Take a left turn then journey through the tainted yellow halls of Central High School to the figurative core of the building: the second to last room on the right, or simply, Mr. Funk’s space.

Space, not an enclosed room. Upon entrance as a regular student or an unaffiliated outsider, the comfortable environment that teacher David Funk creates is contagious. It’s a value that all members from the generally forgotten Grand Haven secondary institution live by.

Yet, Funk has helped rebrand what this school will be remembered for. In his utility role, he teaches multiple subjects in a given day; guiding as many kids as possible to earning that diploma down the road.

He’s also done past work in other educational buildings around the community, like Lakeshore Middle School and White Pines Intermediate School; to bring positive change like this to the forefront and striving to spark that change again.

“I always wanted to be a school teacher,” Funk said. “I knew that. Now, I get to see the students that’ll walk across that stage for graduation that I helped with scheduling classes or being a teacher that they can come to. It’s the biggest thing for me.”

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to help [them] get through this and graduate and get that diploma [they] earned,” Funk said.

This experience is his forte. Few have accomplished what Funk has as a educator in this community. Keeping it simple, in the schools Funk has been a part of, he’s done whatever it’s taken to establish a secure sense of comfort for his students.

“They’ve told me that they felt overwhelmed in the place they were before they came here,” Funk said. “I just try to help them not feel like that in any way I can.”

Whether taking the high road to thoroughly work one-on-one with students or finding classes that are best for them; even just forming an environment where the learning target is solely each classmate’s success, Funk has gone that extra mile.

It’s an extra mile that impacts more than just an academic career, but diminishes a stereotype that has defined Central High School.

“I know we’ve been thought of as the place for ‘bad kids’ in Grand Haven,” Funk said. “But, being here for four years and never seeing a fight break out once and giving all these kids opportunities with an open campus feel, that they can go to whatever teacher they need help from at any time aren’t things you’d expect ‘bad kids’ to have. Why? Because they are good kids too.”

Funk noted that many reasons why students come to Central aren’t what outsiders would assume – like the idea of a compact class size that the school features, which in turn has been the biggest benefit for a majority of his students.

“For me, it’s really just the smaller environment that makes me like it here,” junior Tyler King said. “There’s not as many kids here so we don’t have as many problems and everyone just kind of does their own thing.”

Many schools can’t choose the size of their student body, but do have the ability to hire the staff they feel is best to enhance an individual’s learning and success. For King and others, the teachers at Central High School are second to none.

And Funk leads the pack.

“[Funk] has helped me set up a plan for trying to graduate early and for what I want to do going forward,” King said. “He’s been the big one for a lot people in finding what classes people need to take and getting their stuff done.”

Being close to a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ when it comes to having teaching experience in subjects varying from economics to higher level science as well as creating schedules, Funk is always educating and supporting countless individuals each hour to push them closer to their goals and students from all grade levels recognize that.

“With not as many kids here than at another high school, teachers can go around to each kid and personally know and connect with them,” senior Zach Thier said. “I know Mr. Funk helps a lot of kids out pretty much any day because he knows them well and knows the class a kid is struggling in.”

Strolling back through the narrow yellow corridors, a motto shines on Central High School floor mats, posters and signs. It simply states – “Whatever it takes.” Putting those three words into the way he instructs, impacts and idolizes his students, Funk has become a figure that has changed the ‘Phoenix’ way for today and tomorrow.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to help [them] get through this and graduate and get that diploma [they] earned,” Funk said.