AP US History Teacher Kaitlyn Wilson, Class of 2009
The band has gone to the state competition in San Antonio every other year and has won the past ten years. AP US History teacher Kaitlyn Wilson played clarinet in the band that began the decade-long streak of state championship wins for the school in 2006. Her experiences in band and academics as a student influenced her decision to return to her alma mater. This is her second year teaching at Marcus. A love for her community made her sure that this was where she wanted to stay after graduating from the University of North Texas.
“I loved the idea of getting to teach at my alma mater and seeing some of my teachers that I had and just getting to start a new journey somewhere where I already had memories,” Wilson said. “It sounded like an exciting opportunity, and so far I’m loving it.”
Prior to high school, Wilson was exposed to teachers who presented history to their students through compelling storytelling. Their ability to make school something she enjoyed developed Wilson’s passion for teaching, and history in particular.
“In middle school is when I really discovered that I loved history because I had storytellers as teachers,” Wilson said. “Those particular experiences are what influenced me to do what I’m doing for a living.”
In addition to the fun she had in high school, Wilson found her time spent at the school to be incredibly valuable. She says her experience helped her to excel in college.
“I think that students don’t realize how awesome it is here at Marcus,” Wilson said. “Really when you get to college, you realize just how good an education you got here. I’m just proud to say that I went here.”
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Assistant basketball coach Shane Rogers, Class of 2008
For all four years of high school, basketball was boys’ assistant basketball coach and World History teacher Shane Rogers’ life. He was on the varsity team his junior and senior year. During his junior year, the team made it to the fourth round of state playoffs, or Sweet Sixteen. His time on the team spent with his peers and the coach turned out to be some of the most memorable events of his high school career.
“Looking back on it, this was one of the most fun times, just playing basketball,” Rogers said.
His passion for basketball was an obvious contributing factor to his decision to coach, but a larger motivator was his desire to impact his athletes. Not only does he want to develop relationships during their time with him in high school, he wants to influence their futures as well.
“I do it for the relationships… and trying to shape these individuals lives in a positive way,” Rogers said.
Using his own high school experience, Rogers aimed to make the most of his and his students’ time. During their time together in class, Rogers attempts to make history captivating and worthwhile. In this case, it helps that teaching was not his original career decision. He actually has a degree in advertising with a minor in graphic design from Oklahoma City University. Rogers uses these skills to make his lessons appealing to his students so that they can learn the material in class and not have to spend too much time on homework.
“If I can be efficient and make this engaging, we shouldn’t necessarily have to go out of class and learn,” Rogers said. “That’s what I try to do and that’s what I enjoyed as a student.”
In addition to being an alumnus, Rogers grew up constantly exposed to the school’s community because his father was Principal Gary Shafferman’s predecessor, Dr. Kevin Rogers. This created a very small margin for error with little room for Rogers to make mistakes, but it also allowed him to participate in community events in ways few others had, and often for free.
“People always knew who you were, and you always knew who they were as far as authority figures, teachers, administrators, etc,” Rogers said. “You always had to watch out what you were doing, but really I didn’t have too much of a problem as far as that.”
