At the beginning of the second quarter, WSHS welcomed Mr. Lucas Cridlebaugh to the history department as a replacement for Ms. Goodridge. He teaches US History, AP and Honors, and World History Honors. He had a lot to catch up on coming in a quarter late- a couple hundred years of founding a nation- but he’s managing the workload as best he can for the students. They are getting to know Mr. Cridlebaugh every day in the classroom, and he called himself “gregarious, empathetic, and passionate.”

Mr. Cridlebaugh stated that his experience as a new and young teacher has been interesting so far because he can connect with the students over shared interests and references  which makes the whole experience much less stressful; however, he continued, on the downside, “It can be hard to establish respect and discipline.” However, he’s excited to come to work every day because of the great level of acceptance. He also noted that his fellow teachers have treated him with much respect. He said he can’t thank them enough for their support, and “big shout out to Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Baginsky especially.”

        On coming to WSHS, Mr. Cridlebaugh expressed it has been an adjustment.  He recalled the multiple times he had to clarify whereabouts on campus. He also noted his own school experience saying, “Coming from my tiny rural high school, I didn’t know schools were this big, and I know WSHS isn’t even that big.” Cridlebaugh gets into the Bear spirit by attending events, and, currently, he’s “brainstorming a club I could sponsor or maybe finding an existing one I could join” and asked “Who knows what the future holds?”

        Reviewing the past, Mr. Cridlebaugh said history has been his passion since middle school and declared, “To me, history is storytelling at its best. The story of how we got here, how we lived, and how we will live has always been intriguing to me.” He feels particularly impassioned when talking about the everyday man and diversity in “how society, culture and the human condition has evolved over time.” Cridlebaugh also relishes writing stories, calling history “the greatest muse for that art.” He invoked the thought, “Often, reality is stranger than fiction.”

        Mr. Cridlebaugh has two other loves- his fiance and his dog. According to him, Tulip is “the best thing in the whole wide world.” She’s a rescue, medium sized gray-coat pit-mix with a little white. He set the scene of some of the best times, “Sometimes when she gets really excited, I call her a little Dingo or say she is acting very ‘snooty,’ to which her response is to sit on me or nip my nose playfully.”  

        Mr. Cridlebaugh closed on the wish, “I just want the Bear Nation to know I’m so thankful for the warm welcome and time I’ve had here so far and can’t wait for our future together.” Although lectures and conversations with him tend to be about history, students and staff alike look forward to the time ahead with the newest addition to the Bear family.