Sharks Swimming to New Adventures

Monique Capille News Editor

Q: What is Mrs. Russell’s legacy?

A: “She’s been a part of Spanish River since a year after the school opened. She’s always been a backbone of the school and the language department. She also still keeps in contact with old students.”

Q: What made you want to follow in Mrs. Russell’s footsteps?

A: “Her relationship with the kids and her coworkers and how Spanish River is like a family all made me feel passionate about teaching.”

Q: What’s one fun fact about Mrs. Russell that students would love to know?

A: “Mrs. Russell was a talking Christmas tree at a department store for a few years! She would sit inside a big, decorative Christmas tree and talk to people as they walked by. A true Christmas queen!”

“Even though a lot of the class was at home for most of the year, you always made an effort to make class entertaining for us; thank you for that,” Gabriel Brandao, 12.

“My favorite memory is when Mrs. Russell congratulated me on making DECA nationals last year. She was the only teacher to do that and appreciate my work as much as I did,” Gavin Blythe, 11.

“Mrs. Russell always lends out a helping hand and helps me when I need it. Even though I had her online, I still learned a lot because she is a great teacher,” Peyton Blythe, 11.

“I think Mrs. Russell is a great Spanish teacher. She helped me learn Spanish 2 and 3 and I think that she really helped me succeed,” Julia Massarella, 11.

“I’ve had Mrs. Russell for the last 2 years. She’s such a great teacher for many reasons. She makes learning fun and interesting, but she also teaches the content in a way that I am able to understand and learn. I wouldn’t be where I am in learning Spanish if I didn’t have Mrs. Russell as a teacher,” Riley Cope, 11.

“Mrs. Russell is amazing, and being able to learn and laugh in her class has been one of my favorite parts of this year. She makes every class interesting and always makes sure she understands her students. She is constantly making her students laugh, and I will definitely miss her next year,” Anna Armistead, 10.

• He has been teaching for fourteen years.

• He teaches math in the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) department.

• He went to the University of Florida and has a degree in Sociology.

• He has coached football and girls flag football.

• He has been married for thirty-six years and has three children.

• He played offensive guard on the Gainesville Pitbull Terriers.

• His favorite part of teaching is when students who are interested in learning make a difference in the classroom through lively discussions.

• His favorite class is Wilson Just Words, where he teaches students in the Intellectual Disability (InD) Program.

• He was accidentally hired for an intern position for ESE nine weeks after applying for social science position at Lake Worth High School.

• Tampas “teaches for understanding, not method.”