A current WJ teacher has returned to his D.C. area roots, teaching at the same school where his father taught throughout his childhood. His name is Kelly Dunston, and he teaches technology education. He was born and raised in Rockville with two brothers and one sister and attended Richard Montgomery High School. Both of his parents were math teachers, and as a kid, Dunston’s primary interest was sports. He ran cross country, wrestled, and played volleyball and baseball in high school.

“I did everything,” he said. “I think I [was on a varsity team] every season in high school.”

His path from young athlete to teacher has led him to adventures all around the world, from surfing in Hawaii, to studying in Finland and Germany, to living and visiting different places all across the U.S. and the world. Dunston attended college at Clemson University in South Carolina and studied architecture, and spent one year studying in Finland. After college, Dunston found his first job in D.C. working for an architecture firm. During his time with the firm, the company designed the Verizon Center, a prominent arena in D.C. Dunston was first brought to WJ when he came to coach volleyball, and he then earned a master’s degree in teaching so he could become a technology teacher. He took a five-year sojourn in Hawaii to focus on surfing, which is a passion of his that he has continued to fulfill each summer, but has since returned to teaching.

“If I [wasn’t] a teacher, I would be a professional surfer,” said Dunston.

He currently lives with his wife, his 7-year-old son, and his 5-year-old daughter, and believes his greatest teaching skill is his will to have fun and take things easy.

“I try to keep it all in perspective and realize it’s not that important [to every student],” he said.

Dunston also enjoys climbing and competing in triathlons and in the next two years he hopes to qualify for the world championships of the Ironman race, an exhausting triathlon consisting of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and a running marathon of 26.2 miles. When he isn’t exercising or teaching, he loves to read and especially enjoys the “Lord of the Rings” series. He hopes to stay at WJ for the remainder of his teaching career and then retire to Costa Rica.

“I just want to enjoy teaching… and spend as much time with my family as possible,” he said.