by Kendall Barker, staff writer
Every student should appreciate the hard work and effort the teachers at River Hill put towards furthering students’ educations. As such, it is always upsetting to see favorite teachers leave. English teacher Christopher Kates has taught at River Hill since the school opened in 1996, however, during the 2016-2017 school year, he has decided to retire from his teaching career.
Kates has contributed to River Hill by teaching all four levels and grades of English, currently teaching 11 Honors and 12 Honors/AP, physical education, guitar, and even coached JV basketball.
Kates started out as an editor in New York before deciding to begin his teaching career at Southeast Middle School in Baltimore. It was not until later in Kate’s career that he transferred to Howard County working initially at Mt. Hebron High School before eventually settling at River Hill when it opened in 1996.
Kates has enjoyed the decision of committing to Howard County, but has not always with the changes he has witnessed. Kates believes, “Howard county has become a lot more technology dependent throughout the years I have been working here” and any student of his would acknowledge that he is not too keen on updating technology since he still utilizes the outdated ELMO projector.
Even with his old school teaching methods, students still benefit immensely learning skills that “help me in real life such as college essays, resumes, and proper grammatical skills. I’m glad he took the time to make sure we understood these lessons because they will benefit us outside River Hill,” said senior Maddi Craney.
Christiana Patch, one of Kates 12 AP students, appreciates Mr. Kates because “he respects that we are not children and expects the maturity that goes along with that” which will prepare these seniors for the responsibilities expected after graduation.
The only element of his career that has changed more than technology is the diversity of students here at River Hill. In the early years of River Hill the population contained mostly of “farm kids” to a more diverse suburban student base.
River Hill and Howard county may have changed, but Kates will always have a love for this chapter in his life. From the great memories of winning states in basketball in 2007 to harsh times of September 11th and bomb threats, Kates has been here for it all.
Kates has had a huge impact on the River Hill community with students and teachers creating long lasting friendships with social studies teach Jay Bond, English teacher Dave Vitagliano, and physical education teacher Matt Graves along with many more beloved teachers.
This chapter of Kates may be coming to an end, but he plans to “Play lots of music, read more Greek and Latin, and catch up on my favorite authors” following his career at River Hill.
As this school year is flying by we can not forget to appreciate our favorite teachers, and say our farewell to Mr. Kates.