In Episode 5 of Season Three of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Aaron Sayre, Upper School learning specialist and head varsity golf coach. He just led the Preppers to a seventh-place finish in their third straight trip to the Division I state championship. Mr. Sayre takes us back to Green High School, where baseball was his identity and gym was his favorite class. He explains how following his friends to the University of Akron eventually led him to Ohio State and a personal finance degree. Just before graduating, he realized he wanted to help people, just not with their money, so he went on to earn a master’s in special education. He then spent 11 years at Horizon Science Academy, a charter school off East 55th and St. Clair. There he learned that for many of his students, the most valuable thing he could offer was showing up every day and never canceling a practice.

After his US interview, he told his wife he didn’t think he could fit here, and his father-in-law answered that “this could be your last job.” Mr. Sayre reflects on finding his place in learning services, where he never has to grade a boy and can simply walk alongside him, and on how AI can help or hurt that work. He also shares how Mrs. Coy introduced him to the faculty as “the next golf coach,” why he took over the program so it wouldn’t go to the wrong person, and how captain Nate’s offseason put the golf team in the weight room for the first time. He explains why he writes tournament recaps for a sport played far from Friday night lights, and why the credit belongs to the players: “I don’t hit any of the shots.” He also describes sharing one hotel room with four kids the night before states. To close, he describes his “why”: a servant mindset that revolves around everyone else.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 4 of Season Three of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Dr. Scott Boehnen, Assistant Director of College Counseling, longtime English teacher, and member of the US faculty since 2012. Dr. Boehnen takes us back to snow days in Fairview Park and to Mrs. Elrick, the sarcastic English teacher who told him his first college essay "made me wanna vomit" and then helped him find his own voice in a new draft that opened with "I am a beagle." He also talks about becoming a first-generation college student at Notre Dame, where he nearly ended up a Japanese and business major on arena scheduling day. From there he went to a Stanford PhD and wrote his 350-page dissertation in a single summer, mailing chapters to his advisor by FedEx and finally printing the last 10,000 words from a floppy disk at Kinko's just before the deadline.

From six years teaching in London, where a student who now holds a lifetime chair at Oxford taught him to look for the outlier as well as the pattern, to a Westchester school that stops everything every Friday afternoon so the whole school can write in blue books, Dr. Boehnen explains how he came to see himself as a writing teacher first. He reflects on finding his way to US, learning every boy's name before the first day, and the brotherhood he saw right away. He also explains why AI led him to step back from teaching English: he couldn't find a way to protect the essay or the mentoring relationship built around it. Dr. Boehnen shares the story of a student he had never taught who showed him what emotional intelligence and courage really look like. To close, he describes his "why": the privilege of being invited into a boy's life at its most important turning points.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 3 of Season Three of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Tylar Robinson, senior captain of the varsity football and basketball teams, leader of FOCUS, and the man who scored the game-winner against Gilmour this past Saturday. Tylar traces his path from Euclid City Schools to arriving at US in eighth grade after several attempts to get in, the culture shock of those first years, and the upperclassmen like Justin Belcher who showed him what it looks like to set the example. He relives the packed gym against Gilmour, a heartbreaking district semifinal loss, and his buzzer-beater against CVCA. On the football side, he walks through his moves from quarterback to safety to playmaker, playing through a hip injury, and the moment he told his coach "I need the ball" before taking a screen 40 yards for the go-ahead score with 1:21 left.

Beyond the highlights, Tylar opens up about a late-starting recruiting process, why he once considered leaving US, and the message behind his senior speech, introduced by his younger brother Logan, that earned a standing ovation. He also reflects on growing FOCUS to over 60 students, bringing postgame prayer to his teams, and wanting to be remembered as someone who never had it all figured out. This episode is a must-listen for anyone chasing big moments while staying grounded in faith, family, and the people around them.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Jay Miller and Nico Morelli for the Sports and News segment, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.