by Kayla Hezel; Features Editor

Head of the math department. That is what most people know Corey Arbini for. However, when he’s not working within the walls of Mehlville he keeps himself busy with some really cool hobbies.
Arbini first got interested in the art of photography in the fourth grade when his parents signed him up for a summer camp to get him out of the house.
Starting with a SLR film camera he has worked his way up the ladder of quality cameras.
“Be prepared to spend some money,” said Arbini towards anyone wanting to get involved in photography.
With his favorite subjects being that of nature and sports. Arbini especially enjoys taking pictures at the Cardinals game where he hopes to capture the exciting moments and keep them as memories.
Taking pictures of professional sports is not the only way Arbini gets involved in the excitement that comes along. He also coaches girls volleyball both at the ameture and collegate levels.
He is more than your typical coach too. In his 16th year of coaching for High Performance, Arbini has had the second most teams qualify for nationals in the Gateway region.
His triumphs do not stop there. He has carried his success with him coaching at the collegiate level for Washington University holding the spot of number one in the nation for nine weeks of the 12 week season.
His love for the sport and adding wins to his already substantial list of achievements is not Arbini’s main objective as a coach.
“Sports offer a lot of life lessons… a recent statistic said that people who play sports in high school make more money,” said Arbini.
Laughing, Arbini tells of one of his favorite memories coaching. While playing in a national tournament in Baltimore he got caught up in the excitement of the game leading him to snap his clipboard over his knee.
“A few months later we played the same team. After the game some of the girls came up to me and said, ‘Hey coach, I think you forgot this in Baltimore,’ holding out my clip board,” said Arbini.
Another close competitor for favorite memory with coaching was when his Washington University team played in front of 6500 people at Penn State.
He hopes to add to his coaching experiences by joining the Mehlville staff as assistant of boys varsity in the spring.
Art and sports are not the only way Arbini spends his free time.
“If I hear something I like I try to go home and learn it,” said Arbini describing his attitude toward his guitar playing.
Starting four years ago after being inspired by a roommate who was a member in a band, he quickly taught himself a few chords eventually learning to play his first song in that of “Every Rose Has its Thorn” by Poison.
“I’m not great. I’m okay… Youtube is my best friend,” said Arbini.
In high school he listened to artists like Jay-Z and DMX. However, since then his style has seen a complete 180 no listening to artsits like Train and Phillip Phillips.
When he’s not taking pictures, coaching, or playing guitar Arbini can be found playing Call of Duty with none other than, guidance counselor David Pitts.
Receiving his first Nintendo when he was eight years old, his love for videogames grew from there. His passion for gaming was especially strong during his years in college.
While attending Saint Louis University, his senior year on a full ride scholarship Arbini realized he no longer needed to maintain the GPA needed to keep his substantial scholarship.
This is when he decided to go into each of his finals with very little studying. Instead he made the decision to play game after game of NHL Hockey with his buddy with a dollar riding on each game.
“Video games are great but you better be balanced. Don’t let it consume all your time,” said Arbini.
Even though with all his unique hobbies he may seem very busy Arbini still manages to continue his education. Already having received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Saint Louis University, he is now only five classes away from obtaining his PHD.
“Education is something people can’t take away from you… the more education you have the more doors are opened to you,” said Arbini when asked why he decided to take his education to the next level.
From art, to sports, to music, to education, Arbini does it all.