Shawn Bogart was practically a celebrity at LHS, but recently left this last school year to pursue his dream of working in the medical field. Even with his absence, he has left an unforgettable impact on LHS.
Known for his goofy and welcoming personality, Bogart made his classroom feel like home for hundreds of LHS students. Bogart taught Accelerated English for freshmen and sophomores. No matter the subject, he made learning about Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” or Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” entertaining.
“Bogart has definitely left a lasting impact on us [the teachers],” said Xavier Pastrano, a fellow English teacher at LHS. “I would go as far as to say he has greatly impacted my approach to teaching, especially this year. I have his sections of Accelerated English ll, and I’m finding that I’m trying some of the techniques he implemented.”
When it came to Bogart’s style of teaching, he had a very spontaneous approach. When walking into his class, students would never know if they were going to be learning about Shakespeare or listening to one of Bogart’s many stories about whatever subjects came to mind. He created a habit of going on tangents to discuss the proper pronunciation of the word ‘GIF’ or to give an accurate demonstration of how his childhood friend would stomp on him. Every day was something new and entertaining in Bogart’s class.
“[Bogart’s tangents] never really stopped, and when they did, he kinda got angry, in a funny way, at the rest of the class for letting him get distracted,” said Merlande Roney, a student in Bogart’s Accelerated ll class.
Bogart was also quite passionate about the topics he would teach in class. Roney describes a scenario in which the class was learning about Macbeth and to help the class better understand what was happening in the story, he would act it out. He would often have students play characters from the book and demonstrate what was happening in the scene they were reading that day. No matter what mood you were in when walking into Bogart’s class, he was capable of putting a smile on anyone’s face.
In regards to Bogart’s new career path, he is currently working as a patient care technician at Avera Hospital on the orthopedic trauma floor. He is also attending Southeast Technical Institute in the practical nursing program.
“It is so much fun for me to be on the other side
of the classroom and let the instructors worry about sequence and test scores. I get to learn selfishly but I am doing so with the new friends I am making in my classes,” said Bogart.
Although he is enjoying his new career, there are still some aspects he misses about being a teacher.
“I miss the people, students
and teachers alike. Getting excited about a new book, students challenging me
to see things differently and new perspectives. I miss you students simultaneously making me feel old and keeping me young with your lessons on [new] lingo and TikTok vernacular,” said Bogart.
Despite the fact that many at LHS miss Bogart dearly, no one could be more proud of Bogart than the students and staff at LHS and all are wishing him well in his new journey pursuing his dream of working as a nurse.
“Challenge your teachers and challenge yourself. The world will be yours in a few short years; start owning it now!” said Bogart.
