Chase Feher is completing his first year at OLSH as a teacher in the Science Department. Chase teaches Academic Biology and Honors Biology to freshmen, and AP Biology to juniors and seniors. He is a graduate of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA where he earned his B.S. in Biology; he also holds a Biology Certification 7-12. Chase is continuing his education at St. Vincent, working towards a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. His long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. and possibly teach at the college level.
Chase initially did not aspire to pursue a career in education, although in the 8th grade, he did predict he’d someday be a teacher. His original plan was to study pharmacy, but he quickly came to realize that he didn’t like chemistry, and really enjoyed biology. As the end of his first year of studies neared, Chase was unsure if he would go into biology research or perhaps work as a physical therapist. His mom suggested he consider teaching since he enjoys interacting with kids.
Chase then became involved in the Step-Up program at St. Vincent, which is an enrichment program provided to non-traditional homeschooled students in the community. St. Vincent students enrolled in the teacher certification program are given the opportunity to design and teach the curriculum. After participating in the program, Chase knew that working in the education field would be the right fit for him.
Chase grew up in the Monessen, PA area and attended Greensburg Catholic High School before moving onto St. Vincent for his college studies. When he came to interview for the position at OLSH, the OLSH campus reminded him of St. Vincent College on a smaller scale. The presence of religious on campus, is another similarity Chase found comforting. “There, we had monks on campus,” Chase explained, “and OLSH has the Felician Sisters.”
Chase felt very welcomed by the OLSH community from day one. “The faculty supports each other and gets along very well,” he said. “Everyone is so nice and the faculty is a tight-knit group”. Department Chair, Meredith Rieseck-Terracio has been a great support to him over the past year, as has French teacher (and teacher in the classroom next door) Mr. Michael Miller. Chase commented, “All of the teachers have been very helpful in answering my questions and guiding me through my first year at OLSH.”
Chase describes the students at OLSH as “awesome”. “They work very hard and there are very few problems,” he noted. His students tend to think about things differently, which he finds very refreshing.
Chase enjoys working with his AP students. The class built a lot of models and diagrams, and even conducted a brain dissection earlier this year. The students performed well on mock AP exams earlier this year and Chase is looking forward to seeing the results of the actual AP exams the students took this spring. To end the year, Chase challenged his students to create a video in which they will rearrange a song to explain a biology subject. He is excited to see the outcome of this project and believes it will spark interest in biology for future OLSH students. Science department chair, Meredith Rieseck-Terracio has enjoyed having him on the team this year. “Chase has been a great addition to the science department,” she said. “He has brought new life to our freshman bio classes and has worked hard to prepare our AP students to be successful on their exams.”
Outside of school, Chase enjoys movies, sports, and various outdoor activities. This summer, he is looking forward to taking his first trip abroad, traveling to Paris.
Chase is excited to teach next year’s freshman biology classes and to continue his work with the AP students. “I’d like to do more in-depth labs,” he explained, “and I’m excited to learn and present the new AP curriculum that is coming out.”