WCHS technology teacher Justin Ostry has strongly encouraged his students to take the internship class, yet he recently came to the realization that most seniors are taking double math classes. A common pairing for seniors is to take both AP Statistics and Multivariable Calculus, both of which are taught by WCHS mathematics teacher Curtis Hart-Southworth. Taking double math classes has prevented many incoming seniors from signing up for internships, which heavily angered Ostry.
“I was so angry,” Ostry said. “I wanted to recruit more students and here Mr. Hart-Southworth was TAKING them from me! I knew something had to be done so I took matters into my own hands.”
With that being said, during lunch on March 25, 2024, Ostry left his homebase, the tech hallway, and marched into the math office. Ostry decided he was going to take some of Hart-Southworth’s students. When Hart-Southworth refused, Ostry got violent.
“Here I was trying to enjoy my lunch when all of a sudden, BAM!” Hart-Southworth said with a bruised nose. “I was sucker punched right in the face.”
However, Hart-Southworth didn’t back down without a fight. He decided he would fight Ostry, and whoever won got to take students for their class.
“We started to move into the hallway as we fought each other,” Ostry said. “I was scared I would lose but I would rather lose my dignity and prove my passion for my class than lose students for internship.”
Both teachers seemed to have different ideas of the altercation between each other. As Ostry proved he would do anything for his internship class to gain more recognition, Hart-Southworth was only trying to protect himself and his students.
“Everything happened so fast,” Hart-Southworth said. “I first thought we were going to have a civil conversation as adults, but Ostry seemed to have other plans.”
Once students and teachers heard the commotion outside, there was a huge crowd of people circling the fight, with all the WCHS math department cheering on Hart-Southworth. WCHS security guard JT had to get in the middle and stop it before someone got hurt.
“After the fight had finally ended, I knew I had won,” Ostry said. “Hart-Southworth was crying to security knowing he did not stand a chance, and now his students can take my internship class.”
It seems as if the administration considered this fight as they decided to move the students taking AP Statistics next year with Hart-Southworth and switched it to an internship period with Ostry. While it may be a hard pill to swallow for Hart-Southworth, Ostry was the one on top.
“I just wish I knew ahead of time what Ostry was planning,” Hart-Southworth said. “We will be having a rematch and this time I will be ready to defend my students.”
