Introduction 

   At the beginning of the new school year, West Ranch introduced new teachers and staff members. Ranging from expertise in different subjects and roles, each has brought their own goals and motives to campus this year. The Paw Print interviewed three new West Ranch teachers and staff for the 2022-2023 school year.

Mr. Livermont 

   From coaching baseball to teaching and substituting in various subjects, Mr. Livermont has substantial experience in many fields of work. Recently, Mr. Livermont became West Ranch’s newest athletic director. Mr. Livermont teamwork in the department as a whole and strives to develop meaningful connections with students.

   A significant part of Mr. Livermont’s goal this year is implementing his family-oriented values within his relationships with West Ranch colleagues and students. 

   “I’m very fortunate to have some great coaches, like Anne Konrad, that help facilitate everything and make our program run smoother, but I love to see the kids involved in the sports and engaged in their activities,” Mr. Livermont explained.

   With these important values in mind, Mr. Livermont shared his main motive: “We just want to continue seeing growth in our athletic department and seeing the success of our students in the program—that is the ultimate goal.”

Ms. Lank 

   As an alumna, Ms. Lank is familiar with West Ranch’s standards and practices. After recently taking on the role of West Ranch’s newest and only American Sign Language (ASL) teacher, she plays an essential role in West Ranch’s foreign language department.

   Ms. Lank is fairly new to teaching, with only a few months of substitute teaching experience. Nevertheless, she has many goals for the new year: “I want to see growth in my students, all while learning new things and making connections with my class as a whole so that as time goes on my class becomes better and better.”

  Students are adapting well to her teaching practices, and Ms. Lank expressed her joy in working with students at West Ranch. “[My year] is going really well so far, I’m super happy to be here and I’m having a great time meeting everyone!”

Ms. Bozurich 

   After working as a teacher in a variety of grade levels from seventh through tenth, Ms. Bozurich has a great deal of experience in teaching English. This year, Ms. Bozurich is West Ranch’s newest ninth and tenth-grade English teacher.

   One of the main goals Ms. Bozurich strives to achieve for the 2022-2023 school year is to effectively relearn the ninth and tenth-grade curriculum, after teaching junior high school in recent past years. 

   Additionally, she is currently focusing on her goals. “I’m studying to be a teacher-librarian, as I really love books. It’s really a big goal of mine to make sure that everybody finds their genre and their niche because that’s the only way we’re going to be good readers, right?” she explained.

   “I really enjoy my students and meeting new staff this year, who are all super nice. The curriculum is great and I’m happy to be here,” Ms. Bozurch said.

Conclusion 

   West Ranch is grateful to have new staff members and welcomes them with open arms. Teachers are a crucial aspect of West Ranch’s school environment, so make sure to show them some appreciation if you see them on campus!