SAA Upper School’s Most Interesting Man

By Meryl Cochran (’25), Student Contributor

If I was asked “Who is the most interesting teacher in the Upper School?” Mr. Garry Shriver would be the first person to come to my mind! Mr. Shriver joined the SAA-SDS faculty in 2021 and currently teaches Foundations of Social Sciences, AP World History, and AP US Government.

He and his wife have a podcast called How to Love Lit where they provide teachers and students with information about important literary pieces. Many people know him for his daily news updates or his love for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, there are many interesting things about Mr. Shriver that people may not know! After interviewing him, I have learned some cool facts:

Before you came to St. Agnes, what kinds of subjects did you teach?

I have taught AP US History, AP Comparative Government, IB History of the Americas, and IB Psychology and AP Psychology. I'm a College Board consultant for AP Psychology and teach at different universities in the summer.

What is the coolest place you have ever traveled to, and why?

The coolest and most interesting place I've been to is the Oracle of Delphi in Greece. The history behind the place is so unusual and important to the region. My favorite place I've visited is Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh was the inspirational setting for the Harry Potter series and it's an ancient place with important history and culture.

How many different countries have you been to, and what countries did you visit?

I have been to France, Italy, Britain, Brazil, Greece, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Scotland (part of the UK), Honduras, and Belize. I guess 10-11.

What is your favorite book?

My favorite books are the dystopian classics like Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. Those authors were super insightful into the costs of suppressing the human spirit and what people will do to preserve their humanity.

When you are not teaching, what are some things you enjoy doing?

I've been a professional musician for a long time, and I enjoy working on music projects with bands or individual artists. I've played in several bands, music theater productions and projects for vocalists. My primary instrument is the guitar, but I have played the banjo, mandolin, and bass guitar for different projects over the years. Working on the podcast is fun too. It's led to a lot of fun unexpected opportunities.

Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names and how many?

I do not have any pets and students find that shocking. I do love other people's dogs but I'm so glad to not take care of one!

What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

I'm a huge football fan. Born and raised in Kansas City, MO (People in the south get confused-it's Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas!) I'm a huge Chiefs fan but I love SEC football too. It's the best college football conference!

You always give us daily news updates about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Do you know any Taylor Swift songs?

First of all, I do the updates because they're ridiculous. The truth is I only know one Taylor Swift song and that one is from 2008. Sorry Swifties!

What is your favorite food to eat from our school's cafeteria?

They haven't had it in a while, but they used to have some really good gumbo and rice that stood out. I would get that every time it was available.

If you could pick one animal to describe you, what animal would it be, and why?

That's a tough one. I think I would have to go with the ring-tailed lemur. It’s a little quirky, curious, likes the ridiculous and can be entertaining.