DID YOU KNOW?
Over a five-year period, students’ SAT scores averaged 1,260 points compared to the national average of 1,000 points.
Typically, 20 percent of a Charles Wright graduating class are National Merit Scholars or Commended Students.
Charles Wright offers more Advanced Placement courses – the equivalent of college courses – than any other high school in the South Puget Sound area.
Minority students account for 28 percent of the student body.
In the last decade, Charles Wright students consistently earned top honors among the State of Washington’s journalism students.
Charles Wright grants over $1.3 million in financial assistance to 21% of the student body.
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Neil Biermann
Upper School Science
Neil Biermann teaches science in the Upper School. “I have taught for 32 years yet I still have a passion for teaching and learning,” says Biermann. “There is nothing like teaching science. In a single day my classes could be discussing blood spatter analysis in forensics, acid-base titration with vinegar in chemistry and the evolution of hominid skills in biology. I can show demonstration that explains the flammability of methane soap bubbles or the smells from the bacterial breakdown of nutrient agar gels. I am hoping I can share that passion for discovery.”
Biermann holds a bachelors degree from Washington State University and a masters degree in science from the University of Washington. He joined the faculty of Charles Wright in 2006 after teaching for 30 years in public schools. At Charles Wright he has coached football and track and field. He has lead scuba diving and fly fishing Winterim groups and advises the environmental club.
“There is a sense of community at CWA that is evident everyday,” says Biermann. “Students, teachers and other staff members are actively engaged in subjects ranging from curriculum changes to college goals. The small class sizes at CWA allow me to provide students with a rigorous course of study yet have time to prepare demonstrations and labs that make learning interesting and fun.”
Biermann enjoys hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking and canoeing. He particularly enjoys spending time at Glacier Peak and on the Enchantment Lakes in Washington, and on Bowron Lake in British Columbia. He has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia and completed an Ironman Triathlon in Canada and an Ultraman Triathlon in Hawaii.
Biermann is also an arborist. He grafts fruits trees and grows culinary herbs. When he first began teaching he worked part-time at a wine shop in Portland and he remains a wine enthusiast. His wife, Jane Gingrich, is a Charles Wright alum. They believe their dog, Eliza, is the smartest dog in the world.
Visit his web page
Biermann holds a bachelors degree from Washington State University and a masters degree in science from the University of Washington. He joined the faculty of Charles Wright in 2006 after teaching for 30 years in public schools. At Charles Wright he has coached football and track and field. He has lead scuba diving and fly fishing Winterim groups and advises the environmental club.
“There is a sense of community at CWA that is evident everyday,” says Biermann. “Students, teachers and other staff members are actively engaged in subjects ranging from curriculum changes to college goals. The small class sizes at CWA allow me to provide students with a rigorous course of study yet have time to prepare demonstrations and labs that make learning interesting and fun.”
Biermann enjoys hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking and canoeing. He particularly enjoys spending time at Glacier Peak and on the Enchantment Lakes in Washington, and on Bowron Lake in British Columbia. He has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia and completed an Ironman Triathlon in Canada and an Ultraman Triathlon in Hawaii.
Biermann is also an arborist. He grafts fruits trees and grows culinary herbs. When he first began teaching he worked part-time at a wine shop in Portland and he remains a wine enthusiast. His wife, Jane Gingrich, is a Charles Wright alum. They believe their dog, Eliza, is the smartest dog in the world.
Visit his web page
