Fort Worth Magazine recognizes Dr. Boaz Goss of Cassata as top teacher

Dr. Boaz Goss, who teaches all the science courses at Cassata Catholic High School, is shown in his classroom on Sept. 4, 2024. Dr. Goss was recognized as one of the best educators in Fort Worth by Fort Worth Magazine. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

FORT WORTH — It wasn’t that long ago that Dr. Boaz Goss defended his dissertation to earn his doctorate from Saint Louis University in Missouri. Today, as he begins his second year at Cassata Catholic High School, he is being recognized by Fort Worth Magazine as one of the area’s Top Teachers for 2024.

He is the third Cassata teacher in three years to receive the recognition. Kenneth Scagel made this prestigious list in 2023, and Brittney Ynfante was recognized in 2022.

Cassata is a unique high school. According to Dr. Maggie Harrison, Cassata principal, it was designed as a nontraditional diocesan high school with the focus on recognizing the individuality of students and giving them the time and space to achieve at their own levels. Teachers don’t create lesson plans or stand in front of the class and lecture because students in the same class period may work at different academic levels.

“Forty-one percent of our students have various accommodations for learning differences — social, emotional, medical, or a combination,” Harrison said. “Students who have never really succeeded at previous schools or who have struggled for various reasons come here, and they feel safe, and they feel seen.”

When Harrison shared the news of the Fort Worth Magazine recognition with Goss, the science teacher said, “I felt humbled. It’s a really big honor. I mean, [Fort Worth] is the 13th largest city in the country, so being in the top ten is no small feat.

“It made me thankful for Cassata specifically,” Goss continued. “It just made me realize, I'm in the right place at the right time with the right people.”

Goss teaches chemistry, physics, integrated physics and chemistry (IPC), environmental sciences, health, and the science part of the GED preparation.

“In a single class period, I will have one student doing chemistry, one doing physics, and two others doing IPC. I have to be ready to take questions from any of the eight or nine syllabi that I'm responsible for. It's a lot like tutoring college students. In my mind, the Cassata model works out perfectly, it's the model that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Because his student years are not that far behind him, Goss modeled his classroom after his own experiences as both a student and a teacher.

“I understand the virtues required to be a good student, the kind of habits you need, and the environment you need,” Goss said. “I always start off every class period with a prayer and some Scripture reading because I do that personally, just like I'm always listening to music when I'm studying.”

Most days his classroom has music playing in the background from his own curated lo-fi play list. Made up of Catholic lo-fi and lo-fi hip hop, the selections were created to provide soothing background study music.

Goss came to Cassata based on a referral from a colleague and childhood friend. He fell in love with the school because of its model and its dedication to the students.

“I love to see our students find that they can do real academic work, even though they've been told ‘you can't do it, or you're so far behind your peers, you're never going to get through it,’” Goss said. “But then they come here, and they find success.”

It is this passion for the students that  Harrison believes led to Goss’ recognition.

“A couple of months into his tenure, it felt like he had been with us forever,” Harrison reflected. “He just fit in. He is incredibly intelligent, and he's got an incredibly big heart. Those two together … it's a powerful combination.”

Harrison also attributes the passion and commitment of all Cassata teachers as factors in helping them earn recognition from Fort Worth Magazine three years in a row.

“I'm incredibly privileged and honored to be working with such an amazing team,” Harrison said. “Whether it's faculty or staff, there's not one person here that doesn't have the mission of the school and the well-being of the students at heart.

“We’ve had students tell staff that they feel loved when they come to this school,” Harrison continued. “As an educator, I don't think that there's a bigger compliment that you can get from a child when they tell you they feel loved.”