Everyone’s favorite bunion is getting like a stray dog.

That’s right. Beloved photography and industrial arts teacher Hank Schulte is retiring.

It’s important to note that he has told his classes for years he would be retiring at the end of the year. But this time he’s for real.

Schulte has had a long and colorful teaching career. He started working at BHS in 1985.

“I knew the vice principal and principal at the time through my wife,” he said. “I would ask them every year ‘Hey, when is that woodshop teacher retiring?’ He never retired, and an opening came up for part-time art and part-time photography, so I actually got hired with Mr. Scott as a part-time art teacher.”

Schulte did not begin his career teaching industrial arts. He started as a social studies teacher in Independence. After seeing what the woodshop teacher was doing, he became intrigued.

“I was always walking by the woodshop and thinking ‘boy, I’d like to teach that’ because teaching the same class four periods in a row [with] the exact same lesson gets kind of mundane and boring,” he said.

“Social studies was always my favorite subject, but I enjoyed doing things,” Schulte said. “I like to watch kids doing things; you can see them thinking while they’re making things and building things.”

Schulte received his industrial arts degree from Kent State, where he would eventually, as a graduate student, teach a couple of their industrial arts courses.

Schulte has seen many changes in 28 years at BHS.

“If anything, it’s been the emphasis on more AP, and I’m not a fan,” he said. “Also… we don’t have a woodshop and we have a lot of kids who need non-traditional things to do. Kids still ask me every day why we don’t have woodshop.”

In the basement hallway where he once taught woodshop, there is now a backup generator.

Schulte doesn’t know what will happen to the industrial arts program, but he did mention that Asst. Superintendent Robert Hardis and Director of Curriculum & Technology Ken Veon have an engineering-focused vision for the future of his engineering drawing family of courses at BHS.

Schulte believes in a hands-on learning style.

“Kids are always more active doing things instead of listening to a lecture and regurgitating [information],” he said. “I think that’s okay with some things, but it bored me as a student and I didn’t want to be bored as a teacher.”

The most enjoyable moments for Schulte occur when he sees students light up with passion for what they are doing.

“I like seeing when the lightbulb goes on and the kid gets excited about something,” Schulte said. “People need to get excited… That’s what teaching is all about. Somewhere along the line you hope that you connect with somebody and get excited.”

Now, just what will Schulte do during his retirement?

“In late August, when you guys are all back in school, you can think of Mr. Schulte being on some beach somewhere… and being bunion free, bunion free, bunion free, oh to be bunion free,” he said. “It was fun, and it was real, but I’m not sure it was real fun.”

Schulte will be missed by BHS students.

“He didn’t take phones away. That was pretty awesome,” junior Justin Scharf said.

“He was a quirky and thoroughly enjoyable teacher. His Schulteisms will stick with me long after his class ends,” junior Zach Davis said.

“I wish Mr. Schulte nothing but the best in his retirement,” said BHS alumn Noah Ickowicz. “He worked extremely hard in his job, he was the most down to earth person I’ve ever met, and was a great teacher to learn from.”

“He’s hilarious and he has great nicknames for everyone,” said freshman Jackson Bogomolny.

Schulte was a classroom favorite, and he will be missed. It was real fun, Schulte. It was.