Joel Fischer will be teaching Band and Guitar. 

What is your favorite thing about the subject that you teach?  

“My favorite thing about teaching music is that you can look at the same piece many times and always find something new to appreciate and love, whether that is realizing a unique use of a chord progression or connecting a new emotion to a particular passion.”

What is the most interesting thing about you? 

“One of the most interesting things about me is that Beyoncé once held my hand at a concert.”

What kind of teacher are you (or what kind do you want to be)? 

“I am passionate about creating music, which drives my instruction. I would say that my teaching reflects the music that I love to teach: eclectic, intense, energetic, light-hearted, dramatic and thought-provoking.”

What are your hobbies outside of teaching? 

“Outside of teaching, I enjoy doing a variety of things: gardening, running around Forest Park, performing in musical ensembles, seeing a musical and keeping up on my TV shows, which are far too many to list. I also enjoy watching the Cardinals and Blues play when they are at home.”

Kelly Kennedy teaches Accounting 1, Intro to Business, and Intro to Computer Technologies. 

Can you describe what kind of teacher you are or want to be? 

“I am a fair and caring teacher who brings the best out of my students. I want every student in my classes to know that they are unique and valued.”

What do you want students to know about you or your class? 

“I set high expectations for my students, but also strive to make class instruction and lessons engaging, fun and applicable to students’ lives now and in the future.”

What are your hobbies outside of teaching? 

“I have my own online health and fitness coaching business and am a certified MMA Cardio Kickboxing instructor. I also love to read.”

What kind of legacy are you hoping to create at West? 

“My goal as a business educator is to ensure that every student realizes their full potential knows that they are capable of anything they set their mind to and that they are valued and worthy.”

Joe Milliano will be teaching AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2. 

What is your favorite part about the subject that you teach?

“I continue to be amazed that we are able to make quantitative predictions about what will happen in a physical system based on a few simplifying assumptions and principles. There are few greater joys than understanding why something works the way it does for the first time.”

What is the most interesting thing about you? 

“One interesting fact is that I spent two summers working at the LIGO-Hanford Observatory, whose founders won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for the detection of gravitational waves from the collision of two black holes. The most valuable part of the experience for me was the people that I met. It’s amazing to be a part of a team of brilliant people, all working toward a common goal. The lab consisted of international collaborators from across the globe.”

What do you want students to know about your class?

“It will be hard, and it will be worth it. I hold my students to high expectations, but I also provide the necessary support along the way to help each student be successful. By the end of the year, I promise at least one mind-blowing insight about the universe and one about yourself as a learner.”

What hobbies do you have outside of teaching? 

“I am a tap dancer, I’ve coached a robotics team for the past two years and I enjoy running.”

Suzanne Pircher will be teaching Biology and Forensics. 

What do you like most about the subject that you teach?

“Science has always been the most interesting subject in school for me to learn about, but I most enjoy how scientific knowledge is always growing, improving and occasionally changing. Nothing is fully set in stone and there are always new discoveries being made. Many improvements to living and society as a whole are a direct response to curious people conducting experiments to better understand something they are interested in.”

What is the most interesting thing about you?

“I chased a stingray while swimming in the ocean last summer. That was amazing to witness. I’ve also hunted crickets for a research project near Yellowstone National Park.”

Can you describe what kind of teacher you are or want to be?

“I am an extremely positive, energetic teacher that cares tremendously about student growth. I enjoy teaching and making learning fun in my classroom. With that being said, my classes will be challenging; students will struggle at times, but they will come out stronger learners because of it. Science is centered around teamwork and collaboration, of which students will get plenty of practice at working together to solve problems.”

What are your hobbies outside of teaching?

“My biggest hobby is playing soccer, and it is my favorite thing to do outside of teaching. I have also taken up rock climbing as well. Other than that, I am a lover of team sports, enjoy reading and spending time with family and friends.”

Dominique Navarro will be teaching Spanish 2 and Spanish 4. 

What is the most interesting thing about you?  

“I grew up speaking Swiss German as my first language. I fluently speak German, French, Spanish and English. I have four kids, two of which are adopted. [One is] from Guatemala and one [is] from Colombia.”

What do you want students to know about you or your class? 

“I would like my students to know that I try to bring my personal experiences into the classroom and share stories I have lived throughout my travels. I would also like my students to know that I am a good listener and that my door is always open.”

What are your hobbies outside of teaching? 

“I love to travel, cook and have friends over for a nice meal. I am trying to improve on my physical fitness and hopefully start running more.”

What do you like most about the subject that you teach? 

“I love getting students excited about learning a new language and culture. Teaching Spanish is not just about the language, but also about the culture, art, traditions and history.”

Laura Strickland teaches Personal Finance, Intro to Business, Marketing 2 and Virtual Enterprise. 

What kind of legacy are you hoping to create at school? 

“I want to be the one that keeps it real and relevant. I like connecting with students and helping them find a path that suits them.”

What is the most interesting thing about you? 

“This is a tough question. I would say one of the most interesting things is that I have done is being a brand spokesperson on TV shows. I have been on all of the local stations (think shows like Show Me St. Louis, Great Day St. Louis) usually making salsa or guacamole. Oh, and yes, I do have purple in my hair.”

What are your hobbies outside of teaching? 

“I spend a lot of time with my family usually at some sort of sporting event. Having two active middle school boys keeps me pretty busy whether going to hockey games, soccer games, baseball games, etc. I also like to bake and spend time in the kitchen (especially if there is someone else there to help clean up). I also enjoy going to professional sporting events and concerts.”

Susan Trieber teaches Guitar and Band. 

What do you like most about the subject that you teach? 

“I like teaching music because it provides everyone an opportunity to be creative and experience performing individually or with a group.”

What is the most interesting thing about you? 

“I have performed with orchestras, concert bands, jazz bands and dance bands. It helped pay my way through college.”

What legacy are you hoping to create at West? 

“A legacy I hope to create is that all students continue to enjoy and pursue music in their future lives in some form. That could be performing, creating, sharing, teaching, appreciating, listening, critiquing and understanding.”

What are your hobbies outside of teaching? 

“Outside of teaching, I like to play golf.”