Fresh Faces at DHS:
Meeting Mr. Eric Woelker and Ms. Tara Allen.
NEIRAD enilno edition
The beginning of every school year brings changes to Darien High School. From new students, new teachers and new staff, to even a new principal; the faces from year to year are always changing. Two new faces to join Darien High School this year are Mr. Eric Woelker and Ms. Tara Allen.
Ms. Allen is a new Spanish teacher who grew up in Rhode Island, where she moved from last year. During her time in high school, Ms. Allen ran cross country and track, and was also the editor of her school’s yearbook. She went on to the University of Rhode Island where she received an undergraduate degree in dietetics. After college she joined the Peace Corps. She worked throughout four rural communities and schools in Guatemala as a health/nutrition volunteer from 1997-1998. There she worked to promote health education, sanitation and proper nutrition. Her experience in the Peace Corps has certainly stuck with her. If she wasn’t a teacher today, she says, “I’d want to be with a NGO in a developing country.”
After she returned from Guatemala, Ms. Allen had a clear vision of what she wanted to do next. “When I came home from Peace Corps, I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but thought I would teach science due to my background in college,” Ms. Allen said. But those professional expectations soon changed. “I didn’t have a passion for it like I do Spanish, so I started taking formal classes in Spanish and realized that I could teach what I love.” She then attended Middlebury College where she earned her Masters degree in Spanish.
Ms. Allen began her teaching career in her home state of Rhode Island at Portsmouth High School. When she moved to Connecticut last year, she began teaching in Greenwich. There, she split her time between Greenwich High School and middle school. However, she preferred to find a job that allowed her to devote her efforts to teaching in one school and in a smaller environment. So, she interviewed at DHS, and was hired as a new Spanish teacher. Already, Ms. Allen as gotten involved with activities here. She just began as the assistant coach for the girl’s cross country team.
However, Ms. Allen hasn’t left work in Greenwich entirely. On weekends she works for the Greenwich Soccer Club. She also enjoys running and just “hanging out with her husband.” Her favorite board game is Scrabble, in either English or Spanish. She’s also a big fan of foreign films, her favorite being City of God, a Brazilian movie. Her favorite actor is Mexican actor GaelGarcía Bernal. If she could pick any place in the world to go to on vacation, it would be a toss up between Colorado and Mexico. When asked what her favorite food she said, “I’ll eat just about anything; anything but olives.”
Ms. Allen is among many new teachers joining the excellent teaching staff at DHS. Another new teacher this year is Mr. Woelker. He's from Michigan, where he claims to have lived in Sterling Heights “forever.” During high school he was the captain of the swimming and diving team and the NHS president. He also ran track.
Mr. Woelker then went on to attend the University of Michigan from 2000-2004. To this day he’s still a huge Michigan football fan, and on the weekends there’s nothing better then to watch one of their games. Though currently Michigan’s team is not doing as well as years past, Mr. Woelker still won’t miss a game, and he “hopes that they turn it around.”
After college he began teaching in Michigan at Grosse Point High School. He says that in teaching English, “You can do almost anything. Film, art, music; there are lots of mediums to teach. It’s not as confining as other subjects.” He only taught there for one year before making the move to Connecticut. When his fiancé accepted a job in Stamford, Mr. Woelker applied to many area schools, but ultimately it was Darien where he accepted a job. He says that Darien is a “great fit; everyone’s nice and it’s a fantastic school.” So far he’s already started a dodgeball club, though he hopes to one day coach swimming. As of now there are no open coaching positions, but Mr. Woelker hopes to get involved because “it’s a fantastic program.”
So, what else is there to know about Mr. Woelker? “He’s a pretty cool guy,” student John Foster said, “He really makes class fun and interesting.” As a child, Mr. Woelker’s favorite color was purple, though now he says its seafoam green. His favorite word: sasquatch or yak. His favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption. When asked what he wanted to do if he weren’t a teacher, he said, “A DJ, or a millionaire.” Mr. Woelker’s favorite vacation spots are Laguna Beach and the Caribbean, saying both are “really nice.” He quickly added that he’ll be getting married this summer, and his honeymoon will be in Thailand. “Hopefully Thailand will overtake the others, but we’ll have to see,” he said.
