Mr. Dickinson, one of our newest educators and coaches, says he wishes to positively impact all students in a way that will open their minds to learning and to other cultures. His position as a Spanish teacher will surely give him the opportunity to do so.

Before his employment, Dickinson grew up in LaGrange, Illinois and attended Lyons Township High School. He recalls from his high school days that several of his closest friends were Friars, and says he always knew that Fenwick was “in the air.”

After graduating, Dickinson attended Depauw University in Indiana. From there, he made the gutsy decision to teach in Spain, which he credits as the reason for being at Fenwick today. His original plan was to spend only one year in Spain, but he ended up staying six whole years.

While there, Dickinson was completely immersed in Spanish culture, saying that “[The experience] helped me to reevaluate the way that I think, realize that there is another way of doing things, and now I want to help other people have that same open mind about other cultures.”

Dickinson says his pivotal experience in Spain was participating in the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, whose path leads to the shrine of Saint James the Great, one of Jesus’s Twelve Apostles.

Dickinson knew that he wanted to return to the Chicagoland area “not because of the weather,” but because of the residents, and for what the city has to offer. Last year, when fellow Spanish teacher Ms. Carraher took her maternity leave, Dickinson saw an opportunity to join the faculty and seized it.

“What really surprised me when I first started working here was the sense of community that extends beyond the walls of Fenwick. Within the faculty, too, there are no divisions. Everyone is united and supports each other, and when you experience it for yourself, that feeling is really great,” he comments.

Outside of teaching, Dickinson spends his time playing softball and soccer, as well as hiking and travelling— hobbies inspired by his time in Spain.

Dickinson wishes to impart some words of advice upon the senior class, and upon the underclassmen who will soon be amidst the college process. He urges students to “always keep an open mind, even if you think you have a plan— and if you don’t have a plan, that’s okay too. Things will work themselves out in the end, and you never know what’ll spark your interest