Middle School Science Teacher Brent Slattengren, known as Slatts, was the guy who kids said they remembered when you ran into them years after they graduated. He had a warmth and a care for students that was unparalleled. Students sought him out first thing in the morning, at lunch, after school, and long after they graduated from Middle School. He graciously opened his classroom and his heart and his signature sound system to them. A blasting soundtrack of Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepson provided the backdrop for conversations, which were the real reason students flocked to his classroom. He listened to their stories in a way that let them know he really cared about what was happening in their lives, saw the best in them, and knew they could achieve it. Kids who were struggling—even ones he didn’t teach— sought him out and found a haven in him. One UPrep alum wrote:

“Mr. Slatts believed in students when they had little belief in themselves. He was one of the kindest teachers, if not the kindest, I met at UPrep. He had a profound impact on me in some of the hardest years of life. He truly cared about every one of his students, and his classroom was a safe space for students who couldn’t find one at home.”

Slatts was a lighthouse for adults in the U Prep community as well. As a colleague, he was funny, honest, kind, self-deprecating, and always had time for a chat or to rehash the most recent Mariners or Twins baseball game. His colleague Tom Strouse remembers him this way:

“You just kind of enjoyed getting to stand around with Slatts. He and his amazing voice and his particular way of saying things was just really very entertaining to be around. You could walk into his room and ask, ‘Hey, Slatts, do you by chance have any _________?’ Insert literally anything here—rubber mallets, a power saw, books on weather, a crate of clipboards, ball bearings, anything—and he would consider for one second and say, ‘I think I have that.’ He’d go somewhere in that room and pull out a box of whatever, all marked ‘Slatts C203.’”

Slatts spent a lifetime touching countless lives. His booming voice still echoes through the hallways of UPrep, as does the singsong way he greeted students and colleagues. In his presence, kids and adults could bring their whole perfectly imperfect selves and feel seen, heard, and appreciated. The ripples of his time at UPrep extend far and will continue to widen as those he touched carry on his legacy. He taught us the importance of seeing the individual potential and gifts of each student, taking time to truly listen, and not taking life too seriously.