Doc Snell
Assistant Principal
Bachelor of Social Sciences, Biola University; Master of Educational Administration, National University
Doc Snell is an assistant principal at Nevada Connections Academy. He joined the school as a high school social studies teacher in 2015. Learn more about Mr. Snell below:
Why I Became an Educator
I come from a family of educators, so I suppose the old cliché that “it’s in my blood” applies here! Whether it was tutoring classmates, helping friends and family with their academic challenges, or coaching multiple sports, I’ve always enjoyed playing a supporting role in someone’s lifelong learning adventure. We are all in a constant state of growth and change, and it’s an honor to be invited by others to take part in their educational journeys.
Every Nevada Connections Academy student has found their way to us for a unique set of reasons and goals. I love getting to know each student and what motivates them. This includes what challenges they face as well as what amazing dreams come into focus while they’re “doing school” with us. No two students are the same; therefore, no two days are the same—and that makes for a highly engaging way to go through life.
“My favorite part of this job is getting to witness that moment. The signature moment in time when a student exhales a deep breath, eyes widened, realizing for the first time that they did it . . . it’s finally over . . . they will graduate . . . on to bigger and better adventures! Most of us have a personal memory of our own “moment,” and it’s an honor to see that moment in the lives of so many of our students.”
— Mr. Snell
The Online Experience at Nevada Connections Academy
Communication is key at Nevada Connections Academy. The reality of a school whose boundaries are an entire state is that community means something different to every one of our students, parents, and teachers. The only way to ensure a welcoming community is to remain in a constant and proactive state of healthy communication between all stakeholders.
Nine out of 10 people will say flexibility is the biggest difference between traditional and online schools, but for me, it’s something rarer. In a world where nearly everything has been explored and discovered, e-learning is still something of “the wild frontier.” The recent pandemic has thrown most of the nation’s traditional educational institutions into a state of chaos, trying to evolve their educational practices on the fly (like “building the plane while it’s in flight”)—playing catch-up. The exciting difference between traditional and online platforms is that schools like Nevada Connections Academy are both better seasoned and equipped to adapt to these shifting social, cultural, and political changes, while continuing to press forward into the as-yet-unexplored portions of this educational e-learning frontier.
As citizens on the educational frontier, Nevada Connections Academy students are already better prepared to function in a society that is only becoming more dependent on virtual platforms. Today’s students graduating from an e-learning platform will be the first ones to complete postsecondary and postgraduate degrees entirely online. While that will present its own set of unique challenges for these students, their extensive experience in the virtual realm will also be an immense asset for companies and/or agencies struggling to innovate and evolve within their own markets."
