Meet Mr. Woodward-The Longest On Staff Teacher at KHS

Mr. Woodward has graced the halls of Kenwood High for almost 30 years! He started here in 1996!

Originally, Mr. Woodward wanted to coach college soccer but he ended up becoming a teacher. He worked in retail at stores like Banana Republic and Brookstone, as well as grocery stores when he was younger. He was a warehouse worker for Grainger, a busboy, and painted during his summers before he found his passion in teaching.

He did coach soccer at Frostburg State University for a bit before becoming a teacher. Through teaching he was able to coach  but the teaching itself he grew to love too. “I love the challenge of meeting students where they are academically and seeing their joy when they are rewarded for hard work. I like the fast-pace of the school day and how every day brings some sort of challenge. I also like the cyclical nature of the school year. Each year is a new beginning.”

Besides seeing his students succeed academically and helping them succeed throughout school, he enjoys working here at KHS because the staff is very supportive and teachers and students care for each other.

His original degree wasn’t in teaching though. “I got a degree in International Relations and wanted to work within an International Organization like the United Nations or for the US State Department,” Woodward shares.

Aside from Ms. James, Mr Woodward is the longest staying teacher currently at KHS. He shares he’s stayed so long because, “Our staff is very tight, and we work hard for each other. Lots of teachers come to Kenwood and tell us how great our staff is compared to where they have been.”

Mr. Woodward is a well loved member of KHS. Keyajah has had him as teacher. “He makes doing the work fun. He’s very engaged with us and really pushes us to do our best,” she shares.

You can catch Mr. Woodward up in the Social Studies hallway where he’s the department chair but he is also often seen accompanying the VIBE tribe in character to celebrate students accomplishments or outside on the school grounds attending his Kenwood Environmental Nestwork Club (K.E.N) on their ongoing initiatives to maintain Kenwood as a Green School and take care of our environment.