Mark Nicholas joined the Burroughs faculty in 1982. He teaches American government, World Civilizations, U.S. History and a senior elective, Literature and History. He also conducts family interviews for the Admissions Department. He holds a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and taught at several high schools in Michigan prior to coming to Burroughs.

In today’s episode we cover Mr. Nicholas’ experience in football, what it means to be human, and of course, history. We greatly appreciate Mr. Nicholas for taking the time to speak to us, and wish him the best as he transitions into his role as our new principal!

In this episode, we dive deep into the science of the brain and explore how drugs influence brain chemistry.

Scott Deken joined the Burroughs faculty in 2005. He teaches 10th grade Chemistry, Bioethics and Advanced Biology: Behavioral Neuroscience, and is the head baseball coach (winning the state championship in 2023). He is the immediate past principal of 9th and 10th grades. Prior to coming to Burroughs, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University in St. Louis for three years. Dr. Deken holds a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from College of the Ozarks and a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Meredith Thorpe, also called 'Coach Thorpe' by many, is the Director of Admissions and Tuition Aid at Burroughs, as well as the head field hockey coach. Besides coaching field hockey at the collegiate level, she also played on the national team before! In this episode, we touch on many important topics, ranging from the JBS admissions process to discipline and work ethic. Huge thanks to Ms. Thorpe for taking the time to speak with us!

Shannon Sock serves as Mercy's chief operating officer and chief strategist. Mr. Sock has earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Shannon. Since he joined Mercy in 1999, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chief financial officer, focused on major business and clinical transformation initiatives. These include the creation of an award-winning supply chain operating division, Mercy Meds, Mercy SafeWatch, early implementation of an electronic health record and the establishment of Mercy Virtual. Prior to joining Mercy, he worked in consulting for CSC Healthcare. Mr. Sock, thank you for taking time out of your day to have this insightful conversation with us!

Willie Owens has been selected as Burroughs' new athletic director! Willie is the Athletic Director at Sandia Prep in Albuquerque, overseeing 70 coaches and 56 teams in 23 sports. He was the head boys basketball coach from 1994 to 2017, achieving nearly 400 wins and multiple championships. Recently, Sandia Prep has won state titles in soccer, track, dance, and cross country. We are very excited to see what Mr. Owens can provide to our athletic culture here at Burroughs!

John Kemper is the President and CEO of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and Commerce Bank. He previously worked at McKinsey & Company and holds degrees from Stanford University, the London School of Economics, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In this episode, we go into a deep dive into the world of finance and what it takes to run a billion-dollar company efficiently.

Mark Smith joined the Burroughs faculty in 1998. He teaches American government, U.S. History and Bioethics. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy/history from the College of William and Mary, and a master's and doctorate in history from the University of Virginia. Prior to coming to Burroughs, Smith was a graduate assistant and visiting instructor at the University of Virginia. In this episode, we discussed the current state of the country, its historical background and political landscape, as well as some ethical problems including the well-known Trolley Problem.

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Jamie Wagner joined the Burroughs faculty in 1988. Wagner holds a bachelor's degree in history and government from Lawrence University and a master's degree in urban planning and real estate development from Saint Louis University. On this episode, we dive deep into the life of Mr. Wagner, religion, philosophy, and the history of humankind.

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Julia Riew is an accomplished composer-lyricist and writer, and a John Burroughs alum. She graduated from Burroughs in 2017, and then attended Harvard in the class of '22. She was a 2022 Fred Ebb Award Winner and was also featured on Playbill as a songwriter of the month. Julia's biggest project so far has been her musical Dive, which is a story featuring a Korean protagonist trying to get home. She was inspired to write this musical because she noticed the lack of a Korean Disney princess. Recently, she has risen to fame on social media, amassing over 130k followers on TikTok, 20k followers on Instagram, and more than 3 million likes. Julia, thank you for sharing your unique experiences with us on the podcast, and we look forward to your future projects!