Coming to a new school can be intimidating. But for science teacher Mr. Keegan McLean, coming to this school wasn’t anywhere near foreign. Not only did he serve as a long-term substitute teacher in the 2023-24 school year, but he was a Class of 2017 graduate.

McLean found his passion for teaching, specifically science, through the courses he took in high school such as AP Biology and AP Environmental Science. Although he found his love for sciences here, returning never crossed his mind at the time. 

“I never thought I’d come back here, [and] I didn’t think I’d be a teacher either,” Mclean said, “If you told me in high school that I was going to come back and teach here, I would have said, ‘Shut up, you’re crazy.’”

After spending last school year at Antelope High School, McLean accepted a position as a physics teacher. Rather than the honors physics offered in previous years, McLean is working to develop a curriculum that is accessible for students regardless of their attitude towards science. 

“[The goal is for] everybody to come into physics and have fun, I want every day for kids to be thinking, ‘What do you got for us today?’ when they come in the room and then when they leave, to be like, ‘That was a fun day at school.’ I’d love for students to realize that they’re better at science than they might have thought,” McLean said.

McLean also served as a familiar face to many students who had him previously, when he subbed for biology, during Ms. Desiree English’s maternity leave. Students who got him again this year for physics, such as Noah Imperial, were excited to recognize their teacher when schedules came out.

“When I found out I had him again, I was relieved because he’s a pretty cool teacher and I knew what his teaching style was,” Imperial said. “He’s good at laying out the information and making it fun to learn.” 

This excitement isn’t felt just by students; McLean’s colleagues have also taken note of the positive energy he brings to the classroom. Mrs. Laura Brun, his colleague and former teacher, noticed the effort he puts into his class. 

“He’s good for this department,” Brun said. “He brings a lot of energy and excitement for teaching students. He’s spent a lot of time thinking about education, reflecting on how he is as a teacher, and [wants to put] a lot of time and energy into being a good teacher.”

McLean’s journey from student to teacher has made his return to the campus meaningful for both him and the people around him. 

by OLIVIA BOYD, ALYSSA BOYKO, SAM DALMAU, ROWEN KIBBY & LAURA STEELE