Kynast: causing a racquet for 30 years

Everybody needs somebody. A tennis player reaching out for a guiding hand. A student that is learning a brand new language. A kid in need of some motivation. These people are all in need of a mentor. A teacher. A friend. For the past 30 years, that person has been here to give his best to anybody willing to accept it. And his name is Rich Kynast.

The average Milford student may not even know he’s in the building. Located in the 700 hallway, Kynast teaches German I, II and U.S. History. And although not every student interacts with him regularly, his influence and sheer positivity are consistently felt.
Teacher Rob Hamilton attests to this claim: “He’s a person who wants people to feel welcome and just to have a nice time,” said Hamilton, who has a 17-year tenure teaching English classes at Milford High. “When I came in (in his first year teaching), I didn’t know anybody here. He’s a person who would immediately come up and introduce himself. Mr. Kynast is hysterical and uses a sense of humor to put you at ease.”

Senior Ben Mondrush seconds the vibes that Kynast dishes out. Mondrush only took one year of German I and a semester of US History with him, but that was all he needed to know the kind of man Kynast is. “Kynast is awesome. Even somebody that only spent a year with him can see that he is one of the most memorable and enjoyable teachers there are.”

The record shows that teachers and students alike are lucky to have Kynast. He’s a man with many facets and has built a remarkable legacy that demands attention. So, just what exactly does Kynast do for our Milford community?

The Coach

Kynast wouldn’t be Kynast without the noble sport of tennis. “A bored and hyperactive kid of ten finds a tennis racquet in the garage and starts knocking it against the wall; turns out I was pretty good at it. And I started playing,” Kynast reminisced. While to some it may just be a simple sport, for Kynast it’s a lifestyle.

“It’s always there. Whether it was for work coaching or for fun playing, it’s literally always there.”

Since he was fifteen years old, he has been spreading the joy he gets from tennis to others by coaching. One such person he’s made an impact with is Senior Caroline Colt. “My dad and I were playing tennis, and we started talking about my future on the team.”

Since then, Colt has worked for Kynast as an assistant. “He really cares about the game of tennis, and he just wants people to love the sport.” From the racquet he always has in his room to the tennis games he shows his students, it is clear that tennis is wildly essential to Kynast.

The Teacher

Of course, he isn’t all racquets and nets. He has been making strides in the world of education as well. After being trained in teaching German and History, he found his way to Milford High School, where he’s been teaching for the past 30 years. “You guys travel to six classes a day, see a lot of different things. I’m just here.”

As a veteran teacher, he commands respect from not just the students, but the teachers as well. “He’s a cog here. He’s helped people in so many different ways, you know, even when I was becoming a parent,” Hamilton said. “He really cares about the school, and he works his tail off to make sure that everybody has the best opportunities.”

Students agree that Kynast has a huge influence. “It’s hard to find teachers who get you excited about the subject. And Mr. Kynast does that every single day you walk into his class,” Mondrush reports.

The Survivor

While Kynast brings a lot of good to the building, in 2021, bad news came to him—arguably the worst news one can get. He was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer and began chemotherapy early in the school year. But this didn’t mean that his teaching career was over. There was still a battle to be fought. And Kynast was going to fight.

“It was just a challenge, both in terms of my physical energy to keep up with the day and emotional energy to try to, you know, get through it.”

As the months went on, he took four days out for chemotherapy and one day to be in class every other week. At the end of 2021, treatment was working. Hope finally appeared over the horizon.

“We’re at a point where my tumors have shrunk to the point where I’m gonna have cancer-ending surgeries during the second semester,” he said.

Kynast has gone from four days of chemotherapy bi-weekly to only one, and his outlook has been nothing but positive. “Coming from where I was to where I am now, it’s been a whole journey, and it’s been uphill, but we’re cresting the hill and looking forward.”

The support he’s received from the community he’s tenderly served has been phenomenal as well. “The response was ‘What do you need?’ Unbelievable support from my colleagues to get help and get stuff done. Just kind of checking in to see how I’m doing. You know, something as simple as getting a text message from a friend when you’re sitting in the chemo chair.” The sheer amount of progress that’s been made couldn’t have been done without the motivation from his family, friends and students.

The Legend

Kynast has built an outstanding repertoire and has a hopeful future ahead. While plans for the future are yet to be determined, the impact that’s been achieved by 30 years of hard work and dedication to the community around him will be felt for generations to come.

“He means a lot to not just me. but every student,” Mondrush claims. “We’re here to support him in any way.”

Although Kynast is nearing the end of his teaching career, he will retire with the achievement of giving students over the last three decades nothing but a curiosity to learn and inspiration to keep pushing.

“It’s not for me to choose my legacy. It’s other people who were in my class and on my teams to say ‘This is what I took away from this experience.’ I would hope that whichever category we’re talking about, German, History or tennis, it’s sparked some curiosity. Something to get the kid to say, ‘That was cool. That was new. That was thought-provoking. I want to go one step further.’”

So, here’s to one step further, Mr. Kynast!