She walks through the halls wearing her pink jacket and white pants, carrying her bag. Sitting at the teacher’s desk playing the connections game sipping on her green tea. Pat Teegarden, more affectionately known as Ms. Tee, has been at South since 1986. In that time she has coached volleyball and cheer, and taught P.E and health before retiring in 2002 and then returning as a building sub a year later.

Tee started her teaching career at Nallwood Junior High, which is now Indian Woods Middle School. While she was there, she taught girls P.E. until 1986 when she came to South. In the beginning of the transition, there were some rough patches.

“For 20 years, I taught nothing but girls’ physical education, and I came up here, and that was the year that the state started requiring health to be taught. And I happened to be one of the teachers that had certifications on my certificate to teach health. So I was going from gym to a classroom, so that was an eye opener,” Tee said.

The three women P.E. teachers at the time divided up all the sections of health.

“I loved it. I loved it so much that I continued to teach two to three sections of health until I retired. So it was a nice break. I enjoyed the classroom situation, instead of the gym,” Tee said.

Tee had an interesting time getting the job at South after starting her teaching career in another district.

“Well, I appreciate the fact that I got a job in Shawnee Mission, not knowing what a great district it was. Coming from teaching in St. Joe I didn’t like it and wanted to get out. A school in California on Catalina Island offered me a job but it wasn’t gonna be what I wanted to teach,” Tee said.

Tee student taught in St. Joe and started her first job as an elementary P.E. teacher. After the California job wasn’t going to work out, Tee started looking for other options and she called Shawnee Mission. 

“I called Shawnee Mission and came down and interviewed on Memorial Day weekend and the person in charge of personnel interviewed me, and he said, ‘you got the job, but they have to present it to the board.’ So I went back to St. Joe and went to my supervisor. She said, ‘I’ll take care of it. Shawnee Mission is great. Go ahead, take that job and I’ll get you out of this contract.’ So when I went back they were on strike. So I picked up the phone, called Shawnee Mission offices and I got the job. And so that’s how it all began,” Tee said. 

As a first-year teacher and throughout her career, Tee was able to learn from colleagues in the building and was able to establish good relationships.

One of those relationships was athletic director Bill Tiegreen.

“I mean, as a cheerleading coach, as a volleyball coach, as a drill team coach, you know, whatever I suggested [Tiegreen] would back me and be there for me,” Tee said.

Along with Tiegreen, former volleyball coach Ron Miller and former baseball coach Bill McDonald helped guide Tee during her early years at South. 

“[McDonald] was the head baseball coach, department head for P.E. and one of my best friends. We would hash over things, how would you handle this and so forth, and I learned a great deal from him,” Tee said.

One thing most people might not know about Tee is that she has been scoring the varsity baseball games for 35 years, which started with McDonald.

“They needed somebody to do the book, and back then it was the paper and pencil. So instead of having a kid do it, I volunteered. I didn’t get paid for it for I don’t know how many years, but I enjoyed it,” Tee said. “But I think baseball players are some of the best guys in the whole school, and I enjoy being with them. They’ve always been so polite to me, so I just enjoy it.”

For almost 40 years Tee has watched South change and grow and she wants the best for all of the students, advocating for students getting involved.

“I think it’s important to get involved in school activity, be a part of the school, whether it’s in, you know, a club or a sporting team, but so many kids, they don’t come to the games that you know, they don’t do anything. You’re only in high school once, and you can’t go back and redo it, so I think just be a part of it,” Tee said.

Tee has been a building sub for 22 years now and has gotten to see more of the school and connect with more of the students.

“I like the variety and I like being around different kids. It’s interesting to see and I wish I’d had the opportunity back when I was teaching to go visit other classrooms to see how a teacher sets up and how they do certain things,” Tee said, “You can’t do that in a gym, in a P.E. class, but in an academic class, where you’re in a classroom to see how their things are set up and how they do stuff. I’ve picked up a lot of good ideas.”

Tee’s time as a building sub requires her to work closely with the office staff. Clerical aide Jane Zeller has been at South since 2017 and part of her job is to work with the subs and assign them to classrooms, and she has built a close relationship with Tee in that time.

“Tee is very dependable and reliable. She knows South. She’s been working here since 1986. She just knows the building, she knows the people, she knows the students. I can put her in any classroom and she knows exactly what to do,” Zeller said. 

Tee has had an impact on so many people in the South community and this place would be very different without her. 

“Without Tee there would be a big hole and this school would be different,” Zeller said. “ She’s my go-to sub and I love having her in the building every day.”