Position at Unity: I teach Biology and Chemistry, and Applied Science, and coach Girls Varsity Soccer. I also do the sound and lights for chapels and theater.
Professional and Educational Background: I graduated from Calvin College and the University of Michigan in May, 1980, with a BS in Forestry from both schools. I then went back to Calvin in 1983, and finished the requirements for secondary education in 1985. My wife and I moved to Visalia, California where I taught at Central Valley Christian High School for four years. We then moved to Orange City, IA in 1989 and have taught at Unity since then. I obtained my MS in Science Education from the University of Iowa in August 1998.
Childhood and Family Background: I was born and raised in New Jersey, and graduated from Eastern Christian High School in 1974. My Junior year was spent in the area public high school; during that year I came to appreciate Christian Schools a great deal. That experience shaped my attitude and enthusiasm for Christian education. After I graduated from Calvin in 1980, I met and married my wife, Mimi Karsen of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In July of 1986, we were blessed with the arrival of our son Benjamin. Benjamin has graduated from Unity in 2005. He and his wife Alison live in Sioux City, and are expecting thier first child in August, 2010.
Church Life: Our family now worships at Covenant CRC in Sioux Center.
Life Outside Unity: Mimi works for Sioux County as a maintanence person and loves to quilt. In my spare time during the school year I do some carpentry and gardening. Our family enjoys camping and many outdoor activities. Benjamin and I enjoy rock-climbing, and all of us enjoy hiking and canoeing. My wife is also an excellent quilter, and all three of us love to read.
Why I teach at Unity: I teach at Unity because I want to use my talents to help draw students closer to God by attempting to help them understand the incredible creation that God has made. God has made an awesome world of amazing complexity, and He has given us the difficult job of caring for it; of being stewards of that creation. I want to help students be Godly stewards of that creation. I think I can best do that in a Christian school, and God has drawn me to this corner of his creation to work with His children in that regard.