This year, Scott Youngdahl joined the RCHS staff as a level II and III Spanish teacher. Before moving to Lexington in 2008, Youngdahl lived in N.C., but grew up in Okla.. He went to the University of Texas for his undergraduate degree, and then to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to get his masters degree and Ph.D.

Youngdahl has liked the idea of having a profession related to Spanish since he was a teenager; however, his first job out of college was teaching English in Japan.

“It was called a JET program, short for Japan Exchange and Teaching Program,” said Youngdahl. “I taught in seven different middle schools in the north. I was there to be their first contact with a non-Japanese person.”

Youngdahl said he likes teaching because it allows him to interact with young kids, to learn from them, and to form connections. Youngdahl particularly likes the fact that he knows many of the freshmen and seniors, from connections through his kids, Sophie and Howie, a senior and freshman at RCHS.

When not teaching, Youngdahl likes playing disc golf, a hobby he took up this year, as well as performing with his band.

“I like to play music. I play in a band called Those Guys,” said Youngdahl. “We play some jazz, some country, some rock, some blues. My favorite music to play is the blues, so I like to sneak a little extra in.”