Mr. Collin Gilreath is one of the new teachers this year at Waterloo High School. He is 23 years old and this is the second year in his teaching career. He graduated from Richland County High School in 2021 and went to the University of Illinois and graduated in 2025. After college, he took a teaching position at Richland County High School, teaching world history, U.S. history, and civics, before coming to Waterloo. 

His transition to Waterloo so far has been smooth and he stated that he specifically liked working with all his students and his fellow staff. He also expressed that he felt very welcomed by our community throughout his transition. When asked about the differences between his previous school and Waterloo, he said, “It's very similar to my old school, just not as much in the middle of nowhere” and continues by saying, “It’s a new experience for me coming somewhere brand new where I don't know anybody at all, but making connections is a fun and exciting thing to do.” He is currently teaching world history, U.S. history, sociology, and civics. He makes it his goal to prepare his students for life after high school. He hopes to help his students understand what their role in society is, as well as how they work with the US government after becoming an adult.
Because he came from a district with a 1 to 1 system, we asked his opinion on the 1 to 1 chromebook policy at Waterloo. His response was that he finds them to be very useful tools, but there would be a learning curve for students and teachers. While he finds online access to schoolwork useful, he doesn’t think it's something every teacher needs to use for their assignments. Most of the classwork he plans to assign will be posted in his google classroom, presenting a digitally focused curriculum in his classes.
In his free time he enjoys fishing, playing the guitar, and watching movies. His favorite songs to play on the guitar include “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)” by the Hollies and “Going to California” by Led Zeppelin. His favorite movies are 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), Good Will Hunting (1997), The Odyssey (2026), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011). 

His final wish is that he hopes all his students enjoy their time in high school because of how fast it goes by. He finished saying “you’ll never regret being nice.”