What is it like living and working in the same community? You can ask Carly and Matt Roach!
Mr. Roach is the South High Athletic Director and Mrs. Roach works as a counselor at South. They also have 4 kids who currently attend Oak Brook Elementary and will eventually be Patriots themselves.
Matt and Carly Roach are very active in the South High community by showing up to various academic and athletic events throughout the year. However, Mr. Roach said this responsibility and “fame” can be stressful.
“It can be challenging living in the community you teach in. You’re always kind of ‘on.’ You are always locked in,” Mr. Roach said.
Although the Roaches work together, they rarely see one another, according to Mrs. Roach.
“I love working with Matt but we never really see each other until after school. We don’t even carpool to school,” she said.
They may not see each other much at work, but they said having a similar schedule makes life easier on them.
“Having the same schedule is convenient for having four kids,” Mr. Roach said.
The Roach family has had many impacts on South High.
“The biggest thing I want to leave behind at South is to have provided and created a positive atmosphere for students, players, and coaches to step out of their comfort zone and express themselves,” Mr. Roach said.
Mrs. Roach has been at South High for three years, but has already made a positive impact on the school, according to Assistant Principal Eric Wilhelm.
“Carly has done a great job in counseling and I’m glad she’s a part of the South High team,” Wilhelm said.
Mrs. Roach commented on what made her decide to move from West High to South High three years ago.
“South felt like the right place for our family once I switched from Parkway West,” she said.
However, Mr. Roach has been a South High Patriot for almost 20 years.
“I’ve coached almost every sport, but my favorite was probably mens’ basketball,” he said.
The Roaches also started a very popular and growing club, Young Life, at South High.
“We started doing young life at Mizzou and brought it to South High shortly after,” Mr. Roach said. “It’s cool being a part of something bigger than yourself. It’s not working, it’s a lifestyle.”
