News

As the academic year comes to a close, St. Louis U. High recognizes that several faculty members will be missing from the halls when classes begin in the fall. Among those departing from the school community will be Alumni Service Corps volunteer and sophomore English teacher Sam Tarter ’21. 

Tarter began his time as a student at SLUH in the fall of 2017, and the initial experiences he had here were ultimately what led him to pursue the idea of a career in education.

“My two biggest inspirations in becoming part of the ASC were Mr. (Steve) Missey and Mr. (Brian) Gilmore,” said Tarter. “They taught me about the program, and when I was discerning if teaching was something I could possibly want to do with my life, the ASC program felt like a goal for me to aspire to.”

After finishing up his undergraduate degree, Tarter made the decision to look into the ASC program and return to the same halls he had walked half a decade ago, only this time as a part of the faculty.

“I vividly remember almost a year ago sitting and eating breakfast in the college dining hall and asking, ‘What am I doing with my life?’ when I got a call from Father (Matt) Stewart,” said Tarter. “And he said, ‘Hey, we would like it if you were one of the first new SLUH ASC teachers; we think that you'd be great!’ And the second that he gave me that offer I immediately was like, ‘Absolutely yes! This is everything I've wanted for six years!’”

From the moment he stepped back through the doors of 4970 Oakland Avenue, Tarter was once again at home in the school’s community and was aided by his fellow sophomore English teachers.

“I actually gave Mr. Tarter his tour of SLUH when he came here as a student,” said English teacher Adam Cruz. “But then we got reacquainted this summer when he was getting ready to teach ASC. And he was very passionate and very excited; somebody who was ready to put in the work and was excited to be in front of the guys.”

“I first met Mr. Tarter at the English Department’s end-of-school-year party in 2025 when he made a very mean mac and cheese, much to the delight of my three-year-old son,” said English teacher Terry Quinn. “And after that, I became his mentor.” 

Additionally, Tarter found himself supported by members of the faculty across departments, many of whom he had never met before.

“I knew that I was going to be loved and supported by teachers and faculty that I already knew, but what was incredible was that there were so many faculty members here who did not have me as a student and did not know who I was, and they were like, ‘How can I help you?’ or offering me words of wisdom,” said Tarter. “Dr. (Andrea) Scarpino gave me tons of guidance and support. Ms. (Kate) Essig, even though she was also a new teacher, gave me so much insight and wisdom. Guys like Mr. (Tim) O'Neil and Mr. (Sean) Ferguson — who didn’t really know me — were there to support me, and that was amazing.”

Although he was a new member of the community, Tarter made an impact on the students he taught and interacted with, inspiring them with his lessons and personality.

“Mr. Tarter is the kind of teacher that you can rely on as a good teacher that can make class fun, but also as a guy you can have a conversation with and not feel awkward about it,” said sophomore Charlie Hugo. “He lives a sort of double life as a teacher, where he can be telling you the roots of Macbeth one minute and the next be chatting with you about your plans for the summer.”

In his year at the school, Tarter was an active supporter of Campus Ministry, and not only did he help others grow in faith, but he was also able to himself.

“To be honest, I had been struggling with my faith life for the last four years. 

It had been pretty passive,” said Tarter. “I did a ton of community service, though, and I knew that I wanted to reconnect with my faith life, so I am so grateful to the Campus Ministry team for giving me the chance to reconnect with my faith, and also to lead others in service. I am also so grateful to have had the chance to do freshman service so many times. It just gave me a chance to meet incredible freshmen, to show them why the service is beautiful, and to experience some nostalgia. It was, in many ways, the epitome of my desire to give back to SLUH.”

“I remember in our first pastoral meeting with him, the dynamic felt like I was just talking to another friend at the lunch table,” said sophomore pastoral team member Ryan Safar. “He was always an active listener and really cared about what you were dealing with. I can see why so many people love Mr. Tarter, and SLUH will truly miss him!”

As he closes out his time at SLUH, the next steps for Tarter are coming into focus. He has secured a job in education for next year and is looking forward to taking the things he learned in the last year with him.

“I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade ELA at Holy Redeemer in Webster next year,” said Tarter. “I had envisioned being a teacher for so long, and I'm not perfect — nowhere close — but I feel like I gave it my all and I did my best. I'm just going to keep on improving, right? I definitely want to keep on carrying with me the Jesuit ideals. Loving and caring for the whole person and supporting them to be the best version of themselves is not only something that I experience personally, but something that I want to also put out back in the world.”

Though Tarter is leaving the school community, he will be remembered by both students and co-workers for his joy in teaching and the wisdom he gave.

“The biggest lesson I have learned from Mr. Tarter this year is that you don't always have to be the best if you're trying your hardest,” said Hugo. “It's impacted me in my writing, especially my English essays, as before I would often write to get a good grade, not to tell a story or write from my heart.”

“You could just tell that he really liked his job,” said sophomore Ross Collins. “I was applying for a summer college camp, and when he found out, he offered to write a personal letter of recommendation for me. Then, he followed me throughout the whole process and helped me write my application letter, despite not being obligated to at all. 

I feel like it's just stuff like that which makes him such a great person.”

“I remember Mr. Tarter not for the big splashy stuff, but for all the little things,” said Quinn. “It's the way he's constantly checking in to see if there's something else that he could do to be helpful and these other things that seem so small, but they make such a big difference. He is a man with immense generosity and a deep care about individual students. He really sweats the details of wanting to serve them in the best possible way, and he manages to do all of that in a way that is fun.”

“This year at SLUH was an opportunity to give back to a place that made me who I am and that really defined the success in my life,” said Tarter. “It was the perfect opportunity to not only determine my career, but also to learn from and grow alongside a lot of these people who made me who I am and helped determine the way I learned and the way that I now view the world. Mr. O’Keefe and I were actually just discussing this, and I've truly realized that when you teach, you’re not just providing information or guidance to develop a skill, you're also guiding them through the process of what they need for life. In so much of life, there's a challenge and you're kind of just thrown into the deep water and have to figure it out. So I think so much of what great teachers do is making it easier to float, but then they give you the tools, resources, and confidence to be able to swim.”