New Lakewood Ranch teacher inspired by shooting victims

Ethan Schefft- Mustangs Ahead

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- Lakewood Ranch High School (LRHS) English teacher Remington Fiore is a new teacher at LRHS and had a “horrible tragedy” that made him value safety more than ever.

Fiore was a senior at Ft. Laurderdale’s Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, when a mass shooting at the campus perpetrated by a 19-year-old former student left 17 dead and 17 more wounded in less than six minutes.

“I knew most of the victims,” Fiore said. “One of my really good friends was one who passed, Carmen Schentrup...we had three or four classes together.”

Fiores said the tragedy impacts his classroom every day.

“It makes me want to make every day a positive day. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or six minutes...the time it takes for a mass shooting like that.”

He said he wants his students to appreciate safety, too.

“All the safety procedures we follow I don’t take for granted. When we do drills I tell my students we’re doing this as if it’s real.”

Fiore was born in Salem, Oregon, and moved to an area a little north of Los Angeles to attend elementary school in California. In middle school, Fiore moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL and went to the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. He has a degree in religious studies and philosophy.

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“My initial goal after graduating was to become an Episcopal priest. When I got out of school I was interested in helping people with finer things in life. After a while I realized that could happen if I made the switch to being a teacher. I’m not good at math and don't know enough to teach science, but I’ve read every book known to man,” he laughed.

Some hobbies Fiore has include reading, playing video games, and Fiore said, “when the weather isn't as hot, I enjoy doing things outside such as kayaking/boating/hiking.”

Fiore has been teaching for four years and has taught at Johnson K-8 and Lincoln Memorial Middle.

When asked his favorite thing about teaching, he said, “My all-time favorite thing in the world is when a student passionately shares a perspective that is different (or even rivals my own). I treasure those discussions.”

Fiore has “heard about the amazing things happening here at LRHS” and this led him to apply at LRHS.

Photo - Ethan Schefft