What school did you go to? 

I went to St. Gerard Majella for grade school. I went there for eight years over in Kirkwood, and then from there, I went to Parkway South High School — yes, I was a Patriot. Then, I went to Mizzou for college. 

What kind of student were you — quiet, curious, troublemaker, overachiever?

I was somebody who was pretty interested in academics. I enjoyed high school classes, and I was in a lot of honors courses. That was when I started to think about teaching as a career. I had a few social studies teachers that I really liked, [and] I remember an American history teacher who did lessons on the stock market through games, which were really fun and interesting. He had a big influence on me. 

How was your childhood home life? 

I grew up in Des Peres and had two brothers. Teaching runs in our family. One brother is a physical education teacher at Parkway Central, and my other brother is a social studies teacher at Central as well. My wife is a West Middle science teacher, my brother’s wife is a teacher at Highcroft Elementary, and my other brother’s wife is a counselor at Parkway North. A lot of us are in education, [so] you can imagine how interesting family dinners get. 

What has changed from when you were a child, and what hasn’t?

When I was a kid, we had a lot more freedom to grow up without being connected to phones. Our parents did not have to watch us every second. I remember summers feeling endless. We had a pool in our neighborhood, and I would ride my bike all over the neighborhood and be gone all day long. You never knew what kind of adventure you would get into with your friends. We played sports a lot, had big neighborhood gatherings and spent time outside all day. I think kids today still do some of that, but I feel like there was a lot more freedom to make decisions and figure things out on your own. 

When did you know you wanted to be a teacher and teach this subject?

I enjoy getting to know kids and working with kids, and that seed was planted in high school. I also just enjoy psychology and history, and I wanted the chance to keep learning about those things while working with students. 

Coaching was also a strong draw for me. I was inspired by my coaches and felt like I learned a lot from them about hard work, perseverance and character. When I came to West, I coached three sports for the first five or six years: water polo, basketball and volleyball. 

Those early years really made me fall in love with teaching and Parkway West. I had so many teachers and coaches around me who were great mentors, and through teaching and coaching, I formed really strong relationships. A lot of those people became lifelong friends. 

Tell me a childhood story that always makes you smile

One memory that always makes me smile is from fourth grade, when my team won the CYC baseball championship. That was a really cool childhood memory — going through the playoffs and doing it with all my friends. I have a lot of great memories from playing soccer, baseball and basketball when I was in grade school. 

What things make you nostalgic when you see, hear, smell or feel them?

The freezing cold, the smell of chlorine and donuts – all during the summers of my childhood. I was on the swim team, even though I was not a very advanced swimmer. I remember waking up super early for swim practice, getting into that cold water and smelling the chlorine. I also remember donuts after practice on certain days. Those are some of the things that bring me back. Neighborhood swim meets at night also make me nostalgic. I feel like that is an old-school memory, even though it still happens today.

What’s something students might be surprised to learn about you?

I really love music. I am a huge Dave Matthews Band fan, and I started going to concerts in 1998. I have been to 90 concerts throughout my life. My summers usually involve coaching, running basketball camps and traveling to see my kids play sports, but I also try to find as many chances as I can to go see Dave Matthews Band. I have even met Dave Matthews twice. My wife is also a music lover. When my wife and I were dating, we went to North Carolina to see Dave Matthews play. We saw him at one show, and the next morning we were supposed to go home, but she turned to me and said, ‘Let’s follow him to the next place.’ Instead of going home, we traveled to see the band perform again. We arrived early and ended up meeting Dave Matthews in person. That’s how I knew I wanted to marry her.