There is a room in Grandview that was once occupied by a man who had one of the brightest smiles, and the best high fives that could be heard across the walls of Grandview. This room is U134 which belonged to former teacher William Baird. 

Mr. Baird was a humble teacher who had a large impact on the students and teachers of Grandview, even through balancing his own personal life. 

“I lost a lot last year, and in order to heal and grow; I needed a fresh start, ” Baird said.“Overland is my community and where I live; it’s a special place and I wanted to be a part of it.” 

Experiencing a multitude of different events in his personal life caused Baird to appreciate winning Teacher of the Year for the year of 2019-2020 even greater than expected. 

“I was going through divorce at that time, and that award was really a time in my life where God showed me his grace,” Baird said. 

By spreading his strong opinions and knowledge into different fields, Baird was able to make long lasting impressions on many students. 

“He was overall a good coach for me in football, and taught me really good discipline,” sophomore Colton Archuleta said. 

Mr. Baird brought many delightful memories to the students surrounding him, especially being a positive role model to his players. 

“My favorite memory of Mr. Baird was during one of the JV Soccer games that he coached,” junior Faris Kahale said. “He and I were really excited. One of the girls had scored an amazing goal and he and I started jumping together and celebrating.” 

Many emotions were expressed when students heard of Baird’s switch to Overland High School. 

“He was my FBLA advisor and one of my teachers so it was pretty sad to see him move schools,” senior Collin May said. 

While Baird had serious moments with his students there were also moments that brought a smile to his students faces.

“This day in the walkthrough he thought he was Saquon Barkley and caught the ball,” sophomore Ed Martin said. 

The ups and downs that were faced throughout Baird’s years of teaching were hard to adjust to, but the Grandview Wolf Pack kept him going.

“I really struggle with change,” Baird said.“ I also lacked confidence and once I found my way at GHS , I just got comfortable and didn’t really see myself doing anything but teaching and coaching.” 

Baird spent a lot of time teaching his students about a multitude of issues affecting the world. 

“We all learned to respect and value others enough to speak our truth. It was special to teach about racism, systematic oppression, and the 13th  amendment,” Baird said. 

Even when met with many opposing opinions of how to properly teach students on topics, Baird understood that he ultimately had a job to uphold. 

“I had community members that complained and hated that I discussed [certain] topics,” Baird said. “However, the kids and the lessons we learned outweighed any bigot or ignorant human being that didn’t understand why it was important to discuss these topics.” 

Baird’s impact on the community of Grandview will continue to linger for years to come. 

“I love people who are real, and will miss the real connections I made,” Baird said. 

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