Luis Mendez ’23

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High school teachers impact the formation of their students. Teachers are put in a unique position to have a lasting influence on students in their time at school and beyond. 

One teacher who comes to mind is Mr. Scheller. I’ve had Mr. Scheller for three semesters and will likely have him for five by the time I graduate. 

Mr. Scheller teaches Sophomore AC English 2, Junior AP English Language and Composition, and is hoping to take over the Film and Literature elective next year. These levels are his favorites.

“I really like teaching Sophomores and Juniors,” Mr. Scheller said. “Connecting the dots between your students’ first and last high school class has its joys.”

Mr. Scheller has a lot of interest in expanding his role in the school’s liturgical life as well.

“I’ve always tried to support the retreats,” he said. “I just went on my first Kairos, and I’d really like to do more.”

He’s also very interested in expanding the faculty’s liturgical life. 

“I’m currently working on the Faculty Singing Group,” he said, “trying to get a liturgical service called Tenebrae up for the coming Holy Week.”

A graduate of Fordham University in New York City, Mr. Scheller is also a big advocate for receiving higher education for the intrinsic value of learning rather than just preparation for a job or a career.

“I’ve taught in college and high school, and I feel like I can do more to prepare kids for college than college kids wanting to learn things for their own sake rather than a credential,” he said. “I want to help build a growth mindset and awaken a capacity for wonder. You hear from adults that they wish they could do college again and learn more. I want my students to have that attitude on the front end.” 

That capacity for wonder is a major part of Mr. Scheller’s whole model. For example, he cites teaching The Great Gatsby as some of the most fun he has had teaching because he likes pushing his students to look deeper and engage with the text on a substantial level. This is also how he is planning to approach Film and Literature if he ends up teaching it next year, “getting people into a lifelong love of watching and rewatching movies,” he said. Getting students to recognize film as a rhetorical tool is something Mr. Scheller says he would love to do. 

Ultimately, for me, Mr. Scheller has been very successful at opening my eyes to how much I can enjoy the deeper parts of a work of art. He has genuinely influenced me for the kind of person I want to be.

“I want people to savor and enjoy the world around them,” he said.