Noelle Anderson
What do you teach? Art
Favorite hobby: Backpacking
Favorite Branson lunch: Grain bowls
Favorite Branson tradition: Dance show
Neftaley Arceo
What do you teach? History
Favorite hobby: Building legos
Favorite Branson lunch: Breakfast for lunch
Favorite Branson tradition: FAB
Alanna Hickey
What do you teach? English
Favorite hobby: Birding while trail running
Favorite Branson lunch: Meatless Mondays
Favorite Branson tradition: FAB
Karl Schmidt
What do you teach? Physics
Favorite hobby: Trail running, being in the mountains
Favorite Branson lunch: Mediterranean day
Favorite Branson tradition: Cross Country Stinson run
Giles Scott
What do you teach? English
Favorite hobby: Trail running
Favorite Branson lunch: Does not eat lunch
Favorite Branson tradition: Graduation
In your opinion, what makes the Branson community unique?
Anderson: “The Branson community does a really good job of valuing all different kinds of people’s special magic. Everyone has a special way that they show up, whether you’re a teacher, staff member, or student. Branson really likes to spotlight and celebrate all different kinds of success.”
Arceo: “Everyone’s willingness to help each other and truly get to know each other. Even if you don’t know someone that well, everyone is always willing to help.”
Hickey: The people who are drawn to Branson happen to be incredibly bright, capable, and kind. I love working at a school where we see and take care of each other in our individual educational journeys, and where we are unafraid to ask big, difficult questions.
Schmidt: “Location and environment matter a lot. Where we gather is really beautiful; we have these ancient oak trees that watch over us, which adds a lot of character to our community. Also, everybody cares about what they’re doing. The way we show up allows us to do a lot of interesting things.”
Scott: “The relationships between students and teachers, and how they allow for true camaraderie and a sense of humor, and really getting to know students inside and outside the classroom. You get to know students as people, not just as students.”
Why do you teach 9th grade?
Anderson: “I love teaching 9th graders because it’s the year where you see the most development. You see all the growth, and by the end of the year they really feel like they’re ready to be a sophomore and have so much more confidence. What’s great about Survey of Visual Arts in particular is that there’s such breadth to the class. You may have a student who’s getting really hung up on technical architecture studies in two-point perspective, but as soon as we get to ceramics they’re off and running. I love that they get to play and explore throughout the year but also find the thing that really lights them up.”
Arceo: “I love teaching 9th graders because I’m one of their first introductions to history at Branson. I love seeing the different backgrounds that they’re coming from, the different areas of history they’re interested in. I like seeing the first moment a history student really enjoys a certain topic we’re learning. It’s fascinating to see which students light up in which ways. I just love seeing their growth and accomplishment from their first assignment to their last.”
Hickey: I love teaching 9th graders! It’s such a privilege to meet students at the beginning of their high school careers and witness the extraordinary growth they experience over these four years.
Schmidt: “9th graders are excited, they’re eager, they’re curious. They’re starting high school. The amount that they grow and mature and figure out who they are in the 9th grade year can be really interesting to see, and I like to be a part of that.”
Scott: “I used to teach 9th grade, but it’s been six or seven years teaching 10th graders, and I miss working with students on their entry point into Branson and helping shape them in their early moments.”
What are you most excited about for your classes this year?
Anderson: “We’re reinventing the curriculum; we had a four-hour meeting this summer just to talk about the first project in Survey of Visual Arts. We were just so excited to think about how we could bring in different ways of artmaking because we’ve always started with traditional drawing tools and techniques. Traditional skill building is good, but we’re also introducing this idea of being playful and exploratory, and experimenting and iterating much earlier on through this first project.”
Arceo: “I’m excited to get to know all the new students and catching what our vibe is going to be in World History this year. We also have a couple of new projects that we’re doing this year. Our first unit is completely different because we have new summer reading, which is pretty exciting. And we have an escape room assignment for the industrial revolution that I’m really excited about.”
Hickey: “I’m excited that we finally get to take 9th graders on a field trip! In the spring, we’re going to see The Tempest at the Marin Shakespeare Company. I think it will be really valuable for students to actually see one of Shakespeare’s plays performed live on stage.”
Schmidt: “I’m excited for the moments where the students are doing hands-on work and I get to be alongside them as they’re doing it.”
Scott: “Meeting students as they begin high school is always fun. It’s nice to be the person who helps calm their nerves and guide them into a space of believing they can be successful.”
What advice do you have for your 9th graders?
Anderson: “There are going to be times when you are sitting in Physics or English and thinking, “I’m the only one who doesn’t get what’s going on.” You are not the only one. Always, always, always ask for help. You will never regret reaching out. Put yourself out there, advocate for yourself, and know that if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed or confused are you certainly not the only one feeling that way.”
Arceo: “Embrace the unknown. There’s a lot of beauty in knowing that where you’re going to start in 9th grade isn’t where you’re going to end in 9th grade, and it isn’t where you’re going to end as a senior.”
Hickey: “You never know if the person sitting next to you will be your future best friend, so be open to meeting new people!”
Schmidt: “Pay attention. Teachers are very intentional about everything they do and say, so pay attention to what your teacher is saying. Also, trust that you’re interesting, and being unique will make people around you interested in you, rather than trying to copy what everyone else is doing.”
Scott: “Connect with as many different people as possible. Don’t just find a couple of people and lock in and stay with those people. Try to be as broad as possible in terms of meeting people. Go to as many clubs as possible. Try a sport. Find different ways to connect.”
