We get new teachers all the time at Apex High School. Meet Mr. Holder, one of our new science teachers this year. I had the pleasure to get to know him, and you can, too, through this interview. 

Q: “Where are you from?”

A: “I’m from a small town just south of Raleigh called Lillington.”

Q: “Do you have any kids, pets, ect?”

A: “I do; I have two daughters. One is eighteen, and the other is fifteen. I also have two cats and one dog.”

Q: “What are some of your hobbies?”

A: “My other job and hobby is being a referee in volleyball, and that’s really it.”

Q: “What kind of experience do you have?”

A: “This is actually my first full year of teaching. I was a long term substitute last year in the spring semester, and before that I was also a long term substitute at a different school.”

Q: “What school did you go to and what kind of degrees do you have?”

A: “I went to the University of Chapel Hill and got my undergrad in recreation administration masters degree in healthcare administration.”

Q: “What are your thoughts about apex so far, likes, dislikes?”

A: “I love that at Apex everyone takes care of each other; the students participate and want to succeed and the staff are great and collaborative; and don’t want each other to fail. This is definitely the highest level of school I’ve worked at; the participation levels are higher here than any other place I’ve been. I don’t think I have any dislikes so far.” 

Q: “Who has been a big inspiration in your life?”

A: “My high school math teacher, Mr. Frie, had a passion for teaching and carried over into everything he did which inspired other kids to achieve and do their best.”

Q: “What was your most memorable moment as a teacher?”

A: “Last year during physical science at the end of the spring semester, I reached some of the kids who weren’t doing well and helped them get from an almost failing grade to passing and helped them become better in their subject.”

Q: “What do you think your students think of you?”

A: “Ooh, this is a hard one. I think they would say that I’m fair and helpful on projects and that they enjoy my teaching style and how interactive it is in class, not a lecture but more fun discussions, interactive more projects, and learning through experience and learning through labs but making sure they have underlying knowledge to be able to do the labs well and learn from them.”

Q: “What advice would you give?” 

A: “I would say to try your best and try to ask questions early so you can understand what is happening so you can catch up early and understand better and faster.”

We are so excited to get the privilege of having Mr. Holder here this year. We hope to make his experience great!