A little bit about me....

Born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. I Graduated from Denbigh High School in 1990. Knew I wanted to be a chemistry teacher my senior year of HS after having had three chemistry teachers within the first three months of school and thought no student should ever go through this.  Attended Longwood University and obtained my BS in Chemistry with my secondary teacher certification in 1994. Taught Chemistry, Pre IB Chemistry, and AP Chemistry at my alma mater high school for 6 years. Left VA in 2000 & obtained my MS in Chemical Education from Purdue University in 2004.  Completed the Target Inquiry Program for chemistry teachers at GVSU to advance my degree. Happily married to Dr. Deborah Herrington who is a chemistry professor at GVSU and have two awesome kids, Lexie age 17 and Tyler age 15 and two cats Ginger and Charlie.

FYI:
Started playing saxophone in the 6th grade
Was drum major my junior and senior year of high school
Marched as Drum Major in the Inaugural Parade for the Governor Of Virginia
Was assistant marching band director for 6 years, while teaching in VA.
Won the Tidewater Alliance of Chemistry Teachers Teacher of the Year award
Have given talks at the local and national level including chemical demonstration shows at the State level.
Served on the Purdue racquetball traveling team
Won the GVSU racquetball intramural championship

Curling fan

Pickleball player

Mountain Biker
Was a visiting professor at GVSU and taught CHM 115 & CHM 102
Served as NHS co-advisor at HHS.
Served as a coach for HHS Science Olympiad Team
Started teaching Chemistry at Hudsonville in 2005.
Began teaching with a class set of iPads in 2010.
Totally love my iPad.
Started flipping my classroom in Chemistry  3rd trimester, 2012

Won Hudsonville Education Foundation grant to purchase iPad Air

Classkick Mentor teacher

Contributor for ChemEdXchange. 

Served on the ACS Exams committee for the High School General Chemistry Exam 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013.

Served on the ACS Exams committee for the High School Conceptual Chemistry Exam 2016

2023-24  will be my 25th year of teaching HS Chemistry

email me at: dragan@hpseagles.net

Cofounder #molympics 

Love my #chemfam friends

National Mole Day Foundation Board member

ChemEd 2025 committee member

ACS West MI Section Education Chair

follow me on twitter @dragan39
07/2023