Al Clemmons is the Air Force Junior ROTC Co-Instructor and has been teaching for 7 years.

Why did you come to teach at CHS?

I was retiring from the Air Force and was already a college professor, so I wanted to explore the opportunity of facilitating learning at the high school level. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I would like it but, a few months in, I was hooked. Chantilly is a terrific place to work, though it is quite a commute for me. I love working with my co-teacher and, above all, I love helping young people discover their incredible strengths.

What was your first impression of CHS?

I’m not sure I had a true “first impression.” I had 12 military assignments and 11 deployments and learned to judge location based on the quality of the people I worked with. Fortunately, for me, Chantilly has some awesome people! 

What is your favorite part about teaching at CHS?

I love our cadets. They are incredibly amazing and, as I said earlier, I love helping young people discover their incredible strengths. We also have terrific people working in the Chantilly Academy.

What is the most difficult part about teaching at CHS?

I suppose my two greatest frustrations are when the institution says “It’s about the students” but the actions run contrary to that, and when I know we have a cadet who can be great but chooses to be average.