BY ELLIE KAPCAR AND JEFFREY TIMMERS

August 19th was not only the students’ first official day of school, but the first day for Mariemont’s new faculty. The six new members took the place of  those who left including retirees Mrs. Toepfer, Mrs. Dierker, Mrs. Sayre, and Mr. Aden.

Ms. Reilly:

New to the English department, Ms. Reilly took over for Mrs. Vore.  She is beginning her second year of teaching, having begun last year as a seventh grade teacher at Princeton Junior High.

When Reilly saw the opening for a position at MHS, she was eager to apply.  “With Mariemont’s reputation, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” she says.

She describes the interview process as intense.  But Reilly also says,“It wasn’t too terrible because I had gone through it last year as a first-year teacher.”

Reilly is adjusting well to Mariemont.  “It’s nice to have everything in-house rather than spread out like my previous district.  And there’s always people around to help you out,” she says.  

“These first few weeks have been a whirlwind.  I’ve been trying to figure everything out and to make the transition from teaching junior high to high school,” Reilly says.

Reilly shares that one of her favorite parts of teaching is getting to know the freshmen.  “I just love all the adorable, naïve freshmen.  It’s great getting to be able to interact with them during first high school school experience,” says Reilly.

Besides teaching, Reilly is also the girls’ cross country coach at St. Ursula.  Freshman Jonah Dill says, “I love talking to Ms. Reilly about cross country.  She’s a really great teacher too.”

Mr. Weiss:

Mr. Weiss filled Mrs. Toepfer’s position and is beginning his eleventh year as a teacher.  Though he grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Sycamore High School, Weiss spent the last ten years at the same school in Chicago.

Weiss shares that there are a lot of differences between Mariemont and his previous district.  “In Chicago, my school had nearly 3000 students, so it was about twice the size of Mariemont’s entire district,” he says.

Another difference is Mariemont’s one-to-one technology program.  Previously, Weiss used an overhead projector to teach and brought in a laptop cart for students when it was available.

“I actually had never used a SmartBoard before, so when Ms. Block was showing me how to use it, I sort of jumped back in surprise because I didn’t know you could interact with it,” Weiss says.

The transition, in Weiss’s opinion, has also been smooth.  “Countless people have offered to help me out, and it’s clear to see that it’s not just empty words,” he says.

Junior Carson Fields says, “Mr. Weiss is hilarious.  He should definitely have his own stand-up comedy show. Plus he gave us summer reading projects instead of tests, so that makes him pretty awesome.”

Mrs. Pontious:

Mrs. Pontious replaced former band teacher Mr. Canter, who took a position at Walnut Hills this school year.  Pontious comes from Utah, where she heard about Mariemont from a former co-worker.  Multiple colleagues recommended she apply for the position.

Pontious says, “My application process was intense. I had three interviews over the span of six weeks.”

The district of Mariemont is similar to where Pontious grew up in Indiana.  “My graduating class had only 66 students, and I also had some of the same teachers my parents had throughout school,” she says.

Once she got the job, and the school year began Pontious has kept busy.  She says, “My first few weeks have been crazy between traveling and getting to know all of my new students.”

Her biggest adjustment has been driving back and forth between the elementary schools, junior high, and high school.

However, she also shares that getting to teach a variety of students is one of her favorite parts.  “I love being able to teach students from the beginning of band, fifth grade, all the way through high school,” Pontious says.

Junior Clara Scholtz, who plays the baritone, adds, “I love having Mrs. Pontious because she always has a smile on her face and is super open to all of our ideas.”

Mrs. Long:

Making her trip to Mariemont, Mrs. Long had to cross the river to arrive at her destination. Coming from Boone County High School in Northern Kentucky, Long is the lone addition to this year’s science department.

“I have had a great start to the year. It has been very busy, as I am at the junior high and the high school.  The other staff members are super helpful and I am really enjoying my students,” says Long on her transition into the school.

Although Long says she loves her high-schoolers the middle school won her heart.

“I really like my 7th graders… no offense to the high school… they are just super excited about everything,” says Long.

According to senior Adam Romnick, the seventh graders aren’t the only people with a lot of energy.

“She is a lot more energetic and engaging than most teachers,” says Romnick.

Romnick also pointed out some of the things he notices in the new teacher.

“She will start laughing and then it will stop in the blink of the eye and you can’t tell if she is actually laughing or not, and she says ‘block’ instead of ‘bell’ but I don’t want to be that guy, but someone has to tell her,” he says.

Ms. Thompson:

Coming from St. Bernard Elmwood Place High School, Ms. Thompson is the single addition to the Spanish Department. Sophomore Max Geers has noticed differences with her and her past teachers.

“She’s nice, she knows how to communicate with the students better, she does more projects and makes class more fun,” says Geers.

Thompson has had a smooth transition to Mariemont.

“Everyone has been very helpful and generous in helping me to transition here to Mariemont. I am very grateful to be here and have the opportunity to teach and work with the students and faculty members at Mariemont High School,” says Thompson.

She has been enjoying her students and is very impressed with them.

“My students have been awesome! They are very willing to participate and learn. I’m impressed with the determination and level of thought that goes into the activities we do in class,” says Thompson.

Although Geers likes his new teacher, he has some special input on her. “She does lean on tables weird,” says Geers.

Ms. Meyer:

After completing her internship at Sycamore High School, Ms. Meyer is the new addition to the College and Career Planning Center (CCPC).

Ms. Meyer had a lot to say on how her first few weeks have gone at Mariemont.

“Really well,” Meyer says.

Getting a new counselor can be a big transition for some students who had others the past years.

“Sometimes some of them [students] are awkward and don’t know what to say but others are very open and excited,” Meyer says.

Her transition has gone just as well as the other faculty with support from the school.

“All the staff have been supportive and welcoming,” says Meyer.

Although senior Aaron Urevick hasn’t had the opportunity to talk to Meyer, he has this opinion.

“I have yet to speak directly to Ms. Meyer, but if there’s one thing I know in this world, it’s how to read people. Mariemont picked a winner,” says Urevick.

Dr. Renner is excited about these new members but there has been one problem: weight gain.

“The PTO takes care of them so well that we do tend to fatten them up before things get going,” says Renner.