The Carmel Christian high school students are blessed with a variety of teachers with different personalities. One of these larger-than-life teachers is, the bearded wonder, otherwise known as Dr. Nathan B. Gilson. Gilson teaches the College-Prep, Honors and AP levels of US History here at Carmel. Gilson graduated from Grove City College with an undergraduate in history and a minor in religious studies and earned both his Masters in teaching history and his Ph.D. in British political history at Liberty University. Gilson began his time at Carmel in 2022 after some memorable years in the public school system, stating, “It was just God’s timing.”

 Gilson grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is the oldest of three boys. Gilson was raised in a Christian household, he states, “My family was always very connected to church.” Gilson grew up playing baseball and dreamed of becoming a pro-baseball star one day; however, Gilson’s career took him into the classroom instead of on the diamond. 

 When asked how he landed on history as his teaching passion, Gilson responded, “I just think that God has made me passionate about it… I like to understand myself, and I just don’t see how I can know myself better without knowing how I got here and why I think the things that I do.” Gilson has utilized his historical knowledge to write his own textbook “Understanding Who We Were” which he uses to make his own curriculum for his students. Gilson’s class consists of lectures, notes, debates, seminars, group work, class discussions

and application into daily life which makes for a well-rounded classroom experience for his students. Gilson creates a challenging, yet enjoyable setting for his students to begin the life-long process of forming and maintaining an opinion that is founded in the Bible. Students are asked to think for themselves while guided by Gilson’s learned wisdom. 

 One such student is senior, Asher Wood, who had Gilson his junior year. Wood is now serving as Gilson’s ed-intern for the school year. Wood was eager to work with Gilson as he had thoroughly enjoyed his time with Gilson as a teacher. When asked why he wanted to work as Gilson’s intern this year, Wood states “Well first of all he’s just awesome, but also, last year I learned a lot from him. History has never been my greatest subject, but I found that all the work I did in his class felt meaningful and like I was learning something. I wanted to keep learning from him.” Though Wood doesn’t know if he wants to pursue a career in education he noted that “[he] wanted to help him, and [knows] that [Gilson] can still teach him various life skills, within and outside of the content area.” 

 When he’s not spending time grading assignments or planning for class, Gilson loves the great outdoors. Whether it’s hiking, kayaking, yardwork or camping, Gilson enjoys being outside and experiencing God’s creation. Gilson has visited various National Parks and been on numerous hiking trails; Gilson states, “I believe that places have memories, and we feel more connected to our own past when we’re in certain places.”

 Most recently, Gilson and his family spent time in Yosemite National Park this past summer. They spent two nights in the campsite surrounded by Glacier Point and Nevada Falls. Prior to that, Gilson and his wife hiked a total of 28 miles through the Grand Canyon. Gilson reflects that “there is something about living in a place (even temporarily) that allows you to connect to it in a different way.”

 Gilson and his family also enjoy kayaking, whether it is in seas, lakes, salt marshes or rivers. His vast variety of kayaks includes two 17-foot long kayaks, several plastic kayaks, a salo and a tandem kayak. Gilson remarked that he once transported seven kayaks in one vehicle and trailer. Not only does Gilson enjoy the beauty of his surroundings, but he also enjoys including and inviting others to experience the adventures as well. 

 Another more recent component of Gilson’s life outside the school walls is running. Gilson described his journey to becoming a runner and stated that when he started his fitness journey “[he] couldn’t imagine a worse form of torture than to run.” However, the COVID shutdown changed Gilson’s perspective, as he noticed unhealthy habits forming in his life. He started with a simple mile-long

run that inspired him to become self-motivated and take on the challenge of training for a half. Gilson completed his first half marathon, the Charlotte Half, last November. He states that “the cheesy medal that they give you for finishing the race is one of [his] most prized possessions because, in many ways, I am more proud of having achieved this than about my Ph.D..” Gilson is currently training for his first full marathon. 

 When asked to give a word of advice to high school students, Dr. Gilson said, “I think I’d encourage everyone (not just high school students) to try to live in the tension between doing what we can to make the world a better place and follow God’s will and also recognizing that this is actually not possible and we’ll fail all the time, and that’s OK because God’s glory is displayed in the margin between our failures and his holy design for our lives… work today like your future depends on you but live with the peace of knowing that your life really rests within the grace and provision of a God who loves you more than you can possibly imagine and can redeem the worst things you’ve ever done to mess everything up.” Gilson is well-loved and respected in the hallways of Carmel. He is always open to having honest and real life conversations with any students. Gilson shows his care for his students through his dedication and passion for his classes, and his faith by the way he leads by example as a Christian leader.