Bidwell Junior High Schooltitle

Though born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I was raised in a small town outside of Los Angeles called Simi Valley. I was fortunate growing up there because large undeveloped areas surrounded the town. This allowed me to go mountain biking often during my junior high and senior high years after school and on the weekend.

In addition to mountain biking I also enjoyed backpacking with my Boy Scout troop while I was growing up. I am an Eagle Scout and a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow. I was also an archery and field sports director at Boy Scout camp during the summer while I was going to college.

I started college majoring in Physical Therapy with an emphasis in Pediatrics. While working in the field as a Physical Therapy Aide I realized that Physical Therapy wasn't a career I wanted to pursue. Still wanting to work with young people I decided to major in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Adapted Physical Education. I graduated college in May of 1998 and started working on my teaching credential, which took another two years to complete.

When I finished my teaching credential I started working for the Los Angeles Unified School District as an Adapted Physical Education teacher in Hollywood. During that year I had ten schools I visited each week, visiting three schools a day delivering physical education programs to students with special needs. Though it was a very rewarding job, it was also very challenging, especially for a first year teacher. At the end of the year I decided to teach general physical education at a junior high school in Malibu, California.

While at A.E. Wright Middle School in Malibu I taught sixth grade physical education, student government, and led the activities program. This was my first year teaching at one school and I realized that having the camaraderie that comes with it was worth staying for. However, it was during this year that I visited my sister who was going to California State University, Chico. I realized that Chico was a place that I might like to call home, so my wife and I moved from Los Angeles to a small house on Broadway.

For the first two weeks of the following school year I worked as a substitute teacher, but quickly found a job as a teacher at Bidwell Jr. High School. During that year I completed my credentialing in teaching science and got hired as a science teacher the following year. I have also received my Masters of Education degree in Integrating Technology into the Classroom. Since the first day working at Bidwell Jr. High I have considered myself very fortunate to work with all the students I have taught and such dedicated, professional, and knowledgeable teachers and staff.

Since my move to Chico I have never looked back. This is a wonderful place to live and teach which is reflected in the fact that it is also the place I chose to raise my two children. I still enjoy backpacking, camping, bicycling, and playing music with my bands.