BLACK HISTORY MONTH BC ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Mr. Sean Holcey '92

“Fr. Anthony (Wesolowski, O.S.B.), his Latin class, I remember that because when I first got there, oh my goodness, there was a lot more studying that I had to do. I started going to get tutored in Latin. I brought my grade up from something very lacking, I think it was a D, and brought it to an A. And I never looked back after that. I took Latin I and II. Fr. Anthony was very inspirational, always very motivating. Coach Tommy Cannon was (at BC) and not only was he the disciplinarian and my government teacher, but he was the basketball coach. And I was a basketball player. I’d get it in school and then at practice. He’d have me run until I got tired. I’d say the discipline from Coach Cannon, a lot of the things he said to me at the time kind of went over my head but as I got older, I understood it. (Former BC Headmaster) Fr. David (Griffin, O.S.B.), some of the things he said at the time went over my head at the time but now I understand it. Even Fr. Meinrad (Lawson, O.S.B.), he helped me get my first job by just suggesting that I go fill out an application. He showed me how and said, ‘All they can say is no.’ That showed me that regardless of whether you think you’re going to get it or not, put your hat in the game. Just go ahead and try and let’s see what happens. So many lessons. It was a smaller school then so even if you didn’t have a person for class, you still were around them, in their presence. When I talk to my students, I relate to them with lessons that I learned in the classroom at BC. I was no honor student at BC but all those lessons and techniques that I picked up from my teachers, when I take that into the classroom that’s honors-level teaching that I’m giving them. I really appreciate that. Note-taking skills. How to study. I learned how to study at BC. My junior year in college, I really began to see a big difference, a big gap, in what we did at BC and what we were doing even (at Savannah State). And even when I was getting my master’s degree, and my specialist (degree). The things I learned there in high school, I use even today in the adult world in just how to present findings, your thoughts, how to talk to people. We learned public speaking. Brother Tim (Brown, O.S.B.) had us learn how to take notes. I learned to take notes in a very orderly way. I still use that system. I teach that system to my students and it helps them organize their thoughts.”

“I’m not just big with a thick neck. I almost had a doctorate. I just didn’t do my thesis. I didn’t want to do my thesis. I said the specialist was good enough for me. I did not want to do the rest of that writing. I was burned out. This was at Cambridge College in the early 2000s. Went to Cambridge in Boston so I got to study not only at their campus but at MIT and Harvard. It was great training. Everybody I learned from was either a superintendent or at least a principal. I might one day get the doctorate.”

“While I was (at Savannah State), I didn’t get involved with any type of athletics. I went with the artistic side of myself. I was in the Savannah State concert choir and the Savannah State dance ensemble. I did that for two or three years and it was during that time that I got to perform at the opening and closing ceremonies of 1996 Olympics. Also, during that time, in the community, I performed with Ballet South in their seasonal show ‘The Nutcracker.’ I was, a long time ago, about 100 pounds lighter, a classically trained ballet dancer. Ballet and modern. I don’t tell that too often. Most people, if they know, they know. I don’t put that out there too much. I always lifted weights. I was a rather large dancer. I was 180 pounds, 185, and in the world of dance that’s a large man. I always stayed in shape. I always lifted. I always had an interest in Olympic lifting from watching it on television, the Goodwill Games, particularly, as a young man. To me, weightlifting was like magic. The bar was on the ground and the next second it was over your head. Well, the next thing you know, I got involved with the weight team here in Savannah. I’d known about it for years. I met one of the members, so I decided to just go by (the Anderson-Cohen Weightlifting Center) and try it out one day. I liked it. I was good at it. And I just started doing it. That’s when I went away from chorus and the world of dance, and I started getting into weightlifting. I did some theater around that time, too. My last job in the theater was “The Piano Lesson.” I did a local production of that here in town. I played Boy Willie, one of the lead characters. I got a good review from it and that was pretty much it. I closed the door on the artistic side and got into weightlifting. I think it was ’97, maybe ’98, when I did this. I just started doing weight training. I got certified as an Olympic coach and then I began working for the gym (Anderson-Cohen) in ’98, ’99, something like that. And I was with the Hinesville Weightlifting Center, along with the Anderson-Cohen Weightlifting Center here in town. And ’99 was when I started teaching in the public school system.”

“They’re all master’s records. I’ve got that old man strength. I graduated in ’96. Had my degree in political science. And my teaching certificate. And I decided to not go into the classroom immediately, but I went into the world of athletics. I started training young athletes. Had a lot of young athletes who qualified for Junior Nationals, Junior Worlds. I was able to help them get to that next level. Around that time, I was a good local lifter. I worked mainly with Team Savannah and helped them develop athletes. I’m still with Team Savannah to this day, still developing young athletes. I started teaching at that time. First year teaching was rather boring. Nothing exciting happened. But my second year, I went ahead and transferred to an alternative school because I was told by a friend that it was a little more laid back, but you could learn a lot. I got involved in alternative education and I really learned a lot by working with that demographic of child. I won Teacher of the Year there for my school. I forget the year that was. Also there, I did different administrative roles along with my normal teaching roles. I went over to Islands High School around 2014. It was at that time that my son started high school at BC. I was one of the earliest teachers in the district to begin using the Internet, an online classroom. The district used what I was doing as a model for the rest of the district. At least that’s what they told me. When Alex graduated from BC, I found out the football team needed some help in the weight room because one of the community coaches couldn’t do it anymore. After Alex graduated in 2015, I started doing it. I’ve been with (BC) ever since in a volunteer capacity, just helping the boys in the weight room, helping them do what they need to do so they can be the best version of themselves.”