As the school year begins, Courtney Dearinger will not be the only person pulling out her map, looking quizzically from her paper to the hallway before her, trying to find her way from room to room. However, there is one major difference between her and the hundreds of disoriented freshmen in the same situation; Dearinger is a teacher. She, along with several dozen other faculty new to AHS, will not only be meeting their new students and planning lessons, but learning the layout of the building and getting accustomed to the school’s atmosphere.
“I’ve been doing laps of the building, just trying to find all of the bathrooms and vending machines before school starts,” said Dearinger, who will be teaching IB English this year. “I taught in Chicago for seven years, where I also worked with the IB program.”
Like Dearinger, many of the new faculty members bring several years of experience to the school.
“I’ve led in many different arenas, from school administrator to department head,” said new Assistant Principal Donna Higgins. “I have a very wide background and two decades of experience in the school system.”
“So many of the returning faculty members have been here a long time,” said Higgins. “Seeing a staff so dedicated and enthusiastic about their work has really energized me. Since I’m new, seeing how close the Atoms family is has really fired me up.”
Several other new faculty members also commented on the atmosphere they have encountered in their first few weeks.
“I have worked in many other schools and this was one of the only places that I saw an environment where I really wanted to work,” said biology teacher Rachel Lazar. “Last year, I took over for Claudia Lemus when she went on maternity leave and loved my time here. So when a position opened up, I was super excited to take it.”
For other new faculty members, such as math teacher Allison Wheeler, AHS is their first school.
“I’m from here and I actually went here,” said Wheeler. “I just graduated from college and graduated from AHS in 2006. My mom is actually Linda Wheeler, the counselor.”
“I went to a week long orientation called New Beginnings, which is put on by FCPS,” said Wheeler of her preparations. “They give all teachers new to the county lessons on planning and on what to expect.”
“We’ve had lots of meetings about curriculum and planning,” said Dearinger, highlighting the emphasis on mapping out lesson plans that many teachers have felt this year.
While each new teacher brings something new to the school, the impact that new band director Andrew Loft and choral director Jessica Lardin will have is especially pronounced.
“I’m leading everything related to band,” said Loft. “Marching band, symphonic band, concert band, you name it. The students that I’m working with this year are hardworking and really fantastic.”
With the recent turnover in band leadership, as last year’s director Mark Carter stayed with the school for only one year, Loft acknowledges that he has a unique road ahead of him.
“With any job there are always going to be traditions,” he said. “I’m honored just to be here.”
“We’ve just been movin’ and groovin’,” said Loft of the marching band’s progress under new leadership. “We’ve been out here since August and have been actively preparing for competition and the year.”
Although many of the new teachers are looking forward to the new year with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, most are confident that the year will be a success.
“This is exactly where I want to be,” said Higgins. “What I want most is to become a part of the Atom family and to pour all of my passion into the school.”
