Academics Teachers

Click on the links below to meet our teachers!

Keith Barnes   Michael Dimick

Keith Barnes, Science keith.barnes@artswestschool.org
	Keith Barnes brings a rich and varied experience to Arts West. In addition to his teaching credential, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Carleton College in Minnesota, a certificate in environmental education from the Teton Science School in Wyoming, and a Master’s degree in Raptor Biology from Boise State University. He has worked as a scientist on many projects, including studies of vegetative change, river otters, and wintering mule deer, as well as on investigations of the ecology of songbirds and owls. He has taught a wide range of students in settings as diverse as the forests of Belize, the wild of Alaska, and college biology laboratories at Boise State University. He loves sharing his wonder at the world and curiosity for its inner workings with his students.
PHILOSOPHY “One of my foremost goals as an educator is to inspire curiosity and wonder in my students. I see our world as an endlessly varied and intriguing place, and science as a tool through which we can explore and begin to understand that place. I believe that the context for learning is important: we learn best when the relevance of the material is clear. I try to encourage understanding of the familiar: the technologies we use every day, the physical environment that surrounds us, and the biology of ourselves and our fellow living beings. Our actions as role models carry tremendous power to inspire others. I strive to be a daily example of energetic curiosity. Science is a process of discovery and understanding that opens windows into the mysteries of nature! My goal is to encourage a joy of learning and intellectual pursuit among students. I use a variety of teaching techniques to help build mastery of material, critical thinking skills, and foster academic excellence.”

Michael Dimick, Chemistry
	Michael Dimick has been a trustee of Marahishi International University for 22 years. He has an BS in chemistry from New Mexico Highland University, and a M.B.A. from Marshi University of Management.
PHILOSOPHY "We create confidence and openness to learning by showing the student how the subject being learned relates to all other branches of knowledge. By giving a glimpse of the awesome scope of creation and how all of that, from the smallest of the small to the largest of the large, can be comprehended and contained within the students own mind, we create wonder and the conviction that anything is possible. We want our students to love themselves and their life and have the desire to reach for the stars."