MRHS 20th Anniversary: Meet Joshua Williams, Sage Rebeuhr, and Stacey Johnson
By Anabella V.
Once again, The Range is welcoming three Mountain Range inaugural staff members to answer questions surrounding their memories of an early Mountain Range, as well as their own personal anecdotes of various life lessons, memorable experiences, and flashes to the past.
Beginning with English teacher Joshua Williams:
Q: What are some core memories of an early Mountain Range?
A: “I still remember the first day. We had a little freshman girl sing the National Anthem in front of a thousand kids on her first day as a freshman. I thought it was a really brave thing. We’ve always had kids like that here–kids who are uncommon. There’s been some really special students who have come through this building.”
Q: What are some major changes you’ve seen at MRHS between 2006 and now?
A: “We got really big, and now we’re getting small again. Those are some interesting
challenges. You have the challenge of not enough space, or the challenge of [in 2006] only having one hallway. We’ve gone through phases where we’ve been really good at certain things–like some great baseball and football program years. I’d like to see that come back. The gymnastics team has always been consistent. I would like to see us rediscover some success athletically for our kids.”
Q: What are some of your hobbies and interests that students would be surprised or interested to learn about?
A: “Fly Fishing. I’m terrible at it–I mean absolutely awful at it. But I love standing in a river for 6 hours and not catching a fish. I don’t think anyone would be surprised that I try really hard to be a good dad.”
Q: What do you wish you could bring back from the year 2006?
A: “Uncommon cell phones.”
Next, English teacher Sage Rebeuhr:
Q: What are some core memories of an early Mountain Range?
A: “I remember the upstairs B Hallway not being open, the doors were closed and it was blocked off. I remember all of the core teachers were all in the North Teacher Workroom, and the south one was locked."
Q: What do you wish you could bring back from the year 2006?
A: “Starbucks not being as expensive. You could get a latte and a scone for under $5.”
Q: What are some of your hobbies and interests that students would be surprised or interested to learn about?
A: “Most things are probably not surprising. I like to read, cook and crochet. But, I also like to collect old things. I have some vintage Pyrex that I’m also on the hunt for, vintage cookbooks, and old Dick and Jane books.”
And finally, Math teacher Stacey Johnson:
Q: How did parts of your youth or your years leading up to becoming a teacher influence your career choice?
A: “I have had some really amazing teachers growing up. The key with each of them that I thought was amazing was how they built relationships with students. We [Johnson and her teachers] had great relationships, so that made me want to become a teacher–having those really amazing experiences. Like Ms. Anderson, my 6th grade math teacher, was the best because of various things, like certain projects or activities. Or my high school English teacher took a real big interest in big events in my family life, having me relate it to what was going on in class which made it fun and exciting. I wanted to become a teacher because of their influence on me.”
Q: What are some core memories of an early MRHS?
A: “We did some really amazing activities. We used to do a “Mr. Mustang” boys beauty pageant for prom. Some of the acts that the kids did were just so entertaining. Some of the traditions have stayed, like “Peachfuzz” and “Powderpuff”, but traditions like those, we don’t do anymore. Watching kids willing to be silly and goofy, and to put themselves out there–I think that’s the part I loved the most. They weren’t worried about how cool they looked or things like that, they were just here to have fun. I remember an assembly where two of our teachers did the “Soulja Boy” dance.”
Q: Would you say that’s something that has changed a lot since then?
A: “Yeah, I would say that’s something that has changed. Kids aren’t as willing to be silly. Like spirit days–kids used to really participate in spirit days, and I feel like it’s sorta died down a lot. It’s supposed to be fun. “ A counterargument Johnson gives to the lack of school spirit, “You all are young. Enjoy it.”
Q: Do you think that’s also reflected with teachers?
A: “I think so. It’s hard to find people who are willing to do all the things.”
Q: What do you wish you could bring back from the year 2006?
A: “As a teacher, I wish we could bring back some of the camaraderie we had. I mean, we used to hang out with teachers from other departments and have really close friendships with those people. I think as we’ve gotten bigger, we’re just not as tight-knit of a group as we used to be anymore. And again, I wish more kids would be willing to experience high school as opposed to just racing through it.”
A takeaway from these staff interviews is: students and staff should grow to become more comfortable with doing the silly thing, and to not care to worry about their “coolness factor”. What makes MRHS special is the individuality of each student, not the significance of someone else's opinion.
