Charles Debelak
Head of School
8th Homeroom
8th Ben Franklin Initiative
5th-8th Math
Bio: Charles Debelak is co-founder and head of Birchwood School of Hawken. With a Bachelor of Science in education from Valparaiso University and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in gifted education from Cleveland State University, he and his wife, Helene, founded Birchwood School in 1984, together with a small group of parents, to give their own children the best education possible. Prior to the school’s founding he taught in public and private schools as well as Seoul, South Korea, and designed the gifted program for Willoughby-Eastlake schools. Mr. Debelak teaches mathematics to fifth through eighth grade students. He and his students have earned local, state, and national recognition including being recognized as an Impact Educator by Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search in 2019, receiving the 2012-13 Math Olympiads Highest Team Award, being named Ohio’s MATHCOUNTS Coach in 2011, and being a three-time recipient of the Ohio Governor's Award for Excellence in Math and Science.