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Mr. Kelly Clements

After 37 years of teaching and coaching at Springville High school, Mr. Kelly Clements will be retiring from his career of teaching; however, Clements will remain a Driver’s Education instructor here at Springville High. Over the years Clements has taught World History, American History, Government, Modern World Cultures, Current Issues, Utah History, Weight Lifting, Jogging, Financial Literacy, and Drivers Education. He was an assistant coach in basketball, football, and baseball.  He was also head baseball coach.  Clements was also activities director and advised the student council for six years.

Clements has always been a Red Devil.  His class was the first class to graduate from the “new” Springville High school located at its current address; meaning, he was a sophomore when the new school was built and first opened.  The original Springville High school was located by the art gallery, cherry creek, and the old middle School.

Clements attended high school with another Springville High colleague, Mr. Glenn Bird. 

“Glenn Bird was a really close friend of mine.  Glenn was our student body president here at Springville High. I always admired Glenn; he was so much smarter than I was. [Laugh] But, Glenn is the only one in the school who I attended Springville High with.”

Clements reflects on some of his best memories; he said, “I think the best memory is of all the students who are my friends.  I’ve coached a lot of great kids, I’ve been a teacher to a lot of great kids, I’ve cried with them, I’ve laughed with them, and I’ve received more from kids at this school than I ever gave back. I feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world; I feel like I have a lot of friends and those are the greatest memories anyone could ever have, the friends that they develop. The students and staff members are some of my closest friends here at the school.  I don’t know of how good of a teacher I was, I don’t know if I would have been considered a good teacher or a bad teacher, but I do know I was a better teacher because of the kids and the friends that I have here at the school. It’s gonna be hard for me to walk out of here; I’ve been here for a long time.”

To keep busy after retirement, Clements plans on doing a great deal of fishing and hunting as well as catching up on a lot of activities including hunting grizzly and sheep in Alaska and travel to Africa and bow hunt.

“I would like to do what Ernest Hemmingway did; sit in front of a walled tent and listen to lions roar at night,” said Clements.

As a final note Mr. Clements added, “I just want to say that I think Springville High is the best school in the state of Utah. I love it dearly, and I’m a red devil through and through. I just hope I was able to give back a small portion of what I received because I feel I was extremely lucky to have the job I had and be with the people and students here.  I know the students that graduate from here are the best in the state.”