Science Department Chair, Honor Committee

M.A., Florida State University

B.S., Florida State University

Teaching: Physical Science, Physics,

Honors Physics

Coaching: JV Girls Volleyball

434-823-4805 x265

mgottlob@millerschool.org

Mark is a displaced westerner, born in Colorado, but has spent most of his life in the South. During his undergraduate years majoring in Geology at Florida State, he became interested in vertebrate paleontology. His advisor suggested that he take a course from a professor in the Anthropology Department, who was known as America's foremost expert on analyzing animal remains from archaeological sites. As a result, Mark stayed at FSU to get a graduate degree in anthropology and archaeology. That odd combination of experiences led him into teaching, first at a small college in Louisiana and then at a private high school. Now, thirty plus years later, after teaching every science course in the high school curriculum and serving as an academic dean for years, he is back in the classroom teaching Physics. Why Physics? It is a challenging course that is a great vehicle for teaching students to think. 

Mark and his wife Vickie, who teaches French at the Covenant School, enjoy the home they built themselves in northern Albemarle. It sits in the middle of a track of woods on the North Fork of the Rivanna River. This allows them to immerse themselves in beautiful surroundings and enjoy all that nature has to offer.