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GILBERT SUN NEWS | DECEMBER 12, 2021
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Higley teacher augments classes with cooking lessons BY MONIQUE SELEEN GSN Contributor
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rennan Hallock, a Spanish teacher and cross country coach in the Higley Unified School District, is finding ways to inspire his students and is being recognized for his efforts through various awards and grants. The six-year veteran teacher received the Diamondbacks Most Valuable Teacher award in July 2020 after being nominated by a student, earning $1,000 for classroom supplies. This year, he was selected as a recipient of the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Grant Program, receiving $2,500. He has also been recognized twice as Teacher of the Month at Sossaman Middle School, most recently last month.
During the challenging time of teaching online at the end of 20192020 school year and trying to connect with his students virtually during the pandemic, Hallock said he had to learn how to get creative with his lessons. “I was really trying to reach these kids who were at home and scared. I wanted students to have lessons they could attend and have a sense of normalcy, something engaging. I thought, ‘What is something I have always wanted to do in the classroom but never had the supplies to do?’” he said. “I had always wanted to teach my students how to make tortillas, salsa, and guacamole, but we don’t have a Sossaman Middle School teacher Brennan Hallock kitchen at the school, so I figured this shows his class how to make salsa. (Special to GSN) was the best time to try it. I could
teach these live cooking lessons from my kitchen while my students were at home in theirs.” The lessons were a hit with both students and their parents. “I had a parent tell me these lessons were something her daughter will always remember and that she still makes these recipes at home today,” said Hallock. “These lessons and the parent’s comment were really touching for me. I, myself, will always remember these virtual cooking lessons too.” While applying for the Fiesta Bowl Charities grant, Hallock said his mind went back to those lessons. “It’s something that I’ve really wanted to replicate now that we’ve been back in the classroom but I didn’t have the resources
from an early age,” said dad William Birch. “And she has always wanted to do everything well. “She had an outstanding academic background in Gilbert that helped her academic career.” He said his wife, Joanne, who passed away in 2011, made sure their daughter was exposed at an early age to successful women. “Her mother was a teacher and later a software support engineer at Motorola,” said William, who also was a Motorola engineer. Williams said while his daughter excelled academically at Gilbert High, she also participated in cross-country running and tennis. “We were a family that did a lot of white water rafting on the upper Salt River over quite a few years and she learned to guide a raft safely in unpredictable situations,” William said.
He said his eldest daughter kept with her athletic pursuits by participating in inter-mural triathlons while attending University of Arizona, where she earned a degree in mathematics, biochemistry and molecular biophysics. She earned a doctorate in biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Massachusetts. At MIT, she switched to cyclocross and eventually track cycling, winning a Division 2 national championship in cyclocross, William said. Cyclocross is described as a cross between road cycling, mountain biking and steeplechase. “She trained from time to time in Gilbert and surrounding areas while she pursued her cycling career,” William recalled. Birch also attended Universidad de
see TEACHER page 16
Gilbert High alumna now official astronaut GSN NEWS STAFF
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r. Christina Birch, a 2004 Gilbert High School alumna, is going to the moon. Birch is one of 10 new astronaut candidates picked from a field of over 12,000 applicants to represent the United States and work for humanity’s benefit in space, NASA announced last week. The 2021 astronaut class is the first new class in four years. Although the 35-year-old Birch was born in Mesa, she considers Gilbert her hometown. Birch has a younger sibling, Rebecca, who also graduated from Gilbert High. The family moved from Tempe to Gilbert in 1993, where Birch also attended Burk Elementary and Gilbert Junior High School. “She has always been highly curious and motivated, which was noticeable
Dr. Christina Birch, a member of the Gilbert High Class of 2004, is now an astronaut, NASA announced last week. Her father said she has always been “highly curious and motivated.” (NASA)
see ASTRONAUT page 16
