By Logan Cox ’19
The cast of Concordia faculty will be losing one of its most colorful characters at the end of the 2018-19 school year. Christopher Gieschen will be retiring after 42 years of teaching with Concordia. Despite his retirement, Gieschen will be remembered for his devotion to teaching, to God and to Concordia.
Gieschen taught science for nearly his entire career with Concordia, with a particular passion for Creation vs. Evolution.
“I’ve done (Creation vs. Evolution) for years,” he said. “In fact, that’s why I wrote a book about it, which should be published in spring or summer.”
Among the student body, Gieschen is a hallmark of assemblies and basketball games, as he has been spelling “C-A-D-E-T-S” to pump up the crowd for decades.
“Another big push for me was trying to make the fact that you can be an ‘out loud’ Christian even though you're not a religion teacher, and it’s ok to do that,” Gieschen explained.
After 42 years, Gieschen will leave behind a legacy of strong school spirit, and an even stronger, outspoken Christian faith.
Gieschen also left a big mark on Concordia’s theater program. At first, he bought plays to perform, but eventually began writing his own. The “Gieschen Play” is an annual spring event, the most recent of which premiered on April 26.
“When I first started, I actually made the statement in front of the whole faculty: ‘I'm ready to dedicate my life … to the glory of Jesus Christ,” Gieschen said about his time at Concordia. “Now I’m done dedicating all that time, and in my opinion, I think I did a pretty good job of dedicating that to God.”
In his retirement years, Gieschen plans to continue writing, to volunteer, to spend time with family and to substitute teach occasionally.
“I finally get to graduate,” he likes to joke.
For anyone who wants to say goodbye to Gieschen, there are two opportunities available. “An Evening with Mr. G” is a charity event featuring comedy by Gieschen. It takes place on May 11 at 7:30 p.m. The “Say Goodbye to Mr. Gieschen” reception takes place on June 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. Both are at the high school. Watch the Concordia InContact Newsletter for more information. It is a time for anyone and everyone to say goodbye to a beloved Concordia icon.