Thriving Together
Where Laughter Meets Learning: 2025 Faculty Excellence Award Goes to Grant MacNaughton
When Middle School Math teacher Grant MacNaughton steps into a classroom, numbers become stories, and students don’t just learn—they experience math. That’s one reason why Grant is the recipient of Laguna Blanca’s 2025 Faculty Excellence Award.
Originally from England, Grant’s path has been anything but typical. With a master’s in Business from Singapore and more than a decade in finance in London and New York, he later moved to Santa Barbara and ran a family restaurant for seven years. That mix of business savvy and creativity now fuels his energetic, real-world approach to teaching.
Since joining Laguna in 2020, Grant has built a reputation for transforming math into a vibrant, tech-savvy subject. His classes are rooted in relevance, creativity, and joy—and powered by humor. With quick wit and comedic timing, Grant makes math feel approachable and class genuinely fun.
But he doesn’t stop at math. Grant created The Science of Food, a wildly popular hands-on STEM elective where students explore molecular gastronomy—often by taste-testing their own experiments. He also teaches Personal Finance, preparing Upper Schoolers for life with lessons in investing, loans, and budgeting.
Grant’s impact stretches beyond academics. He offers voluntary lunch review sessions before every test and keeps his room open as a space of support. In 2024, he gave a TEDxLagunaBlanca talk titled The Ingredients for Real Job Fulfillment and became the host of Cart Conversations, driving a golf cart around campus to spotlight student voices and school programs with humor and heart.
As seventh grade lead teacher and a mentor in Project-Based Learning, Grant brings leadership and innovation to faculty as well. Students call him fun, inspiring, and hilarious; colleagues praise his professionalism and tireless dedication. As one nominator wrote, “I wish I had a teacher like Grant growing up—but I’m so grateful my kids do.”
Originally from England, Grant’s path has been anything but typical. With a master’s in Business from Singapore and more than a decade in finance in London and New York, he later moved to Santa Barbara and ran a family restaurant for seven years. That mix of business savvy and creativity now fuels his energetic, real-world approach to teaching.
Since joining Laguna in 2020, Grant has built a reputation for transforming math into a vibrant, tech-savvy subject. His classes are rooted in relevance, creativity, and joy—and powered by humor. With quick wit and comedic timing, Grant makes math feel approachable and class genuinely fun.
But he doesn’t stop at math. Grant created The Science of Food, a wildly popular hands-on STEM elective where students explore molecular gastronomy—often by taste-testing their own experiments. He also teaches Personal Finance, preparing Upper Schoolers for life with lessons in investing, loans, and budgeting.
Grant’s impact stretches beyond academics. He offers voluntary lunch review sessions before every test and keeps his room open as a space of support. In 2024, he gave a TEDxLagunaBlanca talk titled The Ingredients for Real Job Fulfillment and became the host of Cart Conversations, driving a golf cart around campus to spotlight student voices and school programs with humor and heart.
As seventh grade lead teacher and a mentor in Project-Based Learning, Grant brings leadership and innovation to faculty as well. Students call him fun, inspiring, and hilarious; colleagues praise his professionalism and tireless dedication. As one nominator wrote, “I wish I had a teacher like Grant growing up—but I’m so grateful my kids do.”
Grant doesn’t just teach students how to solve for x—he shows them how to approach life with curiosity, creativity, and a sense of humor. Whether he’s guiding a group through a tricky equation or taste-testing a student’s science-of-food creation, he brings joy into every lesson. Selected by a committee of peers, the Faculty Excellence Award, which is underwritten by the Gutsche Family, celebrates those who exemplify outstanding instruction, unwavering commitment, and a deep connection to the school community. In true Grant fashion, he’s done it with brains, heart, and just the right amount of mischief.
Community
Laguna Blanca is Santa Barbara’s premier private, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students in Early Kindergarten through Grade 12.