Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1964, John Neighbors literally spent his entire childhood in the same location.The middle of three boys, John did not move until he was 18 and leaving for college. When looking at numerous college choices, Lewis and Clark College in Portland seemed to be the best fit. It turned out to be true, as John attended school all four years at Lewis and Clark, graduating with a BS degree in Communications. Ever since John was a boy, he loved to ride a bike. Once he got started, he never stopped. After college, John became a bike mechanic. That led to sales, management and then design, all in the bike industry. Bicycling has always been a positive for John. John met his wife as a set-up by a friend. The first date was a bike ride and then he and Susie married a year after dating! Together they have a 12 year old son and live in Portland. As the bike industry began to change, John was going to be required to do a lot more traveling to China. He did not want to be away from his wife and son so often, so he began teaching at night at ITT Tech. Although he did not have a degree in engineering, he taught engineering and design. Through this experience, he realized how much he enjoyed teaching, and decided to go back to school at Concordia and get his MAT- Master of Arts in Teaching. John did his student teaching at Corbett, then worked as an Aide and was then hired at Corbett Middle School in the fall of 2011. Teaching grades 6,7,8, John moved to CAPS in the fall of 2013 when the need for a second teacher for this level of students was needed. John says it is a natural fit for him, as he gets along well with the other 6,7,8 teacher, Aaron Long. They are often collaborating! When John is not riding his bike by himself or with Susie, he is at his son's many soccer games. He also loves to cook! He says pizza is his specialty and he makes numerous types. His other specialty? Blueberry pancakes!
