When people think about rivalries, they think Oviedo-Hagerty, or two students fighting for the highest grade in an AP class. Not teachers.

However, the rivalry of teachers Christopher Adams and Mark Pooler, spices up the classroom environment.

Adams and Pooler met each other before Pooler started to teach. When Pooler’s wife taught, he came in to pick her up, and she was in a science department meeting. Across the room Pooler saw Adams, and his beard.

“I thought to myself, ‘These two guys look awesome, I want to go introduce myself’,” said Pooler.

One of Pooler’s goals was to become closer with Adams, and he accomplished exactly that. It just so happens that when the two teachers actually got to talking, they found that they had a lot in common.

“Adams is pretty perfect,” said Pooler.

Their rivalry did not begin as a rivalry, but as a friendship, until they decided to make it one, because the students seemed to like it more.

Adams sports the long beard and teaches Physics, and Pooler sports the short beard and teaches Environmental Science. Adams constantly teases Pooler that his subject is “not a real science.” The rivalry continues in their classrooms. Sometimes Adams will come into Pooler’s classroom during a lecture, and start dual teaching with Pooler.

“It’s like a bromantic rivalry,” said Pooler.

While the bromance is very well known around the school, it does not stop there. Adams and Pooler have dinner at each other’s houses, and go to theme parks with their families. To Adams and Pooler, the rivalry is just fun and games, but to the students, however, the rivalry is much more.

“At last year’s powderpuff game, Adams and Pooler danced together during the senior cheerleader performance, and then Adams kissed Pooler on the forehead, and that was really funny,” said senior Emily Cornelius.

Students have also witnessed Adams walking in to one of Poolers’ classes to comment on the lecture and to teach it with Pooler. Adams will sometimes sporadically walk into Pooler’s class to tell him that he loves him. Adams also adds in slides into Pooler’s Power Points with pictures of cats or himself.

During one of Adams’ labs, Pooler walked in and gave Adams a huge surprise attack hug, continued on to check on his plants, then walked out.

“I think students like the rivalry because it is funny, and we get something other than a boring teacher,” said Cornelius.

Although Adams and Pooler turned their bromance into a rivalry, these friendly foes continue to remain beard brothers and silly science comrads.