With the addition of new Sterling High School staff members comes some changes for the senior faculty. Life Skills teacher Karina Austin is moving on from her role as the vocational aide to being the life skill teacher, after the “small class setting was appealing to [her], [and she] enjoyed working with the students in the [Life Skills] program.” Austin is adjusting to her new position saying that she has “so much to learn and many procedures to establish.”
English teacher Zhané Baker made a big transition from teaching freshman to upperclassmen, as she is now instructing English 3 and 4. Baker, who previously taught English 1 and College Readiness Reading was asked by the administration to move up after she displayed interest in teaching a more advanced English course. Baker knows that “one day [she] would like to teach at the higher education level, so [she] considers teaching English 3 and 4 as a step in that direction.” She loves helping students “work on refining and assessing the quality of [their] ideas and conclusions.”
Chemistry teacher Christine Browne is teaching AP Chemistry in her final year of instruction, taking over for Steve Johnson who retired last year. AP Chemistry is a rigorous college course for students interested in the higher concepts of chemistry. This is greatly different from the average-paced chemistry class she’s taught throughout her career.
English teacher Haley Farringer added the AP English Literature and Composition class to her schedule, after already creating the film and literature course. Farringer decided to take on the class because “[she adores] reading and writing in all its forms; however, [she has] been particularly drawn to literature.” Farringer says that she is “looking forward to tackling Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ with [her] students.”
Also in the English department, Accelerated English teacher Dana Francis is taking over the Accelerated English 2 course, along with redesigning its curriculum. Francis describes his newly developed curriculum as “freer” and explains that “students will get to choose a book that they want to read, which will hopefully increase their engagement and motivation within the class.” In addition to this class, Francis also teaches Accelerated English 1.
In the main office, dean of students Alexandra Miller takes the reins on Freshman Academy this year. In this position, she serves as the freshman class discipline officer and overseer of the “Warrior Way” program. Miller describes that under her leadership Freshman Academy faculty “love to champion the freshmen” and “bring a whole lot of personality, laughter, compassion, and drive [to the team].”
Science teacher Dan Young advances from biology to physical science, per administrative request. Young feels that both himself and students “get most excited when [they] are able to do labs and hands-on activities.” He mentions his change of position to include “a lot more math and numerical equations.”
On the other side of the building, music teacher Erik Oberg comes to S.H.S. full-time this year, after previously having music classes at both SHS and Challand Middle School. Oberg teaches Band, which consists of marching, pep, and concert band. Oberg says that this change allows him to be more “accessible with students and focus on one age group.” He also expresses that under his direction, the marching band will be “more focused on marching fundamentals and the movement of students throughout performances.”
Overall, both students and staff are excited to see these changes throughout the year. It serves as both a reward for the senior faculty and an exciting year for SHS students.
