David Theiss, one of Summit Academy’s newest teachers, is in the midst of his first year teaching at our school. David currently teaches Technology and Small Group classes.

David started his teaching career in the mountains outside of Asheville, NC at an expeditionary boarding school that served a student population similar to Summit’s. David says finding a job in this type of school was a “happy accident”. While there, he quickly discovered a passion for teaching in small, independent schools, and he was determined to continue his teaching career at a similar school when he moved to Louisville.

This passion and devotion brought David to Summit. He loves having the opportunity to build a rapport with his students due to Summit’s small class sizes. David also notes that Summit’s unique setting allows him to slow down as an educator and focus on the whole student. He says his favorite moments are “helping a student bounce back, and spending that extra time processing their emotions and how they handled a situation.”

David is looking forward to a return to normalcy post-COVID. He hopes to create a new club that will expose students to rock climbing and bouldering. David believes that rock climbing is well suited to Summit because it focuses on the whole student. He notes, “climbing encourages students to be stewards of our public lands, challenging themselves both mentally and physically while relying on the group as a whole for successes.”

David and his newlywed wife Aly recently moved to Louisville. In his free time, David enjoys climbing, creating art, reading, skating, cooking, meditating, being in the woods and watching the NBA.