Following a career of 46 years, with 34 at Western, Math teacher Linda Shuey has announced her retirement.

“I love teaching, I love the kids, and I love math, but it’s just time to give that up and do some other things that I’d like to do in my life.”

Few classes have escaped her, as she’s taught “pretty much everything,” barring Calculus and Statistics (who can blame her).  She’s been a teacher, and a mother to Western students, as her own two children graduated here as well.

“She was always excited to teach us math and kept us interested in what she was teaching,” says junior Rosy Ix. “Her enthusiasm for math made it more fun to learn.”

Something that made her room so unique was the art that hung on every wall. A portrait of Jack Sparrow, closer to a picture than a painting. A collection of door signs with well known movie characters, and a cutout Warrior in the corner, to name a few.

“The art comes from my husband mostly, and my son. My husband had a dual career. He was a CPA, and an airbrush artist, and he even taught airbrush around the country. He did a lot of it, and my son went to VCU for art. My husband used to make me a door sign every year, or every other year. These are some of them, but there are a lot more because I’ve been here so long.”

When her husband passed away in the fall, she felt it was time for a change. “That’s one of the reasons I decided to retire. Life is short, and there are things that we both wanted to do. Now he can’t do them with me, but I’m going to try to do some of those things.”

However, she isn’t done with Western. “I’m going to miss the kids, I’m hoping to come back in and do some tutoring maybe a couple days a week in the morning, for free. I talked to another math teacher that retired to help me with that. So that’s one thing I’d like to do, but the administration has to approve it first.”

From every student, present and past, thank you Mrs. Shuey.

-Tim DeSimone

Chris Mann

After 33 years of teaching levels I-IV of Latin, Mr. Mann is now “planning to have no plans” as he ends his teaching career at Western. Being the only Latin teacher at WAHS, anyone who took Latin during their time here had Mr. Mann as a teacher. With other foreign language classes, students end up having different teachers over the years. Sticking to Latin for multiple years is a unique experience.

As a result, Mr. Mann says, “I will miss most being around smart, motivated students who keep me challenged and make sure I learn something every single day.” But as they say, “all good things must come to an end,” and that’s definitely the case for Mr. Mann. “The thing about my job is that my job is my life, I don’t separate the two.” For now, graduating from his teaching experience at Western just means more time for Mr. Mann to do hobbies such as writing letters to friends, writing the occasional short story, and maintaining his love for the outdoors by bike riding.

Teaching Latin has been an incredibly enjoyable experience for Mr. Mann, as one highlight has been the 12 trips to Italy with his students over the years. Witnessing their reactions as they take their first glance of the Pantheon, is one reason why this memory is so dear to him. In parting, Mr. Mann gives this advice to all of his students, “As soon as you get out of high school, get a subscription to National Geographic, and read it cover to cover.”

In the wise words of Julius Caesar, “Veni. Vidi. Vici.” Mr. Mann, you “came, saw, and conquered” as the Latin teacher at Western for over three decades. We thank you!

-Abby Lohr