With a new scool year comes new beginning and change. The Piedmont Unified School District has gained new faculty members as well as change the roles of of current teachers.

Christele Poppas is the new French teacher. She was contacted by the Piedmont Unified School District as a French teacher in the Bay Area.

“I was interested right away because I know the community of Piedmont to be very supportive,” Poppas said.

Poppas was previously a French teacher at San Ramon Valley High School. She said that teaching French at Piedmont has not only reduced her commute time, but has allowed her to dedicate more of her time to her students.

“I have more time to be with the [students], more time to prep, more time for everything,” Poppas said.

Poppas said that she enjoys PHS’ block scheduling, which allows her to cover a wide range of skills crucial to learning French.

She said that she also enjoys the size of the school. Poppas said that because of PHS’ small size, she has been able to get to know more of the students and faculty members.

“I see people I know every day,” Poppas said. “It’s nice to see people I know and people who know me.”

Poppas said that her goal is to make French a subject that students will view as an important life skill.

“I want student to look at it and know that they are going to use it in their lives instead of just trying to get an A,” Poppas said.

Anna O’Connor has also joined the high school’s faculty as a new counselor at the Wellness Center.

O’Connor said that she was drawn to Piedmont because of the high school’s Wellness Center. She said that she was interested in the school’s model of having a team of counselors who work together to support the students.

“At other places where I have worked, there is one person working in isolation,” O’Connor said. “I really wanted to experience [Piedmont’s] counseling model.”

O’Connor said that she has enjoyed working at PHS.

“The staff is friendly, the students are great, and the people in the Wellness Center are fun to work with,” O’Connor said.

She said that she also appreciates the school’s atmosphere, noticing that although there are high expectations, students still take time to relax and connect with one another.

“I grew up in the Midwest and the first time I came onto the campus I thought ‘this is a California school,’ just in the way it feels, the openness,” O’Connor said.

Along with many new staff members, PHS has also changed the roles of many of its current faculty members.

History teacher Mark Cowherd is now teaching AP US History.

“I love teaching [APEuro] and MWH, but I have been teaching those two classes for seven years straight,” Cowherd said. “It was time for something new.”

Cowherd prepared for the class by attending an AP Conference for APUSH over the summer as well as reading a variety of US history books and articles.

“I apply some of my knowledge of the AP program that I have learned from teaching Euro for seven, now going on eight years,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd said that teaching the APUSH course allows him to teach a class of bright and motivated students.

“I really like both [APUSH classes] and am reinvigorated by teaching a new course,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd said that along with preparing his APUSH students for the AP test, he wants to help them grow in regards to their writing ability and analytical skills. He said that he wants his students to not only learn, but enjoy what they are learning.

“I want to prepare students for their future academic endeavors, in high school and beyond,” Cowherd said.