Mr. Dill is a teacher in the St. Vincent de Paul Middle School. He has been an educator, in one form or another, all of his adult life but has been teaching children since 2010. Mr. Dill came to us from Woodruff Alternative Middle School where he taught history. He earned his degree from Bradley University in 2010 after a twenty-two year career in the U.S. Marines. Prior to that, he attended Richwoods High School, class of 1981. He is married (Christine), has a son (Joseph), and two grandchildren (Logan and Kellen).
Mr. Dill’s classroom saint is Father Vincent Capodanno. Father Capodanno was a Navy chaplain during the Vietnam War who gave his life while giving aid and encouragement to his men. While he is not a saint (yet), he demonstrated, through his ultimate sacrifice, that care for others comes before care for oneself. This is the attitude that Mr. Dill tries to perpetuate in his classroom.
When he is not teaching, Mr. Dill is a voracious reader – particularly history and novels about international intrigue. He also spends as much time outdoors – hunting, fishing, and camping – as is humanly possible. Shooting pool and golfing are passions, as well. Finally, DIY takes up too much of his time because he “would just as soon do it himself as pay someone else to do it!”
Mr. Dill’s classroom is unique in that, while academics are important, he feels he has a lot of life experience to impart to his students. A conversation in his room could range from sentence structure and dangling participles to the joys of a sunrise at a local marsh or just acknowledging those around you. “I feel it’s my mission from God to help my kids find themselves, to help them find out who they really are, to help them be better, more productive human beings.”