STAFF SPOTLIGHT: A mentor, A teacher, A champion: The Unwavering Legacy of Wavie Gibson III

What if your teacher wasn’t just great in the classroom, but also a legend on the wrestling mat? Meet Mr. Wavie Gibson — a state champion, Hall of Famer, and the coach who’s been turning students into champions for decades. Mr. Gibson is one of the most powerful staff here at The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Mr. Wavie Gibson began teaching 27 years ago in 1997, and has achieved countless things such as becoming the wrestling coach in 2014. Wavie Gibson III fell in love with wrestling when he became a wrestling manager due to his skill level in the 7th and 8th grades at Mardela High School on the Eastern Shore. In high school, “Wavie” made the wrestling team and graduated in 1982, when he went undefeated and became Mardela’s first wrestling state champion under coach David Decker. He went to college on a full academic scholarship for wrestling and in his senior year (1986) at the UM Eastern Shore, Mr. Gibson placed third in the MEAC, became an Eastern Regional qualifier and was named the team’s most “outstanding wrestler.” When he moved to Baltimore, he became an educator at Walbrook Sr. High. He then started practicing with their wrestling team, becoming an assistant coach in 1987. The team was undefeated that year and won the MSA conference title. Mr. Gibson became head coach in 1989. In the 1992-1993 season, his team led Baltimore City into the MPSSAA where they had nine regional qualifiers along with six state qualifiers in their tournament debuts. Mr Gibson coached some of the first state placers from Baltimore City. Coach Gibson transferred to The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute where his success was just beginning. His Poly teams were always present in the top rankings of Baltimore City Public Schools: they became the first Baltimore City team to become a number one seed and host a regional dual meet tournament. We asked Mr. Gibson if his colleagues were to describe him in three words: “strict, friendly, and busy” is what he answered. Coach Gibson’s team seniors from 1999 to 2014 had an unbelievable college acceptance rate of 89%, all while he was teaching at Poly as a Chem 1 and Chem 2 teacher. He is currently in the Poly Hall of Fame and serving as science department chair.

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