Hello! I am Chris Smithey, and I was born and raised in Hickory, N.C. My wife Angie and I have been married 25 years. We met in high school and have been together since. We have three kids: Audrey (21) is a student at Brigham Young University-Provo, UT.; Cole (16) attends Hickory High School; and our youngest, Claire (9) is a student at Southwest Elementary school. We also have a relatively new addition to our family…our Chocolate Lab, Nala (1.5).
I work for Duke Energy as a Distribution Engineering Specialist (lot of words describing the person who designs construction projects for our people who work on poles, lines, etc.) I have been at Duke for 25 years.
My interest in education stems from my experience as a youth sports coach. I’ve been blessed to have coached children from our community (including each of my own) for about 15 years. I currently volunteer as an assistant football coach at Grandview Middle School, where I did my CI-2800 internship. My area of concentration is language arts/social studies. I really enjoy learning about our world (especially other cultures, etc.) and also enjoy the literary contributions of great authors throughout history. My favorite writers seem to hale from the South…Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner. I also enjoy reading Silas House and Robert Inman (because of their connections to this region).
Any “free time” I have is spent with our family. We enjoy doing all things “outdoors” when we’re not at a ballpark somewhere. We also enjoy traveling out west. Yellowstone, Zion, and Arches National Parks are some of our favorites.
Hey Lonnie!!
Sounds like you have the perfect family. That must be pretty awesome to travel like you do. I like the picture of your new lab. Nala is so cute. Oh and by the way Duke Energy is too pricey!!! Take care and cya in class!
Rachel Eisenhower
Smithey,
You’re a hoot. I wish I had known you when I first moved here because I lived in downtown Hickory during the ice storm and lost power for FIVE days. I still have not had the pleasure of meeting your son. I’m sure this class will go by quickly.
Heather Connolly
Hey,
Which plant do you work at for Duke Power? I think it takes special people to coach football, because I couldn’t. I think that your enthusiasm for learning will inspire your students to be excited about it too.
Have a great weekend!!!
Amanda Felts
Smithey
Hey man I used to have a chocolate lab they are the best dogs!! Coaching is something that i too enjoy doing!! After our cohort I hope to continue doing that! I haven’t been able to travel that much, but Yellowstone is on my list!! Guess I can go there after I start getting those huge teaching paychecks !!!!
Rodney Pyatte
Hi Chris. i enjoyed coaching too. I hope to get back into it when we graduate. Nice having someone close to my age ion the class.
David Sigmon
Chris,
The whole coaching thing is new to me but I love it so far. Any suggestions or tips?
Erin
Chris,
I hope it works out for you in coaching. It sounds like you are well grounded in literature.
Good luck,
Frank Lilly
Hey…. What’s up with all these restrictions? This is my second attempt. My first comments were pretty good. So let me recap….. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, “I’m Chris Smithey”.. Great family. And I hope your wife makes us some more pound cake.
Chris,
We have several things in common. I know BYU well: my sister graduated from there. I graduated from Utah and we hate BYU the way UNC hates Duke. I remember shouting at BYU at many a football game and basketball game. Have you been out there?
I also coached: my daughter’s softball team.
Love dogs also.
Hope you enjoy teaching once you finish this program. I think you will be good in the classroom.
Woody Trathen
Dr. Trathen…
I have been out several times since Audrey started school there. We’ve had some great “daddy-daughter” trips together.
…Chris.
Chris,
I would love to hear about more about your trips to the Nation Parks out west. I have not been to the parks you’ve mentioned. However, I have been to Yosemite in California and Acadia in Maine. I try to let my daughter(s) experience as much as possible.
A cute new addition to the family. So why leave Duke after so many years? I enjoy Flannery O’Connor as well. But who has time for “fun” reading, right?
Chris,
My favorite park is Zions. Close second, tied, Arches and Canyon Lands. They are all so different. Check out my pictures of Utah.
Woody Trathen
Smithey,
Your family looks fun. You will make a great teacher. I had a Labrador at one time also; they are very loyal. Outdoors activities are great stress relief for me anyway. I enjoyed your conversation in our class. =-)
Tonya Quick
Chris,
You have such a beautiful family! I’m kinda jealous of all that traveling you get to do.
Kirsten Schmidt