Meet Amy Boscan, the marketing genius at South High, who some students think makes every class feel like a real-world business adventure, inspiring them to think outside the box. 

A South High alumna, Boscan was a student in the late 90’s and graduated in 2000. Boscan was the president of DECA while she was a student, and also played softball for the Patriots all four years. Boscan was also a Wrestlerette, (wrestling cheerleader) and worked multiple jobs in school including TJ Maxx, Starbucks, and Abercrombie Kids.  

Boscan started her academic career at South High School in 1996, where she joined many clubs and stayed involved with her community. She said one of her biggest accomplishments was being DECA State Vice President for Missouri during her senior year. 

In the two years she has been back teaching in the business department at South High, she has increased the numbers in the DECA club, taking it from 10 or fewer members to around 96 members now.

After graduating in 2000, she continued her academics at Mizzou, studying Marketing and Business Management. After much consideration and talking with her college counselor, she decided to go into teaching. She said she wanted to go into teaching because she was so interested in the learning process and being able to teach students what she was passionate about. 

“I love working with kids and seeing them grow, watching them mature, and being able to create value in their learning careers,” Boscan said. 

Out of college, she started working in advertising before becoming a teacher at South High. She taught Keyboarding and also coached softball and swimming before becoming a curriculum coordinator for Parkway. 

“Even though this job gave me many good opportunities and connections, I could not stand sitting at a desk all day. I needed to get back into teaching,” Boscan said. 

Boscan said one of the first things she did when she got back to the South classroom was to resume the DECA trip to New York. The trip provides business students with a packed, eventful trip visiting tons of important sites in the Big Apple. The students get to do fun things like attend sporting events, eat classic New York cheap pizza, but most importantly experience the real business world. 

“This is only my second year being back as a Marketing teacher after being an advisor for so long, but I feel like I have finally found what I’m made for. I truly feel like moving around and finding what I’m passionate about has made me a better person, and has allowed me to come back as the best version of myself!” she said. 

John Barnabee is a 2010 graduate of South High who had Boscan as a teacher. They now work together in the business department.

“She brings a great, unique perspective to the department and what she can do is connect well with students and bring the real world into the classroom,” Barnabee said. 

Senior Chase Kuhn currently has Boscan in her 5th block class. He’s also the Social Chairperson in DECA.  

“She’s experienced and knows what she’s talking about; she always makes everyone feel included,” Kuhn said. 

Boscan said she loves to teach Marketing 1 and Marketing 2 because they truly affect everyone on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s being consumed through social media or the news. It applies to the real world and having connections to people and their companies.

“I believe everyone at some point in their lives uses business or marketing when working in a company or creating a product,” she said. 

This year, Boscan provided a way for students can learn real-world business skills in the Patriot Pit Stop.  Boscan said she got the idea from the Colt Cafe at Parkway Central. She said she supported many other schools in opening things like the Patriot Pit Stop while she was a curriculum coordinator. When she came back to the South, she started small with only a table and then grew the Pit Stop this year. The students working get actual CTE credit that counts toward graduation. This provides job experience that some students couldn’t otherwise have.  

Students said they love Boscan’s class because she cares about the mental health of her students. She has things like plants, beanbags, couches, and a reward system in place. These things make her classroom a place where students can feel comfortable taking constructive criticism.

Senior Zsofia Clayton admires Boscan because of these things. 

“She is a great teacher because she pushes us to learn crucial life skills that we can implement in the career world,” Clayton said. 

When Boscan isn’t teaching, she’s spending time with her husband, Dorian, and a blended family of 4 kids. She has two Basset Hounds at home, and two guinea pigs that she keeps in the classroom, Daisy Jones and Dorris. They are fan favorites among her students.

Outside of school, she stays active playing pickleball and going to the gym, reading, and finding new restaurants while traveling with her family and students. She is always finding ways to change her lifestyle and get out of her comfort zone. 

Her most memorable moment at South was coming back after being absent, and seeing kids start to participate in DECA again and growing their value for learning.

“I’m proud of our chapter for creating value for the members and I love the Pit Stop because it was something people used to tell me I couldn’t do,” Boscan said.