Having joined Susquehannock’s ranks last school year, Brady Bowman is a health teacher at here, but also a basketball coach at Dover High School.

Many people do not know that he attended Dover or why he decided to teach at Susquehannock, a previous rival school.

Bowman was born at the dawn of the new millennium, in the year 2000, in Dover, a small town in Southern Pennsylvania, at the time containing only 1,815 people as per the U.S. Census.

As a child, he was a fan of a multitude of subjects.

“It’s weird because I have two,” Bowman said. “I’ve always loved math as a kid, and when I got to middle school, I loved math, and in high school, I took AP calc. But my true passion was always sports, so I really enjoyed learning the life concepts in health and participating in the sports activities and P.E.”

As time went on, Bowman would eventually find himself on the Dover basketball team. Using his skills, he quickly became a star player and even made it into the news site, the “York Daily Record” after his team got a decisive win against Kennard Dale in a game between the two teams.

“Well, in high school, I was a part of a very good basketball team at Dover, so it allowed me, as a senior, to be interviewed for our upcoming game that season,” Bowman said. “I think it grew me as a person and turned me into a better leader, because I was able to speak to the media about the work that my teammates, coaches and [I] as a person put in to get where we were in that sport. “

After high school, Bowman continued on his journey, taking an internship with his PE teacher and taking a major in elementary education at Kutztown. Overtime, he switched to health and physical education.

“I started my college career at Kutztown after doing a mini-internship with my health and physical education teacher at my high school in Dover,” Bowman said. “…when I started at Kutztown, I was an elementary education major; (I) realized it’s not exactly where I wanted to be.”

Bowman made the decision to transfer to Coastal Carolina and major in both health and physical education.

“I graduated from Coastal Carolina with that degree, and I moved back to York looking for a teaching job,” Bowman said. “I interviewed at multiple places, and Susquehannock School District was one of them. And I was blessed with the opportunity to teach here, and it is something that I am grateful for every day.”

Bowman began teaching in 2023 with a mixed schedule, teaching middle school for most of the day and high school for first period. In 2024, his schedule switched, with him teaching high school at the end of the day for two periods instead of one at the start. Nowadays, Bowman teaches at Susquehannock both as a health and PE teacher, as well as a coach at Dover. Bowman shares his feelings on being conflicted or torn with teaching at two rival schools.

“Conflicted or torn? No,” Bowman said. “I will say teaching in Susquehannock has been a very welcoming opportunity to be around the new school district, new people and new kids. I felt welcomed ever since I stepped foot in here, and I enjoy working here with the people as well as the students. Coaching at Dover has been something for me that is important because I was raised there, and I went through that program. So I’m giving back to my community that built me up as a person.”

Freshman Miles Garret, a student at Susquehannock, comments on how students here at Susky view this rival school.

“I’m very indifferent towards Dover, but Mr. Bowman has allowed me to view Dover a bit more favorably because it’s clearly gotten him here, which I think is quite the feat of Dover and Mr. Bowman,” Garret said.

Another teacher at Susquehannock who coaches at another school is Kevin Lawrence.

“It is admittedly odd, as a teacher and coach; all you want to do is see your players be successful,” Lawrence said. “Usually the success of one group does not affect the other, but when our baseball teams play, it certainly creates a really challenging, emotional day for me.”

Despite these challenges, Bowman continues to have a bright and optimistic view of the world, believing that he needs to be a good example to his students.

“I think that the lasting memories and legacies that I give to students is someone who helped them when they were having a bad day,” Bowman said. “Help them answer a question when they weren’t understanding it. Someone who explained and taught them new life lessons as well as content in regards to health and PE every day, and someone that when they go out and they’re in public, aren’t afraid to say hi to them. ”

Through Bowman’s effort, it seems the students at the school agree that he has made a positive impact on their lives.

“Mr. Bowman has [made] my life much better because he’s… a wonderful role model because he’s very fit,” Miles said. “He’s very intelligent, and he also incorporates a lot of humor and laid backness.… his teaching style, … I do respect.“