The Mayor of Middle School Retires

For the past 24 years, Mr. Chris Downs' energetic voice has boomed throughout the Gilman Middle School. Whether you heard his voice in the classroom cajoling students to do better, out at a Gilman heckling a referee, or cheering actors on at the play, Mr. Downs' voice immediately announced his presence. However, Gilman will soon miss out on his heckling and cheering as Mr. Downs will enter retirement this summer. 

Mr. Downs started his teaching career in 1999 at Pikesville Middle School after 14 years of working as a litigation attorney. Following his short two-year tenure at Pikesville, Mr. Downs began teaching at Gilman in 2001. For the last twenty-four years, Mr. Downs has taught United States History along with Ancient Greek and Roman History. He became the Middle School History Department Coordinator in 2014, and he served as the Eighth Grade Chair for 17 years.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Downs has also been a proud advisor and coach throughout his entire tenure at Gilman. He has coached middle school water polo, basketball, and baseball. Along with all his Middle School duties, Mr. Downs’ most cherished memories have come from his participation in Gilman Senior Retreat, which he calls “the single greatest thing we do at the Gilman School.” 

Mr. Lawson, head of the Gilman Middle School, explained that Mr. Downs’ position as head of the history department will be filled by Richard Shock ‘08, a former student of Mr. Downs, upon his retirement. From his time as a student of Mr. Downs, Mr. Shock recalled that “he truly cared about us as students,” and “it was clear that he wanted what's best for each of us.” Moreover, this care continued when they became colleagues. Mr. Shock fondly reflected,  “I'm a better teacher (and coach, husband, father, friend) because of Mr. Downs, and I hope to emulate him each and every day.” 

However, it is a tall task to emulate the legend that is Mr. Downs. But what made Mr. Downs such a legend and role model to all? It was his never-ending and energetic drive to not only teach Gilman boys history but also life lessons and what it truly means to embody Gilman. Mr. Downs called everyone he interacted with, from his own students and advisees to kids he had never taught, to show up for one another, support each other, and showcase the brotherhood of Gilman. Mr. Downs explained, “When I tell my advisees, my students, my players, to be involved in the community, and if I'm not with that involvement, it's not right. So I try to model for students what it means to be an involved member in the community.” Indeed, even if you never knew or interacted with Mr. Downs, you probably saw him at one of your games, matches, or rehearsals, simply showing up to support his beloved community. 

 Similarly, Mr. Downs, despite appreciating all aspects of Gilman greatly, emotionally shared that he would “miss the students” the most, specifically, “the organic interactions with students that occur every day.” John Watson ‘27 told The News that one fond memory he had of Mr. Downs was when he learned “whenever Mr. Downs would hear the song Dancing Queen by ABBA, he would start dancing, even during Towson softball games where he’s a coach for Towson softball; whenever he hears the song, he’ll start dancing in the middle of the field.” Donovan Herb ‘26 remembered, “my favorite thing about his class was the arguments we got into. We had some really good debates in his class…being able to feel comfortable enough to have a different opinion, and then talk through it with him was really fun.” Finally, Benjamin Gilner ‘25 and former advisee of Mr. Downs stated, “When being around Mr. Downs, I started to understand how much your attitude actually matters in school and that being energetic and outgoing will make you more willing to learn and grow.” 

To mark the end of his time in the middle school, Mr. Downs spoke at the Eighth Grade Graduation, following the tradition of a departing faculty member speaking to the graduating class. In addition to his farewell speech, Mr. Downs was also formally honored at the Middle School Graduation for his distinguished service to the community. It was a fitting sendoff for a Gilman legend. 

After Gilman, Mr. Downs will move down to South Carolina to be closer to his grandchildren, which he explains is the biggest factor in his decision to finally retire from Gilman. We all wish Mr. Downs the best in this next phase of his life. Gilman has truly been blessed to have him with us for all these years. As Mr. Downs himself would say, “Once a part of Gilman, always a part of Gilman.”