Since it opened 30 years ago, Eagle High has undergone many changes, from students and faculty to the infrastructure and much more. However, since 1994, three things at Eagle High have remained constant: teachers Mike Corbett, Paul Schwager and Mark Snodgrass.
Between these three teachers, a variety of subjects have been taught such as economics, government, history, speech and western civilization.
Having been part of Eagle High for 30 years, Corbett, Schwager and Snodgrass have noticed a broad shift in the culture of the school.
“The students have changed a lot,” Corbett said. “Back in the day, you guys had nothing in terms of pagers, cellphones or laptops.”
Schwager has noticed both positives and drawbacks in Eagle High’s shift in culture.
“As the school has grown larger, there are many more opportunities for students, but we also lost that small school feel where every group supported every other group,” Schwager said. “We are more diverse, yet less inclusive of others in our groups.”
As for Snodgrass, he believes Eagle High is the high school that all others should aspire to be.
“Eagle has always been a top tier school in the valley,” Snodgrass said. “We started out with an expectation of excellence and now have a reputation for excellence in every area.”
To get through three decades of teaching, something must keep these teachers passionate; life at Eagle High is enough to keep them motivated.
“As for all the teachers, we’re so lucky we get that,” Corbett said. “We get paid to hang out with people willing to talk about what we’re interested in. I love coming to work every day; every day is like show-and-tell.”
To teach at Eagle High for so long, these three teachers will be sure to leave an everlasting mark on the school, its students and their community.
“I hope that I leave behind a whole group of people that are better because I did something tangible that improved their lives in some small way,” Snodgrass said.
