Ms. Fish

By Serena Andria

Brand new teacher Ms. Fish teaches Humane Letters to 10th graders and American History to 8th graders. Ms. Fish was born in Wisconsin and resided there until she moved to Tucson at the beginning of high school where she eventually studied at Arizona State University for four years. She also went on to study at the University of Cambridge for 1 year to complete her master’s degree.

Ms. Fish enjoys reading and gaming, and she is a Jazz-playing pianist with a forte in swimming, a sport in which she will be assisting the coach.

When asked about her favorite thing about TPA, Ms. Fish replied that the student body stole her heart. Having relationships with her students is a must for her. As Ms. Fish likes to put it, “If I can remember you, that’s a good thing. It’s when I stop talking to you is when you should be worried.” Ms. Fish’s goal for this year is plain and simple: Surviving. Her favorite movie is The Godfather: Part 1, and her favorite artists are Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, also known as “The Boss.”

Her advice for all students “is to always keep your eyes open for new experiences or things. You never know what is coming around the corner and you need to have some fun once in a while.” So in a nutshell, Ms. Fish is a teacher you want!

Mr. Weiss

By Sama Alam

Mr. Weiss, a new teacher at Tempe Prep, returns to Arizona after living in Salt Lake City, Utah for five years. Originally from Chandler, Mr. Weiss attended Corona del Sol High School and later attended Northern Arizona University, where he received his undergraduate degree in English Education and Humanities. For his master’s degree in Education, Mr. Weiss went to Westminster College in Utah.

With nine years of previous teaching experience, Mr. Weiss taught at two different schools, Tempe Prep being his third. In regards to the curriculum here at TPA, Mr. Weiss appreciates the “established structure” and finds the construction helpful when it comes to teaching.

Outside of teaching his classes, Mr. Weiss holds experience as a judge for Speech and Debate competitions and is eager to coach the Speech and Debate team. When he is not teaching, Mr. Weiss enjoys a wide variety of hobbies: “I do art every now and then, I like to make sculptures.” Mr. Weiss also competes in triathlons, enjoys rock climbing, works on cars, and used to race motorcycles in college. Looking farther ahead, Mr. Weiss expresses his excitement for his upcoming wedding in March and looks forward to the rest of the school year.

Mr. Cates

By Gracie Newman

Mr. Cates, the new chemistry teacher, sure is the life of the party! After getting his biomedical degree at ASU, he began teaching at none other than… Chandler Prep. Dr. Porter soon realized how much of a valuable contribution he would be to the Tempe Prep Team, and we are all convinced that was the right decision.

Mr. Cates describes the atmosphere here as “homey and happy,” and the people as “humble and understanding.” Tempe Prep is a welcoming and friendly environment that allows him to use as many manatees as examples in his problems as he wants to. I know the sophomores and seniors of this year and years to come will learn chemistry in an amazing, unique and entertaining way.

Dr. Wallington

By Violeta Panayotova

Being a new student is terrifying but do not fear, teachers go through the same problem as well. One of our new teachers this year is Dr. Wallington. She is our awesome Algebra II and Precalculus teacher who is ready to face the challenges of being new. Born and raised in Arizona, Dr. Wallington got all of her many degrees, including her PhD in mathematics, from Arizona State University.

Before she joined our school she taught at Chandler Prep and had her very own tutoring business. She moved to Tempe Prep and she is not regretting it. “It feels more like a community here,” she states, saying a community is something which a lot of people value.

In her free time, Dr. Wallington enjoys playing board games, Sorry being her favorite, as well as racquetball. Her goal for this year is “to teach” and she is achieving this with no hesitation. She is not going to stop there and she will be co-sponsoring the brand new Coding Club! Although she is busy, this amazing new teacher is excited for this year and its challenges!