Marcus Maw - teacher and athletic trainer - goes “above and beyond” in his connection with students
In his roles as both a teacher and an IHC athletic trainer, Marcus Maw spends long hours at Mountain Crest High School, arriving at work as early as 7:00 am and often working as late as 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. Why? Simply because he loves the kids. “I just like working with the kids. I can relate to them really easily. I’m a kid at heart, and I just get along with them really well,” Maw expressed. “It’s fun to see them learn, and see them heal and be able to come back and compete in their sport when they get injured.”
While teaching a full class load, taping ankles, and helping student-athletes recover from injuries, Maw uses his time to connect with students and push them to be the best they can be. Maw’s dedication and passion for helping students are just a few reasons he was named Mountain Crest High School’s 2022-23 Teacher of the Year.
His love and passion for sports motivated Maw to earn a degree in athletic training from the University of Utah. He then moved to Cache Valley to earn a Master’s in Exercise Science from Utah State. His first job was as an athletic trainer and teacher at Sky View High School. At first, he only taught exercise science, but once he earned his teaching license and continued his education, Maw could teach various subjects. Now, he teaches several health-related subjects, including Advanced Health Science, Exercise Science, Intro to Health Science, and Intro to Emergency Medical Services.
Whether he’s teaching or working with athletes, Maw’s role as a father has greatly influenced his approach to teaching. With two kids of his own, Maw strives to treat every child as if they were his own. “I want my child to be treated well. You want your kids to learn; you want them to be successful. You want your kids to be kind and enjoy their schooling experience,” Maw expressed. “And so that’s how I’ve always looked at it. If that’s how I want my child to be taught, then that’s how I would teach all those other kids.”
During the morning, Maw works as a CCSD teacher. In the afternoons and evenings, he works at the school as an athletic trainer employed by Intermountain Health Care. As Mountain Crest’s athletic trainer, Maw has the opportunity to work with all the Mustang student-athletes and occasionally athletes from other schools. His goal is to treat each athlete the same and help them succeed, no matter which school they play for or the sport they play.
His role as an athletic trainer is to help athletes who have suffered an injury, provide rehabilitation care, and create programs that help strengthen athletes and prevent injuries. He attends every practice and home sporting event the school has - no matter the season or sport. He is there to provide first aid and medical help to any athlete who gets injured.
“Marcus is one of the hardest-working teachers at this school. Not only does he teach all day, but then he spends most of his nights at the school helping our student-athletes. Yes, being an athletic trainer is part of his job description. However, he goes above and beyond by being the best athletic trainer in the region,” explained Teri Cutler, principal at Mountain Crest High School. “Every student-athlete I’ve talked to loves Marcus and thoroughly trusts him. Marcus keeps each student-athlete’s best interests in mind and does a great job expressing his medical opinion and expertise.”