Patrick Penick, Social Studies
I was born and raised in Shasta County and attended Anderson High School. As a youth, I enjoyed contact sports and outdoor play, but I also have some fond memories on the Xbox doing battle with my brother and cousins on the virtual battlefields of Halo. Counting among my most formative memories are all the days I spent chilling, crawdadding, and roughhousing down at the creek behind my house. Despite my best efforts in the weight room, I was never able to put enough size on my frame to have a viable colligate athletic career as a defensive lineman in football, so I chose to wrestle going forward after high school. Three ACL tears later and I still don't regret my decision to continue to pursue Athletics throughout my time at University. I got my associate's in social studies as a Shasta College Knight and my bachelor's in history as a Pacific University Boxer up northwest Oregon. Since college, I've done stints as a FedEx Driver and Special Education teacher but now find myself teaching social studies for the first time in a truly awesome place, Fall River High School. Coming from a family of educators I am a third-generation California high school teacher now. My personal interests include listening to niche music on audio equipment I am proud of, pumping iron at my home gym, viewing/discussing movies with my opinionated family members, indulging in those consumables with the most distinctive flavors, and experiencing interesting locations with loved ones.
Eric Zimmerman, Social Studies
I was born and raised in Denver Colorado until I moved to the beautiful Fall River Valley when I was 13 years old. I graduated from Fall River High School in 1997. I attended Linfield College in McMinnville Oregon where I received my Bachelor of Arts in History (2001). After working a variety of different jobs, in different locations, I decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I received my teaching credential and Master of Education in Cross Cultural Teaching from National University in 2004. For the following two years I lived and worked in Japan as an English instructor at Aeon Corporation. It was while living in Japan where I met my wife Yoshiko. I started working for Fall River High School in 2006 where I have been since.
