• fhs
    Name          Oscar N. (Mac) McNeil
    Department:       Science, Earth & Space Science
    Email:                 oscar.mcneil@lcps.org
    Room:                TBD
    Planning Block:  TBD
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    Teacher Biography:  Welcome to my page!
    As our principal, Dr. Fulton said, "challenges make us grow," and this year, at least its start, will be a challenge, especially for me as this is my first year to teach. I came to the teaching profession through Virginia's Career Switcher program following careers in the U.S. Navy and in private industry. 
     
    I selected Earth & Space Science as my curriculum because it is an absolutely fascinating field of science, and it's all new! I didn't have such a course in my high school in the 1960's, but had there been such a course, all the major ideas of that day about how the Earth works would have been overturned by today. That's how far our technology, exploration, discovery and the dedicated work of scientists has progressed in just the last 50 years.
     
    I graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became a Naval aviator, first as an instructor pilot and then flying off the deck of the USS Saratoga. In 1975, I decided to become a Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer, and the Navy was gracious enough to send me to graduate school at the University of Colorado where I earned an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering. I am a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Colorado. As a civil engineer, I supported the Navy shore establishment in public works, managing construction, and the Navy SEABEES. Among the highlights of my career are assignments in Yokosuka, Japan and in the White House Military Office as chief engineer for military facilities supporting the Commander-in-Chief, Ronald Reagan at that time.
     
    I retired from the Navy as a Commander and joined the Bechtel Corporation as an engineering and construction project manager. I was fortunate in selecting Bechtel, not only because of the challenging projects it takes on, but also because of the values of integrity and concern for its people that are at its core. I learned much from my experience there and from the projects that I managed. These included renovating the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, environmental remediation, projects to reduce the threat from biological weapons in Former Soviet Union countries, and finally serving as Director of the Project Management Unit overseeing construction of the Chernobyl closure project in Ukraine. The reactor that caused so much damage and death in 1986 is finally safeguarded.
     
    It's been an interesting career in which I've experienced both success and failure, and I am truly looking forward to my new experience as a teacher. I know that I have much to learn about teaching, and I hope that I can use my career experiences to both engage students and to pass along something of value for their own futures. 
     
     
     
     
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    Contact Information
    Freedom High School | 25450 Riding Center Drive | South Riding, VA
    P: (703)957-4300 | F:(703)542-2086