Christopher Delay, known to his students as “Mr. Delay,” or as the name plate on his desk says, “Mr. Wonderful,” is the walking embodiment of irony. For much of his life, Delay has enjoyed activities that seem contradictory.
He played a lot of sports while attending Abilene High School. Delay participated in football, basketball, baseball, track and field, and cross country. On top of being involved in Scholars’ Bowl, select choir, student council, this typical high school school “jock” did something that was not typically “normal” for a big football player--he joined the school musical his freshman year.
“My sophomore year [of high school], our director casted me as the lead in the play,” Delay said. I enjoyed it then got a scholarship to Emporia State, I lived my dream of running a theatre out at Great plains Theatre.”
Delay was naturally fit for the Solomon Schools’ theatre program director.
“I just happened to see a Facebook post and was curious,” Delay said about what brought him to Solomon. “I’m sure glad that I was curious.”
Mr. Delay’s class-load includes freshman and junior English, along with a college speech class. Mr. Delay’s long history of teaching came from his love for performance.
“I've always had a desire to perform and to do service and this is a good mixture of both,” Delay said.
Delay brings 22 years of teaching experience and has taught grades 6-12 at schools in Kansas and Missouri. The years of experience have made him a truly seasoned teacher.
“I have enjoyed getting to know him,” said music teacher John Luce. “He is a lot of fun and interacts very well with his students and is willing to put in the extra effort to his students.”
Editing by Nicole Price and Alana Wood
Photo by Luka Hayes