Michael Clark "Mr Clark" "Mr C"

Education: B.A. Biology - University of Utah / M. Ed. Education - Utah State University

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT

I grew up in the Avenues here in SLC. I went to Wasatch, Bryant and West High. For college I went to the U and am a Sigma Chi. My favorite classes there were Human Anatomy (I was a TA in the anatomy lab) and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. 

I have an amazing wife and three kids. My kids are all in their teens now and have each attended the Arts Academy. I spend most of my free time with my family. Each summer we take an epic cross-country road trip to visit national parks, beaches, cool cities, and historic sites. We do a lot of hiking and camping together. We also have a tradition of doing weekly game nights and movie nights.

I love nature and spending time in the outdoors. Photography has always been one of my hobbies and I enjoy making videos too. I am constantly reading good books and listening to audiobooks... I am certain to recommend some to you. I lived in Peru for almost 2 years and speak some Spanish. I care a lot about food and health. I get a kick out of late night comedy. Dad jokes make me laugh. I have an uncanny ability to memorize and quote movie lines. I've got pretty good drawing skills. I want to get some sweet computer hacking skills. I love to play games (board games, card games and especially video games). I am athletic and enjoy most sports. I played competition soccer, high school soccer and currently play on an indoor soccer team. I'm an avid backpacker. Chocolate cheers me up. Popsicles make me happy. I love to eat watermelon. I love cold, refreshing beverages with ice! I am passionate about all things science / technology. I'm completely obsessed with airplanes and flying. My dream was to be a fighter pilot, but unfortunately I'm colorblind so it didn't work out. Instead I spend a lot of time enjoying flying on my flight simulator. I'm even a member a virtual F-18 squadron that I fly with each week.

When I was in middle school I strongly disliked: 

How worried and anxious I felt in 7th grade. I went to Bryant Jr High so there were only 2 years. I was shy, scared and worried most of the time. I also had braces and acne. I agonized over homework, was nervous to perform in front of others, wasn't confident talking to girls and generally didn't let myself enjoy the learning and social experiences as much as I should have. In retrospect 7th grade was actually great! I learned so much. But, it could have been a whole lot better if I had changed the way I chose to look at the world.

When I was in middle school I loved: 

8th Grade! - I made a decision that changed my life. I decided not to worry and care so much anymore. I came out of my shell, relaxed a little, had a really good group of friends and chose to start enjoying all the new adventures and experiences. It was a blast! I hope you too can be open to all the amazing things there are to learn and discover at this time in your life and really go for it.

What I want my students to know:

My main goal is that students will feel that science is fun, exciting and something they can do!

The amazing scientists, engineers and innovators of tomorrow are in my classroom today.