Your name: Rodney Moore

Age: 47

Town/Neighborhood: Surprise

What is your title/occupation? CTE teacher

What school or department do you work/volunteer at? Shadow Ridge High School.

How long have you worked here? 15 years. One of the original teachers when Shadow Ridge first opened.

What do you like most about your job? The thing I like most about teaching is working with teenagers. Each and every day is different. I enjoying interacting with them, and trying to teach them something new, and as a graphic design teacher and yearbook advisor I get to see kids be creative and use their talents in an extraordinary way.

What are you excited about on your campus/in your department and why? Shadow Ridge is a great school, and I really feel at home here. Being the Career and Technical Education lead teacher at Shadow I have the pleasure of working with some amazing colleagues, and our team has been very stable over the years. The CTE programs at the school offer our students amazing opportunities to gain real world experiences in the classroom that help prepare them for the next stage in there life, be that college, trade schools, the workforce or the military.

When and why you moved here? I moved to Surprise 18 years ago after I met my wife Brandi.

Where you lived prior to moving? I lived in a town called Enniskillen in Ireland.

What do you like most about living here? Coming from Ireland, It’s hard to beat the sunshine. I love being able to trail run in the White Tank Mountain Park or ride my bike on a bright sunny day.

What changes would you like to see in this area? I would love to see a downtown area be developed in Surprise. I miss having a focal area for restaurants and entertainment options.

Favorite community cause and why? I love to support Spencer’s Place coffee shop because it promotes employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. It’s great to have such a wonderful business located in our city.

Who is in your family? My wife Brandi, and my three sons, Gavin, Haden and Cian

What are your interests and hobbies? I enjoying trail running, cycling and watching movies my family.

If you could pick another occupation, what would it be? A quality control technician in a beverage facility.

Describe one of the happiest moments in your life: I don’t have one singular happiest moment, but I love spending time with my family. That’s when I’m happiest.

What is your best and worst habit? I would say that my best habit is that I am reliable. When someone asks me to get something done I will follow through and get it done. My worst habit is that I’m impatient and I let the clock rule my life. As my family always say, I’m in a rush to get nowhere.

What traits do you admire in others? Being patient and showing kindness to others.

Who is a person that inspires you and why? Not to sound too cliche, but me parents inspire me throughout my life. They worked hard to provide for our family, and set me on the path to be successful. They raised me to treat people with respect, to value family and true friendship.

What is your guiding philosophy? Treat others how you would wish to be treated

What is your advice for today’s youth? Kids are often told that if they find a job you enjoy doing, you will never have to work a day in your life. That’s not always possible. Being a realist I often tell my kids that you should try and find a career that lets you do the things you love outside of work.