Ben Bash has been a well-loved face around campus for two full years, displaying his passion for the subjects he teaches alongside his love for the Lord. Bash took over the business class after Melinda Brock, the previous teacher, moved her family to Tennessee. Although Bash has been moving around the country for most of his life, he now realizes that CCS is where he belongs. Carmel Christian is so grateful that the Lord led Bash to teach here.

Growing up, Bash split most of his time living between Houston and Austin, Texas. He enjoyed his childhood in Texas and decided to attend college there.  Bash attended Southwestern University, a small, liberal arts school about 30 minutes north of Austin.

Bash decided to major in history with a minor in political science. He felt that the classes he took in college were not important because his main goal for his future was clear before even attending Southwestern: he wanted to become a lawyer. Bash decided to major in history since he had always enjoyed it in the past. After graduating from Southwestern in 1994, he started attending law school at the University of Texas that fall. He fell in love with law school and claimed that “the intellectual challenges and the way it helped me learn about the real world were amazing because I didn’t get that in high school or college. That might explain why I love teaching the subjects I teach now.”

In his time at Southwestern, Bash met his wife, Julianne. She was his roommate’s younger sister, and the two hit it off immediately. They have now been married for 27 years and have two wonderful sons: Nick and Louis. Nick is a senior at Biola University in California and Louis is a Sophomore at CCS. Julianne Bash works at Carmel Christian as the Director of Development, and the responsibilities and the contributions she has made to the CCS environment are very appreciated. With three out of four members of the Bash family having a role at Carmel, their impact is widespread and their devotion to this school is admirable. 

Before becoming a teacher at Carmel, Bash had numerous career paths. He was a lawyer for 17 years in both Texas and North Carolina. He explains that “there were some aspects of being a lawyer that I liked, but I went to it because of the money. I did love law school, but the actual practice was empty.” 

The emptiness of the profession led Bash on a quest in Charlotte to find a job that was more fulfilling. He went into humane resources but felt the same as when he was a lawyer. He left corporate America in 2018 and taught for two years, ran for public office and went to seminary. In 2019, Bash came to Carmel and taught part-time as an Entrepreneurship teacher until 2021. He then decided to run for Matthews Town Council. After that journey in his life, he moved back to Texas to be the administrator pastor of Grace Fellowship Church. While working there, Bash realized that Charlotte was his home, and he wrapped up his duties and moved back again.

Bash now teaches three courses at Carmel: Entrepreneurship and Marketing, Personal Finance and Speech and Debate. He is incredibly passionate about these subjects and states that “I’m given the ability to help students prepare to walk through their adult life.” 

Bash feels blessed by the Lord because he feels like he is doing exactly what the Lord has for him right now. Not only is Bash thankful for his position at Carmel, but numerous students are also inspired by Bash’s teaching. Brantley Anderson, a senior in Bash’s Entrepreneurship and Marketing class, states “I hope I’m like Mr. Bash when I’m older. He has a genuine personality and a passion for what he is doing. He makes me laugh, and he’s such a kind person.”

Outside of school, Bash is struggling with finding activities to do. He explains that “one night at the dinner table, my oldest son turned to me and said ‘Dad, I feel sorry for you. You have no hobbies. All you do is work and go to church.’ After that, I’ve been on a search for hobbies that I enjoy.” 

Bash explains that he thoroughly enjoys reading, but desires to find a more eclectic pass-time. Jokingly, he said he might take up model trains. Although his journey to find hobbies is still in process, Bash and his wife consider themselves huge anglophiles. Bash has a taste for British cuisine as well, explaining that “I love tea, scones and clotted cream because I’m proper.” One of his most interesting memories of visiting London was when he saw the play “Oklahoma” and Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance.

Ben Bash has been an incredible addition to the Carmel family, and his role in the school does not go unnoticed. He has deeply impacted students and teachers alike. His lessons go beyond the classroom and are able to be utilized by students in the years to come. Many have been moved by the way Bash weaves his personality, love for the Lord and passion into his classroom. Bash also has left a mark on the Carmel community through his youngest son, Louis. 

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Louis Bash is a sophomore at CCS who has been attending Carmel since the 9th grade. Although he has only attended Carmel for a short amount of time, his personality is well loved amongst his peers. His kindness, respect and humility are apparent to both teachers and students. Louis is a wonderful addition to the Carmel family and creates a brighter environment for his grade.

Louis was born in Houston, Texas, on October 29, but he only lived there for a year. In 2009, his family moved to Matthews, North Carolina, and he grew up there for the next 13 years. Louis attended Covenant Day School for his elementary education and the beginning of his middle school years. Following his dad’s career changes, Bash moved back to Houston when he was in 6th grade and attended Berean Middle School. This school, Louis explains, was his favorite because of the smaller class size. He thrives in environments with fewer people, and because of the 10-person class sizes at Berean, Louis thoroughly enjoyed his time spent there. Louis not only appreciated his school in Houston, but he also has a preference for the warmer weather in Texas. After attending Berean for a year and a half, the Bash family packed their bags and moved back to Charlotte. 

The move between Houston and Charlotte was uncomfortable for Louis at first, but he eventually settled into his life here. He began attending CCS when he was a freshman, and he explains that the change was drastic. Carmel is much larger than his old school in Houston, and he had a hard time adjusting to this environment at first. However, his overall experience these last two years has been enjoyable, especially because of the teachers. Louis states that “the teachers are by far the best I’ve ever had in my entire life. Specifically, Mrs. Brinkley and Mr. Gesin have really impacted my life. Mrs. Brinkley makes her class so fun, and I learned a lot in a unique way. Mr. Gesin also has a unique teaching style and incorporates laughter and fun as well. He’s also super smart.” 

Outside of Carmel’s walls, Louis has numerous activities that he enjoys in his free time. Specifically, he spends time drawing and animating. His love for animation grew by simply watching content about the subject that piqued his interest. He does 2D animation, “kind of like a flipbook,” he explains. 

Louis’s creative side is also shown through his time playing the game Minecraft, building and constructing unique worlds.

However, he admits that he spends too much time on Minecraft and would like to focus on other hobbies more. Louis also enjoys spending time with his older brother, Nick. Nick attends Biola University in California, but the two brothers have maintained their relationship despite the distance. Louis explains that “when Nick went to college, instead of letting the distance grow us apart, I actually tried to connect with him more because he wasn’t around physically as much. This helped us grow closer than when we were living under the same roof.”

As Louis continues his journey at Carmel Christian, his passion for creativity, education and meeting new people continues to grow. Louis’s story of growth and movement showcases perseverance and resilience to the  people around him, classmates and teachers alike.