If most students are honest after a relaxing summer break, they don’t notice new teachers when they come back to school. After students fall back into their school schedules they eventually come to know the new faces at Western. Many new teachers have been added to the WAHS roster this year, including Brian Ball, Ashley Holland, and Zoe Padron.

Brian Ball is a new Biology teacher here at WAHS. Born in Staunton, Virginia, Ball graduated from Fort Defiance High School and proceeded to go to Virginia Tech for college. After living with two parents who were both teachers, Ball wasn’t exactly encouraged to become a teacher after graduating. Despite his parents’ suggestions, Ball received his BS in Biology in order to become a teacher. “I love my subject which is biology and I love working with young adolescents,” said Ball. While Ball loves teaching kids his favorite subject, as a dream job he could see himself designing roller coasters and stadiums.

As a child, Brian experienced many unforgettable memories with his parents. Overall one memory definitely steals the cake for Brian, when in 1999 Virginia Tech made it to the National Championship game for football. He went to the game with his dad and was super excited getting to spend that moment with him. “It was cool seeing all the hype and the cameras and media personnel all over the place.”

Zoe Padron, the new gifted resources teacher, was born in Washington D.C and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Padron’s goal as the gifted resources teacher is to help all the students and teachers have a better experience at WAHS. “I actually didn’t like high school very much. I had bad experiences with school. I became a teacher largely because I thought school could be different,” said Padron.

However, before Padron became a teacher she had other plans for her future. After attending the University of Chicago for her undergraduate and Boston University for her graduate degrees, Padron planned to pursue archaeology. In college, Padron majored in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations as well as Medieval Studies in order to pursue her interest in becoming an archaeologist. While Padron wished she could’ve pursued archaeology for a longer time, she changed her career path and decided to become a teacher. A 17 year native to Charlottesville, Padron greatly enjoys helping students as well as teachers have a better experience in high school.

Ms. Holland, the new Spanish I and II teacher, was born and raised in Northern Virginia, acquiring a passion for Spanish as she grew up. While attending Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Holland decided to major in Environmental Science and Spanish. After graduating from VCU Holland taught at Deep Run High School and Tucker High School in Richmond. When talking to Holland, it’s obvious she has a strong love for the language. “I think it sounds beautiful; it’s a beautiful language. It’s fun to learn another language and open up a whole different world of communication.” said Holland.

Holland has a strong love for yoga in addition to her passion for Spanish. Vinyasa, her favorite type of yoga, includes a type of “breath-synchronized” flow where each move goes with either inhaling or exhaling. As a dream job, Holland would love to own a yoga studio. For now, Holland plans to continue teaching Spanish so her students can form the kind of passion she has for it.