After 34 years of teaching, this year’s his last

During a unit about cells and DNA, Greg Hygrell keeps his class occupied with information about how lactose intolerance comes from your body not producing enough lactase. The discussion slowly progresses until the entire class is talking about the study of farts.

Hygrell is a Biology/Science teacher at BHS who loves finding ways to keep his class involved in science while also being interesting. Students love the tangents alongside their curriculum lessons, but the days of fart science are coming to an end.

On April 8th, Hygrell announced to his students that he will be retiring this year. After 34 years of teaching, he told his students that it’s time for a new chapter in his life. He’s ready to experience and explore more life while he still can, and on an open schedule. 

Through all of his years of teaching, Hygrell has expressed that science is a part of everyday life, so it’s important to learn about it. He has taught every type of science class at BHS, and has spread his influence to all sorts of different kids, hoping to challenge them, bring the science world to their eyes, and help them to learn and understand it. 

Many students who have had Hygrell or just know him probably know that he loves to go hunting and fishing. Currently, his work schedule only allows him to go on weekends. Hygrell is looking for more time to do the things he loves, and see more of the world than just the high school.

“I want to visit all of the National Parks and especially Yellowstone in the winter, not to mention all the parks in Alaska,” Hygrell said. 

Although he is ready to set out on adventures in national parks and more, Hygrell explained that he will miss the student body the most. He loves to see every student’s unique story, and is fascinated by the fact that students live very interesting lives outside of school.

“So many students do things outside of school that go unnoticed on a daily basis,” Hygrell said. “It has always been fun to hear their story and learn what makes them unique.” 

Although he’ll miss the students, he will not miss many things like the increasing work load, meetings, and emails that had to be taken care of on a day-to-day basis. Teachers do a whole lot more than what is led on to be believed. Hygrell says, “I do not think most people understand what is asked of educators on a daily basis, and how physically and mentally taxing it is on a person day after day.” His dedication and his many years in the job go to show how strong and persistent he has been within the education system.

That being said, he still hopes the best for the teachers and his department. He wants them to strive and help push students to see the importance of science, how it applies to everyday life, and how they can use it because, as Hygrell often quotes, “Without science, life would be boring! Science Rules!!! as Bill Nye would say!”

In the end, it’s hard to see teachers go, but Hygrell has a whole world in front of him to explore. He hopes his teaching made an impact on how students see the science world, but he’s excited to see all of what is out there. If he ever needs a pick me up, Hygrell says, “Maybe I’ll sell minnows, or find a job where I only work on Monday and Tuesday.”