On Friday, April 20, 2024, the staff of The Central Trend (TCT) received disappointing, if not devastating, news—their beloved teacher and advisor, Ken George, was leaving FHC. But this shocking announcement came with another piece of news, a glimmer of hope amongst the chaos: George’s son, Jordan George, might be hired to replace George Sr. The staff of TCT and FHC Sports Report waited with bated breath, hoping upon hope that Jordan George would be chosen for the job. As luck would have it, he was hired.
Jordan George, FHC alumni, teaches The Central Trend, Writing for Publication (TCT’s intro class), FHC Sports Report, English 10, and Honors English 10. He also coaches the boys’ varsity basketball team, which he began last year, and he coached the JV team for three years before that. Getting hired to be a permanent teacher at FHC is considerably advantageous for Jordan, as he had to drive thirty minutes from his teaching job at Jenison High School to his coaching job here at FHC.
“One thing that’s been a bit of a struggle for the past four years is teaching and coaching at different schools,” George said. “I’m really looking forward to having a home base, and I’m really glad it’s here.”
George has been playing basketball for his entire life, having his father as both a personal trainer and high school varsity coach. In fact, many life paths he has taken are similar to his father’s, such as becoming a high school English teacher and being the advisor and coordinator for The Central Trend.
“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to [teach],” George said. “My dad was obviously my biggest model for that, but I had a lot of other teachers who really inspired me.”
Some of these teachers were Steve Labenz, whom George had for AP United States History, and Chad Scholten, who taught AP Environmental Science. Though both of these teachers retired just last year, it’s surreal how George nearly taught alongside some of the most influential men of his life.
George graduated from FHC in 2016, almost a decade before being hired here. Since then, very few changes have occurred to the school, other than the installment of the state-of-the-art football stadium and a myriad of murals painted around the school. However, since Forest Hills community members passed the new renovation bond from last year, the school will see many refurbishments and repairs that may make the school unrecognizable to this 2016 alumni.
“With my dad teaching and coaching here, I’ve been here since basically 1997, running around the halls,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty jarring to have it be different.”
Some of the new renovations include adding collaborative spaces around the building. Central Middle School completed these updates just last year. These spaces inspire collaborative learning, perfect for English teachers like George.
However, despite the renovation plan’s glowing reviews, the significant change to George’s nearly 30-year-old memory will be a momentous one.
“I have a lot of good memories with me and my brother [in the high school building],” George said. “My dad would be [coaching basketball] and say: ‘Alright! Go hang out!’ And we’d just run around the school, play hide and seek, and go mess with the vending machines.”
George has many other great memories from his high school years as well, like being the TCT editor-in-chief in his senior year. He also recalls being a student council representative, where he was one of only eight people doing the freshman lip sync. The most substantial memory he has is his senior basketball night, an emotional, memorable night of nostalgia, basketball, and two Georges tearing up both on and just outside the basketball court.
Since graduating in 2016, George hasn’t noticed many changes in the student culture. However, he has recognized a pivotal shift in the academic culture here at FHC, as he has observed the heightened value placed on grades and college preparations in his students.
“There’s some positives and some potential drawbacks of that. I think sometimes people put too much pressure on themselves,” George said. “I don’t remember, when I was a sophomore in English 10, really thinking about the future as much as kids do now.”
George does his best to endorse his students’ dreams throughout his classes, teaching them just like his predecessor, Ken George. Although many FHC students mourn the loss of their beloved teacher, Mr. George, they recognize the silver lining of Jordan George’s FHC teaching inauguration—a man just like his father (with a little more hair).
“Teaching is my passion. I tell all my classes on the first day: it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning,” George said. “I come here and I’m able to mentor kids, read with kids, and work on their writing, and there’s definitely days where it doesn’t even feel like a job. I’m very fortunate to have that as my career.”
