IT TAKES TWO TO TEACH

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LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD

Spouses Larry and Lindsey Scheller share their experiences being teachers together at FHN

by Alayna Lohaus alohaus637@g.fhsdschools.org

Some may question working with their spouse, but teachers Larry Scheller and Lindsey Scheller make it seem effortless.

Larry has been teaching biology at FHN for 19 years, as well as Anatomy and Physiology. After working at sports camps, he realized that he really enjoyed spending time with kids and teaching them. This ultimately led him to pursue a career in teaching at North.

Lindsey teaches English I, English II, and The Novel at FHN. Her dream of teaching however, began at a much younger age.

“I wanted to be a teacher from when I was like teeny-tiny,” Lindsey said. “I don’t know, I just always knew that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Larry and Lindsey’s story began back in their senior year of high school. After a mutual friend introduced them, they hit it off. They later attended the University of Missouri Kansas City together, and after graduation, Larry began his teaching job at FHN, while Lindsey began hers at Rockwood Summit. Around two years after Larry started teaching at North, Lindsey decided to take the leap and begin working with him.

“When I first decided to come to this building, I was a little bit worried, like ‘is that going to be too close?’ I feel like the school is big enough that we don’t really see each other unless we try to see each other,” Lindsey said.

Though there may have been some initial hesitation, nearly 17 years later, Larry and Lindsey continue to enjoy the benefits of working at FHN together. Easy communication, matching schedules and summers off are just some of the perks of working with each other. Even their children, Ben, Oliver and Josie, are allowed more experiences due to Larry and Lindsey’s practically identical work schedules.

“I think that’s one thing that’s cool about both being teachers and being in the same district is we have the exact same breaks,” Larry said. “[When] we don’t have school, we get the same break. So we try to travel as much as we can over the summer.”

Having summers off adds a lot of fun for the family. From the pool in their backyard to float trips and travels to national parks, the Scheller family makes the most of their summer break.

Working together also makes communication easier for Larry and Lindsey. They are currently just a stairwell away from each other, so any questions or assistance can easily be responded to.

“It’s super nice to know all the same people,” Lindsey said. “I think it’s kind of fun, that way we can talk about things that have happened. We don’t obviously know all of the same kids, but we know a lot of the same kids.”

As teachers, Larry and Lindsey have a lot of students that admire them. Not only does this admiration come from their teaching, but it comes from their relationship with one another as well.

“Mrs. Scheller always comes in to talk to Mr. Scheller and it’s really cute because they’re always just talking about whatever,” junior Sara Ausbury said. “They’re just sharing and bringing food to each other and always asking about each other’s days.”

Whether or not students have Larry or Lindsey as a teacher, they will probably get to know the pair because of their involvement at North. Larry coaches boy’s soccer at FHN, while Lindsey is involved with Knights of Excellence and other activities.

“We get to share stories with the kids that we teach,” Larry said. “They know more about me because of her, and they know more about her because of me.”

Larry and Lindsey Scheller teach a variety of classes

MORE ABOUT THEIR CLASSES English I

As an introductory course, this class involves the practice of basic literacy skills.

“Mrs. Scheller’s English I class was a really good starting class as a freshman. She made the class very interactive.”

Jayden Le, junior

This course is the next level following English I and advances on other literary skills.

The Novel

This is a semester long course in which students will read multiple novels as well as analyze and discuss them.

“I like Novel because it’s a chill hour and it’s one of the few classes where you can work at your own pace.”

Austin Bitter, senior

English II Biology

Biology is a fundamental course that leads into more advanced science classes.

“Biology was an interactive and relaxed class.”

Hayden Puhr, junior

Honors Anatomy

& Physiology

This class is more involved, with hands-on labs and dissections. It can be taken after completing Biology with a C or better.

Popular Pieces

1966

The Lego Train system is released which includes motors and rails.

1969

Lego Duplo is introduced to get younger children into Legos. 1977 Lego Town or Lego City sets are introduced.

1978

The new Lego mini figure is released which features adjustable parts. 1984

The Lego Castle collection is launched.

1998

The Lego Creator sets are released which allow for multiple builds in one box.

2006

Lego Batman and Lego SpongeBob SquarePants are released.

The rise of Lego’s sets has gained a following among teens and adults (Photo by Brianna Dunham)

by McKenna Hudson mhudson365@g.fhsdschools.org

The nostalgia of the Hogwarts castle. The height of the NASA Apollo Saturn V. The detail in the Millennium Falcon. These defining characteristics of these famous Lego sets have made them appealing to the masses spanning multiple generations.

Lego has had a resurgence in popularity amongst teens and adults alike in recent years and the inclusion of more difficult and mature sets has created a way for people of all ages to relax, relieve stress and tap into nostalgia from their childhood.

“As a child, it was just fun to build stuff and that would have been as a kid in the early 80s,” science teacher Christopher Dalton said. “Space was a big thing so they had some really small series of space type Legos that my friend had.”

As Dalton grew older, his love of Legos diminished but came back in full strength when Lego released several detailed adult sets that brought back a sense of nostalgia. Particularly the Space Shuttle and Back to the Future Delorean were sets that reeled Dalton back in.

“So when they started to come out with some of those highly detailed [sets], it just brought back nostalgia from when I was young,” Dalton said. “Plus it’s relaxing and a stress reliever.”

Dalton enjoys building sets one bag at a time, often after a long day of work. Legos were also a way for him to connect with his son who enjoyed building smaller sets as a child. But nostalgia isn’t the only thing that brought Legos back into the mainstream. The rewarding feeling of finishing a set can be enough to perk someone’s interest.

“I would say the end result [is most rewarding],” junior Alexis Morlen said. “Like this one took me seven and a half hours to do it and I had to finish it. So it’s just the finished result and I’m like ‘it’s finally complete’.”

Her most prized build is the NASA Apollo Saturn V which stands at a whopping 39 inches. Along with the Saturn V, Morlen has completed around 17 sets with her favorite collection being the Skyline Architecture sets which began in 2016.

“I think because they’re making more appealing sets to all ages of people, it’s more inclusive now,” Morlen said, “versus everyone just thought of them as a kid’s toys or only collectibles.”

Many popular collections that have gained traction with the masses have been the Architecture collection started in 2008, a fan favorite of Morlen’s, the Ideas collection debuted in 2014 and the Botanical Collection released in 2021. Since the release of these popularity of Legos among the masses.

“I would say [social media] definitely spreads the sets that people don’t know about, like the floral sets and all that,” Morlen said.

However, the introduction of Legos can date back to early childhood. Dalton, as well as many teenagers and adults, grew up with Legos and the ability to reconnect with a childhood toy is something some can’t resist.

“I would say that our generation of kids were really into it and now we’re able to go out and buy them ourselves,” senior Jonah Sevier said.

Sevier enjoys the logic of Legos and the step by step process it takes to finish a set. The Star Wars Lego sets are his favorite with his most cherished set being the Millennium Falcon.

“Lego is expanding into different areas and expanding on how many sets they are putting out,” Sevier said. “So I would say it’s a combination of our generation growing up and being able to compete in that consumeristic idea and Lego putting out more things to purchase.”

The novelty of Legos makes them a nostalgic piece that can often serve many purposes. For some, it’s a reminder of simpler times. For others, it’s a way to relax and decompress. But the factor that most enjoy about Legos is the journey it takes to see the completed set. The process of building the Van Gogh Starry Night or the Bowser set brick by brick, is an enjoyable process that spans generations dating back to the founding of Lego in 1932.

“Well, I think there’s a goal to achieve the build and you can also design your own things,” Dalton said. “It’s something that has been around for a long time that’s appealed to a lot of people. You know you’re building something, you’re doing something, there’s something tangible there.”