John Vandenburg is a new teacher here at Catholic Central in the Social Studies department. He is very excited to be here and join this community, as he said, “I have had great respect for the students, staff and parents of Catholic Central for a long time and am excited to be a part of the Catholic Central Community.”

Mr. Vandenburg has lots of fun hobbies outside of school. “I enjoy hanging out with family and friends. My wife is originally from Traverse City and enjoys staying there during the summer. I also enjoy DIY projects around our home.” 

Vandenburg has three kids, Kaiden, who is a junior here at CC, Jack who is a 2nd grader at Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) and a daughter Parker who is in preschool, also attending IHM. 

Mr. Vandenburg said, “As a Catholic, I think one thing I could not live without, regardless of what happened to myself or the people I cared about, would be my faith.”

Mr. Vandenburg also helps coach football for the Catholic Central varsity team outside of teaching. He explained that managing being a football coach and a teacher at the same time can be tough for him, but he said, “I think I attempt to balance the time of school and coaching a sport with being very organized. This is often done with early mornings since most of my house is still sleeping.” He also said, “I also have a very supportive wife and kids that also understand the demands of coaching a sport and teaching at Catholic Central.” 

Mr Vandenburg tries his best to connect more with the students by “Being in the lunchroom most days and talking with students during passing time.” He also says, “Within my classroom I attempt to build relationships by being open and honest with students. In the future, I will also be attending after school events and activities.”