After teaching at Mayo for 35 years, Mr. Priebe is entering his final few days at the school. Many people describe Mr. Priebe as funny and down-to-earth, and he will be missed at school by students and teachers alike.

Mr. Priebe started his teaching career at Austin High School, but only stayed there for 1 year before he came to Mayo in 1991. Since he made the transfer, he has taught various classes including US History, World History, History for students learning English, Community Awareness, and World Affairs. He also helped coach defense for the football team for 30 years. 

Mr. Priebe has too many positive qualities to list, but according to Lily Williams, a former student, he is “honest, funny, and caring, and wants the best for every student in his class.” She says that part of the reason she enjoyed his class so much was because he was able to joke around and have fun with his students, which helped the material stick better than if he were to just read the information straight out of the textbook.

In addition to being an overall good guy, Tyler Socwell said Mr. Priebe showed him that teachers and people in general don’t have to and shouldn’t just follow a “cookie cutter personality.” Instead, people should be true to who they are and not try to be someone else. Socwell later added teachers like Mr. Priebe who can “connect with their students and understand what they think are able to form better connections.” Mr. Priebe was able to form countless numbers of these connections over the years, allowing him to teach lessons to many students including Tyler.

Over his 35 years at Mayo, Mr. Priebe has seen students and teachers come and go, and he has some advice for both of them. He urges students to give it their all in whatever situations they might find themselves or what they choose to do. For the teachers he says, “Be overprepared and figure out what’s required of you, and then do it.”

Mr. Priebe has left a memorable impact in the school and molded the lives of many young students both in and outside of the classroom. It’s clear that Mr. Priebe will always be remembered by the Spartan Community. We all would like to say “we’ll all miss your Spider-Man shirt on test days,” and “thank you for 35 wonderful years of helping us all learn and grow.”