Well known for his presence in the health department and on the tennis courts, Mr. Devenney has taught at La Salle for 10 years. Along with teaching, he has also coached tennis teams for 27 years, 10 being at La Salle. To find out more about Mr Devenney, we asked him several questions about his past, as well as his teaching and coaching career at La Salle. Here’s what we found out:

What is the reason you decided to teach at a high school level?  And what is your favorite part?

• “Way back in high school I took a ‘Career Possibility’ test.  You received points for every career section you completed.  If you scored 50 points in a section you should consider that career.  I scored a 50 in the section for Catholic Ministry and a 49 in the section for Teaching.  I took it again 3 months later and scored a 50 for Teaching and a 49 for Catholic Ministry. The results made sense because I knew I loved teaching swimming lessons and assisting little kids at Sunday School.  By the way, I scored a 12 on doing anything involving math. My first teaching job was in a Jr. High School while I also coached Diving and Tennis at the High School.  I bounced between Jr High and High School jobs but always knew I would enjoy teaching Freshman and Sophomores the most because I enjoy being around teens that are going through transitions.”

Has anyone inspired your teaching or the way you teach?  If so who?

• “My junior year I transferred from a huge Public High School to Saint John’s, a Catholic all boys boarding school.  I know that sounds weird, but to this day I believe it was the most important decision I’ve made in my life.  The teachers and coaches I had were unlike any I had ever had before.  Father Barton made History Class come alive.  His stories kept his students anxious to come back for class the next day.  Father Nee was the toughest yet most compassionate teacher I ever had.  Father Shreve cared more about everyone as a person then he did about their grades.  Students worked hard in his class because they knew he was working hard to help them become a better person.  Coach De Noia was all about positive energy.  He could be screaming in your face but you know he loved what he was doing and cared for each and every player on his team.”

How did you decide you wanted to teach Health?

• “Every college I applied to had a new teaching formation program designed for students who wanted to become teachers.  I knew I wanted to do for others what Barton, Nee, Shreve and De Noia had done for me.  I played tennis for Saint Meinrad College in Indiana.  It was there that I realized teaching Health was a perfect fit for me.  I saw Health class as a way to touch the everyday life of each of my students.  To this day, that is my hope every time students come into my classroom.”

Where did you grow up? What was your childhood dream?

• “I was born in Philadelphia but I grew up in Richmond, Virginia with 3 brothers and two sisters.  Growing up I had not just a dream but many dreams.  I wanted to be a track star just like my older brother.  But I also love diving and dreamed of being a champion.  At age 11, I saw Rod Leaver win the U.S. Open on T.V.  That very day I ran down to our local Swim/Tennis club and told the teaching Pro I wanted to be a tennis player.  I am so fortunate that, in one way or another, all of those dreams have come true.  But my biggest dream came to me from my parents.  They wanted each of their children to make a positive difference in the world.  I hope I’m doing that every day.”

What is your favorite way to spend your time outside of school?

• “I enjoy doing triathlons and I enjoy story telling but my favorite thing to do is hang out with my wife.  Even if we are just sitting together watching TV I feel like there is nothing else I would rather do.”

What is your own favorite high school memory?

• “You said ‘Explain.’ That means tell a story!  Senior year I was Captain of the Cross country team.  Our arch-rival was Cardinal Gibbon’s High School.  In our league you raced every team twice.  The first time we raced Gibbon’s on our campus and destroyed them.  We finished first, second, third, fourth and fifth. The next time we raced at their place, only now Gibbon’s had 40 people on their team.  They had recruited the football team to run the race.  We started in a big wide field but the course narrowed down to a wooded path on the other side of the field.  The football guys sprinted across the field and tried to block our guys from getting into the race.  Most of the football players faded out pretty quickly but one big guy was keeping us from getting past him. His name was Stek, no kidding, and he was a linebacker on the football team along with being a forward on the Basketball team.  Here is what we did.  I ran up behind Stek and hit him in the right shoulder.  As he turned around to punch me, a couple of guys passed him on his left.  I backed off but then I ran up and hit him on his left shoulder.  Again, as he turned to punch me,  some of our guys passed him on his right.  This happened four times.  In the end to was just Stek and me.  I stayed back because he would have killed me in a fight. He ran down to a small bridge over a creek and waited for me.  I ran full speed right at him but then suddenly moved to his left and jumped over the creek.  He tried to grab me but slipped and fell into the water.  I ended up finishing somewhere in the mid 20s but we won the race.”

What is your biggest pet peeve in your classroom?

• A lot of what we do in class is big project kind of work.  I like to give students time in class to work on those projects because I know they have about 100 hours of other homework to do.  So I really get irritated when students waste that classroom time! (That’s right, I’m talking to you Sophomore Drug Paper Slackers!)

What are a couple of fun facts about you?

• “I came to Oregon via a bike. To start, I put my wheels into the Atlantic Ocean at Virginia Beach.  Then I biked to Nashville, Tennessee where I headed south to New Orleans and put my wheels into the Gulf of Mexico.  From there I flew to Vancouver, British Columbia and biked the San Juan Islands.  From there I headed to Portland via Seattle and then I biked from Portland to Seaside, Oregon.”
• “A few weeks ago, the girls tennis team beat Franklin High School 7-1, making that my 100th win as the La Salle Girls’ Coach.”
• “While in graduate school I interned one summer at UCLA and while I was there I was in four TV shows.”
• “I spent one summer in the bushland of Alaska and while there I crashed my motor boat into the Bering Sea.”

***

Students, what are your favorite memories of Mr. Devenney? Let us know in the comments below!