There has always been that common misconception that our teachers have “no lives” outside school. This story is meant to tackle that misconception, showing that many teachers do, in fact, have very exciting lives and talents outside of the classroom.
Mr. Buesing:
Mr. Mark Buesing, a physics teacher, cross country coach, and academic decathlon advisor, is just one example of the extremely talented staff of teachers we have here at Libertyville High School. In the late 1980s early 1990s, Mr. Buesing started cycling as a hobby. “I was working as an engineer at the time, when a company offered me a contract to cycle professionally,” Buesing says.
He then cycled professionally for three years after that from 1991-1993, cycling for the companies Paul’s Racing Team and Ordinary Racing . His accomplishments in cycling ranged from winning a few races to making it to the 1992 Olympic Trials; he was
also awarded Illinois Cyclist of the Year award twice, in 1992 and 1993. Out of all of the achievements Mr. Buesing accomplished throughout his career as a professional cyclist, he had one that stuck out in his mind, though.
“The proudest moment for me in all of my career as a cyclist was when I won the Illinois State Championship in front of my dad,” Mr. Buesing said, that was in 1992.
He admits that being a cyclist has always been enjoyable to him, but it became too routine, where he said that his days consisted of “riding, eating, sleeping, repeat.” In 1993, he retired from professional cycling, and says now that, though he still rides his bicycle sometimes with his children, he is much more active in running.
Ms. Kleinheinz:
Another example of a talented and driven staff member is Ms. Joyce Kleinheinz. Ms. Kleinheinz teaches physical education for sophomores, juniors and seniors, and is also extremely active in the growing workout phenomenon CrossFit. She joined the local CrossFit Carbon in Vernon Hills three years ago.
“I needed something to fill the void after I stopped playing college soccer, but I wanted a workout that still incorporated a strong sense of teamwork,” Ms. Kleinheinz said on her original motivation to join CrossFit Carbon.
She says that though her workouts at CrossFit is 60 percent health advantages and staying in shape, the other 40 percent is competing on a team. Her team consists of many different members of her CrossFit Carbon gym, and they compete in everything from small competitions on the weekends, that she says can be much like 5k runs, to some larger scale competitions against other gyms in the region. In their largest competition of the year, all gyms in the region pick their three “fittest” men and women to compete against each other to eventually find the fittest man and woman. Ms. Kleinheinz has been lucky enough to be chosen to compete the past three years.
She’s very proud of her major achievements but says that one sticks out more than anything: “I remember when I got my first pull-up, I was so excited,” she said, “Now, whenever I get frustrated with a workout, I think about the little things like that and see how far I’ve come.”
Mr. Dawson:
LHS chemistry teacher Mr. Peter Dawson also has a very interesting hobby.
As a kid, Dawson loved to play card games like hearts with his family. He was always very skilled at and enjoyed playing the games. As he got older, specifically in college, he began playing poker with his friends. Mr. Dawson and his college friends joined a tournament and ended up winning a good amount of money.
Since college, Dawson has continued playing poker and has competed multiple times in the World Series of Poker.
“It’s a month long event, where I usually play at the $1,500 bids, which is a lot of money but there are much larger entries than that all together,” Dawson says.
In all, Dawson has played in the World Series six times. He’s made it to the last day of the competition twice. His best place was when he came in 28th place out of 3097 people on the last day.
“Making it to the last day makes all the hard work you’ve done pay off and you feel a sense of pride that you have a chance of winning the whole thing,” Dawson says.
Now he mostly plays with his friends. He likes the game because it’s hard and good competition, and all of the players are extremely intelligent and skilled.
Mr. Twadell:
Mr. Brian Twadell, an American Literature and AP English Language and Composition teacher at LHS, also has an exciting hobby. Outside of school, Twadell is the lead vocalist of an alternative band called Short to Ground; their genre is usually referred to as industrial music.
“The music and sounds you produce mimic the sounds of industrial machinery,” Twadell explained.
Throughout his life, Twadell has been in and out of numerous different bands. He was trained in classical piano from the age of eight and now does a lot of songwriting, as well as vocals. Short to Ground was formed in 2008 when he and some previous bandmates decided to start a new band. They have played many shows as a band, mostly staying in cities in the Midwest due to the members having other jobs and families at home. Out of the venues that Twadell has played, he personally likes two: LimeWire Lounge and The DarkRoom, both located in Chicago.
“They’re a lot smaller and very intimate venues,” he commented. “You can interact a lot with the fans.”
They have also played a few music festivals in Chicago, including the Electronic Saviours Tour, where the proceeds of the show went to a charity benefiting cancer research.
Short to Ground has released a self-titled EP and also a longer album titled Otherside. They are currently at work on a full length album as well.
