A new school year means new lunch items, new desks in classrooms, new basketballs for gym class, and new schedules. Being a new student can be scary, learning the halls, where each classroom is, finding the bathrooms, and trying to figure out what all the TV’s in the halls are for. Many new teachers feel the same was a student on the first day of school, yes, teachers have feelings too. Being new at South means learning flex mod while trying to learn how the school functions too. As a teacher, you can not simulate learning a new schedule during the summer while there are not kids at school, it starts on the first day of classes.  At South this year, we have seven new staff members including, Doug Arthur, Sandra Botham, Dan Drida, LuAnn Kober, Melissa McCaman, Kathleen Otlesing, and Melissa Tews. One of the new teachers is Mr. Dan Didra who previously taught at West Bend West High School. Drida, in his third year of teaching, works alongside South High favorite Mrs. Nancy Moss in teaching English 5-6 for juniors. When asked about if he has felt welcomed at South through the first quarter, Didra stated,

         “The administration here has been overwhelmingly supportive in my transition to South, they have gone out of their way to make me feel welcomed. The staff has been very inviting and have reached out to me, but especially in English department, they have all made me feel welcomed. I feel that although it has been only two months we have great camaraderie as a department and getting to know the students has been very enjoyable.”

One new staff member got a head start this summer on meeting some students, Ms. Sandra Botham. She is the new girls’ varsity basketball coach as well as an Educated Assistant. Over the summer she held open gyms for girls, and also coached them in summer league. Botham coached the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee women’s basketball team for 16 years, and also won the Horizon League Coach of the Year three separate times. When asked about what she focused on this summer with the girls, and what she is looking forward to the rest of the year not only on the court but also in the classroom, she responded by saying,

“Establishing trust and building respect are very important elements in coaching any athletic team.  Thus, having the opportunity to meet the student-athletes and begin working with them this summer provided me with the chance to begin that process.  It also gave the student-athletes a taste of what my expectations will be for them in the upcoming basketball season. What I look forward to most this season is working with the student-athletes and helping them grow as players, as people, and as a team.  We will be working hard to build a strong foundation for our program, that we will be able to build on into the future. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work at South High School and meet so many dedicated staff and teachers.  Everyone has been so welcoming and appreciative of my work that inspires me to be the best I can be in my role as an Educational Assistant and Girls Basketball Coach. ” Reviewing the basketball plays are not the only new thing that needs to be learned at South. Being a new teacher at South means learning Flex Mod, which does not happen overnight. 

 Mr. Doug Arthur is new to South this year and teaches Social Studies. When asked what he likes about Flex Mod, he responded by saying,

“I like the variety that flex mod offers, it keeps things from getting stagnant because the school year can get long. I also like the different sizes of classes with small, medium, and a large group for many reasons. It gives teachers the ability to give out different quantities of information based on the class size. The resource rooms are also very helpful. I usually give my students work time in class but the resource rooms are a great option to have for students because I know, not all teachers give in work class time. This gives them the ability to ask questions in resource if they don’t understand the material during work time and when they do it at home.” Having new staff join the South High community is always exciting because it is nice to get new faces every now and then. Seeing the new styles of teaching, ways of communications, and how each teacher interacts with students is interesting to see because each teacher has their own ways of doing things. If the rest of the school year is anything like the first quarter, it is going to be one amazing year.