the Back to School Social. The friendship was not immediate. There was mutual respect, but nothing more than that. Mr. Cates was astounded by Mr. Weiss at first. Mr. Cates could only find one word to describe him: “handsome.” In addition, Mr. Weiss was struck by Mr. Cates’ appearance. Mr. Weiss noticed that Mr. Cates was wearing a shirt with “an ideal mixture of red and blue,” and, “knew he was a force to be reckoned with.” It wasn’t the most amazing first meeting, but it was only a matter of time before the friendship found its potential.

It wasn’t until Mr. Weiss decided to make the first move that the two would form an unforgettable friendship. Mr. Weiss had taken more notice of Mr. Cates after days of sitting together through Parent/Teacher Conferences. ”I saw that his sophisticated manner was one from which I could learn.” Through a handwritten letter, Mr. Weiss informed Mr. Cates that he was hoping to learn more about Mr. Cates as a person. Mr. Weiss then proceeded to ask Mr. Cates to a cup of C8 H10 N4 O2 (caffeine).

From that point on, it has been a magical journey. Sharing stories, showing off Subaru engines, and playing Frisbee, there isn’t much more you could ask out of a friendship. They are both jealous of each other and drive each other to be better people. Mr. Cates described Mr. Weiss as having “a heart of a certain hue that mine will never be.”

It is astounding how perfectly matched two people could be for each other. Manatees and man buns may very well be a match made to last forever.