Mr. Sheely Brings Energy, Enthusiasm, and Expertise to Aurora High

Mr. Sheely Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Sheely Brings Energy, Enthusiasm, and Expertise to Aurora High

As a new school year begins, we’re welcoming several new faces to our staff — including a man of many talents whose true passion lies in teaching.

Aurora High School is lucky to have Mr. Sheely, a man who grew up in a neighboring city. He stated, “I honestly got super lucky. I grew up in Bainbridge and went to Kenston High School. I always knew I wanted to teach locally and be a part of a small community.” Mr. Sheely continued, “As soon as I saw the job open up for a science teacher at Aurora High School, I pounced on it. I truly enjoy the small town dynamic Aurora has to offer and the sense of community we have here.” It is like the opportunity was waiting for him at AHS!

What Mr. Sheely likes about Aurora specifically is, “It is a beautiful small town. I truly enjoy the small town dynamic of Aurora and the tight knit community we have. It is amazing to see the kindness we have here in Greenmen nation. I enjoy talking to all of my students and finding out how their day and extracurricular activities are going, I enjoy how involved they are in extracurricular activities.” The students and staff have a big impact on Mr. Sheely and are the  reasons he loves it here so much. He adds, “I have the most amazing students and the best coworkers here at AHS due to everybody welcoming me into Greenmen nation.”

Regarding his academic background, he mentions, “I originally attended Kenston Local Schools for all 12 years of my educational career. After high school, I attended Kent State University and got my degree in Integrated Science Education. During my last year of college, I student taught Physics, Physical Science and Honors Physics at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High school. Now I am currently teaching Physics, Physical Science and AP Environmental Science here at AHS.” Mr. Sheely is a well-educated teacher; there is no doubt that he will impact many students here!

Mr. Sheely is passionate about what he gets to teach. What made him want to become a teacher is what he wanted to teach about, “I love science and it is truly my passion to share my knowledge and love of science with others. It is amazing seeing students that typically don’t like science, get engaged and learn about a cool science topic.” He truly loves teaching students about something that is important to him and watching them understand it means a lot. He mentions, “I also wanted to become a teacher in order to be a positive influence on people’s lives by developing positive relationships with my colleagues and students.” Another reason he loves to teach is the relationships he gets from it; his students are the most important part.

Mr. Sheely’s favorite topic in high school may be obvious; he shares, “My favorite subject in high school is language arts…….Just kidding. I truly enjoyed science when I was in high school. My favorite science class was honors geology. I was fascinated by the life that existed on our planet more than 400 million years ago and dinosaurs!! Plus, geology class just rocks!” He has loved science since the beginning so it made more than enough sense to continue what he loves!

Outside of school, Mr. Sheely likes to experience nature and everything it has to offer. “When I am outside of school, I truly enjoy [being] outside in nature. I enjoy fishing all across Northeastern Ohio. I love to go steelhead and walleye fishing. You will most likely see me on the shoreline of Lake Erie, fishing. I also enjoy hiking, bicycling, and gardening. I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I love going on walks with my two dogs, Bailey and Molly,” he explains. 

Next, Mr. Sheely isn’t just passionate about teaching—he also has some fascinating hobbies and experiences that make him stand out. First, he shares, “I enjoy birdwatching and often take photos of birds and other wildlife with my camera.” He also adds, “One thing students may not know about me is the fact that I tutored writing for my 4 years at Kent State at the Writing Commons (even though I was a science major). I tutored college seniors in writing when I was a senior in high school.” This one is very cool! Being a senior in high school and tutoring seniors in college is absolutely amazing and shows how smart he is.

Like many AHS students, Mr. Sheely was inspired by a teacher who made a lasting impact on his life. He shares, “I had a high school science teacher who truly made science fun and enjoyable for me. The passion and energy that the teacher put into the class is what I remember the most. I always try to make my classes enjoyable and engaging because of that teacher.” 

Mr. Sheely shares about his own high school experience: “My high school experience was fairly uneventful. I was fairly quiet in high school until I hit my upperclassmen years, then I came out of my shell more,  and my friend circle grew. I always hung out with my friends after school. I was always at the high school athletic events, such as football games, in order to cheer on the team. I often helped tutor my classmates in high school if they were struggling in a particular subject.”

To conclude, Mr. Sheely loves being at AHS. He shares, “The most rewarding part of teaching is the conversations I get to have with my students. It is an absolute pleasure to get to know each and every one of my students. I also enjoy it when my students have the ‘light bulb’ moment and fully grasp a tough concept.”

Overall, AHS is fortunate to have such an energetic and enthusiastic teacher who willingly shares his expertise.  As he continues to make science fun, there's no doubt that he will have an impact on Aurora students.