A Filter in the Growth of O'Dea Gentlemen - Mr. Chambers

"What's funny is I actually hated English class-- I always wanted to be a math teacher."

William Aquinas Chambers. More notably known as Mr. Chambers at O'Dea High School, has not only displayed his impact on the baseball field, but in the classroom as well. To know Mr. Chambers, a deep dive into his early life will be needed, starting with his upbringing in Bellingham, Washington. His early years of academic prowess started at Assumption Catholic School K-8, that being it was the only Catholic school in Bellingham.

From there he attended Meridian High School, becoming a 3-sport athlete in football, baseball, and basketball. In his junior year, he won a state championship in football as a receiver and defensive-back, but lost the state championship his senior year. Playing his favorite sport, basketball, he was a, "4-5 hybrid, but we weren't very good," he says. On the baseball field, he played centerfield he had some wheels and a decent bat, too. But unfortunately, he had shoulder surgery prior to his senior year so he could no longer make the long throw, so transitioned to 2nd base.

Post high school, Chambers became a teacher, after graduating Gonzaga University with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religious studies. Then, he continued his studies at the University of Portland, graduating with a master's degree in secondary education and teaching. While attending the University of Portland, he taught down in Salt Lake, Utah at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, there he taught theology, math, and English to 6th-8th grades. After 2 years of being in Utah, he moved up to Yakima and taught a year at A.C. Davis High School, where he was a sophomore and senior English teacher, and running a Collection of Evidence class before and after school.

Chambers, then moved back closer to home, becoming the 7th/8th grade English teacher for St. Louise Catholic School in Bellevue. But, he also made an impact on Bellevue High School's girls basketball program, which was his first high school coaching stint. Chambers, as the JV head coach and varsity assistant help lead the Wolverines to a state championship in 2015-2016, and become #6 ranked team in the country. He most notably coached former Seattle Seahawk All-Pro Russell Wilson's younger sister, Anna Wilson, who was an incredible athlete in her own right, as a McDonald's All-American who went on to play at Stanford University and win a national championship.

After 11 years of honing his teaching and coaching skills, Chambers made his way to O'Dea High School. He had first heard about O'Dea by the 8th-grade students he taught at St. Louise, and how they were planning on attending O'Dea after middle school. Additionally he had cousins attend O'Dea while he was growing up. Currently, Mr. Chambers is the sophomore English/English honors teacher and freshman baseball coach. He also had a small coaching gig on the JV tennis, "I certainly learned a lot, pretty laid back though, and the guys were great to be around," he says.

Mr. Chambers is a man of many traits, and many talents. He can teach and coach many subjects and sports, but there's a deeper meaning to his teaching.

"I want my students to become good people-- I want them to learn how to interact with others on a personal level... I never really want to focus mainly on what we learn, but how we learn."

That bachelor's in philosophy truly does come into play when talking about his passion for growing young men. Almost all O'Dea gentlemen have been taught by Mr. Chambers, and if they haven't they've met him in the hallways, smiling, joking around, and being an overall great influence on the young men that encounter him.