“When I started here, it was NL Jr-Sr High School, the track was cinder, there was no A/C, Señora Snyder was still in NL high school, Mrs. Balmer still in junior high, and Mrs. Rayman still in Jonestown elementary school; the internet was still a novelty, Mr. Hess still had a mustache, I still had hair, and “text” was still only a noun,” he says.
Mr. Wentling is a graduate of NL. He says that he is very grateful that he was given the opportunity to return here to teach and raise a family. Mr. Wentling admires the school and community in which he is able to participate. He states that there are great students at the school and that he is thankful to be able to work with such a great set of teachers and staff who are very talented and able to work together to reach the same goals to benefit the school and community. He states that he enjoys the variety of classes and subjects that he gets the opportunity to teach throughout his day, stating that, “Variety is the spice of life… It used to be paprika, but they voted to change it.” More specifically, he finds that he enjoys the connection of all the different topics and units in his classes together. He enjoys the Founding Period regarding American History.
Regarding Mr. Wentling’s start as a social studies teacher, he states that he actually started out as a Journalism major, planning to become a reporter. “Then I took a Political Science class and met my first love - the Constitution!”
Mr. Wentling attended Pitt-Johnstown to receive his undergraduate degree in Political Science and PSU-Harrisburg to receive his masters in American Studies. “I guess I am therefore a “Nittany Panther.”” he claims.
Regarding Mr. Wentling’s personal life, he enjoys folk music, incorporating it into many of his classes. “I have had very short musical careers with the banjo, guitar, and Irish whistle. My next goal is to almost play the concertina,” he states. He also enjoys reading, playing volleyball and disc golf, and spending time with his best friend, his wife. He has four children, Ben (HACC Student), Kate (grade 12), Grace (grade 10), and Hope (grade 6). Mr. Wentling states that his favorite books are generally about history, but regarding fiction he claims that his favorite novels are A Tale of Two Cities, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Relating to this, he states that he is a fan of C.S. Lewis and Charles Dickens, but also enjoys the works of Mark Twain and James Fenimore. He notes that above all literature, the Bible has had the most significant impact on his life.
Mr. Wentling states that his favorite President of all time is probably James K. Polk. “He accomplished most of what he said he would, and then chose NOT to seek another term.” However, during his lifetime, he claims that his favorite would have to be Ronald Reagan. Mr. Wentling (and all of our) favorite Supreme Court Justice is, very obviously, Antonin Scalia.