At Apex High School, there are always new teachers becoming a part of the Apex family, and today we have the honor of welcoming Mr. Verb, our new social studies teacher and Apex baseball coach! I was able to sit down and get to know him a little better; here’s what he said: 

Q: Where are you from? 

A: “I am from Philadelphia.”

Q: What school did you go to, and what degrees did you earn? 

A: “I went to Towson University in Baltimore, and I have my Bachelors in Secondary Education and Social Sciences.”

Q: Are you married, and do you have children or pets? 

A: “I am married, just ten years this year; I have an almost six years old first grader at Apex Elementary.”

Q: What did you do before you came to Apex? 

A: “I taught the last five years at Knightdale High School. Before that, I taught in Las Vegas, New Jersey, Wiscoison, and Baltimore.”

Q: Why did you become a teacher? 

A: “I became a teacher because I wanted to have the same impact on kids that my teachers had on me.” 

Q: What jobs did you have before becoming a teacher? 

A: “Oh gosh, I worked in professional lacrosse for a couple years…I worked in Towson University’s athletic department. I worked at a supermarket and a bunch of restaurants, bartended…that might be it.”

Q: Why did you choose to teach Social Studies? 

A: “I chose social studies because I wasn’t good at math or science, and I thought social studies was a good way to learn about the world around us and become better people.” 

Q: What are your thoughts about Apex so far? 

A: “I am incredibly happy to be here; I feel incredibly fortunate to be a member of the community. I am very excited to be here; it’s the only place that I was willing to come. Very, very thankful to be here.”

Q: How does Apex compare to other schools you’ve worked at? 

A: “It has an amazing school culture, it’s academically challenging, and there is a really good community feel to it which allows me to bring my family into it as well.” 

Q: What is your favorite movie and book? 

A: “My favorite movie is The Sandlot, and my favorite book is anything by John Sanford.”

Q: What are your hobbies? 

A: “Baseball, watching football, and cooking.”

Q: Have you received an awards or trophies of any kind? 

A: “Only team-oriented awards, things I won as a team.” 

Q: Do you have any pet peeves? 

A: “It bugs me when people don’t plug the chromebooks back in.” 

Q: What were you like as a student? 

A: “Oh, I was not a very good student. I’m embarrassed about how I was as a student. I would say I didn’t live up to my potential in high school.” 

Q: What advice would you give your students? 

A: “Be where your feet are.” 

Q: If you weren’t teaching, what would you be doing? 

A: “I would probably be a cook…my favorite thing to make is pizza, very fancy pizza.”

Q: Who is, or has been, an inspiration in your life? 

A: “His name is Al Brisack, and he is the baseball coach at Edgewood College, which is in Wisconsin, and he was the first person that taught me how to teach people how to pitch. So he’s been a big inspiration.” 

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

A: “When kids come back after they’ve graduated and they show me their lives and what makes them happy, knowing that I had at least a small part in it.”

Q: What would you tell students looking to take your class? 

A: “That EPF [Economics and Personal Finance] is the most relevant, worthwhile class you can take in high school.”

Well, I had such a great time getting to know Mr. Verb, and we are so lucky to have a new addition to the Apex Fam!