The Face to Face

Mark Nicholas joined the Burroughs faculty in 1982. He teaches American government, World Civilizations, U.S. History and a senior elective, Literature and History. He also conducts family interviews for the Admissions Department. He holds a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and taught at several high schools in Michigan prior to coming to Burroughs. In today’s episode we cover Mr...

In this episode, we dive deep into the science of the brain and explore how drugs influence brain chemistry. Scott Deken joined the Burroughs faculty in 2005. He teaches 10th grade Chemistry, Bioethics and Advanced Biology: Behavioral Neuroscience, and is the head baseball coach (winning the state championship in 2023). He is the immediate past principal of 9th and 10th grades. Prior to coming to...

Meredith Thorpe, also called 'Coach Thorpe' by many, is the Director of Admissions and Tuition Aid at Burroughs, as well as the head field hockey coach. Besides coaching field hockey at the collegiate level, she also played on the national team before! In this episode, we touch on many important topics, ranging from the JBS admissions process to discipline and work ethic. Huge thanks to Ms. Thorpe...

Shannon Sock serves as Mercy's chief operating officer and chief strategist. Mr. Sock has earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Shannon. Since he joined Mercy in 1999, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chief financial officer, focused on major business and clinical transformation initiatives. These include the creation of an award-winning supply chain opera...

Willie Owens has been selected as Burroughs' new athletic director! Willie is the Athletic Director at Sandia Prep in Albuquerque, overseeing 70 coaches and 56 teams in 23 sports. He was the head boys basketball coach from 1994 to 2017, achieving nearly 400 wins and multiple championships. Recently, Sandia Prep has won state titles in soccer, track, dance, and cross country. We are very excited to...

John Kemper is the President and CEO of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and Commerce Bank. He previously worked at McKinsey & Company and holds degrees from Stanford University, the London School of Economics, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In this episode, we go into a deep dive into the world of finance and what it takes to run a billion-dollar company efficiently.

Mark Smith joined the Burroughs faculty in 1998. He teaches American government, U.S. History and Bioethics. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy/history from the College of William and Mary, and a master's and doctorate in history from the University of Virginia. Prior to coming to Burroughs, Smith was a graduate assistant and visiting instructor at the University of Virginia. In this episo...

Sam Altman is a tech visionary, entrepreneur, and founder of OpenAI: The company behind the famous ChatGPT. In this episode, we explore how Altman is reshaping the future of AI with ethical and groundbreaking advancements. Don't miss out on Sam Altman's insights and the AI revolution he's leading. Thank you Mr. Altman for taking the time to talk with us! Special thanks to Ellen Bremner and the res...

Jamie Wagner joined the Burroughs faculty in 1988. Wagner holds a bachelor's degree in history and government from Lawrence University and a master's degree in urban planning and real estate development from Saint Louis University. On this episode, we dive deep into the life of Mr. Wagner, religion, philosophy, and the history of humankind. Follow: thef2fpodcast @ Instagram

Julia Riew is an accomplished composer-lyricist and writer, and a John Burroughs alum. She graduated from Burroughs in 2017, and then attended Harvard in the class of '22. She was a 2022 Fred Ebb Award Winner and was also featured on Playbill as a songwriter of the month. Julia's biggest project so far has been her musical Dive , which is a story featuring a Korean protagonist trying to get home....

Sarah Hasselman joined the Burroughs faculty in summer 2020, teaching 8th and 9th grade English and co-sponsoring the student newspaper. She also formerly served as co-sponsor for the student group, Spectrum. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Williams College and a master’s degree in education from Tufts University. Prior to Burroughs, she taught at the Park School in Boston and worked...

Andy Chen is an English teacher at John Burroughs School. Andy Chen joined the Burroughs faculty in 2016 and teaches 7th and 10th grade. He is also the co-director of the 10th grade diversity seminar, a girls basketball coach, and the faculty sponsor of the Asian affinity group and The Review . Mr. Chen holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in cr...

Mr. Walker is a teacher for 7th and 9th grade science at John Burroughs School in St. Louis. He graduated from John Burroughs High School as well as Yale University as an undergrad. He has worked in the field of biology before becoming a fellow at his high school. In this episode, we go into a deep dive about his life, about his future, and about his passions. Thank you Mr. Walker for coming on ou...