Morton Taber, II

Occupation: Alternative Education/GED Option/Credit Recovery teacher for Pocahontas County Schools

Education: Graduated from Nitro High School in 1983. Received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Arts from West Virginia University.

Family: Wife Kelly, two sons, six-year-old Guy and three-year-old Pearce.

Pets: 10-year-old cat, Rose.

Hobbies: I like skateboarding, snowboarding, jogging, biking, reading, hiking, fishing, gardening and most of all, hanging out with my wife, Kelly, and our two boys.

Favorite Book: “Suttree,” by Cormac McCarthy.

This year, the alternative education program will have a full-time teacher, Morton Taber, II – a teacher who knows a thing or two about working with at-risk students.

“I’ve been teaching for the last eight years at the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy at Camp Dawson, in Kingwood,” Taber said.

The mission statement of the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy is “to train and mentor selected at-risk youth to become contributing members of society using the eight Core Components in a quasi-military environment during a 22-week residential and one year post-residential follow-up program.

Taber entered the education field to help students become better people.

“I got into education because I believe it really is the best way for people to make themselves, their communities and the world better places,” he said. “I think we’re all connected and we should help each other. Education is a good way to start learning about how to help one another. Plus, I believe in democracy and I think education and democracy are good partners.”