This year, North welcomed two new elective teachers: French teacher Laine Johnson and Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Jaclyn O’Donohue.
This is not the first time that a Johnson has taught French at North. Previously, Suzanne Johnson taught French, but when she went to teach at another school, her sister Laine Johnson took up the role.
“It is a little difficult,” said Laine Johnson. “You know, there are certain standards and certain things, expectations that have been set. But at the same time, I just think it’s a really cool opportunity. I think sometimes maybe I’ve had a chip on my shoulder about ‘I’m just following what she did, right?’ But I think we’re gonna make our own way.”
French has been a part of her life for many years, after her sister convinced her to start learning the language. Both the language and her past French teachers were influential in her decision to go into education.
“[French] was always something that opened another door for me,” said Johnson. “One thing led to another: studying it let me go abroad, which let me go into teaching. That’s how I started teaching: I went to France to teach English for a year, and that’s when I realized that I wanted to change my life, because I didn’t start out as a teacher. It all kind of came together with that.”
Although she is teaching French now, a career in language was not what Johnson originally intended.
“I studied art history,” said Johnson. “I really wanted to work in museum curation; that also kind of bleeds into French, though, too, because there’s so much French art that gets studied. So I worked at the Saint Louis Art Museum for a few years, and I realized I really needed my masters in order to do anything with that. So what did I do? I got a master’s in French, and then one thing led to another, and here I am.”
Johnson previously served as a long-term substitute for three years and as a French teacher for one year at Pattonville High School. There, she only taught some levels of French 1, but now she teaches French 1-5.
“Being able to follow [my students] all through their journey of French, I think, is such a cool thing, because I never got to experience that before,” said Johnson.
Learning a second language is known to have many benefits, such as a better understanding of a person’s first language, more job opportunities, etc. It also increases understanding of other cultures.
“I really just want people to be more open to the world, like the curiosity of the world,” said Johnson. “And I think it’s something, especially in the times that we live now, to consider yourself a citizen of the world before you’re even a citizen of anywhere else.”
The other new elective teacher is Jaclyn O’Donohue. O’Donohue is a Parkway North graduate who has returned to teach FACS classes involving subjects such as culinary and fashion.
“I’m really passionate about cooking, sewing, and fashion, and to teach that to my students and help them find their passion within it has just been really fun,” said O’Donohue.
During her time as a student at North, she was heavily involved in the FACS department, both through classes and extracurriculars.
“I did a bunch of catering clubs and competitions and really just found a passion for it,” said O’Donohue. “I signed up for all the classes, and I just really loved it.”
After high school, O’Donohue kept in contact with FACS department head Becky Samardzic, nannying her twins. These connections and further experience in childcare and restaurants helped her become a long-term substitute and now a FACS teacher.
“She’s just a natural,” said Samardzic. “I mean, being a former student here, she took all the classes, excelled in them. She was a very, very hard worker. She did all the extracurriculars. She did our competitions, did well, and went to nationals twice. She was meant to be here.”
In the time from when O’Donohue was a student, North has gone through some changes, but some things have stayed the same.
“A lot of the parts of the school look just so different from when I was here,” said O’Donohue. “A lot of new teachers and faces. But at the root of it, not much has changed.”
O’Donohue is a part-time teacher. On odd days, she teaches in the morning, and on even days, she teaches in the afternoon.
“It’s actually been really helpful for me,” said O’Donohue. “I’m going to grad school, so I’m getting my master’s degree right now. So it’s helpful to come here during either the morning or the afternoon. And then the opposite time I can work on my own homework.”
O’Donohue teaches primarily entry-level courses, meaning she has a wide variety of students in her classes.
“I have students from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures and experience levels,” I think that just kind of makes the classes more interesting, to see some students just starting, but see other students just really excel in the topic.”
FACS classes teach students skills that they can apply to their lives now but also beyond high school, like cooking and sewing.
“I hope [my students] just learn to be creative and have fun with it, and that any mistakes you make aren’t the end of the world,” said O’Donohue. “Just try again and find the fun in it.”
