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New Teacher Interviews
Article by John Baker with Photos by Anna Drapa
Ms. Abbasi
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: I heard wonderful things about the school.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: I would say science.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would look for another junior high.
Ms. Englehart
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: I am an alumni and I have always loved South!
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: I would teach PE.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would be a nurse.
Ms. Hamad
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: I enjoy collaborating with middle school students.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: It would be math.
Q: What other job would you want to work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would have wanted to be an ENT.
Ms. Jaber
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: I am excited about working with older kids.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: I would go with social studies.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would be a Human Rights Advocate specializing in Palestinian advocacy.
Ms. Kabro
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: Palos South is wonderful for multitude reasons.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: I would do Science or Social Studies.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would be an accountant.
Ms. Munchalfen
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: Palos South is a phenomenal school.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: It would be Social Studies.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would strive to be a writer.
Ms. Thompson
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: Palos South has a strong sense of community.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: I would teach science.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would be a Pediatric Nurse.
Ms. Zarnowski
Q: Why did you want to work at South?
A: I grew up in Palos and always wanted to return to teach in the community that made me want to become a teacher.
Q: What other subject would you want to teach?
A: I would love to teach Spanish.
Q: What other job would you work at if you could not work at South?
A: I would love to own/work at a bakery.
Teacher’s Pets
By Anna Drapa and Becca Augspurger
There is one thing most humans have in common: the love of animals. Whether it is dogs, cats, lizards, fish, birds, or other pets, we find something we are passionate about. Everyone is talking about their pets, but what about the teachers? Do they have pets, and what are their relationships with them? I wondered about this question and decided to reach out to a few teachers to see if they had some cute companions.
Ms. Stas has a Husky, Labrador retriever, and Pitbull mix named Athena. Ms. Stas says that Athena has a “hyper and friendly” personality. Three fun facts about Athena are that she was born in Alabama, loves road trips, and cuddling. Athena was born in Alabama to a friend who could not keep her, so Ms. Stas and her family adopted her. Athena now lives up to her name—like a goddess!
Dr. Wrzesinski has a 4-year-old Labrador retriever named Lily. Lily has an obedient personality—so obedient that she can be walked without a leash and only eats when given the command to! Another fun fact about Lily is that she loves to swim. Dr. Wrzesinski adopted her in the beginning of the COVID pandemic from a farm in central Illinois.
Ms. McDonough has a Pug-Zu named Lola Jean McWay. Lola is 13 years old and loves to sleep and eat tuna fish. Ms. McDonough comments that Lola is “the princess of the house,” loves to cuddle, is super friendly, and can walk without a leash. Lola did not always live the good life, though. Before she was adopted, she was one of the dogs being hoarded by an animal hoarder and was held in a cage for the first year of her life. Luckly, Ms. McDonough adopted her, and she lives comfortably as a princess.
Ms. Yerkes has an 8-year-old tabby cat named Roger. Roger was adopted from PAWS Chicago and was not at the shelter for long. “He was only there for one night because he was so handsome, and everyone wanted to adopt him.” mentions Ms. Yerkes. Roger likes to oversee everyone and everything in the house. Besides being a guard cat, Roger also loves to be active. A fun fact about Roger is that he loves Churu treats.
Ms. Englehart has a 4 ½ year old dog named Wilco. “My family decided we needed a dog during Covid lockdown, and we found him because he is the half-brother of one my best friends' dogs!” Ms. Englehart shares. A few fun facts about this pup are that he loves Pup Cups from Andy’s Frozen Custard, his birthday is on April Fool's Day and was adopted during COVID. Wilco has a friendly, needy, and anxious personality.
Ms. Watson has two dogs, a 4-year-old yellow Labrador retriever named Dany (short for Daenerys), and a 3-year-old black Labrador named Lady May. Dany has an outdoorsy spirit, while Lady May is energetic and a snuggler. Dany has a sweet adoption story; “We drove 6 hours total, to southern Illinois and back, to pick her up. Our kids had no idea we were getting another dog since we recently experienced the loss of our last dog. We told them we were upset they left a mess in the van, and when they went out to clean the so-called mess, they were surprised with a puppy,” Ms. Watson remembers. Lady May was quickly adopted—before the end of the day, Ms. Watson applied and was accepted to adopt her. Two fun facts about the pups are that Dany is named after a Game of Thrones character and loves the water and Lady May is named after a Tyler Childers song and loves to steal socks.
Mr. West has a hound and a Labrador Retriever mix named Cami and Luna. Cami is stubborn and sassy, while Luna has a playful and energetic personality. A few fun facts about Cami and Luna are that they can catch any ball thrown, love to take walks, and like having pictures taken of them. Cami was adopted during the COVID pandemic, and Luna was adopted two weeks before Mr. West’s wedding. The twosomes were both adopted through Fetching Tails Foundation.
Calling all teachers! If you have a pet and would like to be part of an upcoming Teacher’s Pets article, then please message Rebecca Augspurger on Schoology. Thank you!
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