By Paige Bowling

Photo credit: Matt Togna.

Every year, we have the privilege of adding a new group of faculty and staff to the Collegiate community. We are excited to welcome chemistry teacher Matt Togna to the Upper School science department this year, one of six new Upper School faculty. 

Raised in Richmond, Togna attended Hermitage High School and then went on to the University of Virginia, where he received a B.S. in chemistry and a Masters in Teaching in science. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Justice at Virginia Commonwealth University. He was initially drawn to science because, as a child, he was always interested in math and science classes, especially enjoying the hands-on aspect of lab science.

When asked about his childhood, Togna recalls fondly on his family vacations and his time he got to spend with his family as a student. He talks about their trips to the beach, as well as traveling to Disney World. He says that in his spare time he “enjoys watching UVA football and basketball,” either in person or on TV.  In high school and college, Togna was a swimming coach, as he loved the opportunity to work with kids, and teaching ultimately seemed like the perfect combination of kids and science. At UVA, he attended the Curry School of Education and Human Development. There, he was able to reach out to the local community and work with students. After college, he began his teaching career at JR Tucker High School. At Tucker, he taught all levels of chemistry, including AP. He also continued his earlier career as a swimming coach and got very involved within his community. 

Togna learned about Collegiate during his high school years; however, he didn’t know much about it except that it was a private school in Henrico. He was approached by the Head of the Upper School Patrick Loach regarding the opening of a new science opportunity this past spring. Many other Collegiate families had also approached him about the open position after the departure of long-time chemistry teacher Susan Fourness-Ewell. He was hesitant about the opportunity but decided to take a leap of faith and go through with the interview process. 

Collegiate students sign the honor code. Photo credit: Collegiate School

Togna has been learning more about Collegiate in these first few weeks of school. The Honor Code signing assembly was one of the first events that truly stood out to him. He recalls that in college, he had the same kind of honor code and was impressed with the sincerity of the Upper  School students and the seriousness with which they approached these morals and ideas. He recalls the respectful nature in which students handled the Honor assembly, which really helped him see the importance of honor here at Collegiate. 

He is enthusiastic to be able to work with his new colleagues and utilize the resources and opportunities that Collegiate has to offer. This year he hopes to bring his passion for science and excitement about chemistry to the freshmen class, as well as being able to add to the community through involvement. During his first week, he walked around campus and enjoyed watching the interactions between teachers and students, and he now looks forward to building lasting relationships with students as they go through their Upper School experience. 

Avery Greenburg (‘23) says “I really likes Togna’s teaching style, and so far I really enjoy the class. He is genuinely passionate about the class, and he really wants to get to know us and help us master the material.” He offers a wealth of knowledge, and we are excited to welcome him to the Collegiate community.