Every day David Lever steps into his classroom at Salem Community High School, he’s not just walking into a lab filled with microscopes and textbooks. He’s walking back into the very room where his own spark for science first caught fire. “This is where I had Bio One with Kirby Phillips,” Lever recalls. “He was an outstanding biology teacher. I enjoyed the class, and I enjoyed him as a person. That lit the fire for me.”

That fire nearly burned out once. After graduating from SIU Carbondale, Lever veered away from teaching at the last moment and earned a degree in mortuary science. He spent several years working as a mortician in Chicago, learning firsthand the demands of being on call day and night. “Christmas Day, 1998—I worked from six in the morning to ten at night,” he said. “I realized if I wanted a family, this wasn’t the best option.” He returned to McKendree University, earned his teaching degree, and never looked back.

Now in his 16th year at Salem Community High School after four years at Carlisle, Lever teaches biology, anatomy, physiology, and dual credit classes through Kaskaskia College. He even went back to Clemson for his master’s, ensuring that his students could graduate with college hours already in hand. For his own daughter, those credits added up quickly. “She started at the University of Southern Indiana as basically a second-semester sophomore,” he said proudly. “That’s the power of dual credit.”

This year, Lever and his colleagues have more to celebrate than curriculum. For the first time in over three decades, the school’s science labs have been renovated. The last update followed a fire in the 1990s, but since then the rooms had grown drab and uninspiring. “When you looked at them every day, you didn’t notice,” Lever admitted. “But when someone took a picture and posted it, it broke your heart. It didn’t inspire greatness.”

A generous community donation helped jumpstart the project, beginning with the chemistry and biology labs. Walking into the new spaces now, Lever says the difference is immediate. “It just has a feel to it—like good things are going to happen here.” The upgrades aren’t just cosmetic; they signal to students that their learning matters. “It gives them confidence that people care enough to invest in them,” he said.

For Lever, that message is as important as the lessons he teaches. Science, he reminds his students, is built on mistakes. “People don’t always realize it, but science is wrong—over and over. That’s the point. WD-40 is called WD-40 because the first 39 didn’t work. Thomas Edison failed hundreds of times before he found the right filament. You just don’t quit.” It’s a philosophy that applies far beyond the lab.

At the same time, Lever respects the diverse beliefs his students bring to class. “I know they hold tightly to certain ideas. I tell them, you can pretend what I’m saying is fiction if you want, but remember—other people may see it differently. That doesn’t make either of you wrong as people. We need to be better at handling different opinions.” It’s a balance of rigor and respect that defines his teaching style.

Lever’s ties to Salem run deep. His parents moved here when he was just six months old, his father opening an optometry practice and his mother teaching. His wife now teaches fourth grade at Franklin Park, while their daughter is pursuing nursing in Evansville. His siblings have also followed professional paths—one in education, another in accounting. For Lever, Salem isn’t just where he teaches; it’s home.

He describes his community as hardworking, blue-collar, and resilient. “We’ve lost some big businesses, but people find a way,” he said. “Drive through downtown now—you see the old buildings being refurbished. That matters.” It’s a spirit he sees reflected in Salem Community High School itself, especially under leadership that has invested in renovations and upgrades across the campus.

For David Lever, the renovated labs are more than just new tile and fresh paint. They’re a symbol of resilience, progress, and possibility—the same qualities that carried him from mortuary science back to teaching, and the same qualities he hopes to instill in his students every day.