Cheryl Abbot has worked as a teacher at Eureka for 16 years in the math department. She has always taught geometry but has also taught algebra one, trigonometry, and honors algebra two. “I love teaching honors algebra two,” Abbot said., “They challenge my thinking”. Abbot’s favorite memory of teaching at EHS was working with the math department and making friends in the department.
Bryan Clar has been teaching at Eureka for 25 years in the social studies department. This year he taught AP US history, Civil war and reconstruction, and US history. “AP US history has been my favorite,” Clar said. “It’s the whole thing from beginning to end, and it’s great kids in that class”. Clar’s favorite memory from teaching was in 2002 when Eureka won the state semifinal in football and became the first Rockwood school to play for the state championship.
Janice DeNure has worked as a teacher at Eureka for 29 years in the world language department and language arts department with French being her favorite. “My favorite memory is seeing how much students progress from one year to the next,” DeNure said.
Gary Baumstark has teached at Eureka for 26 years in the Language Arts department. This year he taught Language arts nine and AP language composition. “I like them both for different reasons,” Baumstark said. “They’re very different student populations.”Baumstark’s favorite memory from his teaching career was the larger community of the school and all the friendships he developed.
Jo Pinnell has worked as a teacher at Eureka for 16 years in the math department. This year she taught geometry, algebraic geometry, and consumer math. “I like them all,” Pinnell said. “But I probably like geometry more.” Pinnell’s favorite memory of teaching here was coming to work every day, socializing with her coworkers, and helping her students grow in math.
Rebecca Stevenson has worked as a teacher at Eureka for 27 years in the language arts department. This year she taught freshman language arts, black literature, and intro to college writing. “I like them all for different reasons,” Stevenson said. “College writing has a special place in my heart though.” Stevenson’s favorite memory from teaching was when she coached volleyball and made connections with students in and out of the classroom.
Christine Ude has worked as the special education administrator at Eureka for 12 years. Ude’s favorite memory of working here has been watching the growth of best buddies and special olympics. “These bleed purple and gold into everything else here at EHS,” Ude said.
Jennifer Highfill has worked as a teacher at Eureka for 32 years in the world language department. This year she taught spanish four and AP spanish language and culture. Her favorite course this year was AP Spanish language and culture. “When I look back on my career I think what I’ll always remember is the feeling of being a part of this amazing community and how special it has been,” Highfill said.
