Scarnati, with his book.
A Sto-Rox teacher with a sportswriting background is putting his passion to the forefront in a new book. Chris Scarnati, who teaches English Language Arts to 6th graders at Sto-Rox Upper Elementary, recently published his first book, “Fighting Till The End,” about McKees Rocks world champion boxer Paul Spadafora.
“Out of all my stories - and I've interviewed thousands of high school, college, and professional athletes - Paul was the most captivating,” said Scarnati. “He’s so colorful and he’s so candid about everything.”
While Spadafora’s story was a no-brainer for Scarnati, his route to becoming a published author took root when teaching became his primary job.
“While I was in New Orleans (teaching), I still did sports writing on the side. I worked for Sports Illustrated, and did a little work for ESPN,” explained Scarnati. “Paul Spadafora’s making a comeback, and I thought it would be cool to do a story on him for Sports Illustrated.”
That was in 2013.
“I first learned about Sto-Rox, through doing that story with Paul,” said Scarnati. “He claims McKees Rocks as his hometown, even though he lived a pretty transitory childhood.”
Scarnati’s childhood took him from Central Pennsylvania to Western Pennsylvania, in the North Allegheny School District, until the ninth grade. From there, his family moved to northern Delaware, and by the time he was studying journalism at the University of Missouri, his family had moved back to the Pittsburgh area. In 2016, after going back to school to become a teacher and his fortuitous journey to New Orleans, Sto-Rox came calling.
“I was able to get a job at Sto-Rox, and I remember thinking at the time, ‘Wow, this is where Paul Spadafora went to school.’”
Scarnati’s fascination with Spadafora, a high school dropout who committed his life to boxing at the age of 16, comes naturally.
“He’ll bare his soul and tell you everything about this life,” said Scarnati. “It’s refreshing for a journalist because a lot of your subjects keep everything very guarded.” Scarnati accumulated so much material as he followed Spadafora’s ups and downs, including battles with drug and alcohol abuse, that knew he had the makings of a great book on his hands. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and he had more time at home, he dusted off his names and started interviewing Spadafora.
“I figured I can really sink my teeth into this and go in depth, you know, really explore his near-tragic life.”
Pursuing interesting stories is a passion that Scarnati has imparted on his students at the Upper Elementary.
“I think the kids heard me talk about it, and they saw that I was excited about working on a writing project,” he explained. “I think that leads to more authentic teaching. I would like to think that maybe I changed their outlook on writing, so it’s not as tedious as it used to be. It's a lot of hard work in my class. It's the first time that they really, really write hard.”
Scarnati smiles as a students points at the board.
Students who have since left Scarnati’s classroom for the Jr./Sr. High School haven’t forgotten about his book project, or the impact he made on their studies.
“Some students still email me and several of them in the Jr./Sr. High School are working on their own projects right now,” he said. “They asked me to proofread some of their books. Some of them are doing graphic novels, some are doing fiction novels. I'm glad that I was able to pass that on to them.”
Scarnati knows that if he can turn students on to writing, they may be able to find a successful career path. While McKees Rocks natives like Damar Hamlin have made it to the NFL, Scarnati knows it’s important for students to have a multi-pronged plan for success.
“They want to play professional sports, and I tell them it's such a long shot, but they should also consider sports writing, or maybe being a broadcast journalist,” he said. “It’s a great fallback and every year I have handfuls of boys who say, ‘I think I want to do that.’”
Education was a natural second career for Scarnati. His grandfather was a school superintendent in Armstrong County, his wife teaches in Shaler Area School District, and several other relatives are teachers.
“I enjoy the practice of teaching, instructing. I enjoy talking to kids,” he said, laughing. “Many times kids are hilarious, the stuff that comes out of their mouths.”
The lessons Scarnati can impart on 6th graders, who are entering a formative part of their lives as adolescents, is not lost on him.
“It feels like I'm really doing something important for the world,” he explained. “When I was a sportswriter, that was more of like a hobby. I really enjoyed it, but I didn't feel like I was leaving something behind.”
Finding his stride as a teacher has allowed him to follow both passions, making him and his students better now, and in the long run.
“It’s extremely fulfilling,” he said. “I can still do something important and try to leave the world a little bit of a better place than when I entered it.”
Fighting Till The End can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.