One fact most students learn early on in Mr. David Rutter’s English 10 class is his passion for coffee or, as he calls it, the “nectar of the gods.”

For Rutter, this Saturday, September 29th is like Christmas, New Year’s, and the Fourth of July all wrapped into one: it’s National Coffee Day.

Rutter first hopped onto the coffee bandwagon in college. He was struggling to study for his exam and needed a boost.

“I went in and asked for a large cup [at the local coffee shop in State College]. The server gave a me an extra-large Sumatra blend,” said Rutter. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had an out of body experience, but let me tell you I did on that very day. The heavens opened up and my world has changed forever.”

Since then, Rutter consumes at least six to seven cups of coffee a day (eight if the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing), and he swears that it helps his health.

“New studies have shown that [coffee] lowers your risk of Parkinson’s disease. The benefits keep on coming and coming each year. Drink up,” Rutter stated.

Rutter enjoys Sheetz coffee with their custom brews and Dunkin’ Donuts because their coffee is well-balanced, smooth, and not bitter.

He also highly recommends McDonald’s breakfast blend coffee because of its outstanding flavor and reasonable pricing.

With a favorite coffee flavor in mind, Rutter also has a favorite coffee mug.

“My favorite mug was one given to me during teacher appreciation week. This student knew how much I loved the Pittsburgh Penguins, and I use the coffee mug each and every morning. I hand wash it and never put it in the dishwasher. That would be blasphemy,” said Rutter. “[However] my favorite mug used to be a Stormtrooper coffee mug that I accidentally dropped in the sink. It shattered to pieces and was irreparable. I mourned for days.”

For students on the edge of trying coffee, Rutter has some advice. “Jump into a cup of java. Do not be afraid, but don’t put sugar in it either. I can never understand why someone would want to sweeten coffee. That’s like going out and buying a brand new Porsche and driving it off-road. Who does that?”

Prior to coming to Tyrone twelve years ago, Rutter taught eighth grade at Park Forest Middle School in State College.

However, according to Rutter, State College was too crowded and had too many students.

“I wanted to come [to] a school that was smaller and [where] students didn’t feel like they were just a number,” said Rutter.

Born in Ellwood City, PA, a small town 30 miles northwest from Pittsburgh, Rutter feels at home in Tyrone.

“I wish I could say that the streets [of Ellwood City] were littered with coffee beans but alas they were not. It [is] very similar to Tyrone, which is one of the many reasons I feel so at home here,” Rutter said.

Rutter’s inspiration to teach came from his mother, who taught for 40 years. He enjoys preparing for class and executing his plan each day.

“Nothing rewards me more when a student does not think he or she will be capable of producing a piece of work, applies the skills taught in class, and creates a well-balanced piece of writing. Of course, I thoroughly enjoy all of the unique personalities I come to meet year-after-year. Especially those with incredibly small handwriting. I really don’t know how some of you do it–one current senior in particular,” said Rutter.

Outside of class, Rutter exercises at least five days a week. He has played guitar for the past six years. He’s finally happy to see he can play “Stairway to Heaven” from start to finish except for the guitar solo. He also collects and reads Batman comic books in his spare time.

A laundry list of his other hobbies includes reading novels of the horror variety, scanning the grocery stores for new and exotic coffee blends, fishing in Canada to stay off the grid for at least one week out of the year, and surfing eBay to find a great deal.

When asked if there was anything else he would like our readers to know, Rutter stated, “Four items: My two daughters have made me a better person, the Pittsburgh Penguins will win the 2019 Stanley Cup, Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock-and-roll band of all-time, working for free is extremely overrated, and always drink your coffee black.”