About
Hi! My name is Nick Kiriazis, and I am thrilled to begin my second year as a science teacher at International Studies. I originally hail from the Chicagoland area, and currently live in Jonesboro. While I have lived many places, my most recent stint has been in Logan, Utah for past 8 years before moving in town in 2017.
After my wife finished her Ph.D. in Biology at Utah State University, she accepted a professorship position at Arkansas State University and started in the fall of 2017, which is what brought us here to Jonesboro. I took that year off to raise my daughter (Gasp!? A stay at home Dad!?) and build a small business that incorporates wooden art and photography.
My journey in education first began as an Undergraduate at Eastern Illinois University where I earned my Bachelor's of Science degree under the support and guidance of Dr. Stephen Mullin. I specialized in Northern Watersnake habitat usage and, particularly on their utilization of man-made objects as foraging and breeding grounds. I engaged in outreach and taught labs at the university.
During this time, I also became involved in a program called TREE (Turtle Camp Research and Education in Ecology) through Iowa State University, under the support of Dr. Fred Janzen. Here, we worked to get students from inner cities out to an island along the Mississippi River to engage them in research on Painted Turtles. It was an extraordinary opportunity, and became the crucibles for my passion for outreach and education.
Fast forward a few years. In 2010, I finished my degree, had a bit of a quarter life crisis, packed my life up in my 2004 Grand Am, and moved to Boise, Idaho to work for the Idaho Forest Service. Here, I was a team leader in a program called SnowSchool. SnowSchool introduces kids to the joy of exploring our nation’s winter wildlands. It annually engages over 33,000 participants across 65 sites, and while I was there, I worked with K-12 students and teachers to take youth teams on snowshoes into the wilderness. Our foci included winter ecology and snow science, and included exploration, winter survival, igloo construction, and plant and animal identification. I was hooked.
I finished my tenure in Boise, and moved down to Logan, Utah (coming now full circle) to marry the love of my life, and begin my Master's Degree in Education, specializing in science education. Once complete, I was hired at my dream school - Venture High School. I worked there over the course of four incredible years, and taught a wide array of courses such as Ecology, Biology, Natural History, and The Mountain Man, and made it my personal mission to take as many students into the field as I could. I led groups of kids all around the beautiful state of Utah to engage them in field-based science, and to help them develop their personal and professional character.
Now, as a second year science teacher at International Studies, I find myself humbled by my experiences and time I spent here last year. It was a year of many firsts for me, and one that forged many opportunities for growth for us all.
I can't wait to get this year under way! Science!
After my wife finished her Ph.D. in Biology at Utah State University, she accepted a professorship position at Arkansas State University and started in the fall of 2017, which is what brought us here to Jonesboro. I took that year off to raise my daughter (Gasp!? A stay at home Dad!?) and build a small business that incorporates wooden art and photography.
My journey in education first began as an Undergraduate at Eastern Illinois University where I earned my Bachelor's of Science degree under the support and guidance of Dr. Stephen Mullin. I specialized in Northern Watersnake habitat usage and, particularly on their utilization of man-made objects as foraging and breeding grounds. I engaged in outreach and taught labs at the university.
During this time, I also became involved in a program called TREE (Turtle Camp Research and Education in Ecology) through Iowa State University, under the support of Dr. Fred Janzen. Here, we worked to get students from inner cities out to an island along the Mississippi River to engage them in research on Painted Turtles. It was an extraordinary opportunity, and became the crucibles for my passion for outreach and education.
Fast forward a few years. In 2010, I finished my degree, had a bit of a quarter life crisis, packed my life up in my 2004 Grand Am, and moved to Boise, Idaho to work for the Idaho Forest Service. Here, I was a team leader in a program called SnowSchool. SnowSchool introduces kids to the joy of exploring our nation’s winter wildlands. It annually engages over 33,000 participants across 65 sites, and while I was there, I worked with K-12 students and teachers to take youth teams on snowshoes into the wilderness. Our foci included winter ecology and snow science, and included exploration, winter survival, igloo construction, and plant and animal identification. I was hooked.
I finished my tenure in Boise, and moved down to Logan, Utah (coming now full circle) to marry the love of my life, and begin my Master's Degree in Education, specializing in science education. Once complete, I was hired at my dream school - Venture High School. I worked there over the course of four incredible years, and taught a wide array of courses such as Ecology, Biology, Natural History, and The Mountain Man, and made it my personal mission to take as many students into the field as I could. I led groups of kids all around the beautiful state of Utah to engage them in field-based science, and to help them develop their personal and professional character.
Now, as a second year science teacher at International Studies, I find myself humbled by my experiences and time I spent here last year. It was a year of many firsts for me, and one that forged many opportunities for growth for us all.
I can't wait to get this year under way! Science!
Lori Neuman-LeeMy beautiful and talented wife.
Check out her lab website here! |
Nora KiriazisMy beautiful and talented daughter. Her talents include drawing, hiking, being a big girl, and eating pickles.
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Crow's Ridge Photography and Woodshop |