Hello and welcome to the World Famous Room 21 Rock Star website! My name is Dan Reichard and I am the passionate and fortunate 5th grade teacher of the Room 21 Rock Stars at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School in Stafford, Virginia. Growing up in the small town of Knox, Pennsylvania, I never once imagined I would find myself in Stafford, VA. I graduated from Keystone High School in Knox, Pennsylvania in 2008. For all of my life, I had the dream to teach elementary school. After graduating high school, I quickly applied to IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) to pursue that dream. I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of science degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in urban education in 2012. Quickly after graduation, Mrs. Kim Austin (our school principal) called me on a Sunday morning asking for an interview. The rest is history! I recently completed my Educational Leadership Master's Degree at George Mason University.

As I tell the Rock Stars, I grew up disenchanted and “bored” in school. Many would have said I was probably the most "shy" student in my grade level. I struggled in many subjects until some excellent middle school teachers came along and turned my life around. When my high school chorus teacher asked me to try out for the school play (that included a singing role!), I faced my fear of being in front of large groups. That sense of "no fear" is at the core of everything that we do in Room 21! My philosophy of educated is rooted in working relentlessly to allow each scholar to find their voice, their value, their excellence and ultimately the impact they can have on the world. We will be singing, dancing, presenting, teaching one another, acting, etc. to bring the joy and passion of learning to every student in class. My core message to scholars is: Belief + Effective Effort (with many mistakes along the way)= Sweet Success.

We are a family in Room 21. Welcome to our story!

To follow the Room 21 Rock Star experience online, follow me on Twitter or Instagram using the handle @reichardrock. You can also follow our class on Facebook. Our group is called, "Mr. Reichard's Rock Stars."