Mr. Merkle’s Magic

Throughout his time at West, Steve Merkle has been a light in and outside of the school community. He has worked as a special education teacher for 30 years, 24 at West, but his teaching journey started years before when he set out to become a woodworking teacher. “I thought I was going to go be a teacher, and I loved working with wood. I loved my industrial arts classes; [they were] probably th...

From lugging around parade tricycles in his pickup truck to carrying bags of cookies and scotcheroos through the hallway, Merkle does it all to support his students.  “I always told [former Principal] Jerry Arganbright, ‘You know, if you ever hire a new guy [after] me, he's gonna have to have a pickup [truck],’” Merkle said. Merkle appreciates the liveliness required in special educati...

When Merkle isn’t engaged in his work at West, he spends time with his family and friends exploring the outdoors. Merkle finds peace in canoeing, hiking and woodworking. One of his favorite activities, though, is hunting.  “I just sit there and watch nature, and it's relaxing. I might even fall asleep for a little bit,” Merkle said. “One thing that is amazing is it's never the same. You h...