Mr. Ben Contine

Level 5 Teacher 

mr.ben@academyoflit.org

My name is Ben Contine, Middle School English Teacher. I hold master’s degrees in Special Education and Educational Leadership. 

Growing up in a small town, hours from any university, college was only a theoretical concept. In high school, my passion was baseball. School was way down the list. Yet, there were teachers who saw academic potential in me, even when I did not. 

In college, a professor encouraged me to study abroad. In South America, I sat breathless, listening to stories of Chileans who risked everything to oust a tyrannical dictator. At 19, I returned to the US, filled with passion to change the world. I engaged in political campaigns, issue advocacy, and community activism. 

After nearly a decade long career, I responded to another calling - teaching. Beginning at Las Vegas High School and continuing at Carson High School, I had the privilege of working as a teacher, instructional specialist, and administrator. When I made the difficult decision to move to Reno, I was so fortunate to find the right fit with the Honors Academy.

I often think back to that 19 year old returning from South America, filled with confidence to make the world a better place. Now a teacher and father of a teenager, I’m proud to say that I still hold an optimistic view of the future. I’m a great believer in this generation of young people and hold every confidence in their ability to meet the challenges they will face. I am driven to reveal unknown passions and potential and to challenge scholars to think more broadly about the world they live in