Sheehan takes the reigns of the English Department. photo by Jordan Prochnow
Jason Sheehan steps up as the new English Department Chair.
At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, an instructor was needed to fill the position of English Department Chair. Matt Santambrogio, former Department Chair and English teacher, transitioned into teaching Robotics classes full time, and Jason Sheehan stepped up to take on the challenge. Sheehan’s personality and passion have made him a favorite among students and faculty alike, and he is always prepared for new challenges in his career.
A Denver native, Sheehan attended Centaurus High School in Lafayette before earning his degree in Journalism from Metropolitan State University in 2002. Sheehan then became a reporter for multiple newspapers over time, pursuing a career majorly involving writing. “I was a newspaper reporter for a daily newspaper in Texas,” described Sheehan. “I covered everything from crime to the military to high school and professional sports.” Sheehan also worked for the Rocky Mountain News, reporting on similar subjects.
After five years, however, Sheehan switched gears. He had always thought about teaching, so in 2007 he received his educator certification, deciding to start out teaching middle school students. Before coming to TJ at the start of the 2013-2014 school year, Sheehan taught Language Arts classes at Morey Middle School for six years before coming to TJ. “I was ready for a change from middle school,” Sheehan explained. “I wanted to work with older, more mature students.” During his first two years at TJ Sheehan taught Honors Intro to Literature and Composition and Honors American Literature. Sheehan was in his element, and was excited to be teaching these in-depth subjects to his students. “I love reading, and think that nothing makes you smarter than reading,” said Sheehan. “I also wrote for a living, so it was a perfect fit.”
Upon his arrival, Sheehan became one of his students’ favorite teachers, providing energetic and meaningful classes. “Sheehan is capable of creating a start to the class that connects it to the main subject for the rest of the period. Doing it this way helps us as young students to relate to it easier,” said Jacob Hermelink, a junior in one of Sheehan’s AP Language and Composition classes. “His class is very important to succeed in the world relating to literature because it deals with non-fictional events and analyzing real-life writings.” Sheehan is known at TJ for his humor while teaching, but still creates a beneficial and serious learning environment for his students. “He’s really funny,” stated freshman Cole Bellomo. “He lets us take our education into our own hands instead of holding our hand for us.”
This year, Sheehan is teaching both AP Language and Composition and Honors Intro to Lit. While the transition into teaching AP classes was a challenge, Sheehan is ready to take it on with full force. “It’s a new challenge,” said Sheehan. “It’s something I’ve never done before and it makes me think harder, so that’s always a good thing.” Sheehan said that while he is excited for AP, his biggest challenge is being able to answer “really hard questions from really bright students.” Despite his initial qualms, however, Sheehan’s peers fully support him in this new adventure. Sean Silvers, who also teaches AP Lang and Intro to Lit, said that Sheehan is a valuable AP teacher due to “his teaching experience, his ideas about lessons, and his enthusiasm about learning.”
While the position of English Department Chair may seem to be a daunting one, Sheehan is fully supported by his students and peers. “I think that [Sheehan] is valuable in the position of Department Chair because it takes a very unique personality to not only manage your classes but also to manage the personalities of all the people within that department,” explained Santambrogio. “Jason Sheehan really has some strengths in his ability to work with a very diverse group of people, both students and teachers.”
When Sheehan isn’t teaching, he spends the majority of his time with his family. “I have two small kids, so that takes up a lot of my free time,” explained Sheehan. “I like dancing to Frozen songs with them; we color a lot and play outside.” He also said that his oldest daughter is learning to read, and he enjoys helping increase her knowledge. Sheehan also enjoys playing golf in the summers, working out when he can find time, and going to concerts (shown by the band posters in his classroom).
Jason Sheehan is one of the many supportive and inspiring teachers at TJ, helping his students to reach their full potential. Sheehan embodies the hard work and dedication on which the school prides itself, and he undoubtedly shines as an instructor.
