Following the conclusion of this year, Prep history teacher Mr. Owen will retire after teaching for forty years. Most students know him as a Western Civilization teacher, but he also teaches seniors AP European History. Teaching both freshmen and seniors, Mr. Owen gets to see students as they come in and leave. He remarked, “It’s interesting to see how Prep has changed each student throughout his four years of high school.”

As a graduate from a small high school—with a class size of only seventeen students—Prep’s large campus and even larger classes were certainly something new to Mr. Owen. However, he was able to adjust to this new environment quite well, which he attributes to the “many resources and support for its teachers” that Prep offers and the wonderful colleagues he works with at Prep.

However, when asked what he liked most about Prep, Mr. Owen replied that it was the students. As for why he is retiring, Mr. Owen explained that he doesn’t feel he can teach anymore due to his age. Another factor prompting his decision is an urge to travel. Mr. Owen has enjoyed trips to Angkor Wat and Iceland, and he would like to add more places to that list. One of the sites Mr. Owen is particularly interested in visiting is Rome. Although he has taught students about the ancient city for decades, Mr. Owen has never traveled there; he hopes to do so in his retirement. As Mr. Owen bids farewell to his four decades of teaching, his legacy will live on both on campus and in all the students he has taught.