Profile of Chris Vandergriff of W.C.M.S

Chris Vandergriff is a 7th-grade teacher and veteran at West Clermont Middle School, his alias: is Mr. Vandergriff, and he’s been teaching at W.C.M.S (West Clermont Middle School) For about 30 years. He plans to retire this year (2025), But before he can, we asked him some things before he goes. In a recent interview, he talks about his experience at W.C.M.S and the schools before it. He covers anything from his experience at W.C.M.S and the West Clermont District to a rumor that he is going to teach in Italy after retirement.

Mr. Vandergriff has taught at W.C.M.S for 30 years. and over those years he has had many different and unique experiences with students and teachers. “My history with him goes back to 2003 at Glen Este and probably one of the first times I met with him we were at a staff meeting and he had a huge smile on his face.” Experiences are what make Mr. Vandergriff so memorable. “What you see is what you get.” This is what Mrs. Gorman said when she was asked if she had anything to tell people about Mr. Vandergriff. Whether you are a bystander or a victim of one of his jokes, everybody is laughing. And he’s beloved by students as well. “Mr. Vandergriff; Vandy. He is such a kind, kind man, not just to students, I know he is loved by students.” This is what Mrs. Gorman said about his impression of the kids he teaches. And in the background of the interview we did with him, there were all sorts of positive things about pictures, artwork, etc.

*Vandergriff with our interviewer (offscreen) and his background of artwork*

Mr. Vandergriff speaks on his experience at W.C.M.S and the district as a whole. In an interview, he states “It's been everything” is what Mr. Vandergriff said about West Clermont as a whole. He says he has highs and lows, good and bad. He even has an interesting story about one of his classes, but I’ll let him tell it: “There was one time we were going on a field trip and I was saying the do’s and don’ts, this and that, I’ve got kids standing in the back. And I asked what was happening back there. And the kids were like “Oh nothing” All the kids filed out to get on the busses, One of my kids in the back had a seizure. But the kids had so many seizures it wasn't a big deal to them.”He states, “Overall, it's been a good experience.” And the school has treated him good as well. Before teachers taught here they taught at a school called Glen Este Middle School, Glen Este for short. After that, this was called Amelia School and most of the teachers from Glen Este flocked over to Amelia High School and now they teach at the current state of the building: W.C.M.S. In the background of the first picture you can see his retirement poster and all the signatures, it's clear that the students and teachers will miss him, no matter the state of the building. Mrs. Gorman even states: “My history with him goes back to 2003 at Glen Este and probably one of the first times I met with him we were at a staff meeting and he had a huge smile on his face”

In the same interview, he hopes he will move to Italy. “Once I get over there (Italy) I'm going to go visit all the places I’ve been teaching about for the last 30 years.” Now that sounds like a teacher's dream. Visiting the sites that you have taught to kids for over 30 years? His retirement will be satisfying. And he hopes to teach in Italy at a military camp. Mr. Vandergriff is a veteran so he is qualified, while we didn't talk about that in the interview he is a veteran. We do not know the branch, we think he was in the Army. But he does say: “If I dont go to Italy, Then I got a house on a lake in Tennessee.”

But before he goes to Italy, or even thinks about it, let's talk about where he’s been before W.C.M.S Even before Glen Este, he talked about his schools; he taught in Campbell County Kentucky, and overseas. And he even taught close to London in the U.K. So he’s been all over the E.U and plans to even go back, as stated before he wants to go to Italy. So it's been a wild ride for Mr. Vandergriff. “Before West Clermont I taught in Kentucky, Campbell County Kentucky, very similar to this district. And before that, I taught overseas and just outside of London, England.” So he’s been everywhere.

In an interview, we asked him if anything funny happened over the years and this is what he said: “I had gone to the bathroom and my zipper was down, the kids were laughing but they didn’t tell me why.” So not only was he joking with the kids, but the kids were firing back with more jokes. And even the teachers as well. “He was very witty and just very funny.” Mrs Gorman says when she talks about her experience with him, she also claims that he would heckle with the teachers. “One of the teachers he was heckling with Diane Serger, she was a 7th-grade math teacher. they would sort of jokingly butt heads and would insult each other with things like that.” Is a story Mrs. Gorman told and her fondest memory of Mr Vandergriff. He’s the kind of teacher that when he smiles you smile, when we interviewed him I almost couldn’t stop smiling and tried to hold back some laughter.

The classroom experience is one to remember. When you walk in you automatically feel the vibe. Walls decorated with artwork in his 30-year career. Him at the forefront with his big smile, and the desks in an orderly fashion. You can tell that he takes extra lengths to organize his classroom. He’s got big windows almost straight out of a Disney movie. And even how he teaches, he’s got the perfect balance of jokes and seriousness. It's an experience to behold. It makes me want to retake 7th grade just to be in his class. So not only does he make the teacher laugh and feel welcome, but he also makes students do so. “He made Glen Este feel like a home; like a family.” -Mrs Gorman.

*Mrs. Gorman (left) being interviewed by one of our authors (right)

Let's chat with Ben Osborne, also known as Mr. Osborne, an admin who has known Mr. Vandergriff forever. But some quick context, Mr. Osborne was a teacher long before he was an administrator (He became an admin about 2 years ago, so roughly 2023), So some of them are going to be from a teacher's point of view, and experiences. And some are going to be from an admin point of view. But regardless we got the most information out of him about Mr. Vandergriff. “I think I met him at a staff meeting and we set it off“ is how most people meet Mr. Vandergriff. It’s commonplace, but they all have things in common. Every person we’ve talked to has gotten along with Mr. Vandergriff. Once again he is beloved by students and teachers. Some people call him Chris, some people call him Vandy, but Mr. Osborne is a funny guy: “It got to the point where because he’s older I would always just call him Vanderpappy or Grandpa because he was one of the old men that were always dealing with us” Now if that isn't something friends do, I don't know what is.

And for a quick moment let's talk about his experience from transitioning from 8th grade ELA to 7th Grade social studies, we’ll do some context and then Mr. Vandergriff will save poor Mr. Osborne. He was transitioning from 8th Grade to 7th, and even a couple of years after that he switched to 6th and then to an admin. So he’s been in every position in the building besides certain ones, but even the teachers don't go through all of that. But let's hear it from Mr. Osborne “When I switched from seventh grade to sixth grade he had a bunch of posters that used to be part of seventh-grade content and he went here you go Oz, these are yours, you take them, and hang them up in your room so his willingness to help out with whatever was awesome.” -Mr. Osborne

*Mr. Osborne (left) being interviewed with one of our authors (right)*

And now let's move on to our special feature: Mr. Kallgren, The principal of W.C.M.S. Even after only knowing him for 3 years, he has many positive things to say about Mr. Vandergriff. He talks about some interactions with Mr. Vandergriff. “I've known Mr. Vandergriff for 3 years now that I've been in the building. I’ve had nothing but positive interactions with him.” He does not go more in-depth, but even so he says repeatedly about the positive aspects about Mr. Vandergriff. “Had nothing but positive reactions with the man.” and even “Every experience I've ever had with him has been pleasant.” But he does go in depth about how he teaches and the type of teacher Mr. Vandergriff is. “A very good teacher and somebody that has high expectations for kids but there is a kind of warmth with him.” also “It doesn't matter who you are or what your background is, he accepts you.” To elaborate on what he’s saying just a bit more. He accepts you regardless of your background. He treats everyone equally, and that's a hard trait to have with teachers. They hear about behavior issues and expect the worst, but not Mr. Vandergriff according to the principal, who has only known Mr. Vandergriff for 3 years. Speaking of which let's wrap it up with his first interaction: “2 years ago when I was sitting in on a team meeting with them and we um, we had a hard conversation about something but it wasn’t that we disagreed it was we were talking about something very serious and I think in that conversation I remember how fortunate we are to have Mr. Vandergriff because he is somebody that can have those serious conversations and then he can walk out of that serious sort of harder conversations and be able to flip the switch and be a really pleasant and jovial and warm and receptive with kids.” And one more thing he wants to say: “I think there is no one else like Mr. Vandergriff, when he leaves West Clermont Middle School there will unfortunately be no one to replace him because he is one of a kind.”

*Our interviewer (left) with the current principal of West Clermont Middle School, Mr. Kallgren*

To conclude I will give my opinion after all these interviews. I may have not had him as a teacher but just by doing this research, I kind of wished I had him. From the bottom of my heart, I am sad that he is leaving, And I hate that I didn't get to know him sooner. So if Mr. Vandergriff is seeing this. You are irreplaceable, and you will be missed dearly. More than you will ever know. Even people you have barely known compared to the rest will always remember you. Making that big of an impression on someone that you’ve barely known or spoken to is something in and of itself. You truly are one of a kind. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou.