Each and every September, students and teachers come back to West Bloomfield High School to start a new year of teaching and learning. Also every year, there are new students added to the student body and new teachers added to the staff. To give a warm welcome to the new teachers, Spectrum puts a spotlight on new teachers. Welcome to West Bloomfield High School!

Ms. Bin

What do you teach?

Mandarin.

Where did you teach before teaching West Bloomfield High School?

Before I came to the United States to teach Mandarin, I taught English in China.

What is one thing you like about teaching at West Bloomfield High School?

The energy of the students as soon as they walk into class and also how much spirit they have for their school.

What is one fun fact about yourself?

One thing that I find interesting about myself is that I am always excited to meet new people and learn/try new things.

Mrs. Williamson

What do you teach?

I teach American Literature and video production, advanced video production, and field production.

Did you teach at another school before West Bloomfield High School?

I did, I taught in Genesee County for a career and tech center.

What got you into teaching?

The desire to help people. I thought I was going to be a doctor, but then I decided I didn’t want to be a doctor, so I went into broadcasting, but then after I was in broadcasting for a while, I decided I wanted to help people and high school was a good fit for me.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

A fun fact about me is that I have a Newfoundland dog that weighs about 150 pounds -he rules my house for the most part. Also, I ran my first 5k on the 14th of September.

Mr. Ridenour
What do you teach?

AP Psych and World History.

Where did you teach before West Bloomfield High School?

East Detroit High School.

What is one thing you enjoy about West Bloomfield High School?

The staff is really friendly and the students are really well behaved.

What is on fun fact about yourself?

I lived in Costa Rica for a month. It was a volunteer abroad kind of thing, so I was living with two host moms and I would just go across the street to be a teachers aid at a private catholic school where the kids only spoke Spanish and were in English classes. I learned quite a bit of spanish while I was there, still have the remnants of it, but I don’t speak it very often, so it’s faded.

Mrs. Smiecinski

Where did you teach before you came to West Bloomfield High School?

Before I came to West Bloomfield High School, I was a teacher at Abbott Middle School for eighteen years. I was hired at Abbott to teach dance, and shortly after my children were born, I decided to get my math endorsement, and I taught math for ten years.

Was Abbott your first school you taught at?

When I first graduated from college, I taught at University Public School for one year, that was a middle school, mostly 6th and 7th grade but a little bit of 8th, and then I taught for Warren Consolidated Schools theater program for 9th through 12th graders. That would have been in 1993, and 1994, and 1995. In 1996 I was hired by West Bloomfield, but I did do my student teaching at Abbott in 1992.

What is one thing you like about teaching at West Bloomfield High School?

So far at West Bloomfield High School I like everything except getting up so early. I enjoy teaching more mature students, I also love the content. I love algebra, and I’m looking forward to hopefully being able to teach geometry next year.

What is one fun fact about yourself?

One fun fact about myself is that I am a die-hard football fan, I love football.

Mrs. Brady

Where did you teach before you taught at West Bloomfield High School?

I’ve taught at Orchard Lake Middle School for nineteen years, and previous to that is was in the Flushing School District for four.

Have you always taught Japanese?

No, I’ve always taught Spanish, sometimes I’ve taught Spanish and Japanese, but since I’ve been in West Bloomfield it’s always been Spanish and Japanese.

What is your favorite thing about teaching at West Bloomfield High School?

The students. They’re fun, they’re interesting, its new. I like the students.

What is one fun fact about yourself?

I love to snowshoe, with my dog.