With the start of the school year, everything is new, exciting, and sometimes hard to get back into. One factor that is always there is the teachers. But this year even that is new! There are 20 new members in the WB staff and 18 of them are teachers! All of these new faces call for an introduction.
In the Science department, a new smile greets us in the halls, Ms. Bethany Allen-Elsner. “I teach biology and IPS. I am in classroom 506, by the Icenter and the gym. This place is a maze!” Ms. Allen said. That’s where to find her but let’s get to know some more about her. “I’ve been teaching for about 10 or eleven years and have taught all the sciences in the past.” Ms. Allen added, “I live in the district and my kid just started kindergarten at Doherty, so that’s exciting! I’m also from Oklahoma and moved up to Michigan about 20-something years ago.” It seems like this job was in the right place and the right time for Ms. Allen. When asked how WB has welcomed her so far, Ms. Allen had to say this; “Everybody’s been super kind, the other teachers have been sharing all of their lesson plans, and my students have been awesome so far! I can’t get used to this block schedule though. I never know who I’m going to see or what we talked about last class!” It’s amazing that she already feels so welcomed even if the block schedule can take a bit of some getting used to.
In the Music department, a new voice, sings to us each day, Mr. Daniel Dade. Mr. Dade has had an interest in music his whole life and studied music to become the amazing teacher he is today. “I went to Michigan State for music education, specifically focusing on choral music. But I’ve also been teaching marching band and acapella stuff as well! I have a background in sound engineering too, so there’s a lot of music in my life.” Wow it seems like he’s really doing something he loves. Another fun fact about Mr. Dade is that he spends half of his day also teaching music at the middle school. “So, I spend my mornings in the choir room here at the high school, in I think this is room 466. And then, the afternoons I spend at the middle school in the choir room there as well.” Make sure to swing by his room to hear some beautiful voices and some sharp harmonies!
In the English and History department, the new Ms. Rachel Light can be found generously helping out her students whenever she can. Ms Light graduated from Oakland County with the plan to pursue theater and set design but English happened to come her way. She is also close friends with some of the other teachers here at WB. “I’m usually in 609, Ms. Sepetys room. I had Ms. Tianen when I went to WB so I hangout in her room a lot as well. I teach World History and World Literature. I also teach a Sprint class.” She was a student at WB so she felt right at home. “Everyone’s been so friendly. I love all of the students and meeting new friends and it’s been great so far,” She added.
Lastly, In the math department you can try to catch Mr. Shawn Slater but he might run too fast! Mr. Slater had been into track for a large portion of his life and still is now! “I did student teaching at Stoney Creek High School where I taught algebra 1 and honors algebra 2. I also volunteered as a track coach since I was a student athlete at Oakland University where I ran track and cross country.” Said Mr. Slater. Now he teaches Algebra 1 and Formal Topics and can be found in room 613. Mr Slater had some very good things to say about the current culture at WB so far as well. “I felt accepted right away and feel very happy about the current culture at the school. It is one that embraces inclusion and differences and I wanted to come to West Bloomfield because it’s such a diverse place. Even though I live 30 minutes away, I just wanted to be at a school with people who look different than me.” It’s awesome that these new teachers can feel the energy we bring at WB.
Even though this was just a peek into the minds of some of the new teachers here at WB, already the school is filled with positive energy, and a good year is on the way with all of these amazing new faces!
