The SLUH Math Department welcomes two excellent new teachers: Walker Yane, who will be teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry;  and Joe Stickley, who will be teaching Precalculus and Geometry.

Before coming to SLUH, Stickley taught math at Crossroads, another St. Louis private high school on the other side of Forest Park.

“One of the biggest reasons why I wanted to come to SLUH was because SLUH had the same dedication to justice and equity that we were so passionate about at Crossroads, and at the same time everything SLUH does is grounded in the Jesuit faith,” said Stickley.

Stickley was also drawn to SLUH because of the quality of the Math Department, which he is honored to join.

One idea that Stickley tries to center his life and his teaching habits on is finding God and beauty in everything that he does.

Stickley had a high school math teacher that inspired him to become a teacher. He wants to create an atmosphere where everyone learns math and has a good time, and inspires others to love math like how the math teacher inspired him.

“Everyday is a day to perfect your craft,” said Stickley.

Stickley is also a singer songwriter for the band Falling Fences, a folk/rock/Americana band.

“I put my first album out in 2003,” said Stickley. “And we have put out albums ever since. These days I spend a lot of time playing with my band Falling Fences and we play about 75 shows a year.”

Family is another thing that is very important to him. He has a wife and two daughters who are at the center of his life. 

The other new math department hire, Yane, previously lived in Saint Louis for a few years before he went to Mobile, Ala. Yane loved St. Louis and wanted to move back to teach. 

Since college, Yane has felt a calling to the teaching profession. 

“A few teachers asked me to be a teacher’s assistant, and I taught a couple lessons,” said Yane. “But mostly I led study groups for the freshman and sophomore college courses while I was a junior and a senior, and I enjoyed the experience.”

Yane went through a special master’s degree program at Notre Dame which sent him to an underprivileged Catholic school in Mobile, Ala.

“I was thrown into it and had never taught in an actual classroom before,” said Mr. Yane. “But, despite the challenges I really enjoyed it, so I decided I was going to stick with it.”

Yane feels like the first few weeks have gone well, he’s enjoying SLUH, and is really excited to be here. One highlight of Yane’s highlights has been a moment outside of the classroom, coaching cross country. By coaching cross country, Yane is incorporating one of his favorite activities into helping to build SLUH into a better place. 

“Like everything there is a learning curve, so I hope to improve as a high school math teacher, and as a coach,” said Yane.

“I would say both of them are very comfortable with the classroom, and seem to have a passion for teaching,” said Math Department chair Julie Moser. “There is also a level of collegiality amongst them, they are very easy to work with.”