The newest addition to the science department, Stephanie Diamond, who teaches environmental science and biology, said right off the bat Park gave her a sense of community that sparked her initial interest to apply.

“I think Park has a really strong, close-knit community that everyone’s kind of proud to be apart of,” Diamond said. “There’s more school pride I feel like — more than other school districts I’ve been with.”

Junior Alex Hager describes Diamond as honest and loving toward her students.

“Ms. Diamond can be very real with you, she’s really honest,” Hager said. “She is also a very lovely person to be around and she is very caring towards her students.”

Hager said that when her class is not enjoyable, it it usually due to his fellow peers and not Diamond herself.

“She is a good teacher, but sometimes my classmates can ruin some of the days for me,” said Hager. “One way for sure she could improve her class is to find a more efficient way to get a grip of her students as it can be really hectic and chaotic occasionally.”

Diamond explained that Park has challenged her to approach her lesson plans and curriculum in many new ways.

“I’ve not taught ninth grade science before, so it’s been kind of fun, interesting and a little challenging trying to figure out how to teach ninth graders and figuring out that curriculum,” Diamond said. “It’s nice to do that and teach biology as well with the juniors at the end of the day.”

Junior Franny Bevel said she has excelled in her Biology class due to Diamond’s approach to teaching science.

“My favorite thing about Ms. Diamond’s teaching is that she is able to make complicated subjects more simple,” Bevel said. “In fact, I’m doing much better in her class than I usually do in science classes.”

Bevel explained that she feels the environment of Diamond’s classroom is a safe and accepting learning space.

“I like how in Ms. Diamond’s classroom there is a welcoming environment. Students are able to speak their minds without fear of being judged.”

Hager said that when her class is not enjoyable, it it usually due to his fellow peers and not Diamond herself.

“She is a good teacher, but sometimes my classmates can ruin some of the days for me,” said Hager. “One way for sure she could improve her class is to find a more efficient way to get a grip of her students as it can be really hectic and chaotic occasionally.”

Diamond said that the reason she ultimately decided to teach at Park was the previously mentioned close-knit community.

“I had heard really good things about the school. My boyfriend went here, so he’s familiar with the community. He always had great memories of all the teachers here,” Diamond said. “The science department is really a nice, close-knit, fun group of people to work with.