Mr. [Coach] Paul Hines; teacher, coach, and world traveler is well-known in the SCH community for his contributions to the school. Whether on the track or trail racing other kids or in the classroom teaching his favorite subject history, Mr. Hines impacted every student he had a relationship with. “Traveling means to me, to get to know a different culture. To see different people of different backgrounds and learn more about their history. I felt immersed in the culture and learned more about myself and others with the places I’ve traveled,” said Paul Hines.
The SCH community appreciates Mr. Hines’s contributions to the track community and his unique way of beginning history class. However, very few are familiar with his love for traveling. Hines has visited numerous countries such as Ireland, the Arctic, Iceland, Alaska, and Russia. His passion for traveling sprang from his devotion to teaching history here at SCH.
“Some of the Irish history [sticks out to me the most], since I was interested in history; and some of the revolutionary Irish movements in the twentieth century,” Hines remarked, explaining his eighth experience visiting Ireland seven years ago.
For Mr. Hines, traveling is more than a normal hobby; he uses it as a way to learn about new cultures and immerse himself in unique ones. Hines enjoyed his time at these distinctive locations and felt a connection to his history teaching days during his time working at SCH.
I didn’t get a chance to be taught by Mr. Hines hence joining the SCH community freshman year; however, I was able to connect with him on the track. His commitment and dedication to the student-athletes here in this community on the track was second to none. Despite not being the fastest runner or highest jumper, I always felt motivated by Mr. Hines to take the extra step. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I learned he also taught at SCH.
“You could tell how passionate he was about [teaching] and it was cool being able to experience his last year as a teacher,” senior leader Matt McTamney told me in an interview. Other students remember Mr. Hines, for his “fun” way of starting history class; “For 15 minutes before every class, he had people waiting to enter the class until they could name what state the city he was naming was in,” senior Nas Yard mentioned. Mr. Hines’s unique way of starting class and passion to teach students about history affected everyone positively.
Mr. Hines claims his love for traveling began with his love for learning and teaching history. Hines doesn’t recall his first time traveling, however, the trip or trips that struck him the most were the numerous times he traveled to Ireland. He states that the festivals and the culture in Ireland were what persuaded him to go multiple times. “I stayed for about 2 weeks and felt welcomed into the community, which made it easier to adapt to their culture. I was in Ireland about eight times; the last time I visited was probably seven, eight years ago,” Hines said.
Before retiring from teaching, Hines started his career at Saint Athanasius, a small Catholic School located in West Oak Lane. He taught almost everything at the school including art, math, English, science, and of course history. Soon after his time at Saint Athanasius, he joined the SCH community where he taught history and grades fifth through sixth. “History was my favorite subject to teach here at SCH. My family is known for teaching; my mother was a history teacher and my brother was in the army and when he got out of the army he still taught history,” Hines said. Eventually, Mr. Hines retired from teaching after 44 years but still was a familiar face in the community, whether he was seen on the track or helping out in the development office.
Mr. Hines now continues to further his knowledge of the history of the world, as he tells other faculty that are interested in history about new finds that he has through books or other sources. “He is a real source of information because of all of his historical background, he can tell you where things came from, and if you’re gonna learn anything you have to know where it came from,” his longtime friend Mr. Talbot said.
Since retiring from coaching, Coach Hines’s name has been dedicated to the track and field here at SCH, “A lot of times when you get a dedication it means you’ve passed on, it was great to see a lot of the athletes I coached in the 80’s and 90’s support me.” Coach Hines notes the emotions he felt when dedicated. Hines indicates he doesn’t know the next time he will travel but when he does he hopes to explore more about himself and the culture that is around him using his prior experiences as a resource.
