TOWAMENCIN – How much do YOU really know about North Penn‘s favorite trivia maven? Famous for his storytelling and obscure Brumbaugh Challenge questions, Mr. Brumbaugh has had a very interesting life both outside and inside of the classroom and an interesting history, too.

He moved around a lot, once living in Virginia across the street from Supreme Court Justice Byron W. White. Going back as far as high school, he had a house painting business he started with friends. He attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, where he studied political science, history, and economics. He then went to Temple University to explore the possibilty of teaching. Before becoming a teacher, he spent time working in the district attorney’s office, the corporate world, and even the government.

While at Temple University, a professor in a public speaking class told him “You have a way with explaining things.” That lit a spark in him and solidified teaching as his future profession.

He got involved in a satellite teaching program with Temple. Guess where he was placed? North Penn welcomed him to their summer school staff, and he took to the school immediately.   However, he didn’t take well to the early start time, saying “The first thing that kind of turned me off was getting up so early.” After teaching summer school at North Penn for a few years, he got some good news. He was offered a full time position at the school and gladly jumped at the opportunity, proclaiming “From that point on, I’ve loved it.”

When asked his favorite part about teaching, he responded without hesitation that it is working with the students. He stated that teaching is like a symbiotic relationship in that both the students and the teacher must give their best effort everyday to keep the energy in the classroom alive.

Brumbaugh is especially known among students for his trivia questions on the Morning Show. “Some questions are from general knowledge, and some are from other teachers and students,” he replied when asked where he gets the questions. Even as a child, he had an insatiable desire for knowledge. Combine that with his excellent memory, and North Penn’s foremost trivia expert was born.

Brumbaugh is one of the most well known teachers in North Penn High School, but he is humble about his popularity. He loves constantly meeting new students, and some have given him a new last name. “Kids who I have no idea who they are will come up to me. I’ve learned that my last name is Challenge.”

When asked about the pros and cons of going to a school as big as North Penn, Brumbaugh said “I think the positives are there are so many opportunities. The diversity, I think, is pretty cool. Its strength can also be its weakness.”

Even as a teacher, Brumbaugh has been able to take advantage of opportunities at North Penn. He’s been involved with Political Activism Club, Chess Club, Geography Bees, Mock Congress, and Mock Convention.

One of his fondest memories was running a Jeopardy style gameshow within the school, with the winner potentially getting a spot on national Jeopardy. “The kid who won the school’s jeopardy, he ended up not making it to national Jeopardy. But the student who came in second place showed up on national Jeopardy a few years later. He did pretty well too. It was very cool.”

When asked for his life mantra, Brumbaugh stated “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” He emphasized that school is not just about the books, but also about the importance of gaining life experience and being able to get back up after a setback.

Betcha didn’t know that, now you do.