Coach Spotlight: Carl Harken

Have you ever seen that really tall teacher in the hallway? When you see him, it is a great possibility that he has one leg propped up on the wall and is always in khakis? Okay great, now you know who I’m referring to! That’s Coach Harken, JV head baseball coach and history teacher.

Carl Harken is from Cedar Rapids, IA. He graduated from Washington High School, and later attended Kirkwood Community College and Union University.

Coach Harken has been teaching at CHS for 2 years. Here at CHS, Harken teaches U.S. Government. Coach Harken has a degree in political science, history, and education. He previously worked at Scotts Hill High School and Germantown High School. Right now, he only teaches seniors. Depending on the quarter, he prefers to teach all seniors.

His favorite thing about being a teacher is seeing the students succeed in the classroom. As well with baseball, but the field. Harken decided he wanted to be a baseball coach 5 years after graduating high school. Although, his dream career is to be an astronaut. Maybe if he would have become an astronaut, he would be at home a lot more.

Coach Harken is happily married, with a daughter. His daughter’s name is Ellison Harken, and she is 1 year old. If you’ve previously had or are currently taking Harken’s class, you’ve probably seen his wedding video. Fun time to mention, he was once bald! Last fact, Tom Brady is his favorite athlete, his reasoning is “Tom Brady is the best athlete of all time”.

Hopefully, now Coach Harken isn’t just that tall history teacher in khakis. You might know a little background about him now. REMEMBER, April 17th is Carl Harken Day!