Introducing Mr. Howarth

You might not have heard of Carl Sagan, but you probably know who Bill Nye is. According to Mr. Dean Howarth, a new science teacher at St. John’s, Carl Sagan was the “Bill Nye the Science Guy of my generation,” as well as his inspiration for becoming a science teacher.

Mr. Howarth is a new addition to the St. John’s Science Department this year. However, he is anything but new to teaching.

Prior to joining the St. John’s faculty, Mr. Howarth worked for the entirety of his teaching career at McLean High School in Virginia. He began working there straight out of college and continued to do so for 31 years. Due to his dedication, McLean High School renamed their observatory after him.

Now, Mr. Howarth said he is excited to start this year at St. John’s, where he is teaching physics and astronomy. Even though he is “just learning how to work out the new schedule,” he still intends on supporting the community at St. John’s. In fact, he plans on going to his first football game soon!

Outside of school, Mr. Howarth attends professional soccer games, spends time with his wife, and takes naps with his cat. Although, being a science teacher, he said he does enjoy traveling to “nerdy science sites.” This summer, he went to Denmark to visit the home of Tycho Brahe, an astronomer from the 16th century whom Mr. Howarth claims is “very cool.”