The staff at AHS has multiplied with our new addition, math teacher, Cory Bartz. He teaches geometry, financial math, and algebra, which he says is his favorite subject. Bartz said he always enjoyed school and loved his teachers growing up. He chose to teach math out of all subjects because not only is it “fascinating and fun,” but also, “it can make you smile and cry in the span of 30 seconds.”
Before his employment at AHS, Bartz taught at AHSTW, ACGC, Exira-EHK, and the Atlantic Middle School. He said he’s excited to be on the same schedule as his wife, who is a kindergarten teacher in the district. Bartz has always had a rather “old-school” teaching style. He prefers sticking to a whiteboard and marker rather than teaching on the television sets at the school.
A quote Bartz lives by is “Just be honest, it’s the easiest thing to do.” Bartz is passionate about honesty and is always telling the truth to students, letting them know if he thinks they need help. He always wants students to speak up in class, and be honest if they mess up on an assignment.
In his small amount of free time, Bartz enjoys spending time with family and being outdoors. “I’m pretty boring, to be honest with ya,” Bartz said. His family consists of him, his wife, and his three children: Gracie, a senior, Brinkley, a fifth grader, and Bo, a fourth grader. Gracie, however, attends school in Exira rather than Atlantic.
When it comes to being outdoors, Bartz loves riding his bicycle above all. He participated in 10 full years of RAGBRAI from 2006 to 2016. He also loves going on bike trails in neighboring towns. His favorite goes from Carroll to Lakeview, but he’s also gone on trails in Audubon, Red Oak, and other towns nearby.
Bartz is looking forward to making an impact in AHS math classes. He wants to bring joy and fun into math “if there’s any hope for that….”
