Mr. Lester's Bio, updated 9/23/04

I have been teaching English at St. Albans for 14 years, since the 1991-1992 school year. In addition to serving as an Upper School English teacher, I am also the Head Lacrosse Coach and the Director of the Skip Grant Program . During my time at STA I have served as a Dorm Parent, Form Advisor, and faculty advisor to the St. Albans News. I currently serve on the Faculty Diversity Committee and the Discipline Committee.

I was named after Malcolm X and jazz sax great John Coltrane (Malcolm Coltrane Lester). I am married and have a five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. My wife and I love to run. My wife won the inaugural Marathon In The Parks in Montgomery County in November, 2000. She also finished 8th in the 1998 Disney World Marathon and 10th in the Marine Corps Marathon that same year. My wife and I are both sponsored by Pacers Running Store in Alexandria (truth be told, my wife was sponsored by Pacers long before I was--I benefit from my association with her). For information on running and local races, go back to my home page and click on some of the running sites.

One thing I enjoy doing is volunteer work, both with my family and with St. Albans students. My wife and I have been involved with Samaritan Inns for years; Samaritan Inns is a residential treatment center that helps formerly homeless and drug-addicted adults get back on their feet. I have served as a Board Member of the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, the Educational Resources Group People of Color Committee, and the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS) sexual orientation task force.

I have worked with a program called College Summit, and I am a former Board Member of the Maya Angelou Public Charter School. Also, I serve as a mentor/big brother with an agency called For Love of Children. My "little brother" is Stephan, now a 17-year-old college freshman.

I am from Amherst, Massachusetts, and graduated from Amherst Regional High School, home of the Hurricanes. After high school, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Springfield College, the birthplace of basketball, and a Master's of Arts in English at the College of William and Mary. After earning my Master's, I came to St. Albans and have been here ever since.

During college I worked as a journalist for a number of newspapers, both during the school year and in the summertime. I wrote for the Boston Globe, the Cape Cod Times, and the Springfield Union-News, covering sports for the Globe and Union-News, and general news for the Cape Cod Times.