Whether it be sponsoring Quiz Bowl or Model UN, filling his duties as the department head for social studies or simply teaching his classes each day, Will Heatherly is very involved within the Bryant High School community on a day-to-day basis.

“I get to school at about 7 AM and leave around 4:30 or 5PM most days. My prep period is 4th period, so I have lunch and prep back to back. Occasionally, I have meetings to attend, but that is not everyday. We have quiz bowl practice after school two days a week in the fall and three or four days a week in the spring,” Heatherly said.

Heatherly explains that his interest in quiz bowl comes directly from his son, who competed while he was in middle school.

“When I taught at Bryant Middle School, the quiz bowl coach at the time stepped down, and because of my son’s experience I did not want to see it go away at BMS. So, I said I would help out the rest of the year in 2009, and I have been doing it ever since,” Heatherly said.

Heatherly teaches AP World History, AP US Government and Politics and AP European History. However, this was not always his original plan.

“I never planned on teaching AP classes when I started teaching, but over time I found that I enjoyed the depth of content in AP courses and that led me to teaching AP World History,” Heatherly said.

After reading essays and working for College Board as an AP reader for the last 8 years, Heatherly plans to take a new position this summer as an early table leader. This means that he will go to the readings early and help to train some of the other readers.

He never planned on even becoming a teacher—much less one that taught history. He worked in retail management for fifteen years before a major back surgery prompted him to take a turn in careers.

“The doctor told me I did not need to stand on concrete floors sixty hours a week and unload trucks and do all the things one has to do in retail, so I had decided to go back to school,” Heatherly said.

Heatherly says that his wife convinced him to get a degree in something he enjoyed and worry about a career later. He got a history degree and everything took off from there.

“I am well aware that I teach the best students at the best high school in the state. Everyday is a good day!”