Mr. Cheney - a Brief Bio

I have been teaching Science and coaching Track and Field at Sunrise Middle School since 2019.  After farming and ranching for about 10 years on the family farm in Western Nebraska, I taught and coached at the high school level for sixteen years before joining Kearney Public Schools.  After high school I earned a biology degree at Oklahoma Wesleyan University where I also played collegiate soccer. Later, after entering education, I went on to earn educational Bachelors and Masters degrees at Chadron State College.  Though I was born in Nebraska, I was raised for the majority of my youth in Southern Africa in the countries of eSwatini, Republic of South Africa, and Zimbabwe.  This upbringing has helped me to sincerely appreciate and relate to the diverse group of learners and families I work with on a daily basis.

My wife and I have been blessed with an ever-expanding family of 7 children and 5 grandchildren, and with fewer of my younger children still at home, enjoy traveling and visiting the older children.  I also enjoy a number of wide and varied hobbies including archery, fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, and golf, as well as working on cars and remodeling/fixing up houses as time allows.  This year I have also added another fun distraction and have thoroughly enjoyed learning to play the acoustic guitar.