ABOUT ME

Welcome to the new school year! I am excited to begin my fifteenth year (or twenty-ninth semester) at Ardrey Kell High School and my twenty-third year of teaching. In addition to my teaching responsibilities at Ardrey Kell, I serve as the Varsity Boys Lacrosse Coach and English IV Lead Teacher.
I cannot imagine teaching anyone but seniors at this point in my career. I especially enjoy sharing in the excitement of impending graduation and the arrival of new challenges. I am an avid Ardrey Kell sports fan and can be found at most AK football and basketball games, two of the three sports I played in high school. My favorite piece of literature to teach is the epic poem Beowulf. I am always amazed by how many relatable moments there are in an ancient epic text. My favorite novels outside of the classroom are Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Both novels feature ordinary characters performing extraordinary tasks. More recently, I have been intrigued by Malcolm Gladwell's nonfiction works Outliers and David and Goliath.
I am a native of Kings Park, New York on the north shore of Long Island. I attended Ithaca College in upstate New York where I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. While at Ithaca, I lettered in Lacrosse for four years. I went on to receive a Masters of Arts and Teaching in Secondary Education at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. While at Quinnipiac, I served as the Assistant Head Lacrosse Coach for two years. In 1997, I was promoted to Head Lacrosse Coach at Quinnipiac. At the time of my promotion, I was the youngest NCAA Division I head lacrosse coach.
Outside of school, I stay busy with my family and additional lacrosse coaching responsibilities. I live in Ballantyne with my wife of twenty-one years Angela, seventeen year old son Jackson and fourteen year old daughter Mia. In addition to coaching lacrosse at Ardrey Kell, I am the founder and co-director of Empire Lacrosse Camp. Off the field, I enjoy listening to live music and discovering new bands.
I am proud to have been a member of the faculty at Ardrey Kell High School since we opened our doors in 2006. I am thankful to be involved with making Ardrey Kell into the best high school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and one of the best in the state of North Carolina. I look forward to continued success and growth with the Class of 2021!