Both inside the classroom and beyond, Math and Engineering teacher Len Wholey always has a story to tell.

Long before becoming a teacher, he served in the Air Force for seven years.

“I went to the Air Force Academy for four years, jumped out of airplanes five times, went through survival training, and got a degree in aeronautical engineering,” Wholey said.

Wholey endured extensive fitness training, performing countless pushups, pullups, and running.

“I ran the Pikes Peak Ascent twice and the Pikes Peak Marathon once,” Wholey said, “[which is] where you run up Pikes Peak and then run back down.”

Wholey even earned a master’s from MIT in 2005 in aerospace engineering right after his time at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he studied unmanned aerial vehicles. After obtaining his degree, Wholey was sent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, home to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

“There I was working on modelling airflow,” Wholey said.

Wholey compares airflow to how cigarette smoke starts off smooth and then bursts, becoming more sporadic.

“The same sort of thing happens for airflow over a wing,” Wholey said. “Initially it’s nice and smooth and then it bursts and becomes turbulent.”

Wholey’s time in the Air Force was greatly impacted by the Sept 11 attacks and the ensuing war on terror. His base was put on lockdown, and ID checks grew very strict.

“Anytime somebody came in to your squadron, even if it was your roommate or best friend, you had to check their ID,” Wholey said. “I never imagined something like that would happen.”

Wholey also believes that if he had stayed any longer in the Air Force, he likely would have been deployed overseas, but he ended up leaving in 2006 after the government sought volunteers to get out. After serving seven and a half years, Wholey decided it was best for him to leave and move back to Boston with his girlfriend, who is now his wife.

“I said, ‘I will do my part,’” Wholey said. “I choose love.”

Wholey moved back to Boston, where he worked for 10 years at Draper, a nonprofit engineering and innovation company. There, Wholey spent most of his time working on a guided airdrop project. Guided airdrops are used to navigate parachuted cargo to precise locations on the ground, allowing soldiers to avoid dangerous zones.

“It was very satisfying to see my code,” Wholey said. “Or more precisely the team’s code, flying in the air and doing what it was supposed to do.”

Wholey also enjoyed fixing errors and finding the root causes of problems. He has since brought his interest in engineering to robotics, where he is the coach of the School’s robotics team. During practice sessions, Wholey enjoys sharing his experiences as an engineer with the team members and offering insight.

“I wish I could build a robot,” Wholey said. “But that’s not my role.”

Every day, Wholey bikes to and from school, saying that he is one of the few people who would complain about a commute being “too short.” He enjoys the physical and mental benefits that come with biking, also taking pride in the fact that it is more friendly for the environment than driving.

“I like to think of myself as being an environmentalist,” Wholey said, “so I try to avoid driving.”

Although he doesn’t expect to change the way everyone drives, he always wants to do his part.

In the classroom, Wholey’s mission is to help his students come up with their own ideas and solutions, whether it is in math or engineering. He believes that as a teacher, he is a product of his own experiences, and he emphasizes the importance of creativity because of his engineering background.

In the classroom, Wholey’s mission is to help his students come up with their own ideas and solutions, whether it is in math or engineering. He believes that as a teacher, he is a product of his own experiences, and he emphasizes the importance of creativity because of his engineering background.

“I like it when they have their idea and they’re gonna do the things that are needed to make it happen,” Wholey said.

While it is only his fourth year at Brimmer, Wholey has undeniably made his presence in the community felt, and his unique experiences bring great value to the school.