St. Michael is delighted to announce the hiring of Mrs. Amy Smith to teach Spanish for the 2018-2019 school year, joining with Suzanne Lindley (Spanish) and Keith Lindley (Spanish, Latin) to round out the foreign language faculty.
Mrs. Smith is excited about the opportunity: “There are few greater joys for me than to challenge students' perspectives about where they plan be 24 to 36 months from now...which is college! As a part of the St. Michael faculty, I am looking forward to guiding students as they discover how God is preparing them for future greatness. How will learning a second language and studying its cultures expand their understanding of other subject areas? How will it enhance their lives beyond the classroom? How can they practically use that language today? ”
Principal Faustin Weber explains the choice: “With Mrs. Smith now joining the two Lindleys, we’re blessed to have a truly dynamic, truly exceptional foreign language department! She is well-credentialed and well-regarded by principals for whom she’s worked. Among her many attributes, I was especially edified by her optimism and deep faith, forged through the crucible of tragedy, and I am confident she will add greatly to the academic and spiritual depth of our school.”
Smith is a native Mobilian, having earned a B.S. in Secondary Education from Auburn University. She began her professional teaching career at Northview High School in Northport, Alabama, and after two years, accepted a position at Gulf Shores High School in its inaugural year. Three years later, due to her husband’s job transfer, she and her family moved to Birmingham and then to the Washington D.C. area, where they lived for almost ten years, four of which she was the director of a pre-school. In 2016 they came home, taking up residence in Fairhope, with Smith accepting a position at McGill-Toolen, where she's taught the last two years:
“My time at McGill has been so enjoyable,” she reflects. “It has done nothing but solidify that I love teaching Spanish in the high school setting. Joining the St. Michael staff will be a welcomed opportunity not only to simplify the logistics of my young and active family but also to invest in the students and families of our community here on the Eastern Shore.”
Mrs. Smith and her husband of twenty years, Jason, have two daughters, Mimi and Devon. Their first child, Sawyer, died of a neuromuscular disease just prior to his first birthday. Mrs. Smith believes “God has used Sawyer’s life to become, among many things, an inspirational force in my classroom.” She and her family attend Fairhope United Methodist Church.