Born in Southwest Indiana in 1960, sixth of eight children in a great Catholic family. Raised in farm and coal country. Attended Catholic school through 8th Grade at St. John the Evangelist School (long since closed and Parish moved to neighboring county) and graduated in a class of 6. Attended public high school close to the Ohio River. Went to college and worked in nearby Evansville. Married happily and faithfully since June of 1984. (41 years this year) Proud father of 4 wonderful kids, grandfather of 2 beautiful granddaughters. veteran of United States Air Force. Lived in Indiana, in Kansas, on Okinawa in Japan, in Edwards, California, and now reside in Newark, Ohio. Worked for government contractor at the old Air Force Base in Newark from 1998 until 2020. Graduated Summa Cum Laude with BSEd from THE Ohio State University in 2011. Substitute teacher at Newark City Schools and St. Francis de Sales and Blessed Sacrament Schools in Newark. Full time substitute at Cherry Valley School in Newark for two years before coming to HTS in 2022. Sunday school teacher for 30 consecutive years from 1992-2022, Still helping VBS since 1992. In love with Jesus Christ and His Church and deeply grateful to God for bringing me here and allowing me to serve His students of the 5th Grade, our families, and the staff of Holy Trinity School. 

Our classwork will include many different opportunities to explore language, including reading for comprehension, different genres in literature, grammar, and developing our writing skills. Students will be expected to spend 15 minutes per weekday reading independently (75 minutes per week for you math enthusiasts). Science will include inquiry, and a field trip to the Works Museum in Newark. Our studies will consist of Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science. Music will include exploration of different musical genres, as well as composition and presentation of our own work in the classroom. Health lessons will develop our understanding of Personal Health, Human Growth and Development, Safety, Violence Prevention, Mental and Emotional Health, Alcohol and Drug Prevention, and Nutrition. (It will be a busy year for us, but let's look upon it as an opportunity to grow! Wow, Fifth Grade will be such a great year! 

We have Health class on Monday and Tuesday. Currently we are working on Human Growth and Development, to close out the year's studies in Health. 

We have managed to press into Chapter 21 of our texts. Each chapter consists of 4 lessons, focusing on the Sacraments. We are finalizing context for our Passover Seder, celebrated just before Easter. Keep these discussions alive in your household. Your example of faith is what will endure with your fifth grader. God loves you, and He seeks you where you are! Don't be afraid to open your door to Him! Persist prayerfully through your Lent!

As we progress throughout the academic year, students complete lessons in their SIMPLE SOLUTIONS books with generally 4 lessons per week, and a quiz on those lessons. Additionally, we explore our text and, as often as possible, an opportunity to experiment with each of our hypotheses. We experiment with Life Science, Chemistry (to a limited degree) and more importantly -Physical Science (the way the WORLD WORKS, by God's amazing design!!!) With the addition of new input, we can come to understand some new Science standards, namely waveforms, especially those that produce sound. We must also concentrate on the astronomical sciences, as we understand planetary movement and its order, controlled and designed by our God. We are ready for the Grade 5 State Science Test

The culmination of all learning. Music combines science, art, mathematics, language social studies, and any other subject one may think of. Our worship of God is most complete when we sing. (We pray twice) Presently, as we develop our understanding of the different inputs of music, (percussion, strings, brass. woodwinds, vocal elements) we will culminate all into our own compositions that include a a regular song, an instrumental, a vocal piece, or even a parody. Ladies and gentlemen, your children are SUCH a gracious gift of self to your God.  Holy Trinity is graced by their wonderful presence. Your children and their reflection of your love are a blessing on our school and on Somerset! I have been gifted by your children, Thank you!