Teachers and Their Summers

By Saba Partovi and Chang Lee
9/17/2014

It’s that time of year again. It’s the time to say goodbye to sunglasses and swimsuits and wave hello to heavy textbooks and alarm clocks. It’s time for the 2014-2015 school year ladies and gentlemen; and while we’re just becoming accustomed to early mornings and homework assignments, it’s nice to reminisce over the summer days that have just recently passed. While many of us headed to the beach, got part-time jobs or simply stayed at home working on advanced placement (AP) assignments, many of our teachers ventured off the beaten path during the summer months. Here’s what some of our teachers did over the summer:

“ I went to Brighton, England with the Earthwatch Organization and [worked with] Brighton University to study what foxes, hedgehogs and badgers are doing in urban areas.” Science teacher, Brenda Sill

“I went to Russia to visit my family. My daughter started speaking less and less Russian, so I took her to Saint Petersburg, Russia, which is the best city in the world, [Russian] culture-wise. I went to Hermitage, the Russian Museum, [saw] Russian Ballet and more. My daughter’s Russian improved a lot, and we brought 40-50 pounds of Russian books back with us.” Math teacher, Olga Koroleva

“My girlfriend and I went to Tennessee and spent some time in Memphis for a wedding. We then spent time in the Smokey Mountains before visiting my parents in New Mexico.” Science teacher, Ethan Sullivan

“I broke four ribs falling over backwards on an exercise stand, thus proving there is no benefit to exercising.” Science teacher, Thomas Ultan-Thomas

“I took a class on Crime and Punishment in American Literature and went to a critical thinking seminar in Berkeley, CA. I traveled to Portland, Oregon to visit friends and Lake Tahoe with family. My favorite part of the summer was kayaking in Sand Harbor.” English teacher, Lauren Kleinberg

“I had one of my worst [triathlon] races because I was injured, but I kept swimming regardless. Never give up kids.” Social science teacher, Ronald Korb