New faces at the junior high
As the sunscreen, flip flops and beach towels are packed away from another summer of fun, a new class of seventh graders will be roaming the halls of Mountain Brook Junior High learning their way around the school. However, another group of new faces will also be welcomed into the Spartan halls too: new teachers.
Gregory Fisher joins the Spartan faculty as a seventh and eighth-grade science teacher this year. Fisher taught environmental education at Cornerstone Schools of Alabama and a few years at Chelsea Middle School. He also has been a part of Project Lead the Way, a technology and robotics program for students. He also recently wrote and released a song through his church and said he is looking forward to being a part of a “community of educators that are supported and encouraged to be creative and innovated in our instruction.”
Julie Garrett has taught for ten years at Pizitz Middle School and is teaching seventh-grade English. Garrett is a big Alabama fan and will certainly find some fellow supporters around the Spartan halls.
Jimmy McGowan will be teaching Art Foundations this fall and is looking forward to the creativity that the students bring to the visual arts. McGowan’s background is art studio and art history. He taught visual arts in Shelby County before coming to MBJH.
Karly Miller will be a familiar face around the halls of MBJH this fall. She was the substitute in physical education this past year in addition to many other classes. She is looking forward to “building relationships and shaping the lives of our students.” Miller will be teaching PE and helping to coach the seventh-grade volleyball team, indoor track and softball.
Mary Riley Ogilvie is teaching pre-algebra and algebra I at the junior high after student teaching at Hillcrest Middle School in Tuscaloosa. Challenging the students will be on her agenda and something she is not unfamiliar with personally. At the age of 17, she summited Mount Rainier following extensive training.
James M. Salvant V comes to the junior high from Oak Mountain Middle School. He will be implementing Project Lead the Way, transforming the traditional career tech classroom into a 21st century design/robotics lab. He is looking forward to starting the Robotics Club and aiming to compete in the world championships in California in the spring. He is originally from Baton Rouge and spent summers in a fishing village helping his family run a commercial fishing vessel. His love of the water has carried him through the Caribbean on several sailing expeditions.