Carmel welcomed four new teachers this 2023-2024 school year: Mr. Bash, Mr. Blatchford, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Wood. Take some time to get to know just a little about their lives through the following article.📑☆

Mr. Bash 🪙
Ben Bash is one of the additions to Carmel this year. Bash filled the position left by Melinda Brock, who played a vital role in the business courses and programs at this school. Bash, similar to Brock, started his career outside the classroom, as “a corporate lawyer in search of a purpose.”

“I went to seminary, I ran for political office, I started doing all these. I call them my Bob Gough moments if you know that author, or where I said yes to a lot of things, including teaching here for entrepreneurship and marketing back during the COVID days. That was my favorite thing I ever did, and I walked away from that for two years and then I had an opportunity to come back and that’s what brought me back here,” Bash said.

One of the most impactful aspects of Carmel for Bash is the community.

Bash stated, “I love Carmel. I go to church here, and we are all in as a Carmel family. My wife is on staff here. My son is in ninth grade, and obviously, I teach, so we’re big cougars.”

He enjoys working the car lines and helping brighten people’s days. When he is not at the carline line he spends his time teaching the students here.

“I teach business classes, which right now consists of entrepreneurship and marketing. And the second one is finance and business ethics,” Bash said. “These are things that will teach skills that are immediately executable and can help people make a living and will be provided a platform that they will carry through their entire life.”

Fun Facts
“I’m a big anglophile. I love all things England. My wife and I got engaged there and so it’s just a special place for us. I saw the musical Oklahoma at the same time that Queen came to this theater in London, so that was fun.” He goes on about his travels, “I rang the bell on the New York Stock Exchange. I’ve talked with Clarence Thomas in his chambers at the Supreme Court, and I’ve had lunch overlooking the locks of the Panama Canal.”

Mr. Blatchford🧪
Jeremy Blatchford is the new science teacher at Carmel this year. He has been a high school teacher for ten years and has spent all ten teaching biology. He has also taught physical science for six years, physics for three years and anatomy for three, however, this is his first year teaching forensics, a popular class here at Carmel.

Blatchford is originally from California and moved to Georgia before finally landing in North Carolina, where he took a job at Carmel Christian School.

“I really do enjoy working here! It’s quite a change from previous years though. Not only was I working in Classical Christian Education for the last 3 years, but they were smaller schools,” said Blatchford. “This year, I have over 90 students in my biology classes. Last year, I had a grand total of 15. Big difference! It forces me to change up how I teach quite a bit.”

Blatchford enjoys his time at Carmel because of the opportunity to teach his subjects through Christ.

“My passion is to teach Christ through creation. We can clearly see the characteristics of God through what He has made (Romans 1:20). If students learn anything from my classes, I hope it is that nature SCREAMS that God is its Maker. A little bit of science might make someone an atheist, but a lot of science will make one stand in awe of the work of our Creator!”

Fun Facts
“I love animals! I currently have 4 geckos in my classroom. I used to have a chameleon. I even was breeding ball pythons for a few years. I had 14 snakes in my classroom at a time back then,” said Blatchford. ”I am also married and have 2 kids: Phoebe and Felix. Both are still young but are clearly the kids of a biology teacher. Our favorite family time is spent out hiking and finding critters.”

Coach Miller⚽️
Alex Miller, otherwise known as Coach Miller, has been added to the athletic team at Carmel this year coaching JV Basketball.

“I was looking for a little bit more [teaching] on the academic side as well as the athletic side and to be more competitive, so Carmel Christian was a great fit for me. The discipleship aspect is something that I was looking forward to as well,” Miller said.

Miller enjoys Carmel’s unique atmosphere and how he can apply his gifts here.
“I think the highs are being in a great facility, being able to teach about athletics and weight training and being able to coach, which is something I love, at a high level. It’s been better for me as an individual,” Miller said.

Miller teaches athletics conditioning, weight training and physical education at Carmel where he is able to immerse his classes in faith.

“I’m able to talk about our creation, how God created us as individuals, how we’re supposed to take care of our bodies, how we’re supposed to use them for His glory and what that looks like. So I’m able to teach them to train their body and to use weights and athletic conditioning, and things like that, in order to be better, healthier individuals,” Miller said.

Fun Facts
“I met my wife who played Division One soccer and semi-pro soccer for the Charlotte Eagles, in college. We have one 11-month-old son whose name is Callahan. After we got married, we drove across the country and went to 12 different national parks. I’m a Carolina basketball fan. And I am one of eight siblings, seven boys and one girl in our family” Miller said.

Mrs. Wood📊
Jean Wood is another one of the new teachers at Carmel this year, however, her family has been a part of the Carmel community for many years having lived here for more than five years. She is familiar with Carmel as her husband was once the high school principal before being called overseas to work at an international school.

“My friend emailed me about positions that were open, and she told me that there were some needs for teachers. That’s how it started, in terms of bringing me back.” Wood stated, she continued, “It’s been the people that’s definitely a high of working here, both the students and my colleagues. I’ve actually run into colleagues that I have worked with in the past at different schools in the local area, which has been really neat.”

Wood teaches AP statistics, probability and statistics and pre-calculus.

“I would say my favorite part about teaching mathematics in a Christian school would be being able to pray in class, being able to integrate you know, God’s Word into the classroom. I think that’s definitely a plus,” Wood said.

Fun Facts
“Well, my husband is Dale Wood, and I have two children who are teenagers. I really enjoy teaching teenagers. I enjoy sports, I would say my favorite sport is basketball, which is shared with some of the other students. I like tennis, music and art. I’m originally from Canada. So my parents are up north. I’ve taught in different countries around the world,” Wood said.

Why it matters:
With a community like Carmel’s, it is important to welcome and be aware of the new faces that are involved. Though these faces are teachers to the student body on a daily basis, they are also individuals with unique stories and lives outside these walls. Carmel welcomes the new teachers this year and looks forward to the impact they will have on their students!