From English to math, from books to music, from a former Spartan to a converted warrior, these five new teachers spice up the TJ faculty.
At high schools each year there are new beginnings, which not only includes students, but a fresh crop of teachers as well. This year is no exception as TJ welcomes in five new teachers.
Michelle Jensen is the new librarian, taking over custody of TJ’s Library and Media Center from Sudi Stodola who decided to take a job at the Career Education Center. Jensen has worked at four other schools before arriving at Thomas Jefferson, and has been a librarian for the past eight years, a continuation of her experiences as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher, instructing a gifted and talented class in an elementary school in Arizona, similar toDenver’s own GT elementary, Cory Elementary. “I love books and I love sharing the world of books and information,” said Jensen, whose outside hobbies include camping, exploring, travel, and reading—strangely enough—with her novels of choice being science fiction and historical fiction.
There is a new number-cruncher in the math hallways: Suzanne Meyer is the new math teacher, selected to replace Nick Tussing. She has previously worked at Montbello High School for the past five years, and spent one year at Mandalay Middle School in Jefferson County. Meyer has always taught math and AVID, and this year she instructs students in Probability and Statistics, Geometry, and AVID. “Math is really hard for a lot of people, so I want to make it fun and interesting for kids who hate it,” explainsMeyer, who also enjoys swimming and reading, particularly historical mystery novels a la Dan Brown. She has been married for almost two years and has three children: a 16 and a 12 year old stepson, and a four year old son of her own. Here at TJ, Meyer says that she appreciates that, “The kids are smart and friendly and willing to learn and do their work.”
Linda Sorenson is a returning sight in the choir room, taking over after Edwina Hebert’s move to Iowa to study music. She has taught many years, including a previous stint at TJ for eight years! Although she started out as a general middle school teacher, she ended up being directed into the music teacher position. She found she enjoyed it, and has continued. Outside of school, Sorenson enjoys yardwork, although not gardening specifically. She has two daughters with her eldest a bookkeeper for Denver Design center and her youngest, getting married this June, a teacher at Place Bridge Academy. “I am glad to see the music program grow so much, because when I first came here there was no music program,” said Sorenson of the changes at TJ during her absence.
Three cheers for TJ! Mallory Huffman is TJ’s new cheer coach and long term substitute teacher for Jeffery Almond, who is taking paternity leave due to the birth of his third child. Huffman has formerly worked at North High School after graduating in 2008 from Roosevelt University. Besides being an English teacher, she also sponsors TJ’s new Hype Squad. When asked why she became a teacher, Huffman responded, “When I was in high school, I always thought there was a better way to learn things and there were certain teachers that made classes more interesting. So I decided I wanted to be the kind of teacher who motivated kids to succeed. Every day is new and fun.” Huffman enjoys reading, particularly classic literature, but also enjoys the Harry Potter and Twilight series. She likes shopping, and has a “very big” shoe collection. As cheerleading coach, Huffman has plenty of experience. She’s been dancing her whole life, was on her high school pom-pom team, and has always been interested in dance and cheer.
Also new at TJ is Diana Newmark, although she was unavailable for comment on this article. Readers should look for a feature on her coming up in the TJ Journal.
