Personal:

I was born in New Haven, CT, spent most of my young adult life in New England,  and moved to Fort Collins in 2004. This will be my 17th year at Lincoln Middle School- strange to see that number in print. It's been a terrific journey! My wife, Kendall, is an Assistant Principal and Activities Director at Poudre High School, where my son, Kellin, will begin his freshman year. Lincoln is our family's neighborhood school, and for the past three years, I had the pleasure of watching my son grow and learn under the guidance of Lincoln's exceptional staff. What a blessing! My daughter, Jacqueline, will be a 7th grader this year, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her in the Lincoln halls and classrooms-  hopefully sooner than later. 

Professional: 

I graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Recreational Therapy. In my first career, I worked for Yale Psychiatric Institute running cognitive behavioral groups on an adolescent crisis intervention unit. It was during those informative years that I realized how fun and interesting it was to work with adolescents. In my mid-twenties, I went back to school and earned a Masters of Science in Special Education. Before entering public education, I moved to San Joaquin de Flores, Costa Rica and taught English to elementary kids while studying Spanish for a year. Upon my return to the states, I worked with learning disabled students and collaborated with some incredible teachers for ten years at Bethel Middle School in CT and then Lincoln. Of all the classes I was a part of as an integrated service teacher, English class was always my favorite. I became highly qualified in 2010 and have been teaching English ever since. 

My Classroom:

Room 603 is a place where students can feel relaxed, safe, and cared for. Ms. Avocado (Branaman) and I work skillfully to develop a collaborative and friendly culture. We encourage students to fearlessly share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas and take pride in their work and progress, regardless of their current level. It has been a joy to work at Lincoln for most of my professional career. Connecting kids with the "just right" book or helping facilitate their creativity in writing is still a great joy.  I look forward to the challenges we faced together in the coming year, and hope I can be a support to my students and their families.