About Mr. Nagy

Greetings, Sixth-Grade Families,

My name is Mr. Ted Nagy (pronounced NAY-ghee), and I am thrilled to begin a new academic year with the sixth grade! I joined the Ascent community in 2024 as a Teaching Assistant in both the third- and sixth-grade classrooms, and later served as a long-term substitute for seventh-grade American history. This is my second year teaching sixth-grade literature and grammar.

Originally from Northern Virginia, I was raised in South Bend, Indiana, just a short walk from the University of Notre Dame, where my parents met as students and both currently work. My dad is the Managing Editor of Notre Dame Magazine, and my mom is a Music Director at the university, a part-time elementary teacher, and the mother of eight. I have five younger brothers and three younger sisters who are my best friends in the world.

Growing up, I had the good fortune to attend an outstanding private K–8 Montessori school called Good Shepherd, where I felt known and loved by my teachers. That school gave me a strong foundation in virtue, a love of learning, and formative conflict resolution skills—fruits I try to cultivate in my own classroom.

After middle school, I attended John Adams High School, where I was an International Baccalaureate student and varsity tennis player and explored the fine arts, particularly ceramics and filmmaking.

In 2022, I earned a Bachelor's degree in Film, Television, and Theatre, with a minor in Visual Art, from the University of Notre Dame. After nearly a year working for a pilgrimage company in South Bend, I moved to Colorado in 2024, initially intending to pursue a career in video production. However, after several challenging months as a freelance video editor, I found new life leading children on outdoor adventures at Avid4 Adventure summer camp in Highlands Ranch—and decided to follow this potential calling into the classroom.

Though my educational journey has taken me from a private Montessori school to a large public high school, to a Catholic university, and now to a K–12 Classical Charter School, I am deeply committed to the ideals of Classical Education. I look forward to leading my students into meaningful dialogue with the Great Conversation. I have a passion for literature and a lifelong love of the English language, and I see it as my mission to ignite similar flames of wonder in my students’ hearts and minds. Few things are more thrilling to me than seeing a student captivated by a story, inspired by a new idea, or delighted by a clever turn of phrase.

Outside the classroom, I’m a true jack-of-all-trades. I’m a multi-sport athlete and middle school volleyball coach. I play volleyball, tennis, pickleball, baseball, and ultimate frisbee. I sing bass in a small choir and enjoy artistic pursuits like bass guitar, photography, and pottery. I love hiking, skiing, camping, concerts, and travel. Of course, I’m also an avid reader.

This year we have the pleasure of reading some fantastic novels and plays, including The Prince and the Pauper, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Cyrano de Bergerac. I am so excited to share these wonderful stories with my students. I hope they will finish the year with a new favorite book, a stronger understanding of English grammar, and—above all—a greater love of learning.

Warmly,
Mr. Nagy