Rebecca Schmidt
- Everyone has been the new kid at least once in his/her life. Either it was the first day of kindergarten or the start of a new school year, but have you ever thought about the staff? All faculty and staff members also have to be the “new kids in school” at some point as well. This year, we have six new faculty members: Mr. Simon Briggs, Mrs. Margaret Kopp, Mr. Kevin Woods, Mr. Jonathan Arend, Ms. Megan Wilson, and Mr. Jerome Saunders.
- Mr. Briggs, the new guidance counselor, who is originally from Manchester, England, came to the United States in 1992, said, “The best thing about Hereford is the sense of community.” Mr. Briggs stressed that he loved the tightly-knit community and that the other schools he has worked at were not as connected as the Hereford Zone. He was also once a Spanish teacher but then became a guidance counselor because he enjoys working with students one-on-one and helping them succeed.
Another new staff member, Mr. Woods, who is the new chief custodian, also had nothing but positive things to say about his time at HHS so far. Mr. Woods said that Hereford is very clean compared to other schools he has worked for, it recieves a nine out of ten on the cleanliness scale. Mr. Woods served in the Navy then moved to Seattle where he also worked in schools, keeping them clean.
“I love Hereford High so far, it is in a very quiet location,” said Mrs. Kopp, the newest member of the foreign language department. Mrs. Kopp teaches Spanish and French and graduated from Penn State University. Mrs. Kopp has been teaching for 21 years at Dulaney High, Perry Hall Middle, Sparrows Point High, and even a school in North Carolina. She also has two children, Henry and Charlie, a husband, Brian, and a Labrador Retriever. Mrs. Kopp enjoys running on the trail and cooking for her family.
Joining Mrs. Kopp in the foreign language department are Latin teacher Mr. Arend and Chinese teacher Ms. Wilson, who both work at Hereford part-time.
Mr. Saunders, a new social studies teacher, is also enjoying his time here at HHS. “I’ve found at Hereford a most collegial, supportive environment, especially within my department,” he said. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Saunders is mostly teaching tenth grade World History. He also has two grown children and two grandkids. He enjoys golfing, traveling and spending time with his family.
