A bio teacher’s bio

By Sagar Tomar

“I was pretty nerdy in high school,” says science teacher Jason Dries when talking about his teenage years.  Now, Mr. Dries teaches biology and Forensics Science here at Piedmont Hills.  Before going into teaching, Mr. Dries went to Saint Joseph’s High School and then to South Dakota State University.

“I want to make people smarter,” responds Mr. Dries when asked why he chose teaching as a profession.  Besides learning new things and annoying others, Mr. Dries enjoys playing video games– such as Fallout 4 and Borderlands—and photography.

Photography is something very important in his life.

”Capturing a moment in time and preserving it forever.  As someone with a terrible memory, it’s heartwarming to review pictures and stroll down memory lane of the events of our lives, big and small.  As a parent, you think you’ll remember every little detail, but you don’t.  Pictures really help relive these moments,” wistfully expresses Mr. Dries.

As for video games, Mr. Dries says, “Oh, I’ve been gaming since the first Magnavox Odyssey 2, since the first Atari 2600, since the first ColecoVision.  It’s a part of my history and I can’t stop now.”

As a child, Mr. Dries had a normal childhood although he played no sports.

“I suppose chess counts, I was in the high school chess club,” laughs Mr. Dries.

His favorite moment as a “child” is getting his driver’s license.  Now, Mr. Dries spends time with his 8 year old son doing activities such as riding his bike, playing Fallout 4 and playing Star Wars Battle Front on the old Xbox 1.  While doing all these activities, Mr. Dries enjoys slurping up raw oysters.