Mr. Ricketts' Biography 

Hello. My name is Mike Ricketts, and I teach Computer Science at Colbert Heights High School.  I am married to Teresa Hand Ricketts who is a math coach at Cherokee Elementary School.  Our daughter, Emily, is married to Andrew Nelson, and they don't have any children yet.  Emily teaches middle school math at Russellville Middle School.  Our son, Heath, is married to his wife Lauren and they have three children, Dax, Addy Kate, and Annie.  Heath works for the city of Tuscumbia in the Gas and Water Department.

I started programming computers in 1985 in the U.S. Air Force where I was a systems programmer on Honeywell mainframe computers. I learned to program on paper punch cards rather than using an actual computer terminal.  It really made me appreciate the technology that is available to us now.  

When I left the Air Force in 1989, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee to take the position of Technical Programming Manager for the Tennessee Department of Employment Security, and I later was moved to the Tennessee Office of Information Resources as they centralized all of their computer operations into one department. I later was hired by a company from New Rochelle, New York called Mobius Management Systems, and I moved to Atlanta to be their regional Senior Systems Engineer. I moved back to Nashville in 1995 to take the position of Manager of Mainframe Computer Operations for Columbia/HCA Healthcare. In 1997, I went to work for Xerox as a Document Management Systems Analyst. In 2000, I moved back to my hometown of Killen, Alabama and went to work for the local newspaper, which was owned by the New York Times. I started with Colbert County Schools in 2003 as a Network Technician, where I worked for 16 years. 

This will be my 5th year teaching Computer Science in a Career Tech Environment, and my 1st year at Colbert Heights High School. 

 I have a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of West Alabama, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0-grade point average.  At graduation, I was awarded the Ralph M. Lyon Award for Academic Excellence which is given annually to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average.  

In September 2019, I received The University of West Alabama National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award.  This award is given to alumni for having distinguished themselves in such a way as to reflect honor on the University and the National Alumni Association.

I am a member of the Phi Theta Kappa and the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor societies.

I am currently working on my Masters' of Education Degree in Career and Technical Education Leadership.

I currently hold Alabama Teacher Certifications in:

• Computer Science 

• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 

• Information Technology Support and Services 

• Network Systems and Computer Services 

• Programming and Software Development 

I have Microsoft Technical Associate Certifications in:

• HTML5 Application Development Fundamentals

• Introduction to Programming using Python

• Introduction to Programming using Java

• Security Fundamentals

• Networking Fundamentals

• Windows® Operating System Fundamentals

I have Information Technology Specialist Certifications in:

• Software Development

• JavaScript

• Python

• Java

 I have two certifications from TestOut:

• Desktop Professional

• Information Technology Fundamentals Professional

 I am certified by the Flipped Learning Global Initiative in Rapid Transition to Online Learning

My current courses include Information Technology Fundamentals, Object-Oriented Programming, Computer Science Discoveries, and Exploring Computer Science which is part of a new research program with the University of Alabama and Tuskegee University called Pathway for Alabama Computer Science, or PACS for short.

I am also the SkillsUSA Faculty Advisor.

I am really excited to be here and I hope I can get my students as excited about technology as I am, and show them there is a path for them to follow.