The 2018-2019 school year at CHS is well underway and there are quite a few unfamiliar faces walking the halls or teaching in the classrooms. Tradition at CHS is always changing, and the same can be said for the staff that inhabits the school, as well. Teaching for the first time at a new school can be similar to a student’s first day at a new school. New teachers may seem confident and full of enthusiasm, but there’s a lot of new things they have to get used to. They chose to work at CHS and to help students, and Bleu Print wanted to show a little bit about them that students may not know.

Vince D’Ettore

Bonjour! Introducing our first new great addition to CHS this year: Mr. Vince D’Ettore, a man on a mission to teach French and create a “family atmosphere” inside his classroom. He explained that he wants to teach French in an “enjoyable and stress-free” environment.

Coming from the other side of the world, Mr. D’Ettore taught his first year in France before moving back to Michigan to teach French.

D’Ettore said it’s a lot of fun to teach in Chelsea. He fell in love with the new technology provided here at CHS and found he related to his freshman students, is that it’s their first year here as well. He’s dedicated to his students and their learning.

“Watching students grow warms and fuels my soul; school is basically my second home and the community here at CHS is just a big family.”

Amanda Knop

CHS also welcomed a new English teacher to its family this year: Ms. Amanda Knop. Knop emphasized that she “[wants] to create a positive and friendly atmosphere” in her classes and that she wants to express empathy to all students she meets.

When asking about how her first day here teaching at CHS went, she told me that “the first day was fun but overwhelming.” She was really glad that the other English teachers were very supportive in giving her the strength to persevere through the first day of teaching.

Throughout her whole life, Ms. Knop has always liked teaching. In high school, she always liked to tutor and help out anybody in need. “As a kid, I always taught my stuffed animals and played school with my friends, pretending to be the teacher.”

Ms. Knop has been an outstanding addition to the CHS community, and she plans on getting involved in lots of student activities this year.

Clare Popovich

Art, the subject Ms. Popovich teaches, is a subject with limitless perspectives, where there are boundless possibilities on which direction to take according to her. Teaching art is the equivalent of planting a seed and watching a flower grow, and that’s what Ms. Popovich plans to contribute to CHS this year. “Art is something that is very personal and a creative experience,” she said.

Popovich is very passionate about wanting to help each and every student create an “authentic relationship,” which she finds is one of the most important ideas of teaching a subject like art.

Her first day was just as terrifying as the first day of high school would be for a freshman. “I didn’t feel confident about teaching until my 3rd week of school” she shared.

Ironically, Ms. Popovich never wanted to become a teacher. Growing up in a family of teachers, she always wanted to break tradition but ended up falling in love with art and teaching while being a camp counselor.  

“Chelsea, in my eyes, seemed like a dream school. I thought I’d never be able to have the opportunity to teach here. I love the sense of community, and also I love the #WhyYouMatter program establish by Naar and Geo.”

Christa Lindemer

“It’s important to be accepting and open-minded. I want people to see me as somebody who is approachable and safe to talk to,” the new social worker at CHS, Ms. Christa Lindemer, said. She wants every student at CHS to know about her, and that she’s here to help teens at the school through difficult times.

Ms. Lindemer is here to support any student in need of help or seeking guidance through a variety of issues in school or out of school; no matter the case, she’ll always be there to help.

Like most new teachers, her first day was very stressful and overwhelming, but soon she realized how wonderful the students and staff are here at CHS. “All the staff was very welcoming and all the students I met were very kind, so overall I had a great first day.”

Ms. Lindemer’s “passion for serving families and the community” makes her a perfect addition to the school coming into the new school year. With an unbound “fascination with people” and all the skills and experience she’s acquired over the past years, there’s no doubt that if someone is in need, Ms. Lindemer will answer the call.

Familiar faces move onto the next stages of their lives and teachers are greeted by new faces who take their place. These new faces are what cause the continued growth of the students here at CHS. Without these new teachers and staff, without these new personalities and brand new ideas being brought into CHS, we’d all be missing out on one of the most important factors that a school needs to survive. A community is what brings us all together under one roof. Blending the ideas of the new and old is what makes the community at CHS so special. Our new staff this year will be contributing their time and energy into making our school even greater than it was before.