About Me

I was born in Cleveland and raised in Garfield Heights, where I still live today. I graduated from Garfield Heights High School and later Kent State University with a degree in Secondary Science Education, specifically, life science and chemistry. After a year subbing and tutoring for Garfield Heights City Schools, I applied for, interviewed and was hired to teach general chemistry at North. I received my masters' degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University in May 2011 and may go back for another masters degree or Ph.D in the future.

In addition to teaching, I've spent 15 of the last 17 fall seasons coaching middle school football. I currently coach at Eastlake Middle School. I coached rec league baseball in the Garfield Heights Baseball League from eight years and from 2010-15, I coached travel baseball in Garfield. I also spent six years serving on the GHBL Board of Directors in positions ranging from Commissioner to Field Director to Players Agent. I also spent 2004, 2006-2008 and 2010-11 as an assistant coach at GHMS and 2009 and 2012-14 as the freshman baseball coach at North. Since 2015, I have been the JV coach here at North. My current summer team is the 22-and-under Bulldogs Baseball Club college team.

For seven years, I also served as the quizbowl (academic challenge) coach at Garfield Heights High School, where my teams won over 776 matches, including 4 state championships. We also performed well at the national level, finishing in the top half of the field at both the NAQT High School National Championship in Chicago and the PACE National Championship at the University of Michigan. In 2007 and 2008, we tied for 7th in the country at the Panasonic Academic Challenge held at the Walt Disney World Resort. I also run the annual TRASH pop-culture high school tournament held each December at Olmsted Falls High School. My experience in the activity also has led me to qualify for Jeopardy! three times now, but seeing as they only call on 1/3 of the contestant pool yearly, and this past May, I made the contestant pool for Who Wants to be a Millionaire. This year will be my second year coaching the North Quizbowl Team.

Outside of coaching, in my spare time I enjoy fishing, golfing, basketball, watching sports, trivia and trivia contests, attending concerts and anything technology-related, including web design and presentation design. I also enjoy spending time with my 9-year old niece Izabella, my 3-year old nephew RJ (pictured with me) and my dachshunds Buddy and Oscar.

My favorite hobby however, is being a roller coaster enthusiast. As of August 2017, I've traveled to 30 parks and have ridden approximately 200 different roller coasters. This summer I went to Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags New England, Lake Compounce, Kennywood, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, Waldameer, Hersheypark, Dorney Park, Knoebels, Six Flags Great Adventure, Busch Gardens Tampa, Seaworld Orlando, Universal Studios Florida, Funspot America and Disney World. My favorite roller coasters are Lightning Rod at Dollywood and Fury 325 at Carowinds and my favorite park is Hersheypark. If you're interested in my parks and coasters list, you can view it here: My Parks and Coaster List

I firmly believe in my students and my players, and above everything else, when they leave me they may not remember everything that I taught them about science or sports, but they will be good, hard-working, respectful people. I truly believe having those qualities immediately puts people on a path towards success and its just one of the many things I preach to them each and every day.