Ann Arborite Jason McKnight

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That would be Chelsi McKnight, whom he met at party in East Lansing when he was at Michigan and she was at Michigan State. After leaving Oklahoma, he joined her in Lansing, where he subbed for a year. Then, in 2002, he was hired at Community, "where I really wanted to be."

Since McKnight arrived, the number of CHS students taking Latin has risen by a third. With ninety-six students this year, he has almost one in five kids at Community learning the language--much to the delight of his own former teacher.

"I was absolutely astounded and delighted that he became a Latin teacher," says Brinkman. "He's a gift to his students."

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With his wife teaching hearing-impaired students at Tappan Middle School and their two daughters Penelope and Anabel currently in pre-school and first grade at Thurston, the whole family is now in the Ann Arbor school district. "It's nice to have close colleagues teach our kids," McKnight says. "We take education seriously in our family."