As the end of the 2025 school year approaches, Manitou Springs High School prepares to say goodbye to Toby Partridge, a teacher whose impact on the school will be felt after he leaves at the end of this year.
Partridge, who has been teaching government and history at MSHS for three years, announced that he will be leaving at the end of the school year to pursue new opportunities that align more closely with his values.
“I was kind of looking for a new direction,” Partridge said. “I’m looking for a school that’s got more freedom for me to teach to my values, like civic education. It’s not to say it doesn’t happen here, but especially with the latest how the political realm has been recently and all of that, I’m looking for an opportunity to be able to speak more broadly to that.”
Teaching, for Partridge, has always been what he has wanted to do. “My parents tell me we used to play school, and I was always the teacher,” he said. “I think it’s important that we have people who are passionate about teaching and making sure that students are good citizens and that they’re prepared to go out into the world.”
While Partridge is moving on from MSHS, he isn’t leaving education behind. He’s currently exploring opportunities at charter schools and considering new ways to engage students in civic learning. “I’ve even thought about moving to middle school,” he said. “It would be a big change, but if we can introduce civic education earlier, we have a better shot at helping students grow into informed, responsible citizens.”
Throughout his time at MSHS, Partridge said he learned a great deal from both colleagues and students alike. “Actually, I’ll give a shoutout to Ben Gilliam,” he said. “He really showed me through his advocacy for educational psychology and neurosequential modeling how to connect with students better where they are, rather than just teaching to a kid as if everything is hunky-dory.”
Partridge also credited his department chair, Brian Brown, for consistent support and his close working relationship with Dr. Paola Valladares, a Spanish teacher at MSHS. “She and I started here at the same time,” he said. “We’ve done a ton of stuff with AI and presented at different conferences about how that can be responsibly used in the classroom.”
Valladares expressed similar appreciation. “He has such great qualities. He is very innovative. He really taught me so much about AI and how to use it in a proper way in school,” she said. “I think he’s a very curious person, and I think that’s why we’re really good friends.”
One thing about Partridge that really stands out is his teaching style. Through his time teaching at MSHS one of Partridge’s favorite lessons that he taught was the “Murder Board” project. “I was trying to think of a way to teach the causes of the Civil War in a way that felt very hands on,” he said. “I took yarn and stretched it out to different causes and events. All of my students got a ton out of that. I think it really illustrated things well.”
For the staff at MSHS, Partridge wasn’t just a fellow staff member and teacher, he was a friend. “I love Mr. Partridge,” fellow history teacher Sam Duff said. “He was my first friend that I made when I started. He’s incredibly knowledgeable and wants the best for kids.”
Looking back on the impact he’s made on MSHS, Partridge hopes it’s a positive one. “I hope that I’ve connected with the marginalized kids,” Partridge said. “Not necessarily the ones failing or getting straight A’s, but the ones in between. I connect best with what I call ‘The Misfits.’ I want them to know that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but you’ve got to ask the right questions. Be the most curious. Be the one asking why.”
As Partridge prepares to move on after the end of this school year, his impact on MSHS will remain in the lessons taught and through the questions students will continue to ask and his passion for education will continue to impact students wherever he goes after this year. “Partridge does a really good job of showing his passion within the realm of education and showing students how cool it is to learn new things.” Duff said. “And I think his passion for history kind of resonates with a lot of students and allows them to, kind of, like, pursue their passion in history and psychology and government and world.”
