“My students can expect fairness, inclusion and safety when they’re with me. In general, it’s very difficult to learn if these things aren’t in place, let alone a language. I try to develop relationships with as many students as possible. Language learning is difficult. If students feel comfortable with their peers and teacher, then it is more likely they will try to express themselves in a different language without feeling embarrassed.” – Sra. Lisa Veit
Class: Spanish 3 and 4 CPE and Newcomer Bilingual Skills
About/Description:
- “They will also find out that I don’t know every single word in the Spanish language, and I will use a dictionary whenever necessary. I try to learn at least one new word a day. Language is infinite and constantly growing, so knowing that we’ll never know it all is comforting!!!”
- “I started my career as an ESL/Spanish teacher, but then solely taught Spanish for decades. A few years ago, I began to teach ESL again.”
CAPTION: “My family and I were driving to Rochester to drop my son off at college for the first time. We were not as smiley on the ride home.”
FAVORITE ASPECT OF SUBJECT:
- I love languages! I started to learn Spanish in sixth grade. From there, I continued in high school through 5 AP. I never spoke a word in class; I was much too shy and unsure of my skills. But in college, I left my engineering major and doubled in Fine Arts and Spanish. Learning languages means learning cultures, behaviors, history, art, and music… it’s the best of all worlds!”
FUN FACTS:
- “My heart’s desire was to be a photographer for National Geographic. However, after a long-term substitute teaching job, I fell in love with being an educator and have been doing this for 30 years. But when I retire, I just want to work at Trader Joe’s.”
- When asked what hot take Sra. Veit has, she answered, “Pasta tastes different depending on its shape. I can go on all day about this, but no one in my family agrees with me. Mezzani rigati does not taste like penne, and in my opinion, long fusilli tastes the best!”
- When asked what Sra. Veit’s favorite movie is, she answered, “I own the VHS and DVD of the following films: A Few Good Men, Legally Blonde, Pitch Perfect, and A Christmas Story. I can watch these on a loop for weeks. If I’m watching these, it’s most likely because I am feeling stressed, and you should probably just hand over your chocolate.”
“I want them to build on their relationships, make new connections, and be able to laugh and unwind during my class. I want them to leave my PE class with a smile on their face and feeling positive.” – Mrs. Lindsay Steffner
Class: Junior Health and Physical Education (freshman-senior)
About/Description:
- “I want kids to have fun and enjoy being active in my Physical Education classes. I want them to socialize and enjoy their time with their classmates during whatever activity we are doing.”
- “In Health class, the students should expect to learn in a comfortable environment about their physical, emotional, and mental health. I want students to feel like they can express themselves and ask questions. I also want my students to have skills such as CPR, how to use an AED, and how to perform basic First Aid when they leave my class. When they leave my class, they are equipped with a list of healthcare resources that they may need for assistance in the future.”
CAPTION: “Me and my daughters at my favorite place, Martha’s Vineyard. I love the relaxed vibe, beautiful, natural landscapes, and the slower pace of the Vineyard.”
FUN FACTS:
- “I love gardening, landscaping, and designing. I enjoy watching plants grow and develop. I love researching and planting different varieties of flowers or vegetables. I am happiest outside on a spring day, surrounded by beautiful plants and trees. I am constantly looking around at landscapes when I travel, and I love researching info about plants. I love nature.”
- “I played soccer, basketball, and softball in high school, and I played club basketball all spring and summer, so there wasn’t much downtime after school. I would use any free time/free periods to get my homework done during the day. I also spent a ton of time in the art room in high school (all my electives were art-related) and felt very comfortable in the art classroom. There was a sense of peace and calmness in the art classroom that I loved. I would also sneak to the gym often to see what Physical Education was up to and visit my coaches during any long bathroom breaks. I socialized with my teammates during whatever season I was in, but I also had a really great group of friends that I grew up with that I still remain friends with today.”
“We have been teaching these classes together for 5 years. We love teaching with each other and also the students that gravitate towards our classes. It is really nice to teach classes where the students and teachers have common interests.” – Mrs. Ilana Mitlitski and Mrs. Alexandra Dunn
Class: Biomedical Technology 1/1H and Biomedical Technology 2/2H
About/Description: “Students can expect a fun, collaborative, hands-on experience that is highly relative to current trends in biomedical technology.”
CAPTION: “Never a dull moment in Biomed!”
FUN FACTS:
- Mrs. Ilana Mitlitski: “A fun fact about me is that I took a barrel racing class in college (racing a Quarter Horse around a series of barrels in a ring).”
- Mrs. Alexandra Dunn: “A fun fact about me is that I can name every monster truck that performs at Monster Jam (thanks to my 2.5-year-old son, Jack)!”
