Among the many new teachers to Hastings High School this year, The Buzzer would like to welcome Ms. Sarah Stern, who is Mr. Abrams’s leave replacement this year. She is taking over his English 12 and Honors American Literature classes until he returns. New to the district, Ms. Stern said in an interview that she has been drawn to English since high school. After graduating college, she taught English as a second language in Spain. Later, she started teaching in New York City at The High School for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at City College. Most of her teaching experience was in Lexington, Massachusetts before taking about nine years off.

Originally a folk/myth concentrator in college, Ms. Stern loves fantasy literature. Some of her favorite authors include C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She enjoys both reading and watching “Game of Thrones,” and loves the Harry Potter series. A dream course for Ms. Stern to teach would be about fantasy literature, including archetypes, mythology, and fairytales. One of her favorite books to discuss with students is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, explaining “they are always drawn to the characters and the tensions in the story in some way.”

Ms. Stern has always loved working with upperclassmen in particular. In an interview, she said that she appreciates how “the seniors are at this crossroads where they really are excited to leave and go explore, but they still have some learning to do here.” Ms. Stern mentioned that her senior class is a writing-based course, and she’s excited to work with students on writing with the goal that when going to college, they have a “good, solid ground to work on and they are confident to write a paper of any length.” Ms. Stern is also looking forward to her junior classes on American Literature, saying “without question, every time I read a text with students — no matter if it’s the first time or if I’ve read it many times before — they teach me something new that I’ve never thought about.”