When Mr. Carson Duchatschek (Mr. D) first arrived at HHS as a substitute teacher, he was just filling in where needed. But each day he built trust, demonstrated skill in managing classrooms, and made connections with students and staff. His hard work didn’t go unnoticed, leading to a permanent role as the new in-school suspension (ISS) teacher.
Before working and starting his new career at HHS, Duchatschek was working for a different place.
“I spent 30 years in the consumer packaged goods/beverage industry, working in sales, marketing, distributor management and logistics,” Duchatschek said.
After retiring from the consumer packaged goods industry in June of 2023, Duchatschek realized that he didn’t really have anything to do and wasn’t entertained with just sitting around, so he decided to start subbing for HHS.
“I overestimated my ability to entertain myself and was looking for something meaningful to do, but different from what I had previously done,” Duchatschek said.
Duchatschek started subbing for HHS and he got offered a big opportunity to become a permanent substitute teacher for a whole semester for two classes with the help of fellow staff members.
“I appreciated that Mr. Williams had the confidence in me to fill in for Mrs. Denton for the rest of the school year,” Duchatschek said. “Mrs. Hill and Mr. Allen helped me tremendously with lesson plans, guidance and support. It was a real team effort, and I appreciated their assistance. In addition to World Cultures, I had one block of Drama. I was impressed with the students’ flexibility and creativity. We made the best of it and had some fun!”
Throughout being a permanent substitute for HHS for that last semester of school, Duchatschek realized that he really enjoyed working there and being with students and staff.
“I absolutely love everything about Hancock Place. We have amazing students, administration, faculty and staff, and our facilities are top-notch too. Building relationships is the most rewarding aspect of this position,” Duchatschek said.
The following year Mr. Duchatschek gets accepted to be the ISS teacher for HHS.
Principal David Williams praised Mr. D’s impact on the school’s in-school suspension (ISS) program, highlighting his role and its transformation to the school.
“We love Mr. D! I was the one who hired him to be our ISS teacher. He has been instrumental in reshaping and improving our ISS program,” Williams said. “He created the rubrics we currently use in ISS and he has made the program far more effective. Kids now engage in a meaningful reflection, community service, and kids have been far better about completing work while they are in ISS,” Williams added.
Everyone at HHS appreciates Mr. Duchatschek including students and staff. As ELA teacher Ms. Olivia Jordan says, “Mr. D has been an awesome addition to our staff. Not only is he great with students, he is also a wonderful coworker. He is always willing to help out in any way he can.”
Duchatschek’s dedication to Hancock Place is evident in his daily work with students.
“I feel blessed to be a part of Hancock Place,” Duchatschek said. “The full-time opportunity has been extremely rewarding. At the end of the day, we are willing to put everything we have into Hancock Place because we see the positive results with our students every day.
At Hancock Place, discipline goes beyond punishment, focusing on restorative practices to build stronger relationships.
“I appreciate that Hancock Place takes a restorative practices approach to discipline, which is a way of working through conflict that focuses on repairing harm and building relationships,” Duchatschek said. “We have built a system that is designed to allow us to mentor students, help students build strategies to avoid disciplinary issues in the future, and assist with academic work to help them find success both inside and outside the classroom.”
Mr. Duchatschek isn’t just the ISS teacher. He has made a name for himself at HHS by doing anything that helps students, staff, and the whole school.
“Mr. D is the ultimate team player! He helps out any way he can -he coaches, and he even has the ability to see what is needed and helps out before anyone even asks him,” Williams said. Overall he is one of our most valuable employees.”
Outside of school hours, Duchatschek coaches track and field. When the school said they needed a coach, he immediately stepped up for the opportunity and became the track and field coach this season.
“I have been involved in Track & Field since I was six years old,” Duchatschek said. “Although I don’t look like it now, I ran distance in high school and college. When the opportunity presented itself to coach, I jumped at the chance to work with our student-athletes. We have high expectations for our team and plan to be competitive and have some fun.”
Duchatschek has had an impact on students both academically and athletically. The students’ words highlight his strength as both a coach and an educator.
“I feel he is a really good coach because he communicates well with the students and teammates,” Michael Camman (10) said. “He is also a really good teacher because last year when he subbed for Mrs. Denton permanently, he made sure that you knew the information and went over it multiple times before the test.”
Another student, Randy Robinson (10), who was also in the worlds history class when Mr. Duchatschek took over, said, “Mr. D was an extremely helpful social studies teacher, the way he taught really helped me learn the material and pass the class.”
Outside of his teaching and coaching life, Duchatschek’s dedication extends beyond his work at HHS to his family.
“I will have been married for 26 years in May,” Duchatschek said. “My wife, Jill, is a high school art teacher at Seckman High School. We have one daughter who is in her Junior year at Missouri State.”
The spirit of community was alive and well at Hancock Place during the 1st Annual HPHS Chili Cookoff. “We had a blast hosting, potentially, the 1st Annual HPHS Chili Cookoff,” Duchatschek said. “It seems everyone who participated had a great time. Everyone on our staff was invited. It was a chance for our faculty and staff to share in some fellowship and show off their cooking prowess.” Ms. Jordan took home first place, narrowly beating out Mr. Grage and Ms. Branch, while Mr. Williams earned the “Most Spicy” award, with no reports of heartburn to follow!”
