I was born in Lancaster County, but raised in Allentown, graduating from Parkland High School in 2001. I then attended Lebanon Valley College, where I initially began as a Music Education major and graduated in 2005 with two Bachelor of Arts degrees (Saxophone and Jazz Studies). I worked a couple different jobs from the time I graduated until 2011 when I returned to the path of becoming a teacher. I chose Millersville University to pursue a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Mathematics Education, which I completed in 2014 after student teaching at Ephrata High School. I completed my Master of Education in Mathematics at Millersville University in 2018.
Before arriving at Wilson for the 2019-2020 school year, I taught at 5 different schools in Lancaster County, including every grade level from 7-12 and every course in sequence from 7th grade math and Pre-Algebra through Pre-Calculus, with the exception of Geometry, which I have since taught here at Wilson. In the 2023-2024 school year, I also began teaching Computer Science courses.
My computer science background includes the design of several websites and a trio of web applications, mostly using languages such as: JavaScript, PHP, HTML, and CSS. I began learning Python in the summer of 2023 in preparation to teach Computer Science courses. Python is currently one of the most widespread and useful programming languages, but is also considered one of the best beginner languages, making it a great place for students to begin learning to code, while also building experiences that will be valuable towards a future degree or career.
In 2011, I founded a turtle conservation and education organization called theTurtleRoom, where I serve as President and Executive Director. TheTurtleRoom went non-profit in 2018 and continues to grow rapidly. Turtles and Tortoises are the second most endangered group of vertebrates (non-human primates are the other; these two groups tend to play “leap-frog” from year-to-year, but its a title we’d all like to avoid). The organization works to educate about turtles and tortoises and conserve turtles and tortoises through a variety of projects. I spend many evenings and weekends working on various education, conservation, and research projects related to turtles and caring for the many turtles in my care. To learn more about theTurtleRoom or read my turtle-centric bio, visit my organization’s website, theTurtleRoom.org. You can see some of my publications through ResearchGate.
My wife, Lisa, and I became foster parents for the first time in 2023. We live in Lancaster County with our foster son, four cats and many, many turtles. We have been married for more than 10 years.
Education
- Master of Education, Mathematics - Millersville University
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Mathematics Education - Millersville University
- Bachelor of Arts, Jazz Studies - Lebanon Valley College
- Bachelor of Arts, Saxophone - Lebanon Valley College
Subjects
- Intro to Computer Science (Python): View the 2023-2024 Syllabus (Subject to change)
- Geometry: View the 2023-2024 Syllabus (Subject to change)
Grades
10, 11, 12, 9
Interests
- Turtles & Tortoises: theTurtleRoom
- Leadership
- Baseball (St. Louis Cardinals)
- College Basketball (UNC)
- Music
- Star Wars
- College Football (Penn State)
- NFL (Pittsbugh Steelers)
- NHL (Pittsburgh Penguins)