Welcome to LHS: New admin Bittner is sweet fit for LHS

This story is part of Lancer Media’s fall series welcoming new staff.  We enjoyed learning about many teachers but apologize that we were unable to cover every new teacher.  

Mr. Christopher Bittner: A glutton for punishment or a sweet fit? Assistant principal Bittner is one of the three administrators and ten teachers starting fresh at Linganore in 2016.

The one thing that can be used to bribe Bittner is the Butterfinger. Might as well call it the “Bittnerfinger” because it is the perfect way to explain this new teacher.

The Wrapper

Just from looking at the outside wrapper, it is clear that Bittner is a seasoned educator. He has spent numerous years as an administrator at both Walkersville and Middletown before accepting his current position.  Prior to that, he was a teacher in Charles County and at Thomas Johnson (TJ) Middle School.  There he taught social studies, specifically, Non-Western Cultural Geography, American Studies, and Government.

“I had the most fun with Government. I was a glutton for punishment, I suppose,” said Bittner.

Bittner believed that his knowledge of government could be useful in an administrative role which led to his gradual transition into an assistant principal.  Bittner is excited to begin creating new memories while experiencing old traditions and meeting new people.

Chocolate

Underneath the thin wrapper lies a sweet chocolate coating. The flavor in Bittner’s life comes from his family at home and his childhood experiences.

Bittner is the father of three girls, ages nine, seven, and five.

His children are still young, so he’s trying to expose them to multiple sports. He wants them to discover the sport that they are truly passionate about.  As of now, they are enjoying softball, soccer, and basketball.

For Bittner, the mornings are one of the hardest parts of the day because he has to wake up early to make the trek from Washington County to Linganore.  He believes that the drive is less dull when he listens to favorite radio station, ESPN 980, which brings back fond childhood memories.

As a kid growing up in Pennsylvania, he was raised to support the Steelers football team and the Pirates baseball team.  Even though he’s grown older, Bittner still loves the Steelers.  However, his allegiance towards the Pirates crumbled in the mid 80s.

“My one act of childhood rebellion was that I started to follow the Mets…I wasn’t gonna follow the Pirates–but I respect them,”  he said.

He recalls a bittersweet memory of watching the opening game between the Pirates and Mets.  The Pirates crushed the Mets with a score of 12-1.  His parents decided to throw salt in the wound and hung up Pirates signs all around the house just to torment him!

The Crisp

Bittner attended Northern Garrett High where there were only a hundred students in his graduating class.  In high school he considered himself to be part of the athletic crowd since he played basketball, football, and baseball.  He also ran the 100 meter and 200 meter race in track.

In addition to being an all-around athlete, he kept up his grades.  Bittner’s inspiration for achieving his goals comes largely from his favorite high school teacher, Mrs. Betsy Deem.

“Mrs. Deem was a… stern individual who taught calculus.  She had three masters degrees in math, meteorology, and English.  She was awesome in everything,” Bittner said.

Deem’s principle of not being a person who could be put in one box stuck with Bittner through his career.  He too wanted to be a multifaceted person, so that is why he made the move from teaching to becoming an administrator.

Previously, her words helped him while he was at University of Maryland for a year in their engineering program.  He learned from her that he should not waste his time doing something he was not enjoying, so he dropped out of the engineering program and switched to education to follow his passion.

The Crunch

Bittner loves gardening and the movie, Despicable Me.

In his free time, he loves to sleep, which aligns with many teenagers’ favorite pastime. His second favorite thing to do in his free time is to tend to his vegetable garden. Bittner loves tomatoes the most but also has a surplus of peppers and kale.

“A kale and bacon meal is some good stuff right there!”

In the fall, Bittner looks forward to spending Halloween with his three daughters. However, he does not dress up and yearns to just be able to spend the evening sitting in the driveway by a fire pit.

Although, Bittner did say that if he were to ever dress-up, he would take the appearance of Gru, the protagonist in Despicable Me. Adorably, his three girls would also dress-up as Gru’s own three daughters. His English Mastiff could be a minion.