"Laugh and Learn! Dr. Hartnell should charge admission to hear his lectures! He is so original, so funny, and so smart! If Conan O'Brien and 'Meet the Press' had a baby, it'd be Hartnell!"
-- Former student
-- Former student
In the Beginning...
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Someone once asked New York Yankees' center fielder Joe DiMaggio why he was always diving for the ball and trying his hardest during every game. His response has become the creed by which Dr. Hartnell teaches:
"There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, and I owe him my best." Born in Lansing, Michigan on October 1, 1977, Dr. Hartnell lived his first six months in Holt before moving to Westerville, Ohio in 1978. |
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Education Background
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Dr. Hartnell attended both Robert Frost and Mark Twain Elementary Schools, Walnut Springs Middle School, and Westerville North High School (Class of 1996).
He went to Michigan State University, where he earned a B.A. Degree in History with a Minor in Geography in 2000. He was awarded his Teacher Certification in Secondary Education in 2001, and as part of the program at MSU, Dr. Hartnell taught history for the 2000-2001 school year at Holt High School in Michigan. In 2005, Dr. Hartnell completed his Master in the Art of Teaching (M.A.T.) in the areas of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment through Marygrove College. Dr. Hartnell attended Walden University of Minneapolis from January 2008 until April 2011 and earned his doctorate in Teacher/Educational Leadership. This is commonly referred to as an "Ed.D.", or Educational Doctorate. In short, Dr. Hartnell is a "Doctor of Education". |
In the fall of 2012, Dr. Hartnell began coursework at Otterbein University to add a TESOL Endorsement to his license. (TESOL means Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.) With the growing diversity in the district, Dr. Hartnell wished to gain additional knowledge and new skills, which he felt he owed to the incoming students. In July 2014, he finished his studies at Otterbein and passed the state certification test to officially receive his TESOL Endorsement. The following year, Dr. Hartnell embarked on formally turning his endorsement into a Master of Arts in Education (M.A.E.) degree with a focusing strand on TESOL (also through Otterbein). After completing his research study, he wrapped up his Otterbein coursework and graduated in April 2016 [pictured below]. Dr. Hartnell's leadership, approach to education, assessment, and collaboration resulted in Ohio's Board of Education designating him as a "Master Teacher" in 2013. Additionally, he received the Northwestern University Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award in May 2016 and was recognized for his Presidential campaign by the City of Westerville in September 2016 and his alma mater Michigan State in January 2017.
To read Dr. Hartnell's dissertations and to review his research studies, click here.
To read Dr. Hartnell's dissertations and to review his research studies, click here.
Dr. Hartnell's graduation from Otterbein University in 2016. [Click picture for a larger version.]
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Dr. Hartnell poses with comedian Seth Meyers, who was the commencement speaker at Northwestern University in 2016. [Click picture for a larger version.]
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Dr. Hartnell's classroom and campaign were on full display in the September 2016 issue of the "Westerville Magazine". [Click picture to read the article.]
In perhaps one of the happiest days of his life, Dr. Hartnell's classroom and campaign were featured by Michigan State in January 2017. [Click picture to read article.]
[Click picture for a larger version.]
Why history?
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From an early age, Dr. Hartnell was hooked on dinosaurs and wanted to be a paleontologist. Having red hair, however, made him reconsider this career choice since it's been well-documented that redheads catch fire in the desert. It was during his 5th grade year at Mark Twain when everything changed. The student teacher presenting a lesson in Mrs. Wheeler's class made the observation that the Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed's Hill. It blew Dr. Hartnell's mind. The notion that history had recorded something wrong (but still passed it off as fact) coupled with annual family trips to Fort Michilimackinac helped steer Dr. Hartnell down the path of studying history.
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Career Information
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Dr. Hartnell returned to Westerville in 2001 and taught at both Westerville North and Walnut Springs. He was hired full time at Westerville North the next year. The 2015-2016 school year marks Dr. Hartnell's 15th year teaching in Westerville.
Dr. Hartnell received "Teacher of the Year" honors for the 2006-2007 school year, an award bestowed upon a teacher only once in their career. In 2009, he was inducted into the Westerville North High School Alumni Hall of Fame, a moment he likens to having a jersey number retired. Dr. Hartnell is known for using wild lectures, interactive lesson plans, and numerous costumes and uniforms to bring history to life for each of his students. A visual learner himself, he finds students are excited to come to class and see what kind of craziness he has in store for them on any given day. Dr. Hartnell loves basketball and coached for four years at Walnut Springs, where his tactics... and antics... earned him the nickname "The Bobby Knight of Middle School Basketball" (for better or worse). During the 2004-2005 season, he became the first coach in school history to lead the 8th grade to victories over all three rivals in Westerville (Heritage, Genoa, and Blendon) in the same season. |
Coach Hartnell - "The Bobby Knight of Middle School Basketball"
It's Dr. Hartnell's "Tar & Feather Day"! Gallons of maple syrup go well with feathers!
Personal Information
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In December 2001, Dr. Hartnell proposed to his high school sweetheart in epic fashion. The two walked down the aisle in August 2003 in what was a perfect ceremony (because neither of them tripped). Adding to the enchantment of the evening was an appearance by the one-and-only mascot of Michigan State... "Sparty"! In 2010, Dr. Hartnell and his wife celebrated the birth of their son, Fraser McKim. The name "Fraser" comes from Dr. Hartnell's wife's grandmother's maiden name (follow that?) and also happens to be the same name as the Scottish clan to which Dr. Hartnell can trace his ancestry (through his mother's side). The name "McKim" is Dr. Hartnell's mother's maiden name.
Dr. Hartnell enjoys lifting weights (since he used to look like this) and can be found throwing around the iron at the Power Shack in Columbus. While the years have taken their toll... and its unlikely he will top his personal bests on bench (600 lbs.) and straight-bar curls (250 lbs.) anytime soon... he still likes the comradery of training with his (aging) power-lifting peers. (After all, a yearly gym membership is far cheaper than repairing drywall!) For 14 summers, Dr. Hartnell worked outside doing landscaping. He spent six years with Cross Creek Gardens (now Hoover Gardens) in Westerville before branching out and forming his own company, Old School Landscaping, which he ran from 2002-2011. When he's not writing new lectures, creating different activities, or tweaking former lessons, Dr. Hartnell has been working on his classroom textbook, Nutty the A.D.D. Squirrel's Scramblin' thru History, which can now be enjoyed on-line by clicking here! |
Fraser now accompanies his father at the gym!
This saying, adopted from his beloved Michigan State Spartans, now serves as Dr. Hartnell's personal and professional motto. [Click the banner to read more.]
Dr. Hartnell's Favorite...
College:NHL Team:Movie:Braveheart
Color:Red
Month:October
Candy:After Dinner Mints
Music:Classic rock
Popcorn:Pop/Soda:Mountain Dew
Cookie:M&M Cookies
Feeling:Full
Subject:History
Battle:Bunker Hill
Truck:Dodge Ram
Shape:parallelogram
Bird:duck
Ice Cream:Cookie Dough
Dance:The YMCA
Fraggle:Gobo
Milkshake:Rally's banana
Dog/Cat:Dog
Vacation:Reindeer:Blitzen
Starburst:Original Fruit
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MLB Team:Athlete:Book:Number:3
Holiday:Christmas
Candy Bar:Band:Fudge:Meal:Breakfast
Cereal:Cap'n Crunch
Smurf:Papa (beard, duh!)
History:Revolutionary War
Tattoo:Sedan:Honda Accord
Word:Milk:2%
Pudding:Chocolate
Decade:1980s
Soup:Chicken Noodle
Malt:Dog Breed:Chocolate Lab
Fort:XMas Song:Kids' Book:...Wild Things Are
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NFL Team:Sport:Basketball
TV Show:Man Seeking Woman
Cartoon:The Far Side
Animal:Alligator
Week Day:Thursday
'80s Band:Cake:Wedding
Restaurant:Uno Pizzeria & Grill
Pizza:Little Caesar's
Arcade:Donkey Kong
President:Teddy Roosevelt
Temp:70 degrees
Sports Car:Bad Word:&^*#@%$^!!!
Fruit:Banana
Jell-O:Orange
Muppet:Fozzie Bear
Chips:Pringles
Fries:Five Guys
Coke/PepsiCoke
Island:Grocery:Giant Eagle
Cloud:Cumulonimbus
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NBA Team:Comedian:Louis C.K.
Superhero:Superman
Dinosaur:Tyrannosaurus Rex
Time'o'Day:10:00pm
Season:Fall
Snack:Popcorn
Pie:Special Lemon
Fast-Food:Steak:Porterhouse
Smell:Fall
General:G. Washington
Tree:Douglas Fir
Van:Farfegnugen
Sound:waves crashing
Vegetable:green beans
Yogurt:Key Lime Pie
Disney:Goofy
HamburgerSub:JJ's Slim #2
Yin/Yang:Yang
Bridge:Mackinac Bridge
Coaster:Cedar Pt's Magnum
Hero: |
