The annual “Teacher of the Year” honor was recently awarded to a a special Randall High recipient, Coach Jeff Schenck. Schenck is involved in various departments at the school and helps out wherever he is needed, including helping students in the content mastery lab, assisting with the baseball teams, and he often fills in at the office. Content mastery is a resource room students can visit if they are needing help on everyday classroom assignments or projects. Everyday Schenck aids students in just about every subject ranging from English I to Spanish and everything in between.

”My job means that I get the opportunity to provide leadership and guidance to our student body on a daily basis,” Schenck said. “Some welcome the guidance, some don’t. I was the type of student that I thought I could do it by myself, and man, that was a mistake.”

Every school year, the Randall staff sends in votes for who should receive this outstanding award, and then the top contender is later announced as the winner. Canyon Independent School District requires every campus in the district to select a superb teacher. The selected teachers are chosen based on the following criteria: a concern for students and the capability to inspire them, the willingness and ability to be a spokesperson for public education, and they must be able to commit to the possibility to move through the next levels such as Region 16 teacher of the year and the Texas teacher of the year. The award was given to Schenck during a staff gathering on Jan. 24.

“I had no idea I won, in fact, I missed the announcement of Teacher of the Year because I was out at baseball practice,” Schenck said. “Mr. Singleton had to call me to tell me I won on speakerphone. I really didn’t believe him. So I was 20 minutes late to my own party, and I still feel terrible about it today.”

While many people work and pay no mind to their job until the next day, Schenck is different. He goes above and beyond to ensure his students succeed in their academic careers and works tirelessly alongside them everyday. While working many positions at Randall, he also works a second job at Home Depot. Schenck’s passion for helping others radiates from his many duties and accomplishments.

“My job is really not a job, and I’m not sure who told me this but it works,” Schenck said. “Find something you like to do, and figure out a way to get paid for it. That is exactly what I have here at Randall. This faculty and student body make Randall great, and I’m happy to play my part in making Randall the best it can be.”