Catching Up With Mr. Sinden
Image courtesy of the Cannon School
January 26, 2022
Mr. Sinden is one of the most beloved members of the OP community. The former Deamon Deacon taught history and coached tennis and freshman basketball. At the end of the 2018-2019 school year, though, he moved back home to North Carolina. Here is what he is up to.
How are you doing since you left Oratory? Are you still teaching? If so, still US history?
Sinden is good. I still teach US history at the Cannon School in Concord, NC (just outside of Charlotte). I continue to learn new things every single day and I can’t see myself ever doing anything else.
Are you still living off Chick fil A?
I eat Bojangles more than Chick-Fil-A, but yeah, those along with cereal and eggs are my diet.
You coached freshman basketball at Oratory. Are you still coaching and/or playing hoops?
I don’t coach basketball at the moment, but I am the tennis coach in the fall and spring. I hoop at a park by my apartment often, but I do miss playing in a formal league with the OP guys.
Are you still leading whitewater rafting tours?
I still raft during my summers – the past two spent on the Chattooga River in SC/GA. I collected many awesome stories from those times. If you’re interested, google GreaseBomb Productions and check out the past two years’ “carnage show” videos (mind you, there is some foul language and strange individuals).
Where is the best BBQ in North Carolina?
Midwood Smokehouse is my go-to in Charlotte. It helps I have a good friend who works there, so sometimes things are comped.
It is fairly well known you are a zealous Hurricanes fan. If you were GM of the Carolina Hurricanes and could make one signing, trade, etc, what would it be?
Why would I touch a near-perfect team? They made some of the most unexpectedly productive decisions in the offseason. I’ll let Waddell and Dundon continue to work their magic. Allow me to plug the Deacos here as well. Quite a time my friend, quite a time.
Have you picked up any new hobbies?
I mountain bike, whitewater kayak, and play tennis all the time.
Any advice to a current high school senior? What to do/study in college?
1) Remember who you are 2) go to class 3) be good to people – it’s pretty simple
Do you have any plans to come back to NJ anytime soon?
Not at the moment. I was at two weddings in Morristown last October, so it was fun being back in the neighborhood. I didn’t have time to visit, but one day.
What do you miss most about OP?
A lot. I love that place. It’s where I became an adult and the place I found my passion. I learned so much from the kids there – how to teach and how to handle and interact with teens. I also miss the faculty a lot. Cannon is a lot bigger than OP, so I have my little crew and that’s it for the most part. At OP everyone was your crew – admins, faculty, and students. It’s a special place with a special community, cherish it.
