Schools

150 Years Combined Experience Leaves W.B. Saul

Five agricultural teachers retire from the unique high school in Roxborough.

The five agriculture teachers retiring this year from W.B. Saul High School on Henry Avenue have a combined 150 years of teaching experience.

“All of us have been here for over 30 years,” said David Snyder who taught Veterinary Technology.  “We just want our home to survive.”

And it’s a unique home at that.

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W.B. Saul is just one of two agricultural high schools in an urban environment in the entire country. 

“We have people from all over the country and all over the world who come and look at what we do here,” said Paul Winters, who taught Plant Science at the school.  “Whenever some country or city wants to set up an ag program they come see what we do.”

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Snyder added, “I think we’re more well-known everywhere else than we are in the city of Philadelphia.”

There are 573 students at W.B. Saul from all over the city.

“We have kids from every neighborhood in the city,” said Barbara Brown who taught landscape design and landscape architecture.  “For a lot of them, this is their first time traveling outside of their neighborhood.”

“There are a lot of firsts here,” said Pam Snyder who served as the agricultural team leader and who is also married to David.  “Kids start in animal science and it’s the first time they’ve ever been face-to-face with a dairy cow.”

“We have a 98 percent daily attendance rate,” said James Tatro who teaches animal science.  “We have kids who are on the bus two-three hours just to get here.”

Saul offers a hybrid program that combines traditional course work like math and English with agricultural programs like horticulture and animal science.

“We have a lot of kids who wouldn’t have gone on to college or finished high school,” David Snyder said.  “We have a lot of kids who don’t fit into the box of traditional education.”

All of the teachers talked about how they’re going to miss Saul.  That it is their family, their home. 

“I was a student here,” David Snyder said.  “I married my wife here.”

“We just didn’t teach here and then let go,” Pam Snyder said.  “We lived here.”

“It’s such an unusual place,” Brown said.  “I love to work with plants, and I love to work with kids.  Nowhere else can I do both of those things.”

Brown added, “People always ask what I’ll miss.  I’ll miss the kids.  I’ll miss everyone.”

“It was a great run,” Winters said.  “I got a ton of speeding tickets getting here, but I never got one going home.  Nowhere short of the Marines did you feel this kind of support among your colleagues.”

“I’m not looking forward to retirement,” Tatro said.  “I don’t want to hang out with old people.”

Pam Snyder added, “I’m old enough to retire, but I never felt old.  I never felt old because I worked here.”


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