Photo submitted by Kelly Shuey
Johnsonburg native Kelly Shuey is currently a biology teacher at Port Allegany Junior-Senior High School.

By Greg Reedy
Sports Editor

Johnsonburg native Kelly Shuey's first thoughts of teaching didn't come from Elk County.
She said they came from Prospect after working at Lutherlyn Church Camp.
"I first thought about becoming a teacher after taking a summer job as a Day Camp Director for a church camp called Lutherlyn in Prospect," Shuey said. "I traveled to different churches around Pennsylvania and ran week-long day camps for children including games, bible studies, plays and songs. It was an amazing experience. It was then that I took my Biology degree and went on to pursue a teaching certification at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford."
Shuey is currently a biology teacher at Port Allegany Junior-Senior High School. She said the adjustment is going well and the experience at Lutherlyn helped her with the adjustment to a professional career.
"I don’t believe I’ve had any real surprises having worked with young people before," Shuey said. "Sometimes it can be frustrating when you are so passionate about a subject and it is not received with the same enthusiasm. However, some students are like sponges and push you to excel at your craft by researching even further for answers they need as they push themselves."
Shuey said she has used experiences from past teachers to serve as mentors.
"I have had some really terrific teachers in the past to mentor me," Shuey said. "Quite honestly when you have had a teacher that perhaps fell short of your expectations that are also an invaluable learning tool for a new teacher. I know that I don’t want to be that teacher that failed to excite a passion for learning in his/her students."
When looking for potential opportunities in her career, she said she was pursuing many options. One option she nearly took was accepting a position in South Korea. She said family was a big reason she decided to stay in this region.
"I was pursuing several options and I was very nearly ready to accept a position in South Korea when I heard about an opening in Port Allegany and decided that I should apply there as well," Shuey said.  "Having been offered both jobs, I decided that with my youngest two brothers in their last years of high school and my sister giving birth to my little nephew (and later a niece), I wanted to be near home to watch the boys in their athletic events and certainly to be Nick and Lily’s 'favorite' aunt."
Kelly is the daughter of Bill and Donna Shuey of Johnsonburg. Staying around the area at Port Allegany also allowed her to aid her father in coaching volleyball.
"I also was offered the junior varsity girls volleyball coaching position at Johnsonburg High School," Shuey said. "The opportunity to work with my dad coaching was also an important reason to stick around."