The halls and rooms of Santa Clarita Christian School are full of the handiwork of the Lord and his workmen. While the entire faculty and staff is working toward educating and showing students the love of Christ, it is the teachers that have the greatest opportunity to be an example of vessels of Christ following his footsteps.

Matt Brown is the Academic Dean and Chairman of the English Department. His laid-back personality belies the amount of projects with which he is involved. In addition to teaching ninth grade Honors Intro to Literature, eleventh grade American Literature, twelfth grade AP Literature, and Yearbook at our school, he teaches a Methods Course at California State University Northridge (CSUN) for potential teachers seeking their credentials in English. He is Co-Director at CSUN’s California Writing Project, where he is involved in Improving Students’ Academic Writing (ISAW). Matt recently returned from a conference in Orlando with the Gates Educational Foundation, through the National Writing Project. During the summer he teaches conferences at the Young Writers Camp for fourth through twelfth grades. He has written for the English Journal, California English, contributing ideas to the Folger Shakespeare Library based in Washington D.C.. He has also taken on the task with teachers across America to be an AP Reader, which involves him grading AP Literature exam essays. While it is a difficult task and a huge endeavor he says he does it in order to help our AP students improve their writing technique and better approach the AP test.

In response to all his commitments and projects he is involved with Matt chuckles and jokes saying, “I’m certifiable, I say yes to everything.” But it is clear that the only thing about him that is “certifiable” is his love for writing and for helping others improve their writing. Humbly, Matt is clear that his over active involvement outside of SCCS does not make him any greater than his fellow teachers. He is quick to share that what makes SCCS great is the team of teachers who are like-minded and working together. He is surely not alone as a teacher when he claims that his favorite part is discovering that a struggling student has succeeded.

While Matt has been with SCCS for sixteen years, it was his wife Darcy who first worked at the school. Darcy is now the varsity volleyball coach and teaches photography. They have been married eighteen years after meeting at The Master’s College where they both attended. When choosing a college

to attend, Matt says the Lord directed him to The Master’s College and it was there that he realized his faith was no longer his parents’ but his own. One of the things that sticks out to him that he learned and overcame was that a “[good] reputation could allow you to get away with things unless there are people holding you accountable.” The dedication to the truth of Scripture and commitment to accountability at such a school helped him become who he is.

Matt was originally from Nome, Alaska. And lived in Minnesota then again in Alaska in the small town of Glenallen. After attending college here in our valley he has stayed and chose to raise his three children with his wife in Santa Clarita. His three children can be found attending school on the same campus where he and his wife teach. Kylie is in seventh grade, Cameron is in fifth grade and Kaysa is in Kindergarten. He is a family man and when he is not busy at work or one of his many activities within the writing world family time is spent in Disneyland and RV camping with his parents.

It is exciting to see how the Lord has worked and continues to work in the lives of teachers like Matt Brown to strengthen the pillar of Academic Excellence upon the foundation of God’s Word. We are thankful for Matt Brown, just one of the many great teachers at SCCS. n