You might have seen a new face wandering the halls of Academic Magnet in the last couple of weeks. This face (pictured below) is Mr. Schaaf, the new Student Concerns Specialist. The role of a Student Concerns Specialist as described by Mr. Cosgrove who previously occupied the SCS position says, “I have enjoyed re-directing students to speak to their teacher directly – though it can be difficult to muster the courage – about what they deem an unfair grade or how to ask for help; helping transfer students find their tribe even when the rest of the campus seems to have their friend groups sewn up comes naturally; or walking with a teary-eyed student to sit down with their counselor and open up to what is troubling them.” Clearly it has always been an important role to Magnet students, whether they need real help, or just a friend to talk to. Luckily, Mr. Schaaf has been a Student Concerns Specialist at C.E. Williams North Middle School and R.B. Stall High School, so he has quite a bit of experience under his belt.
Mr. Schaaf grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. In high school, he played basketball and described himself as a “mediocre” player. His favorite subject when he was in school was history, which is a fan favorite here at Magnet. After finishing school, he moved to Charleston to be near his family, who lives here. He lives in Summerville and enjoys living there with his three dogs and one cat. Mr. Schaaf tells us that he loves living in Charleston, and when we asked him how he felt about the food scene he said that his favorite restaurant in Charleston is Heavy’s Barburger, a local favorite. We also asked him about some of his other favorite foods. He told us that his favorite fast food restaurant is Chick-fil-a and at Starbucks he orders a Pineapple Refresher with lemonade. Interesting choice! When Mr. Schaaf is not at school, he is usually “at the gym getting a good pump,” which is a very productive use of his time!
He also includes that he loves the position of his new office because he can see into the hallway and people cannot see him. If you are unaware of the location of his office, it is inside of the former “Junior Lounge,” which is now called the “Makers’ Space.” As of right now, it looks a little bland. But, Mr. Schaaf told us that he will be taking the time to spruce things up in the future. He plans to add a microwave and maybe even a television.
Now that he is at Magnet, he is most excited to help the students here “achieve their goals.” These goals typically include getting a new ID, checking seniors out for their early outs, walking students to their cars to get their lunches, and so much more. The most important role that Mr. Schaaf has is to be there for his students. At such a challenging school like Magnet, sometimes seeing a familiar face is all it takes to brighten a student’s day. The role of the Student Concerns Specialist is very different from school to school, but at Academic Magnet, our students value the position greatly. Overall, we wish Mr. Schaaf good luck in adjusting to this new environment!
