Chris Sturm

Onsite Archaeologist

Chris Sturm joined the Davidson Day School community in 2016 as a humanity teacher. It was here that he first learned of AFAR. In the summer of 2019, Chris finally traveled with Mat for the first time, joining the project in Zorita de los Canes, excavating the dining hall adjacent to the castle’s cloister. He had never studied archaeology. He had never joined an excavation. He had never even heard of Zorita. Field notes? Forget about it. He had no idea what any of that was but quickly, Chris fell in love with Zorita Castle, AFAR, and the passion Mat had for engaging students in the field. He has since joined each excavation in Zorita and started joining excavations in Tróia, Portugal, in 2023. Chris has now fully embraced archaeology, learning how to take those field notes, how to excavate, and how to lead groups. AFAR is a part of him now. He loves how he can continue working with students outside of the classroom, and Chris has even noted how one of his favorite aspects of AFAR is how he gets to see the growth and development of these students over the years as they navigate not only the trenches we excavate, but life as a high school teenager. Seeing these students progress through his classroom in 7th and 8th grade, and then through Zorita and Tróia over the years with AFAR, is special and something he truly cherishes. Chris would encourage anyone with a love of history, a passion for traveling, and a sense of adventure to apply to join AFAR for future projects!