Selma High School welcomes a new teacher to its English department. After 12 years of teaching at Abraham Lincoln Middle School as an eighth-grade English teacher, Ms. Newlove, whom students may recognize, has come to Selma High. Ms. Newlove can be found in room 2303, where she teaches English 1 for freshmen and English 3 for juniors.
Ms. Newlove began her college career at Fresno City College, later attending Fresno State, before ultimately completing her degree, teaching credentials, and master’s at Fresno Pacific University. Her academic background includes a major in English literature and minors in both philosophy and linguistics.
Interestingly, teaching was not her first career path, rather it was something else she was passionate about.
“I did not get my first job as a teacher until I was in my 30s,” said Ms. Newlove. “My twenties were just all about experiencing different types of jobs and different types of things. That’s when I discovered teaching was probably the best bet for me, and so teaching became my passion.”
Ms. Newlove transferred to Selma High School, as it has always been her main objective.
“When I was in college, taking classes to become a teacher, the expectation—or the understanding—was that I was always going to teach high school,” she shared. “So I’ve always wanted to teach high school, and the spot in the district, my time, and my experience—it all just kind of worked out to where the move to the high school made sense.”
This long-awaited move was something that she describes as “the right time.”
Ms. Newlove’s teaching goal for this school year is to grow into her new teaching position.
“To learn the curriculum and not mess up too badly! No, really—I want to understand what it means to teach in Bear Nation and be the best teacher I can for my freshmen and juniors,” expressed Ms. Newlove.
Outside the classroom, Ms. Newlove is an active participant in community theatre. This past summer, she worked on four productions, including the Selma Arts Center’s teen production of HADESTOWN. She also enjoys reading and is excited to explore the SHS library.
“There are so many books! It’s an English teacher’s dream,” said Ms. Newlove.
Though her biological family lives across the country, Ms. Newlove finds comfort in her chosen family and her beloved cat, Andarna, whom she affectionately calls her “fur-child.”
As she settles into her new teaching position, Ms. Newlove expressed gratitude for the warm welcome from her colleagues.
“The teachers here are really helpful,” she states.”It’s been really great to work under Mr. Lane again, because I worked under him when he was the principal at the middle school as well.”
She also expresses how much she enjoys being at the high school, due to its comfortable environment. Specifically, it’s been great seeing her old students who recognize her and say hi.
“I felt a little bit like a rockstar on campus just because everybody is so surprised that I am here,” said Ms. Newlove.
Ms. Newlove gave special thanks to several staff members who have supported her move, including Sandy Waggoner, Carol Wenstrand, Forest Castle, Toni Lambert, Brynn Saponara, Joseph Machnik, Jared Barbick, and the entire English team.
“Specifically, the English and the junior teachers have just helped me out a lot,” she said. “Jodi Darakjian has not only helped me set up my classroom, but she lets me borrow her TAs—she’s been super helpful.”
She is excited to be part of the Selma High team and looks forward to the school year ahead.
“I am excited to be here in Bear Nation,” she said. “It’s a GREAT day to be a Bear!”
