Fred Schenck was a familiar sight at the Teacher Appreciation nights held by Evanston’s various athletic teams over a 25-year tenure as an English teacher at ETHS, as more than one of the student-athletes he taught appreciated his ardent support.
He even won the ESPY-type award for Best School Spirit created by athletic director Chris Livatino one year before retiring in 2019.
Schenck’s connection to ETHS athletics is still a strong one. So strong, in fact, that he roots for just about anyone --- at any level --- wearing a Wildkit uniform.
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You could make the case that he’s the No. 1 Evanston superfan. And if you don’t think so, just ask the members of the ETHS frosh-soph baseball team.
When he couldn’t stay to watch the finish of Evanston’s matchup with New Trier Monday, he told the players before he departed that if they came back and beat the Trevians, he’d buy the team dinner.
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And when the Kits rallied for a 6-5 walkoff win --- with John Major scoring the winning run on a bloop single by Owen Hoff --- Schenck followed through on his promise.
The fact that none of the players even knew who Schenck was prior to the game didn’t matter. Schenck hand-delivered a couple of Panino’s pizzas to Wednesday’s practice for a celebratory feast.
The Kits also defeated New Trier 3-0 in 11 innings last Tuesday, but couldn’t complete the sweep Thursday and bowed 11-0 even though Schenck brought a broom along with him to that game hoping to pump the players up for a sweep.
He’s known for his creative, and sometimes humorous, cheering in the stands in an era where spectators spend more time looking at their phones than the games.
And it’s all in good fun.
“I remember cheering for my daughter, watching her at travel softball games, and I realized watching through her eyes that I should learn to be positive in my cheering,” Schenck said. “I don’t know why more parents don’t cheer like that. It’s really surprising how much you can pump kids up, and get into the other team’s heads at the same time.
“I certainly miss the kids now that I’m retired. That trophy for being the best fan is one of my most prized possessions, and one of my favorite memories of this place.”
Schenck attended a variety of sports events, and school musicals and other extra-curricular events in support of his students over the years. And he didn’t actually intend to watch the frosh-soph team Monday when he showed up at ETHS. He didn’t know that the varsity baseball game had been switched to New Trier because of wet field conditions, so he wandered over to the adjacent frosh-soph field to see if the younger Kits could take down their rivals.
“No sport has my love like baseball. Baseball and jazz are America’s two greatest contributions to society,” Schenck said. “Monday I just came to watch some baseball, and I wasn’t going to pass up a game.
“When I had to leave early, they were down against New Trier, and I told them keep fighting, you can do this, and if you do I’ll buy the team dinner. And then later that night I get a text that they got a walk-off win.”
At Wednesday’s pizza party, frosh-soph coach Kyle Gessert and his players (after a formal introduction to their benefactor) were happy to re-live the moments that led to that dramatic victory.
“I knew who he was because he was a co-teacher with Sam Cairo (former lower level baseball coach at ETHS) before he retired,” said Gessert. “But all of the players were asking who is this dude? He had some hilarious cheers, some that I couldn’t even understand. And he brought the kind of energy that the kids just loved. I think this was a really cool experience for them.
“I remember him coming out to our games when Sam (Cairo) was coaching. He’d lean into the dugout, asking the names of the kids, and when we gave him the info he’d make up specific cheers for that kid. I just love that.
“He’s an out-there kind of guy, but he’s creative and he’s always positive. That’s great role modeling for our kids. And he showed them that you can bring a lot of energy and still bring good sportsmanship with that, too.”
“These are the things that kids will always remember. This is important to them, that they were able to come back and beat their rivals,” Schenck added.
“And they were able to eat to their heart’s content, too.”
