Li steps into role as Service Commission director

tributors and leaders on campus,” Li said.

With many sta members leaving and retiring, it is not unheard of that schools are struggling to nd new sta members.

“I think a lot of sta have been asked to pivot and try something new to ll gaps where they come up. It’s been fun to just try to be open to adjusting to new things and learning new things.” Li said.

As a new perspective in the class, Li o ers interesting points of view and ideas that students may not have heard before. However, Li continues to implement existing service commission responsibilities that have maintained the state of campus over the years.

“Ms. Carter has helped mentor me to get me adjusted to the leadership role. Service Commission has been a lot of fun because it’s a really exible course,” Li said.

Assistance from previous teachers ensures Li can stay balanced and organized. With two young kids at home and many students to teach, Li prioritizes managing her schedule.

“I would say every day is an adventure when you’re responsible for such young kids, and then I have 161 teenagers. So it’s like the full range of development from beginning to end of adolescence,” Li said. “I think being around youth keeps you honest and keeps things interesting.”

BY NATALIE GYDE Sta Reporter

Immediately a er returning from parental leave, English teacher Bethany Li embraced the role of service commission leader and leadership director with big shoes to ll.

Expecting to return to her regular Advanced English classes in November, Li was asked to take over the service commission course from John Philipopoulos, who had become the full-time athletic director.

“I know that Coach Phil is a respected and appreciated sta member. It was big shoes to ll in the sense that I’m a di erent personality,” Li said. “So it just takes some time to build trust and a level of comfort with the students that were expect- ing somebody else to be in the room.”

In addition to taking on the role of service commission director, Li was also asked to take over Nicole Carter’s leadership class as she le to be dean on Jan. 4, meaning that Li now has three di erent classrooms to watch over.

“I love the idea of empowering students to be better con-

“One of our consistent patterns is campus beauti cation at lunchtime,” Li said. “But more concretely, I’d like us to work more on sustainability to help with the educational piece of how to use the bins on campus correctly, and just care about how we treat our school environment.”

Because this role is new to Li, many other faculty members have helped to make the transition much smoother.

Li hopes that the new role will force her to continuously adapt and grow as a teacher.

“When students see their teachers as people and with an awareness that we’re all doing the best we can, juggling the hats we wear, we all have a better time in the classroom together,” Li said.