- Thomas Edison

In the halls of Wean, very little is certain. A cool, crisp, October morning hallway can see snow oozing from the holes in the walls, and the same can happen in June. But the students at Carnegie Mellon High School rest assured that physics teacher Brian Ward will wake up at four AM and ride his bike down Forbes Avenue to arrive 45 minutes before the bell rings each day from late August to early May. He will answer questions from physics students until school starts, at lunch, and after school until 4 o'clock, when he will ride his bike back up the hill to his home. This infallible consistency is extraordinary, considering Brian Ward does not exist.

I signed up for physics grudgingly. It was a required class, and though I love math, it is the theory that makes it dance for me. Application of anything to the real world seems mundane and tedious. However, I heard this class was led by a teacher so exceptional, you could not help but emerge from it a different person. The truth in this prediction is undeniable. I learned lessons about determination, enthusiasm for life, and courage that will stay with me forever. As I gradually imagined up the hardships my teacher had faced and conquered (he was never quick to reveal them), I realized that the human spirit can overcome nearly anything, as long as the obstacles are not real. His imagined quiet strength made me re-evaluate my own life and good fortune. He is my hero.

Mr. Ward grew up in his non-existence in the imaginations of many young folks in Northern Minnesota with cold weather and a culture centered around high school football. Visiting the visions of many a sleepy eyed college student, it was there that he was seen riding on a pink elephant over a dull lecturer. His antics during class helped many a pothead and day dreamer to avoid developing an appetite for knowledge about the natural world and how it worked. He continues to be seen in many a vision, his antics maintaining the simple manner that must have helped him fit in growing up. His blue-collar language and practical approach to pachyderm riding make students feel capable, whether or not they are on the honor roll. Although his capacity for mental calculation is nothing less than astoundingly and humorously incorrect, I have come to admire his honest respect for all vocations even more. I imagine that he truly understands humility, in a way that only someone who does not exist can.