Friday Faces: New Staff

It is Friday and we are bringing back a Down Home favorite — Friday Faces!

If you are new to SLOCA, we hope you are quickly catching on to our school’s emphasis on being a community. And well, part of being a community, means knowing people. Friday Faces is all about helping you get to know our spectacular SLOCA staff.

With quite a few new staff this year, we wanted to give you a chance to put a face to a name (or in some cases, maybe a name to a face). Today we are featuring six new staff members that we are thrilled to have on Team SLOCA. We asked them a few fun get-to-know-you questions and had them submit a photo. So now if you see them around campus, be sure to introduce yourself, welcome them to SLOCA, and maybe share with them your answer to one of the following questions.  

1. What is your favorite book and why?

• Jenny–Unbinding the Heart by Agapi because it is a great reminder to stay true to yourself and to make time for the things that bring you joy. 
• Stacey-This is such a difficult question! I love books from all genres. However, the one that pops into my head is a young reader novel called Freak the Mighty. It is about two young boys who develop an unlikely bond and together handle bullies and give each other confidence. 
• Mollie-It’s so hard to choose, I love so many! I’ll go with Anne of Green Gables because it reminds me of cuddling in bed next to my sister while my mother read us a few chapters each night.
• Tracy–On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman. I have been reading it to my kids since they were little.
• Nikia–The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  I loved The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy so much that I immediately knew I had to read the rest of Douglas Adams’ books in the series — and Santa Clause made it really easy for me when he brought me the Ultimate Guide which contains all 6 books in the series in one large book!
• Nicole–Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read this book as a little girl and fell in love with reading.

2. What is a place you have always wanted to visit?

• Jenny–Sweden, Ireland & Portugal 
• Stacey-India and the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Mumbai). The culture is so fascinating to me.
• Mollie-The Amalfi Coast – it looks so beautiful!
• Tracy-Australia 
• Nikia-Italy. My family is of Sicilian descent, so I’ve always dreamed of visiting Sicily.
• Nicole-Prince Edward Island

3. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the time extra time?

• Jenny–Spend time with my family and read lots and lots of books.
• Stacey-Write music with my daughters and complete more home projects. 
• Mollie-Read, try out some new recipes or binge-watch a new show.
• Tracy-Hike and go to the beach with my family. 
• Nikia-Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do, so I’d prefer to give up chore-time 😉 But, if I had several extra hours a day, I’d probably fill it by doing more kayaking, walking my dogs on the beach a little longer, reading a good book, or spending more time with my family and friends.
• Nicole-Swim laps at the pool, eat See’s candy, fold laundry, talk on the phone with my sister and read all seven Harry Potter books to my kids.

4. Who is your favorite Renaissance artist?

• Jenny–Leonardo da Vinci
• Stacey-Leonardo DaVinci- I love that he did more than just paint. His inventive mind and creativity are intriguing. 
• Mollie-Since this question didn’t specify which Renaissance, I’m choosing my favorite English Renaissance artist, Shakespeare. I have been fortunate enough to visit his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, see many of his plays, and play the part of Hermia in my high school’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
• Tracy-Michelangelo
• Nikia-This is a tough choice, but I’m leaning towards Leonardo da Vinci due to his many talents ranging from sculpting, painting, architecture, and even engineering. His techniques were innovative then and still capture the world’s attention now.
• Nicole-Michelangelo. I was able to see the Pieta at St. Peter’s. It was beautiful.

We hope you enjoyed our first installment of Friday Faces for the 2019/2020 school year. We will be featuring the rest of our new staff soon. Want additional help figuring out who’s who at SLOCA but don’t want to wait on a blog post? Be sure to visit our website where you will find sketches of each of our staff (skillfully done by our own art teacher, Guy Kinnear) and a mini-bio.  Have a fantastic weekend!  And don’t forget — There is no school on Monday 10/14 or Tuesday 10/15.