“As I walked through the doors, it was like I was fourteen years old all over again,” new Biology teacher and alumni Daniel Wilkes said.
For the thirty-four new teachers joining the school this year, there is a sense of nostalgia that hits walking through the doors of high school. Lockers. Fluorescent lights. Kids packing the hallways. It takes teachers back to the early years. But for Wilkes and seven other alumni that make up the new teaching staff, the inherent feeling of déjà vu packs more of a punch.
“It’s hard not to walk around here and have memories about the things that you did and the places you’ve been,” Wilkes said. “Passing by the band hall, the place where I used to eat lunch, and especially my old locker was something else. I remember my freshman year walking through the doors on the Maple side on the first day of school. There were so many kids, and it was so big. I remember feeling so lost. Coming back, I kind of had to take a deep breath, look at my tie, and remind myself, ‘Okay, you’re an adult now. You’re here for an interview.’ That was fun.”
Wilkes and his twin sister Katherine are both part of the 1998 Bellaire graduates that make up the new staff this year. He majored in biology at University of Oklahoma and spent a couple years in graduate school at UTSA. Wilkes joined an environmental company in Houston, but after a year of “climbing up smoke stacks, setting up equipment, and sitting next to a combustion unit running tests for hours on end”, he decided to get his teaching certification. Eight years later of teaching at high schools all around Texas, he received an email from his sister to interview at Bellaire, the school where he had met his future wife, Cassidy Gillaspie, his senior year.
“The school is a lot bigger, but a lot has remained the same, and I think that helps me relate to the students,” Wilkes said. “One of the reasons I got into teaching was because I wanted to push kids to push themselves. I feel like I didn’t do that here in high school. I skated by with B’s and C’s. Now I can tell students from experience that they can do better than that. You can be a really good student if you put your mind to it.”
Melody Lam, a 2007 Bellaire graduate and new Pre-AP Computer Science teacher never expected to be back at her old high school, but jumped at the opportunity when it came her way.
“Fate brought me back here,” Lam said. “It kind of just landed in my lap. Mr. Newland, who teaches AP Computer Science, texted me and told me there was a job available and offered me an interview. I was so excited and I couldn’t believe I got the job. It was a surprise coming back here.”
Lam majored in computer science through her sophomore year at University of Houston, but then became “disillusioned” and switched to a mathematics degree. She taught math for a semester at Manvel. When she heard about the computer science job at Bellaire, she felt confident enough to take on the challenge of teaching it. Lam loves the diversity the school has acquired since her years as a student.
“When I took AP classes here, everyone was pretty much the same,” Lam said. “Now there are so many kids taking AP courses and IB courses. It’s great. The composition of classes is a lot more diverse. I teach a usually male-oriented class, but there are a lot more females this year, which I really encourage. I can’t wait to get my feet wet with them and have a class that’s fun and engaging, but also learn the tricks of the trade. Being a teacher is an art, and my goal is to learn as much as I can from teaching in my own classroom.”
Principal Michael McDonough welcomes the alumni group and looks forward to what they will bring to the school. After losing fourteen teacher retirees, he is glad to have a new staff ready tackle their jobs at a familiar place.
“I think their experience will enhance the teaching here.” McDonough said. “Many had great times here and have loved coming back and seeing how things work behind the scenes. They understand the culture of the school, which is that we have a little bit of everything but really focus on academics. Plus, they will keep that tradition and pride, which is important here.”
