Hello parents, teachers, students, and prospective students of Bonner Classical Academy.
It is my pleasure and indeed a privilege to have the opportunity to work with BCA in the capacity of a teacher. I am convinced that BCA is currently making significant educational contributions to our Sandpoint community, and in the future, it will continue to play a vital role in our youth’s general development and education. During this critical early stage of BCA’s history, it is exciting to be a part of BCA as the grandparent of a kindergarten child and now also as a teacher. Our teachers are very much heroes and grand influencers of our children, and I know that many of us as parents and grandparents are grateful to God for this opportunity to educate our children in such an impressive classical program and through such morally grounded, talented and caring teachers as those at Bonner Classical Academy. As a Christian father of 4 grown children, I understand the concerns and issues that parents have around wanting a good, safe, and morally outstanding education for their children. As an extension of those years as a parent, I want to see BCA succeed and thrive in our community, and I want to play a part in making BCA’s success both robust and resilient.
From an early age I enjoyed science and math, and as a result, I enthusiastically explored astronomy and especially engaged in laboratory chemistry. Much later in high school, I shifted my attention to physics, and later I obtained a MSc in physics during my university years. After graduation, I engaged various aspects of aerospace engineering, gaining experience in flight dynamics and interplanetary mission design. Working for Boeing, SAIC, and Raytheon gave me a deep understanding of systems engineering, modeling physical systems using the computer, and developing system software using tools such as C++, Python, FORTRAN, and MATLAB/Simulink. In 2018, I retired from the Raytheon Missile Systems after more than 35 years as an aerospace engineer. I came away from Raytheon as a principal systems engineer and a data analyst with extensive experience in modeling-simulation-and-analysis (MS&A), systems engineering, and flight test performance verification. My primary work in the area of MS&A was mostly computer simulation of flight systems for both atmospheric flight (Earth and Mars) and the interplanetary space flight regime as well.
I believe my strong background in aerospace engineering, my love of the sciences, my background as a parent, and my fully embracing the classical education philosophy will play a vital role in developing BCA into the powerful and influential classical school that North Idaho needs for the future of our youth.