I am originally from Yankton, South Dakota - the land of endless views, winding rivers, prairie grass, and June bugs.  I attended Northwestern College in Orange City, IA:  a small, private, liberal arts institution - obtaining my bachelor's degree in education and earning All-American status as a high jumper on the track team.  In 2001, I accepted my first teaching position at The Rocky Moutain Academy of Evergreen, CO and taught there for two years before moving to Fort Collins to begin graduate school at CSU pursuing a master's degree in literature through the college of liberal arts.  While in grad. school, I started my work in PSD - teaching language arts at Kinard Junior High.  In 2008, I joined the language arts department at FCHS and have been fortunate to be a part of this outstanding community for the past 16 years.   An additional role I play at FCHS is the sponsor of the Bike Club.  I truly love my work as an educator and see it as a significant part of my identity - the best part of which is building relationships with students. My wife Kate is a nurse practitioner at a local clinic and our kids Layne (19) and Elijah (15) are in their second year at Colorado State University and FCHS, respectively.