Greetings to all and welcome to school year 24/25. I am Ray Taylor, the physical education teacher at Nance elementary school. 

I have been the physical education teacher at Nance since January 2014. I have enjoyed 39 years of teaching multiple grade levels and subjects. Teaching has been a wonderful and fulfilling experience. I also have extensive experience in sports, recreational activities, coaching and sports officiating. Some of my past accomplishments are that I was a two sports letterman in high school (football and basketball). I earned a basketball scholarship to attend Harris-Stowe State University and lettered during all four years of attendance. I obtained a Bachelors Degree from Harris-Stowe and a Masters Degree from Lindenwood University. I was a high school and college basketball official, advancing to the NCAA Division II and NAIA Division I levels. 

As I prepare for retirement, I can say I have enjoyed teaching and touching lives in a positive way. There is no greater joy than communicating with former students and they share how I impacted their life.