In the Limelight: Myles McDowell
It doesn’t matter if you’re roaming in the commons during a free period, running out of the cafeteria just before class, or leaving school through the Brewster exit. You are certain to see one face: Myles McDowell. McDowell has worked at SHS as a teacher’s and cafeteria aide for three years, and in that time he has become a prominent figure in SHS culture. “People don’t know that much about him, but he is a very central figure to Scarsdale life,” Jonathan Goldstein ’13 observed.
His schedule varies depending on the day since he fills in for absent teachers of underclassmen. “[The way I act while subbing] de- pends on how I’m feeling,” commented McDowell. “I like subbing. I’m not the boss necessarily. When you’re put in a situation, such as substituting for a teacher, it doesn’t make you the boss. You’re just filling in. You have to be mature about the situation and make sure things don’t get out of hand and the students don’t go crazy.”
His jobs and responsibilities change throughout the day as well. “Fifth period I’m monitoring in the lunch room, making sure the students behave themselves and put their trash away, which half of them don’t,” McDowell remarked, laughing. “So I come around with the trash baskets and help them.”
Before his time at SHS, McDowell went to training camp with the San Antonio Spurs for six months. “Being a pro basketball player was interesting, just the way you have to go about trying out and trying to make the team. For the most part, it’s a nice accomplishment for yourself.” After making it through the third cut, McDowell got injured and had to stop playing. “They gave me another tryout, but they went with somebody else so I came back here to New York and played a lot of summer pro-basketball.”
McDowell enjoys his relationships and conversa- tions with SHS students. “I ask [students] about how their day is going, how they feel, and the biggest answer I get is, ‘I’m tired,’ which I know is the usual around here.” He is also very well respected among the student body. “I always see [McDowell] joking around with students,” Steven Friedman ’13 added “He seems like a really nice guy,” he continued. According to McDowell, his job in the cafeteria isn’t only about making sure students clean up after themselves. “[I’m] not here to constantly get [students] in trouble.” McDowell commented, “It’s about respect. If they respect me, I’ll respect them, and we’ll get along just fine.
“Generally, everybody likes him,” concluded Steven Lewis ’14, “When he was a substitute for my class [last] year, we did a group sing-a- long. It was a great time. I did know that he was a pro basketball player…before he blew out his knee. I’m really impressed. He’s the man.”
By Coco Dowling
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