Master Teachers Join The Faculty
Dr. Bruce Westrate has the distinction of being the first teacher to fill the Nancy & Jeffrey Marcus Master Teaching Chair in Humanities. He comes to St. Mark’s from Indiana University South Bend where he was Associate Professor of History for the past fourteen years. Dr. Westrate received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Bruce and his wife Sally have two children, Molly (age 23) and Nicholas (age 19). They have a calico cat named Eponius and Bruce says their favorite vacation place is Maine. Dr. Westrate says his heroes are Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Ted Nugent. If he had a fantasy dinner party he’d invite George Burns, Ashley Judd, Benjamin Disraeli, Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and Margaret Thatcher. His favorite time of the day is dusk and his favorite junk food is pizza. His favorite movie is “Man Who Would Be King” but he is happiest when watching college football.
Mr. Jon Valasek joined the St. Mark’s faculty this year to fill the Leonard N. “Doc” Nelson Alumni Master Teaching Chair in Science. Mr. Valasek received his B.S. in Chemistry from Marietta College and his M.S. in Biology from Angelo State University. Before St. Mark’s, Jon was a science teacher and science department chair at Hattiesburg High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was named District Teacher of the Year in 2000. He spent twenty years in the US Air Force as a Communications-electronics officer before taking up the teaching profession. Jon has two children, Anthony (age 36) and Natalie (age 34) who have made him the grandfather of three boys! Mr. Valasek shares his home with a cat named Missy and his favorite time of the day is morning. His fantasy dinner party would include Walt Disney, Gandalf, Jamie Lee Curtis, the Apostle Peter, Jon’s grandfather, and Tom Landry. London, England, is Jon’s favorite vacation place and when it comes to junk food – give him ice cream. His favorite movies are “The Blues Brothers” and “The Sound of Music.” His heroes are “anyone who stands up for a cause and sees it through.” He says he is happiest when with his family or when he is teaching.
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Mr. Jon Valasek joined the St. Mark’s faculty this year to fill the Leonard N. “Doc” Nelson Alumni Master Teaching Chair in Science. Mr. Valasek received his B.S. in Chemistry from Marietta College and his M.S. in Biology from Angelo State University. Before St. Mark’s, Jon was a science teacher and science department chair at Hattiesburg High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was named District Teacher of the Year in 2000. He spent twenty years in the US Air Force as a Communications-electronics officer before taking up the teaching profession. Jon has two children, Anthony (age 36) and Natalie (age 34) who have made him the grandfather of three boys! Mr. Valasek shares his home with a cat named Missy and his favorite time of the day is morning. His fantasy dinner party would include Walt Disney, Gandalf, Jamie Lee Curtis, the Apostle Peter, Jon’s grandfather, and Tom Landry. London, England, is Jon’s favorite vacation place and when it comes to junk food – give him ice cream. His favorite movies are “The Blues Brothers” and “The Sound of Music.” His heroes are “anyone who stands up for a cause and sees it through.” He says he is happiest when with his family or when he is teaching.
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Dr. Bruce Westrate
The Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Master Teaching Chair -
Mr. Jon Valasek
The Leonard N. "Doc" Nelson Alumni Master Teaching Chair
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St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
