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Joseph Sturm
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
English 10, South High

How long have you been teaching?
7 years

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
With a one year old and seventeen year old, there is little time for my usual hobbies, but I still write and play around with graphic design a bit. I've published some work and continue to work in that area. I just feel a little more sane when I have a creative outlet.

What makes you love your content?
For me, being able to teach concepts and alternative ways of thinking is kind of like drinking water. I like being able to teach students how to filter what is necessary through analysis. Communication is key. But the real joy of teaching is ensuring that students understand the value of being open-minded so they can make informed decisions.

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Corinne Burk
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
8th Grade Math at Springfield Middle School
How long have you been teaching?
This is my second year teaching
Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I grew up in Smithsburg and now live in Waynesboro with my fiance and his 3 kids. I graduated from Saint Vincent College where I played soccer and lacrosse. I enjoy coaching the girls' soccer teams, metal fabrication, fishing, mushroom hunting and collecting antiques!
What makes you love your content?
I did not personally enjoy math in middle school but fell in love with it in pre-calc/trig with Mrs. Horning. Once I started seeing math as number puzzles and a way to explain the natural world, I was hooked!
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Renee Ciardullo
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
Art, North High

How long have you been teaching?
1.5 years

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I grew up in Hershey PA, even worked at the Karaoke booth in Hershey Park. I went to Elizabethtown College and came straight to North High after graduation. I enjoy making resin jewelry and opened an etsy shop earlier this year. I also enjoy puzzles, board games, and singing.

What makes you love your content?
I love that art is a universal language. I love that there are no right answers. Students can create and try new things every day. Though students may not use skills like drawing or painting everyday, they will use creative thinking, observational skills, and open mindedness.

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Aaron Clark
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
Earth and Space Science at North High
How long have you been teaching?
this is my 6th year teaching
Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I am happily married to my wife who I met at college, She is expecting our first child due in April! I have many hobbies woodworking, general construction, renovating, helping at church and I collect many things . I enjoys sports: basketball, volleyball, ping pong, and any overall competition .

What makes you love your content? Science is such a broad subject there is some topic that intrigues every student sometimes it's just hard to find that topic. But the exciting thing is its typically thought of as hard to understand, I do my best to make it clear and easily understandable.

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Laura Deyerberg

What subject area do you teach? Which school?
German 1 through 4 at Williamsport High School

How long have you been teaching?
This is my fifth year overall as a teacher, but my third year in WCPS and at WHS. I taught Spanish 1 at Northwest Middle School in Carroll County, MD for two years prior to coming to WCPS. I definitely prefer teaching high school!

Fun fact: I am also certified in Latin and ESOL! I love grammar!

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I am originally from Tysons Corner, VA. I moved to Westminster, MD at age 6 and have considered that my "home base" ever since. I still live there and maintain close relationships with my mother, grandmother, and bandmates. I graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with a B.A. in German Studies and Secondary Education.

I have had two consistent passions in my life: language and music. Over the years, I have studied at least 7 languages, 3 of which I am proficient in (plus English). I have dreamt of studying linguistics at an advanced level.

I am also a multi-instrumentalist and have recorded several albums and EPs both solo and with bands throughout the years. I have also performed live in various contexts.

What makes you love your content?
I love seeing the ways that German and English connect linguistically. I love seeing students light up as they recognize cognates (words that look the same in both languages). I love the excitement when the phonics line up, and the inquiry when encountering German syntax. I love connecting with students and watching their reactions as they connect to the greater world around them.

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Vanessa Fox
What subject area do you teach? Which school? ELA at Western Heights Middle School

How long have you been teaching? I have been in education for 19 years.  Part of that time was spent as an administrator.

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.  My husband and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary this year.  We have two amazing, athletic, and intelligent daughters who keep us busy. My eldest is a freshman at WVU and is a biology major in hopes of becoming an OBGYN.  My youngest is a sophomore in high school and is a competitive cheerleader and gymnast.  As for myself, I am an avid reader, am currently binge watching a bunch of shows on Netflix, and enjoy crafting.

What makes you love your content?  I love sharing my love of reading with my students.  It's a wonderful feeling to see them be successful building their critical thinking skills.

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Emily Fulton

What subject area do you teach? Which school?
Orchestra and General Music at Northern Middle & Western Heights Middle

How long have you been teaching?
This is my 3rd year teaching.

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I got engaged in December to my high school sweetheart! I live with a family that I have nannied for over the past 6 years, so I spend time with them when I am not teaching. I have several fish tanks and lots of plants. I am really in to cacti and have way too many! I enjoy being creative either by playing an instrument or using my Cricut to design and make crafts. I am a cellist and vocalist, but spend time playing many other instruments as well.

What makes you love your content?
I love getting to connect with my students over music and help them to find their connection to music. I love watching their passion grow until they really take control of their own musical future. This is really interesting since I get to have them all 3 years.

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Daryl Grissom
What subject area do you teach? Which school?

Latin, Smithsburg HS

How long have you been teaching?
I've been teaching MS/HS for about 14 years now. I had a few years at Community College and University before that.

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.

Well, I was born pretty young and grew up from there. Originally from NC, I've moved all over because after college I joined the Marines and spent about 10 years seeing the world and meeting people. I got out to become a teacher and got an MA in Greek/Latin and a PhD in Ancient History.  B

So now I teach just Latin because I enjoy it the most (and have no chance to teach Greek!). I live alone as my daughter lives with her mom in Virginia. My hobbies are sort of anything outdoors. I love working out, but also just getting in the woods, on the rivers, in the mountains, etc. My nerdy hobby is my Latin podcasts, one is just a weekly "morning zoo" style conversation with friends and the other is about philosophical topics, most recently the "nature of desire."

What makes you love your content?

Through Latin, I get a chance to show students how differently they think and perceive the world in a different language. They get to access literally thousands of years of art, history, philosophy and religion in our language. So every day is a different chance to experience something old becoming new again.

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Katie Gross
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
I teach French (levels 1-3) at North Hagerstown High School

How long have you been teaching?
This is my second year teaching!

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I was born in CA, moved to DE, then OK, now in WV, teaching in MD. I grew up with 3 siblings (I am #2) and two wonderful parents. I went to high school at St. Maria Goretti in Hagerstown, played soccer, ran track and did trapeze during the summer. I went to college at St. Marys College of MD and started teaching at North the fall following graduation. I enjoy drawing, painting, playing with my two cats, wood-burning/carving/building, taking care of my plants, and teaching French!

What makes you love your content?
I love introducing students to a skill that may change their lives and outlook on the world. Becoming bi/multilingual can make you a better learner and teach you a lot about yourself. Seeing those moments of comprehension and watching my students grow as language learners is truly a gift.

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Wendy Lee
What subject area do you teach?  Which school?
I teach Biology and IB Biology at North Hagerstown High School.

How long have you been teaching?
I have been teaching for 21 years.  In West Virginia and Now Maryland.

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
Teaching is my second career.  My first career was as a radiation therapist (treating cancer patients). I have lived in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina in my adult life. I have 5 children- 3 boys and 2 girls. I am an Oma (grandma) to 4 beautiful grandchildren who are my little blessings. I have a dog who is my companion. I enjoy travel, reading, crafts, singing, working in the theatre and a good movie.

What makes you love your content?
I love my content because it is ever evolving. Science is very fluid. You are always an investigator. Curiosity is a plus! You can talk with people from many cultures and know you are speaking the same language, science.
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Joseph Mulbay
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
Mathematics, Boonsboro High
How long have you been teaching?
15 years, 12 in Memphis City Schools, 3 in WCPS
Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
Grew up right outside Columbus, Ohio, 4 siblings, all in education field like myself, beautiful 4 year old daughter.
What makes you love your content?
I'm just a big nerd for everything that I like.
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My daughter and I did our toes over Christmas.

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Gabrielle Oney
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
I teach 8th grade English Language Arts at Western Heights Middle.

How long have you been teaching?
Two years officially. 3 years long term + day to day subbing in PA / KY.

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I was born in Brooklyn , New York and raised in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. After college, I moved to KY for 4 years. I now live in Chambersburg. I have two cats that are my life, and I enjoy reading/ listening to forensic psych/ true crime podcasts when I find some down time. I also enjoy hiking (and occasionally running).

What makes you love your content?
I love ELA for so many reasons. But my favorite is because I get to relate to my kids, and expand their thinking, through literature. Relating the human experience through lit?! The best.
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Shirley Ortega
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
Spanish at Northern Middle School
How long have you been teaching?
2 years
Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I live with my 2 daughters and Chico our dog. I love to dance, music, traveling and eat/try different type of FOOD! I've been living in the States for the last 16+ years. I am originally from Lima, Peru.
I worked as a travel agent for almost 10 years before I came here and switched careers.

What makes you love your content?
¡Me encanta hablar Español!
I love to talk and talking using my first language is like my dream job, and also love to interact with children. So teaching Spanish is a good fit for me, specially in today's life where we feel and even some think the world is shrinking. I believe being able to speak a second language will open many more opportunities to our children and help them to become global citizen and more accepting to cultural diversity.

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Kim Janifer
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
I teach Honors English 10 and IB English 11 and 12 at North Hagerstown High School.
How long have you been teaching?
This is my 21st year of teaching; I've been at North High for my entire teaching career.
Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I'm originally from Hagerstown - attended Pangborn Elementary, Northern Middle, and North High.  The school was completely remodeled after I graduated so when I returned to teach at North, it was a different school.  I love to read, travel with my husband of 15 years, and hang out with my golden retriever, Zeke.  I've also been learning to golf.
What makes you love your content?
I love being able to incorporate all kinds of reading/writing/speaking activities into class.  My students might not like everything they study, but I know they can use those skills in so many other areas...for example, when they analyze a movie they're watching, dissect song lyrics, interpret information they read or hear.
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Cassandra Suder

What subject area do you teach? Which school?
6th Grade Ancient World History and 7th Grade World Geography and Cultures at Northern Middle.

How long have you been teaching?
2 years

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I love reading and exploring local historical sites. I also love hanging out with my three best friends as we work towards starting our own business together.

What makes you love your content?
I have always loved history (especially American history and military history) so spreading that love makes me love my job.

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Jessica Tennison
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
6th and 7th grade Math at Western Heights Middle School

How long have you been teaching?
12 years

Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I love to be outdoors.  I enjoy hiking, camping, white water rafting, snow skiing....just about anything outdoors...I was born in WV but my family relocated to Florida when I was in middle school.  After college, I married my husband and have I have been able to live in many interesting places in support of his career....to include New Orleans, LA.  We have one son, Levi (10th grade) and live in Greencastle, PA.  We also have a golden retriever and two kitties.

What makes you love your content? I have always loved math!  It was my favorite subject in school and I love watching my students grow to love it too. My class motto - everyone IS a math person :)

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Sarah Chlebowski
What subject area do you teach? Which school?
Currently, I am the lead teacher at Smithsburg High School (year 2); previously, I taught English at Boonsboro High School for 15 years.
How long have you been teaching?
In total, this is year 17 in education for me.
Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, etc.
I am originally from Pittsburgh and I married a long-lost high school friend in July of 2019. I have two step daughters (twins, age 8), and I love reading (shocking, I know), being outside, traveling, and walking and running with my 10 year-old springer spaniel, Frank.
What makes you love your content?
We get to do all the cool things:  read, analyze, interpret, rewrite, change perspectives, and tell stories! We get to consider narratives and points of view (fiction and NF). We get to learn and practice a variety of communication methods  I love getting lost in stories and I try (tried) to help my students channel that vicarious experience, too.
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