A new school year calls for new faces, including teachers! This year, two teachers became apart of the Hopkins faculty – librarian Ms. Beckett (who replaced Ms. Bohall) and math teacher Ms. Gladstone. Keep on reading to learn more about the newest staff at Hopkins Academy!

Ms. Beckett is the new librarian at Hopkins Academy. Prior to working at Hopkins Academy, Ms. Beckett taught as an English teacher for seventeen years at six different middle schools. While in school, Ms. Beckett not only studied in the United States, but also internationally, going to places such as York, England and Buena Vista, Mexico. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, she taught English for two years in Sri Lanka, receiving her masters degree and CAG’s (Certificate of Advanced studies) at its conclusion. While Ms. Becket was an English teacher, she enjoyed incorporating interesting ideas into the curriculum in order to get her students excited about the subjects that she was teaching. Ms. Beckett also love’s plants, has an adopted son named Jose, and has an identical twin. When asked about the many jobs Ms. Beckett has as the Hopkins Academy Librarian, she said: “I supervise the VHS students. I teach occasionally about research and databases, and I help students and teachers find books and sometimes order books from local libraries for teachers who need them. I research curricula and try to find cool activities for teachers to use and teach.” In addition, Ms. Beckett mentioned how she processes and shelves the many books that the library receives, as well as makes library bar codes and cards for the students that lose theirs. It is fair to say however that most students come into contact with her as a result of her being “Queen Chromebook”, or the chromebook distributor and manager at Hopkins. In relation to this, Ms. Becket would also like for students to return Chromebooks on time and according to the rules.

The other new member of the Hopkins faculty this year is Ms. Gladstone – the new math teacher who teaches Honors and College Prep Precalculus along with Probability and Statistics. In addition to teaching these classes, Ms. Gladstone also helps those who struggle with math in the mathematics support section. According to Ms. Gladstone, Hopkins Academy is extremely important to her, saying that her favorite part about Hopkins are the kind students that are up for any challenges, no matter the difficulty. Before finding her place here at Hopkins, Gladstone had an educational experience which started right here in the Pioneer Valley, graduating from Amherst Regional High School. Gladstone then received a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering while minoring in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. After, Ms. Gladstone received her Masters Degree in Biomedical Engineering along with a certificate in Translational Research from the University of Rochester. Prior to teaching at Hopkins, Ms. Gladstone worked in labs at Syracuse University where she studied the effect exercise has on an individual with Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as studying Epilepsy from a variety of different angles. In terms of goals for the classroom, Ms. Gladstone wants to make math more fun for her students and has a variety of ideas about how to incorporate fun into her teaching style. She also considers herself as a student in a way, since she believes that the students are teaching her new things while she teaches the students as a teacher. Gladstone concluded the interview by saying: “I am incredibly proud to be part of the Hopkins community and am thankful to be here.”

The entire Hopkins community is thrilled to have Ms. Beckett and Ms. Gladstone a part of the faculty and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them!