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Kim Steele - ESL II/Literacy
Department Chair
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Hi. I'm Kim Steele. I graduated from Northwestern
Oklahoma
State
University
with a bachelor's degree in English Education. I am
currently working on my ESL endorsement through Fort
Hays
University, but I have been teaching ESL students for the past 9 years.
After teaching English at Abe
Hubert
Middle School
for 16 years, I moved to the ESL department at the high school in 2004.
I teach CWC English II, Buff Project, Academic Writing, and Writing
Skills. I enjoy working with ESL students, especially helping them
become better writers. I also appreciate their efforts to teach me
their languages.
I
have lived and taught in Garden City since 1988. I have been
married to my husband, Jeff, since 1991, and we have one daughter
and two sons.
I am the new department head this year, and
I am excited to face the many challenges that are ahead of
us. |
| Juan Sanchiz - ESL Writing
|
Hola! My name is Juan F. Sanchiz, and I am from Spain. I know, it is a
long way to come here, but I enjoy traveling and knowing different
people. For me, this is one of the most wonderful experiences I have
ever had.
I finished all my studies in Spain. I graduated from Jaume I
University (Castellón) with a Master’s Degree in Humanities, and then
I got a Master in Conservation and Management of the Cultural Heritage
from the University of València-Estudi
General (Valencia).
This is going to be my second year at the high school. I actually
teach ESL English Writing Skills and one Spanish I Reading and Writing
class, but I specially enjoy working with ESL kids, they are very
special. It is amazing when you feel you can help the students to be
successful in their studies. I know the feeling of being in a different
country, with a different language, and a different culture. For this
reason, I will try my best with them! |
| Heather Kneeland - ESL Literacy
|
Hi. I’m Heather Kneeland, and this is my
third year teaching at Garden City High School. I
graduated from The University of Nebraska at
Kearney
with a B.S. in Psychology/Criminal Justice and Education, and recently
earned a Master's Degree in ESOL Education from Fort Hays State
University. I began as an
ESL para at
Lexington
Middle School
in 1994, and worked as a supervisor for a battered women’s shelter (Parent-Child
Center) for 4 years. After realizing that teaching was my passion,
I went back to college in 2000 to become a high school ESL teacher.
I
really like Garden City and truly enjoy working with the GCHS staff--I
feel very fortunate to work with such a dedicated group of
educators. I also share the responsibility of coaching the Lady Buffs High
School Tennis Team (my other passion).
My husband Sean and I have two daughters, Jordan and Kourtney. We love to
travel and take camping trips in the summer.
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Mary Leon - Para
|
Hello, I’m Mrs.
Leon, and this is my third year working as an ESL Para at Garden City High
School. I have worked for U.S.D. 457 for over 22 years as an
ESL/Bilingual Para. Before Garden City, I worked in Liberal as a
Bilingual para also.
I graduated from Garden City Community College and earned my
Associates Degree in 2002. I am presently taking classes through
Kansas
State
University
towards my ESL endorsement. I have taught in Project Effort (after
school program) tutoring at-risk students, Even Start, and I am
currently serving on the Classified Advisory Council at GCHS.
My husband, Cesar and I have two
children, Ryan and Sara. They both have attended Garden City High School. Oh,
I can’t forget our 1-year-old
Chihuahua
dog, “Chip”.
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Kathy Mitchell - Parent Coordinator
 |
Hello.
My name is Kathy Mitchell, the ESL Parent Coordinator at Garden
City High School. I make parent contacts for the ESL
teachers. I also test students, keep test records and work
closely with the ESL Teachers. I have worked in the ESL
department for many years at Garden City High School. I assist
the Revision Committee at GCHS and I am attending Garden City
Community College in order to obtain an associate’s degree.
Before my job as an ESL Para-Parent Coordinator, I worked as a
paraprofessional in the classrooms. I have experience in the
math, home-economics, and business departments. |
|
Sidni Musick - ESL Language Arts/English
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My name is Sidni Musick. I
have been teaching in Garden City since 1992. I started at
the Alternative
High School
and moved to GCHS in 1996. I have a Bachelor of Arts in
Theatre/Speech and English. I earned this degree many years
ago from
Sacred
Heart
College
in
Wichita,
Kansas. I danced and worked professionally in New York. After starting a family, my husband and I returned to
Wichita. When two of my three children were in school, I returned to
college and earned a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in Secondary
Education. I completed my ESL endorsement at K-State in May
2000, and completed my Masters of Science in December 2001.
I enjoy teaching ESL students so very much. I
appreciate their respect, hard work and behavior. Their
eagerness and hope for future success makes me feel like an important
part of their academic goal. I have maintained close
contacts with several students. I hope to remain in the ESL
department and teach these special people.
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| Joaquin Padilla - ESL Counselor
|
Hi, My name is Joaquin
Padilla. I am the counselor for the ESL program at Garden
City High School. I went to high school in Parsons, KS.,
then went to Levett
Community College. I also attended
Pittsburgh
State University, graduated, and taught psychology for few years. I have a
DS, BS, and 2 Master’s Degrees (specialist in Education).
When I came to Garden City High School I was the sponsor of La
Familia Club. A few years later in 1986 the soccer team began, but
only as a club. It wasn’t until 1996 that soccer was
considered a sport activity at Garden City High School.
One of my experiences at Garden City High School was when
Vietnamese and Hispanic students began to have problem.
To solve the disputes, the school had to find a way to show them
that their cultures were similar. That's when I began to
coach the soccer team and many Vietnamese and Hispanic students were
enrolled. This has been one of the uniting forces that brings
these kids together at GCHS, and I have seen many students graduate with
academic and sports accomplishments.
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| Margi Quint - ESL Social Studies/Literacy
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My name is Margaret G. Quint. I
have lived in Garden City for over 27 years. I am married to
Michael Quint and we have six children. I graduated from Washburn
University
in Topeka
with a Bachelor of Arts degree. I have received my English as
a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. I began my career as a
Chapter one Migrant Teacher. I have worked in Elementary,
Middle School, and secondary classrooms. I am currently an
ESL teacher at level one at Garden City High School. I have
been here for more than 23 years.
I admire my students' desire to improve their lives with
education. ESL students face many daunting challenges here
at Garden City High School. They not only must learn a new
language but also the nuances of a new culture. I am happy to
be here to help. |
| Peggy Serry - ESL Literacy/Language Arts
|
I have been in the ESL Program at
Garden City High School for over 20 years, but I actually started
teaching some English as a Second Language while I was a high school
student in California. I was a volunteer tutor at the
Laubach
Literacy
Center
and I believe that is where my career in ESL all started. I
continued to study English at San Diego
State
University, got a Master's Degree in Counseling, and taught regular English until
1975. In 1975 the Vietnamese refugees were coming to the United States
for resettlement. I worked with adult refugees from
Cambodia,
Laos
and Vietnam. I also worked with other ESL students in schools along the
border in San Diego County,
California.
Our ESL Program in Garden City is an example for other
schools across the nation. I have a lot of experience here
and I have learned a lot from my students. I have learned
about different cultures and the different experiences that my students
bring with them from other countries. My experience with ESL
has broadened my own sense of the world and my place in it. This
has made me more appreciative of what we have in the
United States .
I am single, and do not have any children of my own (just my
dog), so I often think of my students as my "children".
For the most part, they are good kids, trying to do their best in a
confusing country with a confusing new language. I am trying
to do my best to help out. Education is the key! |
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Guillermo Serna - ESL Math
|
Hi! My name is Guillermo
Serna, and I like calling myself world citizen. I was born in Malaga
(Spain) close to the Mediterranean Sea; I grew up in Seville where I
finished my Math degree, then Garden City ran into my life and here I
am, my second year in GCHS, and enjoying the experience.
My country was shared by
several civilizations over the ages: Phoenicians, Romans, and Arabs -
all of them built our culture. This is wonderful, and I think this is
what happens in the USA today. We have to be open and friendly with
other cultures, and then all come together in times of
difficulty.
I teach Mathematics, and this is the universal language.
All of us know what to do when we see these symbols +, -, ÷, ×.
Even though some of us feel panic when we talk about math, I hope
I can make it more easy and interesting for my students. |
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Antonia Romero - Para
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Hi, my name is Antonia Romero. I’m from Spain. I graduated from
the University of Seville with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural
Studies.
I was working as a Technical Architect to Government of Andalusia, when
my husband and I decided to change, and we arrived here.
This is my
second year in Garden City, and my first year working as an ESL
Para. I am very happy to work here, this is a great experience. I am very
delighted to help students from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Vietnam,
China, and Somalia; this is a multicultural school¡¡¡¡ |
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Kelly Daniels - ESL Social Studies
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Hello! I'm Kelly Daniels, and this is my first
year at GCHS. In fact, this is my first year teaching! I
recently graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana with
degrees in Political Science and Secondary Social Studies Education.
I am currently working on my ESL endorsement. Currently,
I teach World History and US History. I am very excited to be in
Garden City working with such wonderful bunch of students and faculty
members. I am truly passionate about teaching and I love helping
students discover the wonderful connections between the past and present.
I look forward to many wonderful years working with students at GCHS!
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Eric Smith
- ESL Science
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