This week, Type One sat down with one of the four new teachers at Pine Crest: Mr. Nicholas Lowe. He shed light on their experiences at Pine Crest so far and gave insight on their views of the Pine Crest’s campus, students, and community.

Type One: What class are you teaching this year?

Mr. Lowe: I am teaching Algebra, which is also what I taught at my previous school.

T1: What were you doing before you came to Pine Crest this year?

Mr. Lowe: Before PC, I taught at a high school in Jacksonville, FL. I had been placed there by my Masters in Education program at Notre Dame.

T1: Why did you decide to come to Pine Crest?

Mr. Lowe:  I spent two years working on my master’s degree and working at my previous school. When that program finished, I was ready to move on to new adventures! I applied to schools around the country, but Pine Crest was the school that impressed me the most.

T1: How are you enjoying Pine Crest thus far?

Mr. Lowe: I’m really enjoying Pine Crest – the support of the community, the dedication of its students, and the good humor of my colleagues all reaffirm my first impressions of a school where people care about one another and foster the best of every member of the community.

T1: In what ways does the Pine Crest community differ from your previous experiences?

Mr. Lowe:  Pine Crest has a different feel to it; I don’t know if it’s the beauty of its campus, the access to high-quality resources, or simply the dedication of faculty, staff, students, and parents, but I find that the atmosphere is one of focus and creativity beyond what I’ve seen before at a high school.

T1: What is your favorite part about Pine Crest?

Mr. Lowe: Free coffee! More seriously though, I love the amount of time that Pine Crest gives me to work with students outside the classroom, in everything from extra help to class trips (Harry Potter world!). Working with students is my passion, and I love that I get to do that both inside and outside the classroom.

T1: What was your first impression of Pine Crest when starting this year?

Mr. Lowe: My first impression was “why are there so many giant lizards crawling around?” I have since learned that they are iguanas, and they sometimes fall out of trees, and now I’m terrified that one will fall on me.

T1: Given that Pine Crest has so much to offer, have you been given any opportunities to help out with extra-curricular activities?

Mr. Lowe: I really enjoy going to my students’ events. You can often find me at home games for the JV teams, or for the concerts and performances in Stacy. I like helping out with things, but I’m not currently committed to a single club or activity (although I suspect that will change once people know I’m a free agent).

As you can see, Mr. Lowe has been enjoying his time at Pine Crest and has truly assimilated into the community. Here at Pine Crest, the quality of education is a top priority; it is because of our wonderful teachers and faculty members that our school is able to foster a community where students can thrive. We feel very lucky and excited to have Mr. Lowe as a teacher this year and would like to thank him for sharing his passion with students.