Science Teacher at Sharon Springs Central School
Current Certifications:
- Earth Science 7-12
- Physics 7-12
- General Science Extension 7-12
- Earth Science 5-6 Extension
- National Board Certification – Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Earth & Space Science
I grew up in Jeffersonville, New York which is a small town in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains near the Pennsylvania border. As a student in the Jeffersonville-Youngsville Central School District (now Sullivan West) I was a three sport athlete. I competed in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track.
Upon graduation I attended the University at Albany where after four years I received an M.S. degree in Atmospheric Science with a minor in mathematics. During my time there I became an active member of the Albany Running Exchange (ARE) which is a very active running club in the Capital Region.
When I graduated from UAlbany I spent some time with the state doing IT work while I saved up some money for graduate school. Instead of using this money for grad school I decided to quit my job and go hike the Appalachian Trail. This had always been a dream of mine and I was in a position that I could go do it. For the next five months I lived in the woods; hiking from Maine to Georgia (about 2,174 miles).
After my trip I spent the next two years attending the University at Buffalo (UB). During my first year I worked on my certification to teach 7-12 science. Eight weeks was spent student teaching Regents Physics at Hamburg High School and eight weeks was spent student teaching 7th and 8th grade science at P.S. 53 Community School which was in east Buffalo. My second year at UB was spent working on my masters degree in adolescent education and substitute teaching full time with the Sweet Home school district.
My first teaching job was in Morristown, New York which is a rural community up in the Thousand Islands region of New York state. While there I taught Regents Earth Science, Regents Physics, and 7th grade science. After five years there I made the move to Roxbury where I taught a similar course load. After seven years in Roxbury I accepted a job in Sharon Springs where I teach a similar course load.
When not at school I spend my time running, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, gardening, reading, and going to concerts. Pretty much any time I am not in school I can be found outside. There are so many incredible places that I have yet to explore!
Awards/Recognitions/Achievements
- Achieved my National Board Certification in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Earth & Space Science – 2022
- Accepted into the Fulbright Teachers for Global Education Program – 2019
- Accepted into Texas A&M’s geology field camp (G-Camp) – 2018
- Mentored a first year Earth Science teacher in a neighboring school who was really struggling. With my experience and curriculum she successfully completed her first year and is still teaching today 2017-2018
- Accepted into the Watershed Forestry Institute for Teachers – 2017
- Attended the DH Caldwell Institute through the NYS Museum – 2017
- Accepted into the New York State Master Teacher Program: Southern Tier Region – 2016
- Accepted into the Appalachian Regional- Oak Ridge National Laboratory Summer Math-Science-Technology Institute. Our work was titled, ‘Crystal Structure of the Protein Lysozyme followed by a Molecular Dynamics Simulation’ – 2016
- Successfully completed the Taconic Crest Trail End to End Challenge – 2008
- Thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail – 2007
- Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout – 2001