I was born and raised in the small townish of Lake Summerset, IL. I say "small townish" because it is really a private community that had no town name - the closest towns were Durand, IL and Davis, IL. Lake Summerset spans between two counties, so the members benefit from a Davis address, Durand phone number, and (depending on which county you live in) school children attend Dakota or Durand Schools. I graduated Valedictorian from Dakota High School, moving on to Northern Illinois University to study Music Education.
After graduating Cum Laude with full University Honors in 2003, I spent three years in music / liturgy ministry at the Newman Catholic Student Center in DeKalb, IL and St. John Neumann in St. Charles, both in the Rockford Diocese.
Upon returning to my roots in Music Education, I spent several years teaching at North Boone Schools and Richmond-Burton Community High School, ultimately teaching as the Director of Choirs and co-director of Theatre while at R-B. During this time, I earned a Master of Music in Music Education, also from Northern Illinois University. While I loved my work in this capacity, a growing family prompted my wife and I to return closer to our "home".
In 2011, I earned a Master of Educational Administration from UW-Milwaukee, holding a dual licensure as Principal and Director of Instruction. I am currently a PhD candidate at UW-Milwaukee, studying Urban Education and Educational Administration. When all is said and done, I hope to obtain DPI licensure in Business Management and Superintendent/District Administrator. My major concentration is Administrative Leadership, and my dual minor concentrations are Business and Exceptional Education.
That all sounds credential-ish, and perhaps it is, but I think it really just reflects that I love to learn. I made a commitment back in my high school teaching days that as long as I was a teacher, I also needed to be a student. A teacher should never remove himself or herself to the point of not understanding what it's like to be a student in today's world. Besides that, I love to learn from and collaborate with the tremendous faculty at UW-M; they have so much to give!!
My wife, Ginger, works as an RN in Rockford. We have two beautiful children, who both attend OLA (one in school, one in child care). We are blessed to be surrounded by numerous family members and friends, and we maintain a very active lifestyle.
I love serving as Principal at OLA, and I am reminded every day that I am surrounded by an exceptional staff, loving parents, and wonderful kids.
After graduating Cum Laude with full University Honors in 2003, I spent three years in music / liturgy ministry at the Newman Catholic Student Center in DeKalb, IL and St. John Neumann in St. Charles, both in the Rockford Diocese.
Upon returning to my roots in Music Education, I spent several years teaching at North Boone Schools and Richmond-Burton Community High School, ultimately teaching as the Director of Choirs and co-director of Theatre while at R-B. During this time, I earned a Master of Music in Music Education, also from Northern Illinois University. While I loved my work in this capacity, a growing family prompted my wife and I to return closer to our "home".
In 2011, I earned a Master of Educational Administration from UW-Milwaukee, holding a dual licensure as Principal and Director of Instruction. I am currently a PhD candidate at UW-Milwaukee, studying Urban Education and Educational Administration. When all is said and done, I hope to obtain DPI licensure in Business Management and Superintendent/District Administrator. My major concentration is Administrative Leadership, and my dual minor concentrations are Business and Exceptional Education.
That all sounds credential-ish, and perhaps it is, but I think it really just reflects that I love to learn. I made a commitment back in my high school teaching days that as long as I was a teacher, I also needed to be a student. A teacher should never remove himself or herself to the point of not understanding what it's like to be a student in today's world. Besides that, I love to learn from and collaborate with the tremendous faculty at UW-M; they have so much to give!!
My wife, Ginger, works as an RN in Rockford. We have two beautiful children, who both attend OLA (one in school, one in child care). We are blessed to be surrounded by numerous family members and friends, and we maintain a very active lifestyle.
I love serving as Principal at OLA, and I am reminded every day that I am surrounded by an exceptional staff, loving parents, and wonderful kids.