A native of South Bend, Indiana, Patrick Garvey has a B.A. in Telecommunications from Indiana University and received his K-8 Communications Arts Literature Minnesota teaching license through Hamline University. He was employed in Special Education for the SPPS Focus Beyond S.T.E.P.S program in the wood shop at Monroe School before coming to LNFI. Before acquiring a teaching license, M. Garvey worked for more than a decade in production and theatrical arts in Chicago and San Francisco in film, video, and computer graphics for the advertising, corporate, and feature film industries.

As a parent of two former LNFI students, he has been a parent volunteer for seven years and helped start the chess club, Destination Imagination, and drama club activities at the school. This year, M. Garvey adds Creative Arts Instructor to his role as the 2nd grade English Language Arts instructor. He will also be involved as a volunteer with this year's drama club productions.

His wife, Anne Zachman, is an Ob/Gyn Nurse Practitioner at Family Medical Center, and a Ramsey County S.A.N.E provider. Their son, Harper (LNFI '06 graduate)and daughter, Tess (LNFI '07 graduate) attend Great River Montesorri in St. Paul.