Q: How long have you lived in Richmond Hill?
A: I have lived in Richmond Hill for three years, but lived in the Savannah area since 2000. I am originally from Athens, Georgia, but moved down here to go to ASU.
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I am a school teacher at Richmond Hill High School, where I teach business. I am also the head baseball coach. Before teaching, I played professional baseball in the New York Mets system, managed a business and was a small-business owner. This is my fifth year at RHHS.
Q: How long have you been teaching business? Do you enjoy the class?
A: I teach three different classes — intro to business and technology, business law and entrepreneurship. I have taught all of them for the duration of my time here at RHHS. I enjoy all of them, some more than others.
Q: In what ways have you been helping Sven McCaskill start his own company? What do you think of his company?
A: We do a lot of brainstorming together as far as his product designs, target market, release dates on products, etc. I think Sven has a great young, entrepreneurial mind. He is extremely mature and focused for his age. With the determination that he shows, the sky is the limit for this kid.
Q: Do you have any business experience? If so, explain.
A: I owned an indoor baseball and softball facility in Effingham County for two years. It gives me tons of stories — both good and bad — to relate to in class as I’m teaching. I may have been more successful at the business if I would have taught this material before I opened a business.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching and coaching at RHHS?
A: That’s easy — the students and players. I have great students, players, colleagues and administration. The support system through all these people — plus community support in the classroom and field — make it a lot easier on my part. It’s just a great situation for my family and me.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A: I love spending time with my two boys, Brody, 4, and Carson, 1, and my wife, Elizabeth. We are very busy, so we really value our time together as a family. I love to play golf as well.
Q: What’s your favorite place to visit nearby? Why?
A: I love Hilton Head. I love the beach and I love golf, so it’s hard to go wrong at Hilton Head Island.
Q: If money weren’t an option, how would you spend your time?
A: I just told my students this week that if I won the lottery, they could find me at the golf course. One of my students asked, “What if you get bored playing golf?” The simple answer is, I’d play a new course or play with a different foursome. My serious answer, though, is I would like to continue to work with young people in some type of capacity through baseball, mentoring or teaching — and play a lot of golf!
Q: What super power would you most like to have?
A: Kids and students have so much going on outside of school. There is a lot of pressure for kids to perform whether it be in the classroom, on the playing field or at a band concert. They put a lot of pressure on themselves, and not all students have the best home life. If I could “read” each kid who walked through my door or through the gates at the field, it would help a ton. It’s hard to tell if a kid is having a bad day and even harder to know why they are having one. I could be a lot better at my job with this super power.