Guess Who’s Back? It’s Saubers!
Drama teacher back from West to High gives insight into his theater background and gives us a peek into his life and as to why he is back
New drama teacher gives the scoop as to what he has in store now that is back to SCHS
Nick Saubers graduated from West in 1998, and taught at his old stomping ground at West for four years before finally returning to St. Charles High. Who would have thought that he would end up teaching in the opposing school in 2010?
Before he began teaching theater at SCHS, he went to Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, for a directing major and a design minor. After graduating he worked in a professional theatre in Chicago for five years which is something not every drama teacher has under their dramatic belts. However, Saubers didn’t stop there. He then got his teaching certificate for Theater, Speech, and English. After coming back to SCHS, Saubers explains this feeling of coming back home.
“St. Charles High in a weird way has always felt like home. Like it feels like you are going to a place where you just click, you are part of the architecture. It’s like you just kind of fit there, so I think that’s the draw of St. Charles High school,” Saubers said. “I think the best thing I can say is how shocking and familiar everything has been, it’s like coming home. It’s weird because I’m new to everyone but me! I already know my teachers, I already know the building, so it’s just strange that’s all.”
However, Saubers did still help with both SCHS and SCW graduations, even while he was working at West, so he saw the building and the people change over the years without being a part of the place that once felt like home. He explains this as a strange occurrence because he went to West and one would think that he would prefer his high school he went to as a lot of teachers do.
“I think the thing that helped is that I have always done graduation for St. Charles High even when I was working at West, so I was still annually in the building.”
Transferring back to SCHS was a hard decision Saubers had to make. Does he stay at his old high school or does he come back to the opposing school that made him feel at home? Saubers is someone that was not forced to leave West, he chose to return to SCHS.
“I’m here by choice. I wasn’t moved and no one forced me to come back. I, in both moves in when I left here for West and when I came back, the hardest thing is always leaving students behind. That’s why I am a teacher, that is who I care about and that’s why I am doing my job. That’s the biggest challenge.”
Saubers is a very tidy teacher: his office is decorated as if it just came out of a Martha Stewart catalog. He expresses that everyone is at different levels with acting and being a part of theater. It is a skill that takes not minutes to learn, but years to learn.
I always say that on day one, everyone is at a different level. You meet people how they are, not where you want them to be. — Nick Saubers
Though Saubers has worked here in the same building as before, there are different members of staff that he is not familiar with just yet. He expresses what he wants his fellow teachers and students to know.
“I expect the new teachers to bring me snacks! No I’m just kidding only a little bit. The faculty that works at St. Charles is very supportive of one another,” Saubers said. “Both now and when I worked here in the past and I have a unique position because I have worked in other schools and buildings, but I’ve always appreciated that they not only support each other, but we learn from each other. For example, one teacher learns something cool and they can’t wait to share it with other teachers and I think that makes us all better.”
As he is the newish drama teacher, he has some plans in the works. Though he never interacted with former theater teacher, Courtney Denton, besides meeting her here and there, he didn’t know how she ran things. However, all he knows is how to how he plans to run things.
“Ms. Gibson and I are really trying to organize the loft and the storage. So we are trying to get it back to were it is usable, workable back stage. So logistically that’s probably the biggest thing that will change, ” Saubers said. “As far as productions go, I would like to go back to casts that are larger and more inclusive. So if you are an athlete, trying to pick plays where anybody can be a part of and participate in, but not just the people who have all the time in the world. Plus I think the more diverse your group is, the more you learn from each other; which is good.”
Saubers seems to be feeling welcome being back to the place that feels like home. Not only that, but he challenges students to take his class.
“As far as talking about my classes, I challenge anyone to at least try it. Because even if you never intend to be an actor, it is just a nice, fun break from you day. It lets your brain take a break and try something new and different. Which is I think a lot of people like about the class, I hear a lot of people who say things like ‘I didn’t even really want to take this class, but I’m glad I did’”
