Fresh Faces

Brian Taylor is the new art teacher. Before teaching he worked as a scenic artist and did projects for places such as Busch Gardens and Universal Studios.  He has enjoyed seeing his former students from Wilson Middle School, where he taught at before coming to Plant. The thing he likes the most about his job is seeing his students grow as artists.  ...

Mark Elliot is a chemistry teacher. His original degree was in biology, but he enjoys chemistry more. He taught as a substitute for Plant 10 years ago.   “I am actually a neighborhood person,” Elliot said. “I live within the district, and I had an opportunity to come back here and teach, so I took advantage of that opportunity.”  His main goal for the year is to give his students ...

Michael Massey teaches P.E. at Plant, but previously he was a social studies teacher for 22 years. He said that his reason for switching was because he got bored and wanted to try something new.  One thing he enjoys about P.E. is that he gets to be outside and stay active throughout the day. He will be coaching track for Plant this year and one of his goals is to take students to the state ch...

Diane Loiselle came from Jefferson where she taught for 20 years to teach AP Language and English 2 at Plant. Before teaching she worked at a newspaper in New Hampshire.  She enjoys helping her students understand how to take a complicated writing topic and make it simpler so that they can succeed on the FSA.   “I want as many of my sophomores to pass the FSA as possible,” Loiselle said...

Before becoming a World History teacher at Plant, Peter Nonnenkamp was a principal and superintendent at an international school in Ecuador.  He started teaching because he enjoys helping kids learn things that they find difficult, and he hopes this year to help his students score as high as possible on their semester exam. ...

Yamel Arronte is a new guidance counselor, and she has a master’s degree in psychology and counseling.   Before Plant, she worked at a technical college, but she said her reason for switching to high school is because she feels that she can make a bigger difference in the lives of students who are younger and more impressionable so that they can receive the guidance they need before ...

John Watkins came from Wharton High School and teaches math.   “I saw the need for math, for kids to be successful in it,” Watkins said. “I knew that it was an area where I could definitely help That’s an area where kids struggle, so I thought they’d make the most use out of it. Plus, I was always good at math, so it’s a natural fit.”   He also said that one thing he like...

Craig Frank teaches credit recovery and helps students retake courses that they failed.   “This year my goal is to get as many students, especially 12th graders, to the finish line,” Frank said. “That’s the bottom line. Graduate, and realize how important that piece of paper is. For these kids, there’s a lot of people who know how important it is, but for some, it’s the enjoyment ...