A beloved North Penn High School special education teacher and Pennfield Boys’ Basketball coach, who was once named a “Community Champion” by the Philadelphia 76ers, succumbed to cancer last Wednesday night, the school district has announced.
“It is with sadness that I inform you that Matt Scott, a NPHS special education teacher since 2006, passed away last evening after a courageous battle with cancer. Matt will be greatly missed by family, staff and students alike,” said North Penn High School Principal Kyle Hassler, in a mass email to affected North Penn families Thursday morning.
“It is difficult for us to face death, especially for students who may not have experienced the passing of someone they know. NPHS school counselors and I are here to speak with any student who may need to talk about this sad situation. In addition, you may also want to talk to your child about this loss because it impacts each person in different ways,” Hassler said.
Scott, a teacher and basketball coach for more than 20 years, was honored in March 2019 by the Sixers during its Autism Inclusion Night as a “Community Champion.” Pennfield Middle School basketball player Shayne Farmer, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age, was also honored at the event as “Strong Kid of the Game.”
Scott was instrumental in recording Farmer’s inspiring speech to his teammates on the ninth-grade squad before the final game of the season. The recording found its way to the Sixers and the rest was history.
He was remembered as a coach who created an inclusive environment that allowed a student like Farmer to be part of the team. At the time of the award, Scott attributed the strong inclusive environment on the court to Farmer, his teammates, and team manager.
“These kids made my job easy,” Scott said of his team. “Shayne’s teammates never had to be told how to treat him or behave around him; he was simply part of the team.”
North Penn School District staffers have been in mourning for numerous colleagues in recent years.
A Pennfield Middle School teacher named Andrew Jenkins, 47, died on Christmas 2021 after a short bout with COVID-19. Jenkins had spent 15 years at Pennfield Middle School, where he taught history and coached football and wrestling.
In February, two North Penn teachers died in a span of five days: Sharon Sobotkin, a fifth-grade teacher at Oak Park Elementary since 2013, had died on Feb. 11 following a battle with cancer, and 58-year-old Cathleen “Cathy” Truesdell, who worked as a fifth-grade teacher at General Nash Elementary in Towamencin Township, died Feb. 7 after a brief and sudden illness.
The announcement of Scott’s death last Thursday also came on the same day the school district announced the death of 18-year-old Servio Ramirez — a North Penn High School senior who died in a motorcycle crash just two months before he was scheduled to graduate.
See also:
Funeral Arrangements Announced for North Penn Student Killed in Motorcycle Crash
North Penn Staffers in Mourning After Second Elementary School Teacher Dies in Same Week
Pennfield Social Studies Teacher Passes Away on Christmas After Short Battle with COVID-19
North Penn Student Among Three Killed in Weekend Shootings in Philadelphia
Police Investigating Death of North Penn High School Student in Lansdale
