Written by Doug Goodnough
Ardith Straight Shea, ’86, knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a teacher. With both of her parents, Arlo, ’57, and Judith, ’60, career educators, she decided she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
“I honestly think it’s in the blood,” she said, “because my family is pretty much teachers and preachers.”
Growing up in the Chicago area, she had her sights set on Eastern Illinois University, where she could potentially walk on to the volleyball team. However, when that opportunity faded, she visited Hillsdale College, where she had a chance to work out for then-volleyball coach Phyllis Cupp.
“We drove home and then I was offered a scholarship, and that’s where I landed,” Shea said of her Hillsdale visit. “And they had an education program.”
After a standout college career that included first team All-NAIA District 23 honors as a senior, Shea has carved out an impressive teaching career. The health and physical education major has taught at all levels in both private and public school settings and is currently teaching in the Graduation Opportunities for Learning and Development (GOLD) alternative program at Round Lake High School in Round Lake, Illinois.
She said her current position, where she is starting her ninth year, has been very rewarding.
“It’s all the kids who do not make it at a regular school,” said Shea, who oversees students completing online coursework. “Some of them come in, some of them can’t come in. I get kids who have to work full time and support their parents and families. So it’s a lot of the most at-risk population. These kids need me in a different way from what I’ve experienced before.”
Earning her master’s degree from National Louis University and her Ph.D. in educational leadership from Vanderbilt University, she also has taught as an adjunct professor at both the College of Lake County and at Trinity International University.
She also did her share of coaching, including volleyball, basketball, and track. And she even taught at the preschool level, although she took a few years off to raise a family. Shea and her second husband, David, have raised a blended family of seven children, six of whom are grown. They like to garden and travel, and Shea said she still enjoys working out regularly.
At Hillsdale, she was a member of the 1982 volleyball team that finished fifth at the NAIA national tournament. Although she was primarily a setter, she also played outside hitter and middle when needed.
“We had a younger team,” Shea said of the 1982 squad. “We expected to land at nationals again the next year, but we had a lot of injuries, and we never made it back. I think we were pretty strong in the conference (GLIAC) at the time.”
She also played softball for two years and pledged the Pi Beta Phi sorority during her junior year. Dr. John Willson’s history classes and the relationships she made both on the team and on campus are ones she said she still cherishes. And completing her student-teaching with Hillsdale grad Ivan Fedosuk, ’74, who was a volunteer volleyball coach at the time, was also memorable.
“That was a phenomenal experience,” she said of student-teaching third graders at Jonesville Community Schools. “He was a great mentor.”
Shea said she follows the current Chargers volleyball program and is impressed with their continued success, as well as with head coach Chris Gravel.
“It’s pretty amazing,” she said of the current program. “I was kind of jealous I didn’t get to play for him. I’ve never met him, but thought, ‘Gosh, I think I missed out.’”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in August 2024
