The release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Netflix was recently recognized, but the old classic has been celebrated for decades ever since it’s debut in 1986. In June, the film commemorated its 30 year anniversary. In Noblesville, both movies and teachers are remembering 30 years of experience.

On Aug. 1, as another school year began, several teachers at NHS began their 30th year (or sometimes more) of teaching and coaching in the Noblesville school system.

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Kent Graham

First year at NHS: 1986

Sports Coached: Boys cross country and track

Classes Taught: lifesaving, physical

education, athletic weights

What was your first year at NHS? Where were you at that point in your life?

“I began teaching in Noblesville at the current Ivy Tech building in the fall of 1986. I began teaching at Pioneer High School in January 1977. [My wife and I] were originally from Indianapolis and our entire family lived here. We felt strongly about moving back to the area. I was offered teaching and coaching opportunities at Noblesville in the spring of 1985.”

When did you first become interested in running?

“I started running as a result of being cut from the basketball team my sophomore year. My best friend in high school was a runner so I joined him in cross country. Our junior and senior years, we won the state championship in cross country. I continued to run at Indiana Central College.”

I heard you might step down as coach after this year’s seasons. Is that true?

“Nothing is set for now. When I think back to 20+ meets a year I have coached or attended, I realize that number amounts to over 1600 events in 40 years. That is a lot of late night dinners and Saturday competitions! I still have the drive to challenge kids. I believe I can still make a difference in their lives.”

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Tom Knotts

First year at NHS: 1984

Sports Coached: Boys wrestling

Classes Taught: ACP and regular US History

When and why did you become a wrestling coach?

“I played baseball at the University of Illinois.  After I graduated I was a grad assistant in baseball and an assistantship became open in wrestling. I got the job. I became best friends with the main assistant coach Dan Holm. He taught me a great deal of wrestling. I met world champions like Dan Gable because of that relationship and I was selected to study the Soviet Olympic Wrestling program in Moscow in 1979. That’s when I really became interested in wrestling. I started coaching freestyle and greco-roman teams in Illinois and then in Indiana. I brought that to Noblesville.”

In the past thirty years, what has been one of your proudest moments, inside or outside of school?

“I have represented the United States by coaching a Junior World Team in Japan in 1990.  I have won 10 sectional team titles at Noblesville and I was inducted into the Indiana Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013. I’ve been lucky.”

Do you have any future plans to soon step down as a teacher or coach?

“I intend to retire from coaching and teaching at the end of this academic year.”

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Dennis Scheele

First year at NHS: 1984

Sports Coached: Girls cross country and track

Classes Taught: 2D art

Why did you come to Noblesville?

I came here because I had some friends that I went to school with and they were here at Noblesville, and they were coaching. An opportunity came up, I applied, I got the position, and it was the best move I’ve ever made.

Did you start coaching as soon as you were teaching?

I wanted to coach, but they actually hired me to teach, not coach, but I was wanting to coach really badly. At NHS, it’s hard to coach because everybody wants to come to Noblesville to coach and to teach, so I got my foot in the door in teaching and I was helping, and then second semester, a position came open so I was the tennis coach. I was doing tennis. The next year, everything became wide open. Some of my best friends went back to their hometowns to teach. They were my running mates in college. I came, they left, and I took over the track and cross country positions. We had 119 art students, and now we have around 1,070. I was the first at Noblesville, I’ve been here for a long time.

What has been one of the biggest changes in the high school and its students since you got here?

I was very pleased to come to Noblesville way back in those days. Noblesville has a reputation around Indiana for being an elite school. I was in Southern Indiana and I knew who Noblesville was. In my life, it was a very prestigious school and an honor to teach at Noblesville, with its community. It was a rising school at the time, even though we were half the size we are now. For me, I could just visualize the future that things could only get better and prosper and that’s what has happened. It really has prospered. The biggest change is twofold: one, just the massive growth and two, technology, without question. Noblesville was the leader in technology, and they built the school on technology. I’ve been very fortunate to start at a nice school and we’ve moved to a brand new school. So for me personally, change is good. I have never been stagnated or just had the same position all the time. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the rigors of studies and being one of the best — I think — one of the best high schools and communities in the state of Indiana, so I’ve been very blessed and very fortunate to be here.

Do you have any plans to continue/discontinue your teaching and coaching?

Nobody knows, but if I’m fortunate enough to live another 15-20 years, and be strong and healthy, that’s the plan. That’s a long time, so I’ll try not to bail too early. I’m 61. 65 is usually the magic number. I enjoy what I’m doing. It’s exciting. I’m gonna do something anyways, so why not just do what I’m doing? I’m excited. I’m still energetic. I get excited about coming to school every day.

In your opinion, what is the best thing about teaching and coaching?

First off, my subject: it’s fresh, it’s new, it’s creative, it’s innovative. It is fresh, and that’s what’s really exciting. Every year is different. We don’t have to do the same thing the same way every single time. It’s always fresh and new. And I’m still competitive, in my heart. I still get really excited about coaching and I can’t wait for practice, I can’t wait for Saturday’s overnight trip. We’re doing really well. We are powerful. As long as my teams are excited and staying motivated, I’ve always been very fortunate to be surrounded by very good people. And obviously, they’re talented. All of that combined, it’s just fun.