About Me

About Mrs. Grombacher…  

I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas.  I graduated from MacArthur High School.  I already knew I wanted to be a Spanish teacher, and during my senior year of high school, our football team played Westlake in the playoffs.  While attending the playoff game, I was inspired by the obvious drive to excel from the Westlake crowd.  My goal after graduating from Mac Arthur, was to earn a Spanish degree, move to Austin and teach at Westlake!  I graduated from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos with a major in Spanish and a minor in Anthropology.  My first teaching experience was when I was 18 years old.  I was an instructors’ assistance for two professors at SWT.  After college, I taught Spanish 1A and Conversational Spanish at Canyon Vista Middle School.  Two years later, I realized my goal and got a job teaching at Westlake.  This is my 26th year as a Spanish teacher.

My favorite…

…colors are navy, powder blue, pink, purple and black.

…foods are my mom’s Spanish tortilla and albondigas.

…classes when I was in school were Spanish and orchestra.

…book is “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway.

…painting is Picasso’s Guernica.

…musicians are Beethoven, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Coldplay, Wilco and many more.

…movies are Field of Dream, For the Love of the Game, Fever Pitch and Good Will Hunting.

…U.S. vacation spot is Chicago.

…museums are the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum in Chicago.

...sport is baseball.

…baseball team is “The Chicago Cubs” (World Series Champions 2016 - YAY!!!).

Something interesting about me…

…I’m half Spanish.  My mom is from Spain and her family still lives in Spain.  I often visit my family in Madrid and in Torrequemada (a small pueblo outside of Cáreces).  Life in Spain is very different from in the US, so when I visit, I take full advantage of sight seeing and visiting family. 

My favorite (in Spain)…

…museums are The Reina Sofía and The Prado Museum.

…restaurant is “Sobrino de Botin’s” in Madrid.

…dance is Flamenco.

…musicians are Jarabe de Palo, Bebe, Álvaro Soler, along with some other old time singers.

…university town is Salamanca.

…study abroad city for students is Santander.

…Spanish movies are Volver , Marcelino Pan y Vino and many more!

...Spanish TV series are Gran Hotel, El Internado, Velvet, El Tiempo Entre Costuras, Mar de Plástico, El Barco, Las Chicas del Cable, Alta Mar, and many many more!

…clothing store is El Corte Inglés and Zara.

What can I do that you might not know…

…I can play the violin.  I started playing the violin in the fifth grade, played in my middle school and high school orchestra and I was also a member of the SWT orchestra.  I can also play the classical guitar.  Flamenco dancing is another one of my passions.  I have taken flamenco classes since 2000 and I have performed with a dance group at the Casa de España’s “Feria de Abril” in San Antonio. 

When I'm not at school... 

...I love spending time with my family here in Austin and also my parents, my nephew and my brother-in-law in San Antonio.  I have three children (Nathan 12 years old; Lily 10 years old; and Noah 9 years old).  My husband and I enjoy taking our kids for walks, bike rides, roller skating and to play at our nearby park.  They definitely keep us busy and love to surprise us with something new every day!