DID YOU KNOW?
Tacoma’s story spans more than two centuries from the time Captain George Vancouver anchored off Tacoma’s north shore in 1792.
In 1870, Tacoma’s natural deep-water port became an attraction that the Northern Pacific Railroad couldn’t pass up, when it made Tacoma a stop on its transcontinental line.
Old Tacoma and New Tacoma merged in 1884 and incorporated as Tacoma. By 1890, the population reached 36,000 people.
Tacoma is home to the Port of Tacoma, the seventh-largest container port in the United States, and it is within 20 miles of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and 36 miles of the city of Seattle.
David Kangas,
Upper School Science, Green Derby and Knowledge Bowl Co-Advisor
David Kangas teaches chemistry in the Upper School. “I enjoy the lab work the most,” says Kangas, “especially the end of the year acid-base project in first year chemistry. Students spend every day of the last three weeks of school in the lab. I really appreciate how the small class sizes allow for quality student-teacher interactions.”
Kangas graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelors degree in biology and went on to earn his masters degree at Washington State University. “I was one of 22 selected for the first of three cohorts in a masters program in chemistry,” explains Kangas. “I spent two summers at Washington State University and completed distance learning during the school year. The degree program culminated with eight weeks spent working at Battelle’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory. There I had the opportunity to be a part of research attempting to model the rate of migration of heavy metals through the Hanford environment. The cost of the program and my living expenses were not only entirely funded by the National Science Foundation, but I was paid to go to school as well!”
Kangas is an avid pursuer of continuing education. Most recently he completed a 12 week meteorology course funded by the American Meteorological Society and National Science Foundation. Kangas joined the faculty of Charles Wright in 1992. During his tenure he has advised the Green Derby club and the Knowledge Bowl team. He also volunteers at his church and enjoys photography and travel. He also blends the disciplines of biology and chemistry as a home brewer.
Visit his web site
Kangas graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelors degree in biology and went on to earn his masters degree at Washington State University. “I was one of 22 selected for the first of three cohorts in a masters program in chemistry,” explains Kangas. “I spent two summers at Washington State University and completed distance learning during the school year. The degree program culminated with eight weeks spent working at Battelle’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory. There I had the opportunity to be a part of research attempting to model the rate of migration of heavy metals through the Hanford environment. The cost of the program and my living expenses were not only entirely funded by the National Science Foundation, but I was paid to go to school as well!”
Kangas is an avid pursuer of continuing education. Most recently he completed a 12 week meteorology course funded by the American Meteorological Society and National Science Foundation. Kangas joined the faculty of Charles Wright in 1992. During his tenure he has advised the Green Derby club and the Knowledge Bowl team. He also volunteers at his church and enjoys photography and travel. He also blends the disciplines of biology and chemistry as a home brewer.
Visit his web site
