SEPTEMBER 18, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
KeizerCommunity
Former Celt fi lling old coach’s shoes
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Grant Kessel takes over for
Whiteaker’s Scott Coburn
File
Grant Kessel as a member of the McNary High School varsity
basketball team in 2009.
“He was so great at building
BY MATT RAWLINGS
relationships with his students
Of the Keizertimes
When Grant Kessel was and that is what I strive to do as
a freshman at McNary High a teacher,” Kessel said. “He left
School, he wrote down that such a legacy here. My goal is to
one of his future goals was to build off his legacy and eventu-
be a physical education teacher ally build one of my own.”
All his life, Kessel has been
in Keizer.
Fifteen years later, that goal an incredibly sports-minded
person. He was a three-sport
has become a reality.
Kessel, who has been a P.E. athlete at McNary, playing foot-
ball, basketball and
teacher at Houck
golf in all four years
Middle School since
of his career. Kessel
2014, will be re-
also played Ameri-
turning to the place
can Legion baseball,
where he once at-
and was even on the
tended junior high
club lacrosse squad
as he will be taking
when he was a stu-
over as the P.E teach-
dent at Western Or-
er at Whiteaker Mid-
egon Universtiy.
dle School this fall.
“I have always
“I’m so excited to
Grant Kessel
had a passion for
be teaching in Keizer
sports and fi tness
and at Whiteaker. I
know I have some big shoes to and I love that I am able to
share that passion with kids,”
fi ll,” Kessel said.
The shoes Kessel is referring Kessel said.
A lot of Kessel’s classes re-
to are those of Scott Coburn,
who was the P.E instructor at volve around individual and
Whiteaker for 27 years before team sports. While he is re-
quired to teach sessions of
retiring in the spring.
Kessel says Coburn had a commonly known sports, such
big impact on his life and mo- as volleyball or basketball, Kes-
tivated him to become a middle sel says he really enjoys intro-
ducing his students to pickle-
school P.E. teacher.
ball, ultimate frisbee, handball
and badminton.
While he was at Houck,
Kessel also applied for and re-
ceived a grant from the school
district to get nine disc golf
cages, allowing him to set up
different courses around the
school.
“I really enjoy teaching kids
fun sports that they may have
never played before. These ar-
en’t sports they are going to
play in high school, but they
are sports that they can play for
the rest of their life,” Kessel said.
As a former athlete, Kessel
has a high energy, hands-on
style of teaching, but creating
relationships is the most crucial
What and where to donate
for Oregon fi re evacuees
United Way is collecting all
donations for fi re evacuees at
1330 Front Street N.E. in Sa-
lem.
These were the most urgent
needs at press time:
Masks, durable work gloves,
denture brush and cleaning tab-
lets, reading glasses, pumps for
mattresses, camp chairs, fl ash-
lights, batteries, bleach wipes,
cleaning supplies, disinfect-
We Didn’t Set The Bar
WE ARE
THE BAR!
“ This community is beautiful and the whole staff is so attentive
and caring! The atmosphere is engaging and respectful and it is
so good to know that Mom is in such good hands. I would highly
recommend this community to anyone! ”
part of his teaching style.
“I feel like I’m a very rela-
tionship-oriented. You have to
get the kids to buy into you
before they can buy into your
class,” Kessel said.
Due to the COVID-19
pandemic, Kessel, along with
the rest of the instructors in the
district will be teaching all-on-
line for at least the fi rst nine
weeks of the year.
While he, and other P.E. in-
structors are still attempting to
fi gure out how they will facil-
itate classes virtually, Kessel is
confi dent that he can be cre-
ative enough to make it work.
“We’re thinking about hav-
ing the kids fi ll out activity logs
and pre-record their workouts.
After being in a chair all day, we
just want to fi gure out what is
the best way to keep them ac-
tive,” Kessel said.
Even though the start of the
school year will be completely
abnormal, Kessel is still elated
to back in his old stomping
grounds.
“It’s still surreal. The reality
hasn’t quite hit me yet, and I
don’t think it will until we’re
back in the building. But I’m so
thrilled to be here,” Kessel said.
ing spray, dishwashing spong-
es, tents-all sizes, sleeping bags,
strollers, lip balm, eye drops,
antacid tablet, storage bags and
reusable shipping bags.
Meal donations are being
scheduled through the Salva-
tion Army by contacting Lt.
Laura Fyn at 503-602-6454.
All meals be served in individ-
ual packaging to comply with
CDC guidelines.
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