Welcome to Kenowa Hills High School! Here's my story, including some stuff that maybe you can't find on social media!
I was born Mark Andrew Hotchkin in 1981, and I have one younger brother. I grew up in Ionia, MI, and graduated from Ionia High School in 1999. In 2005, I graduated from Grand Valley State University with my bachelor's degree in secondary education. My favorite subjects throughout school were math and social studies, so naturally those were the courses that I became certified to teach. Highlights of my undergraduate time include a summer studying abroad in England and Scotland, and three consecutive years traveling to see the Lakers play in the Division II football national championship game in Florence, Alabama. (They won twice!)
Fresh out of college, I was looking for adventure, so I accepted my first job teaching math at Douglas High School in Minden, Nevada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. (I love the mountains, as you can tell.) I taught there for two years before I started to miss my old friends and my family. In spite of many friends I made there, it felt a little lonely sometimes without the people I'd grown up with. So I decided to move back to the Grand Rapids area, and I began my master's degree in school counseling at GVSU. In 2010, after a lot of work, I received my master's degree. I love teaching, but I would also like to spend some time as a counselor during my career.
Fast forward to present day...After meeting her in 2009, I married my lovely wife Lori on July 8, 2011. We had our first child, a handsome baby boy named Evan Andrew Hotchkin, on April 20, 2015. We live on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, within a few miles of the Woodland Mall. Beyond school and my family, my favorite activity is bicycling. I have 5 different bicycles for different types of terrain and races. I usually ride anywhere from 3 to 7 days per week (even in the winter), and I compete in races throughout the year. I am proud to have raced against Olympians and professional cyclists, including some who have raced in the Tour de France. You might even see me riding my bike to school - but usually only in the spring, when sunrise is really early.
In the summer of 2013, Lori and I took a trip to watch the Tour de France. Those are the pictures you see below. In the summer of 2015, in addition to adjusting to life with our new little guy, we took a trip to California where we did a driving tour up the famous Pacific Coast Highway. We also made stops in San Diego and Los Angeles. I hope to have some pictures of that up soon!
Thanks for reading. I love teaching and watching students learn, and I'm really excited for the 2015-16 school year! Go Knights!
I was born Mark Andrew Hotchkin in 1981, and I have one younger brother. I grew up in Ionia, MI, and graduated from Ionia High School in 1999. In 2005, I graduated from Grand Valley State University with my bachelor's degree in secondary education. My favorite subjects throughout school were math and social studies, so naturally those were the courses that I became certified to teach. Highlights of my undergraduate time include a summer studying abroad in England and Scotland, and three consecutive years traveling to see the Lakers play in the Division II football national championship game in Florence, Alabama. (They won twice!)
Fresh out of college, I was looking for adventure, so I accepted my first job teaching math at Douglas High School in Minden, Nevada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. (I love the mountains, as you can tell.) I taught there for two years before I started to miss my old friends and my family. In spite of many friends I made there, it felt a little lonely sometimes without the people I'd grown up with. So I decided to move back to the Grand Rapids area, and I began my master's degree in school counseling at GVSU. In 2010, after a lot of work, I received my master's degree. I love teaching, but I would also like to spend some time as a counselor during my career.
Fast forward to present day...After meeting her in 2009, I married my lovely wife Lori on July 8, 2011. We had our first child, a handsome baby boy named Evan Andrew Hotchkin, on April 20, 2015. We live on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, within a few miles of the Woodland Mall. Beyond school and my family, my favorite activity is bicycling. I have 5 different bicycles for different types of terrain and races. I usually ride anywhere from 3 to 7 days per week (even in the winter), and I compete in races throughout the year. I am proud to have raced against Olympians and professional cyclists, including some who have raced in the Tour de France. You might even see me riding my bike to school - but usually only in the spring, when sunrise is really early.
In the summer of 2013, Lori and I took a trip to watch the Tour de France. Those are the pictures you see below. In the summer of 2015, in addition to adjusting to life with our new little guy, we took a trip to California where we did a driving tour up the famous Pacific Coast Highway. We also made stops in San Diego and Los Angeles. I hope to have some pictures of that up soon!
Thanks for reading. I love teaching and watching students learn, and I'm really excited for the 2015-16 school year! Go Knights!