Occupation: I am a teacher at Ridgefield High School. I teach five ninth–grade earth science classes and an oceanography elective. I’m sophomore class advisor and a freshman girls’ soccer coach. Before that, I taught at Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury for three years. I graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Penn. Before I went into teaching, I was manager for several Eastern Mountain Sports stores.

How Long In Newtown: I live now in the Riverside section of Sandy Hook, but my family moved here in 1976 when I was 4. I attended Newtown schools and graduated with the Class of 1990.

What Drew You Back: It was like a comfort zone. You teach what you know and I knew I wanted to teach in this area. Especially since I had firsthand knowledge of the geology of the lakes, rivers, etc. Then there was the pull of family as well.

Family: My wife, Cindy, works part time for GE Capital Loan. We have one son, Tyler, who is 10 months old. Our border collies are Monty, 3, and Tess, 2. They had a litter of seven puppies last June. Three went to Newtown families, and the rest went to homes in Danbury and New Milford, so I’m thinking of having a puppy reunion this summer.

My mother is Beryl Harrison, who is a Booth Library reference librarian, and my father, Jack Harrison, is retired. They “helped us out” by adopting one of the puppies, Shadow. Cindy’s mother, Janet Grant, lives nearby, as do her brother and sister, Dan Grant and Kathy Milone. My brother, Derek Harrison, and his wife, Clare, have two sons, Owen and Luke. They live in Warwick, N.Y. It’s nice to have so much family around.

Hobbies: I work in the garden, and I keep 14 hens and two roosters named Henry and the Colonel. The hens are named after chicken dishes, like piccata, marsala, cordon bleu, etc. I sell the eggs at school for $3 a dozen and there’s always a waiting list.

Favorite TV Show, Movie, Book: My wife and I are into reality shows. I used to like CSI before the concept got overdone. We don’t have time for movies. As for books, I love John McPhee for his series of books on geology, and Tom Clancy is always a good read. It’s fun when a ninth grader walks into my class carrying Clear and Present Danger and we can talk about it.

Organizations: We belong to the Newtown Congregational Church.

Favorite Vacation Spot: Maui, especially when I proposed to my wife at sunrise alongside a volcano. Also North Conway, N.H.

Favorite Memories Of Growing Up Here: Coming home from school on the bus and sometimes being stuck on Bennetts Bridge Road waiting for the cows to cross. Nobody honked or was impatient or tried to drive through. We were fine with that, and life was slower back then.

Another memory is sledding down the Bennetts Farm hill at Osborne Road. And riding ATVs all around the fields. We —almost — always knocked on doors and asked the farmers if it was OK, and it usually was. So we could go anywhere in town. Now that would be impossible. I see the little white pipes sticking up all over the place meaning perk tests for houses about to be constructed.

Personal Philosophy: I’m a leaf on the river of life. I go where the water takes me, and I don’t fight against the current.