Teachers Who Have Been at Mt. Vernon the Longest

It is easy to walk through the halls of Mt. Vernon High School for four years and never look back after graduating. However, for two teachers, Mt. Vernon has bee

n an essential staple in their lives for many years. They have been with Mt. Veron through many of its internal and external changes. In fact, these teachers have been at Mt. Vernon for so long, that they may have taught some of the current Mt. Vernon teachers.
Steve Doud is currently a math teacher at Mt. Vernon. Specifically, he teaches precalculus and trigonometry. He attended Mt. Vernon High School and went to Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. Besides spending a couple of years out of the state, Mr. Doud has spent most of his life residing in the small town of Fortville. He has been teaching at Mt. Vernon High since 1996, which means he has been teaching at Mt. Vernon for about twenty-six years.
In the nearly three decades Mr. Doud has taught at MVHS, he has noticed some changes. “It has gotten bigger, it’s not a rural community like it used to be.”
Mr. Doud has taught Mrs. Evans, one of Mt. Vernon’s art teachers, Mr. Clarkson, Mt. Vernon’s previous history teacher, and girls track coach, as well as Mrs. Wilson, one of Mt. Vernon’s science teachers. When he thought back to what year was his favorite year teaching, Mr. Doud said, “My first year, because it was new. I got to teach with teachers that I had in school.”
He is delighted with his decision to stick with Mt. Vernon through all of his teaching years. He said, “That is why I have stayed for twenty-six years.”
Mr. Doud has been so satisfied with Mt. Vernon that he plans to continue teaching at the school until his retirement, which will be in a minimum of three more school years–sometime in 2026 or after.
Phil Deardorff is Mt. Vernon’s Physical Education teacher and has also been around for 26 years. He attended Ben Davis High School, which is only about a forty-minute drive from Mt. Vernon. Mr. Deardorff went to IU Bloomington for college.
Since being at Mt. Vernon, Mr. Deardorff said that the school has changed the most with the “growth we’ve got in enrollment.”
When reflecting on what year was his favorite to teach, Deardorff said, “Every year is my favorite year. I love being around kids, it makes me feel young.”
Mr. Deardorff has taught at least six current Mt. Vernon High School teachers. Some of those teachers are Mrs. Evans, Mr. Goff, Mr. Anderson, Ms. Blair, Mrs. Wilson, and Mr. Taylor.
Mr. Deardorff is very happy with his choice to teach at Mt. Vernon. In fact, he planned on retiring back in 2019 but did not end up going through with it because he enjoyed his time at Mt. Vernon too much.
“It’s been a great twenty-six years here at Mt. Vernon. Great corporation, good quality kids,” said Mr. Deardorff.
Along with Mr. Doud, Mr. Deardorff also plans on teaching at Mt. Vernon until his time of retirement. However, he is unsure as to when that day will be.
Both of these men have spent nearly three decades teaching at Mt. Vernon High School. They have committed their time and careers to help teach Mt. Vernon students and prepare them for the future.