Colonel Schmidth was welcomed to RHS in the Spring of 2015 as an instructor in our JROTC program. This is Colonel Schmidth’s first job teaching/ instructing the JROTC program.
When asked what inspired him to became a teacher, Colonel Schmidth explained that becoming director of the RHS program was purely by chance. He had retired from the army in 2013 and went to work for Veterans’ Affairs. This proved to be unenjoyable and when looking for another job a friend pointed him in the direction of the Ripon High JROTC program.
Colonel Schmidth has thoroughly enjoyed his time at Ripon High School, but he claims the best part of his job is, “Seeing the light turn on in students eyes- seeing that they understand… and seeing my seniors graduate is great.”
His goals as a teacher are the help his students succeed, “I want them to identify their goals, develop a plan, and achieve those goals.”
While Colonel Schmidth is deeply invested in his students, he is also invested in other parts of his life. He is a cyclist, takes martial arts classes with his daughter, and is currently working on getting his doctorates degree.
Colonel Schmidth is a staff member at RHS, whom has had a positive impact on our JROTC program and our students, he states, “I’m still learning, students are teaching me…”
