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Kay Barr
Hallo! Guten Tag! Grüßt Euch! I have always loved languages! After taking German, French, and Spanish at Port Clinton High School, I spent my senior year with a family in Germany on an American Field Service Scholarship. This extraordinary experience gave me the desire to share the importance of understanding other languages and cultures. Following my exchange, I attended The Ohio State University, majoring in German and English. I began my teaching career in Upper Arlington as a student teacher in the Spring of 1982. I have taught 9th grade English and American Studies as well as all levels in our German program, and I presently serve as Global Language Teacher Leader. I received my Masters Degree in 1985, and since that time, I have done over 60 hours of graduate level coursework at Ohio State. I have remained closely linked to the university, serving as a mentor to many students entering the teaching profession. In addition, I have represented Upper Arlington on other projects, such as the Cooperative Articulation and Assessment Project, which provides third level students the opportunity to compare their proficiency with that of university students, and I have presented to Ohio's House Committee on Education regarding global language instruction and assessment. Learning is truly a life-long endeavor, and the coming years hold many new and exciting challenges and opportunities, as Upper Arlington strives to provide the best education possible for its young people. I look forward to being a part of it! Julia Voegt-Brooking Hallo! Bonjour! My name is Julia Voegt-Brooking. I am a native of Hamburg, Germany. I studied Romance Languages and Sinolgy in Germany, France, Brazil and Taiwan. After receiving my M.A. in 1991, I taught German language, literature and phonetics at the Kasetsart University and Goethe Institut in Bangkok, Thailand. From Asia, I came to the US where I worked on a Masters Degree in Foreign Language Education. I graduated from OSU in 1998. Since 1999 I have been working at the High School teaching German and French. I live in Upper Arlington and have one child. Lisa Markovich Bonjour! ¡Buenos días! Hello! My name is Lisa Markovich and I teach French and Spanish here at UAHS. My passion for foreign languages began when I was ten years old and decided to teach myself Vietnamese from a library book! Although that endeavor didn't work out too well, it sparked an interest that ultimately led to a double major in French and Spanish at The Ohio State University in the College of Education. I later obtained a Master's Degree in Foreign Language Education from OSU. I love sharing with students my love of foreign languages, diverse cultures, and traveling. My career includes teaching at Jones, Hastings, and Tremont. I have worked extensively with OSU and the State Department of Education on collaboration projects, OSU's new foreign language placement exam, presentations at conferences, and teacher training. For three years I served my department as chair, then as co-chair for two years. I am co-chairing with Kay Barr just this year to replace Tom Pajor who is teaching in Germany. I thoroughly understand the demands of being a parent,as my husband Alan, and I have two children - Lindsey, who attends Ohio University and Nick, who attends UAHS. When time permits I also enjoy gardening, exercising, reading, interior decorating, cooking, and attending lots of soccer games! Tom Pajor I grew up in Lima, Ohio and graduated from Lima Central Catholic HS in 1979. During my junior year of high school I was an exchange student in Monterrey, Mexico where I learned Spanish. I attended OSU and received a Bachelors degree in Spanish in 1981 and a Masters degree in Foreign Language Education in 1983. I taught Spanish for one year at Gahanna-Lincoln HS before coming to Upper
Arlington in 1984. For the majority of my teaching career I have taught
Spanish at UAHS. During the 1989/90 school year I took a one year leave of
absence to attend OSU and teach Spanish there. From 1990 to 1995 I taught
Spanish and Math at Jones Middle School. My most challenging and rewarding
year of teaching was during the 2001/2002 school year when I participated
in the U.S. State Department Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program. During
that year my family and I lived in Pinneberg, Germany where I traded jobs
and houses with Karin Ipsen, a teacher at Johann-Rist Gymnasium, a grade
5-13 college preparatory school in Wedel, Germany, on the outskirts of
Hamburg. I taught her schedule of English and Spanish classes there and I enjoy the outdoors and sports. I was the Cross Country coach at Jones MS for nearly 10 years. I have competed in many triathlons and road races. In 2000 I ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon and was part of a relay team in the Columbus Marathon. My hobbies include woodworking, remodeling our home, scuba diving, flying and travel. My travels include most of western Europe, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, the ominican Republic and Morocco. I am also an assessor for the Central Ohio Praxis III Entry Year Teacher Performance Assessments Program. During the second half of each school year I go to schools throughout central Ohio to interview, observe and assess first and second year teachers. I find these experiences to be tremendously rewarding professionally and try to incorporate some of the „fresh" ideas and perspectives into my own teaching. Molly Mautz
¡Buenos días! Bonjour! My name is Molly Mautz and I am very pleased to be teaching at THE Upper Arlington High School! Having taught French and Spanish for eighteen years at both the middle and high school levels -- it is so nice to settle into such a fabulous environment for educating children here at UAHS. I earned an undergraduate degree in French and Spanish from Capital University, in Bexley, with my post graduate studies completed at OSU. I knew I was going to be a French teacher from the time of my 1st class of French in the 9th grade at Belpre High School. Mrs. Lukins "inspired me"! My husband, Ron and I live here in Upper Arlington with our two golden retrievers, Elkee and Buckeye Charlie and 'Earl' the rescued cat (who is meaner than a junk yard dog). Our only child, daughter Kristen, has just gone off for her first year of college at Ohio University. (Oh my!) She is a golfer there -- and I look forward to many trips watching her play collegiate golf this year! I love teaching because I love kids! It's what I do. Their personalities, needs, quirks, enthusiasm, immaturity, maturity are the engaging characteristics that pull me into educating -- even after all these years. Professional goals include continued education courses in my teaching methods and completing a degree in counseling for use at the high school level. Kristy Picker ¡Hola! My name is Kristy Picker and I began my carreer in 2004, teaching Spanish to grades K-6. Teaching elementary students was a great experience and I am so happy to now have the opportunity to teach at the high school level! I am a UA graduate, so I have bled black and gold for many years! I am so excited to be a part of the same program that fostered my love for language. I received my BA and BSEd in Spanish and Spanish Education from Ohio University and will soon begin my Master’s Degree at The Ohio State University. I was fortunate to be able to study and live with a Spanish family in Toledo, Spain for a summer. I traveled the country extensively and learned so much about the wonderful culture of Spain! Because I loved it so much, I decided to return and become an au pair in Barcelona. I took care of a three and a half year old little girl named Claudia. She was amazing and spoke 5 different languages…she taught me so much! I am still in touch with the family and continue to visit them regularly. In my spare time I enjoy playing volleyball, spending time with my friends and family, watching OSU football, and traveling. My goal is to travel to as many Spanish-speaking countries as possible!Karen Ritz, Ph.D. I love teaching at UAHS! After beginning my career as a high school teacher back in 1979 and experiencing a wealth of teaching positions from preschool through university level courses I again return to the high school level. I earned a BS.Ed. in Spanish from Bowling Green State University. My junior year was spent abroad in Madrid, Spain learning Castillian Spanish and traveling to every possible corner of that beautiful country. After teaching high school for a year in northern Ohio I returned to Spain again, this time as a graduate student and assistant to the BGSU program director in Madrid. I earned my Master of Arts degree in Spanish and returned to teaching at another northern Ohio high school. Four years later I returned to graduate school in the doctoral program in Foreign Language Education at The Ohio State University. I earned my Ph.D. in 1990 and remained on the faculty at OSU until 2001 in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. As well as teaching Spanish courses, I assisted the program director of undergraduate studies in supervising Teaching Assistants and Lecturers and test writing for the department. My husband Christopher and I have three children. Since the birth of my third child I have been active as the founder and director of the Ohio Erb's Palsy/Brachial Plexus Injury Support Group. I coordinate picnics and gatherings for families whose children suffer from brachial plexus injuries and disseminate information to those who seek therapeutic and surgical intervention. I'm involved at the national level with the United Brachial Plexus Network, serve on the UBPN Outreach publication committee and contribute to international awareness efforts. My family and I enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, bicycling and playing most sports. In my leisure time I enjoy reading, sewing,cross-stitching, cooking and gardening. Tony Naska Hola. ¿Qué hay? My name is Anthony J. Naska and I am a 2005 addition to the wonderful Upper Arlington Global Language team here at the high school. I developed a passion for language at an early age while traveling through the foothills of Spain and Italy. I have a B.A. in Spanish with a specialization in linguistics and a masters in education from The Ohio State University. Teaching a Global Language provides me the opportunity to share my love of learning with young minds and help students discover their potential. Through teaching, I hope to instill the virtues of kindness, patience, and understanding in all my students. I am proud to be a part of Upper Arlington High School and look forward to the many opportunities to come. Becky Searls My name is Becky Searls and after moving 10 times and living in 8 places over the course of the years, I now live in Columbus! I attended a small liberal arts school in Grand Rapids, MI, for college, graduating in 2007 with a Bachelor's in Education and certification to teach Spanish at grade levels Kindergarten-12 and English at the middle and high school level. During college I spent 4 months living with a Honduran family and studying Spanish in Tegucigalpa, Honduras (the capital). I also made trips to Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica during my time abroad. I have also visited Mexico two times briefly and hope to someday visit Spain and South America! I love teaching and I love Spanish—I'm very excited to begin my career here at Upper Arlington High School! Traci Erickson Bonjour tout le monde! My name is Traci Erickson and I have been teaching French at Upper Arlington High School since 2001. My teaching career started in 1990 after I graduated from The Ohio State University where I studied language and pedagogy. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in French Education, I was ready to begin my career. Before I started my first teaching job at Ecole Française (a private school here in Columbus), I traveled to Paris, France. Having worked at United Parcel Service through my college years, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work for UPS in Paris. Thus, I spent the summer of 1990 with the company’s Paris location where I did some translating, office work and English instruction. Quel été formidable!! In 1992, I began teaching at Jones Middle School where I spent nine years working with 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Additionally, I worked on my Master’s degree at OSU from 1993 to 1996. What a wonderful time I had at Jones! Teaching at the high school level, however, is what I have aspired to do since the start of my career and I’m thrilled to be here at UAHS! Tricia Fellinger Tricia Fellinger is from Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been teaching German at Jones Middle School and UAHS since 1998. Tricia received her B.A. in German from BGSU and M.A. in German Literature from OSU and has spent a total of two years studying in Germany at the Philipps-Universität in Marburg and the Friedrich-Wilhelm Universität in Bonn, Germany. German music and literature, traveling in Germany and teaching German are all among some of Tricia's favorite activities! Lauren Kessinger My name is Lauren Kessinger, and I am pleased to be a member of the Foreign Language cadre at UAHS. I actually have some history with UA schools, since I am a 1990 UAHS graduate. I was incredibly fortunate to have such a positive language experience with Bob Hawkins, and Tom Pajor, who are now my colleagues. What a small world!! I graduated from Miami University in 1994 with a B.A. in Spanish. Not quite sure where my career path would go, I ventured back into the academic world for two more years at The Ohio State University. I graduated with a Master's in Modern Peninsular and Latin American Literature in 1996. There, I also emerged with a new love for teaching after having been a Teaching Assistant for the duration. Most of my professional career up until this point was spent in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I was a Spanish teacher, cross country and track coach, and dorm mother for four years. I had the unique experience of feeling totally immersed into student life, and I had the opportunity to be taught by several kids (!) how to rock climb and kayak! I also left the South with the ever-so-popular phrase...y'all! In 2002, I graduated from Ohio State with a Master's in Foreign Language Education. Subsequently, I received a teaching position at Upper Arlington High School. I feel very privileged to be a part of the team! In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband Jeff and my son Rudy. I also enjoy running, reading, and traveling (both inside and outside the United States). Please feel free to contact me anytime! Lauren Koenig ¡Hola, Hallo, Bon jour! I am one of the many Spanish teachers at the high school and the upcoming year will be my third year of teaching. I live in UA with my husband Mik and our two labs. We very much enjoy sunny, warm weather and outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and running. I received my undergraduate degree from Ohio University and a master's degree from The Ohio State University. I spent several months in southern Spain living with a family and taking classes. I LOVE to travel and in the future plan to take many more trips to Spanish speaking countries. I look forward to teaching for many more years at UAHS. Sheri Ettefagh My name is Sheri Ettefagh and I teach Spanish at the high school. I am from Worthington, Ohio and graduated from Thomas Worthington High School. I received a bachelors degree in Spanish and a Masters degree in Spanish Linguistics from Ohio State University. My teaching career started at Ohio State as a teaching assistant followed by two years at Columbus State Community College as an adjunct faculty member. I began teaching in Upper Arlington in 1994 at Hastings Middle School and remained there for four years. In 1998, I decided to take some time off to stay at home with my children. I am very excited about teaching at the High School this year. I live in Powell with my husband and two daughters.
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