From cadaver lab to high jump, South teacher pushes students toward excellence

Ahead of the 2025 Crystal Apple Awards for outstanding educators on May 29, Salem Reporter is profiling several of the 101 nominees. The awards are presented by the McLaran Leadership Foundation and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce at the Salem Convention Center. Tickets are sold out, though viewing room tickets are available for $25.

Tyson Gilmour has been to a cadaver lab so many times that he no longer notices the smell.

When his South Salem High School anatomy students complain the field trip stinks, Gilmour is skeptical.

“Does it, though? Have you had freshmen after PE?” he joked.

Gilmour was nominated this year for a Crystal Apple award recognizing outstanding local educators. In addition to teaching biology and anatomy at South, he coaches the school’s track team.

Colleagues and former students cited his ability to demand excellence from everyone he teaches or coaches, while celebrating success. One former track athlete wrote that Gilmour pushed him further than he thought he could go, resulting in him winning a state event.

“His wisdom in his field was apparent, and his unique sense of humor made students either love him, or think he was crazy,” the student wrote in a nomination letter.

On and off the field, Gilmour said his goal for each student is the same.

“I just want them to be able to see that they can grow and they can feel achievement. Even if they’re not the best or the brightest or whatever, they can grow,” he said.

Gilmour grew up on his family’s grass seed farm in the Jefferson area and spent his childhood trapping animals and learning about fish life cycles from the nearby pond.

“We were always outdoors and interested in things and just kind of marveling at stuff,” he said.

He enrolled at George Fox University, intending to go into medical research. But after taking the college admission test for medical school, he had a crisis and realized he wasn’t sure he wanted that path. 

He went to talk to his advisor, who pointed out Gilmour had been enjoying a college program that helped get homeschooled and underserved kids access to microscopes and other scientific equipment. Gilmour said his goal was to help people — why not do it when they were young?

He enrolled at Western Oregon University for a master’s degree in teaching.

He had been student teaching for less than a month when he was asked to take over for a science teacher undergoing cancer treatment at Stayton High School.

“I was like, ‘I’ve been here two weeks.’ It was scary,” he said. But he agreed. He’s now been in the classroom for 23 years, including over a decade at South.

When he talks to friends in health care, he said they often sound tired. Being with students recharges him, he said.

“I get some energy from the kids,” he said. “You feel like you make their day brighter.”

Gilmour enjoys coaching track because it’s a no-cut sport. He strives to give every kid attention every day, regardless of skill level.

“I want every day for every kid on that team to feel like they got coached,” he said. He often pushes students to try new events and broaden their horizons, not just focus on popular contests like the 100-meter dash.

“Despite being a dedicated farmer, he chooses to be in the classroom because he believes in the power of education and the future of his students. He does not seek recognition; he simply shows up every day to make a difference, giving his time, wisdom and heart to those he teaches and coaches,” wrote Dwight Roberson, a former South counselor and track coach, in support of his nomination.

Gilmour’s brother created the PBS program Indie Alaska, which focuses on the lives of everyday Alaskans, from commercial fishermen to self-described ski bums.

Gilmour is credited on some episodes for footage he shot on trips to visit, including of Willy Fulton, the pilot who brought “Grizzly Man” Timothy Treadwell to Katmai National Park, and later found his body.

He talks about his Alaskan adventures in class but downplays his role in the series, which has won his brother multiple Emmys.

“It was an excuse to goof off,” he said.

Gilmour is humble about his Crystal Apple nomination but said he appreciated reading the letters about the impact he’s had on students.

“I don’t need attention, I’m here to serve kids,” he said.

But if he wins, it will be a family affair. His wife Katie, a former art teacher at South, won a Crystal Apple in 2015.

“She lords it over me,” he said, laughing.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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