Though we have a beautiful community that has been established since 1956, we are lucky to not just have new students but teachers as well. We have had countless new members to our staff this year, all bringing a large impact to WJ.

One of the new teachers is AP Psychology teacher Allison Ewing. Ewing has been teaching for 17 years and has taught in places from Baltimore to Pennsylvania. This is Ewing’s first year teaching AP Psych and has taught social studies, like AP Human Geography, in her past jobs. She came here to make her commute easier but also was intrigued by the spirit and community. She has even been a School Administrator at independent schools in the area and also other schools up the East Coast.

“I was a teacher at an all-boys school for choir for two years. I would tour the country with them for 3-4 weeks at a time on a bus, and this was all middle school boys, may I remind you!,” Ewing said.

Another addition to our faculty this school year is Janet Frensilli, a forensics science teacher. Frensilli taught at Sherwood High School for 24 years. She decided that she wanted to see what else was out there. Frensilli has also completed one year of teaching in Cape Town, South Africa on a full-ride scholarship. She has an intensive background in science ranging from Anatomy to every level of Biology. She has lived in the WJ area for a long time and wanted to see more of the diverse community firsthand.

“The biggest challenge has been the new culture. It’s a beautiful culture but it is very different. It’s the basic things like where do I find my mail? How do I get into the building? Where’s the best place to park? They are all so silly and little but they’re things I didn’t have to think about for 24 years,” Frensilli said.

Lastly, we have a new health teacher, Aaron Fiddler. Fiddler is not just a new Health teacher but our new varsity football head coach. He decided to apply for the new coaching position and once he got it, it was a no-brainer he would take the job. This is his 12th year of teaching. He taught mostly in the West Virginia area, as well as Pennsylvania. In addition, he did a year of teaching in Sweden.

“Being the coach alongside being a new teacher has given me an accelerated inside to the school. I have met a lot of students instantly alongside colleagues. It’s the highest population school I have taught at but I have never been anywhere where the students are so engaged,” Fiddler said.

With these new additions and many more, WJ is in for a great year. Having all these fresh minds will benefit WJ and bring something new to the table.