Mark Keegan - Vermont Commons School Skip to main content

Mark Keegan

Science Instructor, National Honor Society Advisor - Appointed 2013

Graduate Degree

  • Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Cornell University

Undergraduate Degree

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University

Honors and Awards

  • Northeastern University Carl S. Ell Presidential Scholar
  • IBM Thomas J. Watson Scholar
  • National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellow

Activities in College

  • Tau Beta Pi
  • University Honors Program

Best VCS Moment

Graduation 2014 ā€“ a fun and touching morning, made all the more special by seeing students, families, and staff work together so quickly to move the entire ceremony inside due to unexpectedly persistent rain showers.

Inspirational Quote

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. ā€• Marie Curie

Interests and Hobbies

Hiking and swimming with my sons, and card games

Brief Biography

I was born and raised in the Burlington area, and like many who grow up here I felt the need to experience something different right after graduating from high school. In the nearly two decades I lived outside of Vermont (most of that spent either in school or working in Boston), I gained two precious things: a family, and a better perspective on how special a place Vermont truly is. I consider myself hugely fortunate to be able to now raise my own family here. But Iā€™m also quite lucky to have been able to study and work in a global hotspot of scientific and technical innovation. For those working in that environment, creativity, passion, and a conviction that amazing things are not just possible, but should happen frequently are core components of the culture that sustains their efforts. I see bringing that culture into our local science classrooms as an essential task ā€“ not just to prepare students to take their place as responsible global citizens, but also to equip them to carry Vermont forward in our increasingly technology-dependent world.

Scholarship. Community. Global Responsibility.

Students emerge from their time at Vermont Commons School intrinsically motivated to seek out their role for improving the world, with the skills and competencies to do so.