Kirsten Vesely, who has served as the Effective Practice and Induction Coach for Northshore School District since 2018, will return to Inglemoor next year as a teacher of Pre-IB English 9 and English 11. She served as a teacher at Inglemoor for 17 years. Vesely said that although she previously taught all grade levels, she mainly taught English 10, 11 and 12. Her last year at Inglemoor was her first year teaching freshmen, and she said they were a great group of students.
“I honestly have to say that it was the ninth graders that made it very difficult for me to leave Inglemoor,” said Vesely. She said the freshmen she taught were impressionable and excited to learn. This excitement and ambition is what made them such a special group, according to Vesely.
“I don’t want to say ‘favorite’ because teachers don’t want to use the word favorite,” she said. “But I would say most adored group of students; they were like little sponges.”
As an Effective Practice and Induction Coach, Vesely worked with novice teachers. She said that being able to observe the changes in teachers over the past four years has resparked her love for teaching.
“I’ve witnessed in these past four years so many emotions that teachers are sharing with me, from disillusionment, to ‘I’m just in survival mode,’ to so excited. And throughout watching all of these phases, I was like, ‘I need to be doing this again, I need to be practicing what I’m preaching.’”
She said that in her current position she had the opportunity to learn from teachers of many subjects. Vesely said she is excited to apply what she has learned to her own instruction as she returns to teaching full-time.
“I have learned so much from these teachers, I go to every subject, you know, from orchestra to PE to physics, and what my role is to give feedback and help them with instructional strategies,” said Vesely. “I’m going to tons of [Professional Development] and then I’m imparting my, ‘my wisdom’ on to these new teachers. And the whole time I’m like, ‘gosh, I want to be doing this.’ I’ve learned so much.”
Alongside her excitement toward returning to the teaching scene, Vesely said she is delighted to rejoin the Viking community. She said the sense of community and warmth is unique to Inglemoor and is apparent in both staff and students.
“From the minute you walk into the main office, we have this warmth, this warm culture that not every school has,” Vesely said. “Inglemoor just presents itself as ‘we want you here.’ The front office staff smiles — not every front office staff smiles — so there’s that sense of warmth when you walk in the doors.”
Beyond the community presented by the staff, Vesely said the culture of school spirit at Inglemoor has contributed to the sense of community she is excited to return to.
“I also feel that the school spirit and the pride at Inglemoor is still astounding. Look at our football games. We are a sea of black and gold,” she said. “Even when I walk around the hallways on a Friday, the teachers still wear their Inglemoor shirts. There’s an Inglemoor pride that I can feel, and I want to be a part of again.”
In years past, Vesely advised clubs such as Nordic, and she currently coaches track. She said she will not be advising any clubs next year, but she will continue to coach track in the 2023 spring season. In addition to enjoying the atmosphere staff and students provide, Vesely noted that she is excited about being a part of a community that prioritizes their students’ mental and emotional health. Although she has not worked with Principal Adam Desautels, she said she admires his dedication to supporting students’ social and emotional well-being, and that she is enthusiastic about contributing to the positive environment that Inglemoor harbors.
“[The] principal is someone whom I’ve never worked with, and I’m excited to get the opportunity to work with someone who has that mantra that ‘we are humans first, our social-emotional wellbeing takes precedence over I think anything else, especially in the middle of the pandemic,’” she said. “And the teachers… I feel, truly care about their students as individuals, not just scores in the gradebook.”
