The oldest of three boys, John Paul (J.P.) Balbo was born in Camden, Michigan. He grew up on a lake in a small and rural farming community. All grade levels from K-12 attended school in the same building. J.P.'s parents are still married and live in the same home that he and his brothers grew up in! As a child, J.P. started playing sports as far back as he can remember. Although his favorite sport is soccer, he also golfed, ran cross country and played baseball. After graduating from high school, his parents encouraged him to attend college, and he enrolled at the local community college. He said he was not ready and did not like it. After one semester, he dropped out and went to work laying tile with his uncle. He also traveled with friends, camping in the Teton Mountains, the Finger Lakes area and many other gorgeous locations in the U.S. In 2009, J.P. felt "ready" to attend college and got "serious." He enrolled at Central Michigan University and graduated in four years with a Bachelor's degree in Social Studies and Elementary Education. J.P. played intramural sports all through school, but never got to have the "freshman dorm" experience since he started at an older student and went right into apartment living. He worked at golf courses for extra cash and met his current girlfriend along the way. Morgan graduated ahead of J.P. and went to work in Portland for Adidias. J.P. finished school, student taught for a semester in Michigan (5th grade) and then moved to Portland to be near Morgan. In Jan. 2014, J.P. taught at CLASS Academy in Portland , teaching a 4/5 blend. He was looking to teach in a community he felt was similar to the one he grew up in- small and rural. He applied to Corbett in May 2015 and was hired. Currently J.P. teaches a 6,7,8 blend at Corbett Middle School. Morgan is six years younger and they both live in Portland, loving the area. They have no animals, but are both avid outdoors people. They both love to camp, fly fish, golf, and snowboard. J.P. feels very comfortable and happy in Corbett with his classroom students. He says they work together to learn and it is a very enjoyable atmosphere to be in for both himself and the students. J.P.'s mother taught for over 30 years, and feels that the "key" is having fun along the way- "If kids are having fun, they WILL learn."
