Witmer withdrawal

Third Place

Feature Story

Divison 2

Witmer withdrawal

Andrew Peiffer

Grade 12

Hi-Lite

Manheim Township HS

Adviser: Marty Pflieger

After 35 years of teaching social studies courses and coaching soccer at Manheim Township, Mr. Doug Witmer will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Witmer, who is originally from Lampeter and attended Bloomsburg University, has spent his entire teaching career at Township. During this tenure he has taught a variety of social studies courses, including World Cultures, Contemporary Problems, European Studies, Latin American Studies, and African Studies. New he teaches Global Perspectives and Anthropology.

Witmer's favorite class to teach is Anthropology, a course that he introduced to Township around 1980. "It's been my baby," he said.

He has adopted a philosophy for the class, called "No Senior Left Behind," where he is lenient with grading, allowing students to sometimes opt-out of homework assignments and making extra credit opportunities frequent. Witmer said he adopted the policy, whose name is a play on President Bush's No Child Left Behind, because the class is a elective and hew ants to give any student who wants to pass the class the opportunity to do so.

Alex Schultz '08, who was a student of Mr. Witmer and also played for his JV soccer team in ninth and tenth grades, noted how Witmer is able to discuss usually uncomfortable topics, notable sex as it relates to anthropology.

"He talks about awkward topics like it's nothing," he said.

Witmer is please that the Anthropology course will be continued when he retires; social studies teacher Tom Coleman will be teaching the class next year. Witmer has been helping Coleman prepare to teach the course, "We were out throwing spears together the other week," he said

Witmer, who has ventured all over the world, said his favorite trip was the one he took to Machu Picchu, a site of Inca ruins in Peru. He said the mountains that surround it make it one of the most spiritual places he has ever been to, and the fact that it was created by people is awe-inspiring. The trip also involved some interesting situations, including an episode on a street in Cuzco where Witmer was spit on and then almost robbed. Adding insult to injury, he was stopped at an airport while being accused of pottery smuggling.

Throughout his travels, Witmer has collected of cultural artifacts. Among his favorites are his fly wisp and his African club known as a kobkierie. He has also picked up several primitive weapons as well as the ability to use them, notably the atlatl (a spear throwing device) and the blowgun. "I love my blowgun," he said.

Witmer has been the junior varsity boys' soccer coach for his entire career at Township, during which the program has seen two varsity head coaches, Ed Journey and current coach Dave Ammon.

He had the opportunity to become the varsity baseball coach, but Witmer said he opted to remain as junior varsity coach because being a varsity head coach is more difficult that people imagine. "People don't understand the headaches with that kind of position," he said. He likes junior varsity because it allows him to experiment and although winning is important; it does not carry the same emphasis it does in varsity play.

Schultz said Witmer's coaching style, like his teaching style, is laid-back, citing that Witmer ran fun practices and was well-liked by the team. "Witmer is the man," he said . Schultz also noted that Witmer wears a hat to every game, something that has become his trademark.

Together Witmer and Ammon organize an annual ping-pong tournament which takes place during the week prior to the start of spring sports. Both Ammon and Witmer play as well, and Witmer has won most of the tournaments since the event's creation several years ago. They introduced the doubles tournament last year, where Ammon and Witmer were beaten in the finals, but Witmer said he looks forward to avenging the loss in this year's tournament.

This marks the eleventh year that Witmer has been the teacher in charge of senior class affairs, primarily raising money for prom, where he says the goal is to allow students to go to a decent prom for a reasonable price.

Many current faculty members have been students of Witmer's, including Mr. Paul, Mrs. Peffley, Mr. Ammon, Mr. Lefever, middle school Health teacher Mr. Gilburg, and ninth grade Principal Mr. Loose, whom Witmer taught during his first year.

Witmer views the most significant change in his time at Township as the increased emphasis on technology, which he views as a reflection of what is taking place in the world as a whole. On the other hand, "I don't think kids have changed that much," he said.

Witmer said he will miss working with the subject matter, which he loves, when he retire. "I've had the good fortune of teaching the things I like the most," he said.

"I've been on the school calendar for all of my life," Witmer said, noting that he feels it is time for a change. He plans on doing some kind of work when he leaves Township, saying "I'm too young not to do anything."