This year, SCHS has welcomed many new staff members to the campus. In the accompanying q & a, we take a look at the high school experiences of Amanda Heinisch, the school’s new Biology teacher, and learn a little bit more about her.

Q:What were you involved in during high school?

A: I did water polo and swimming. . I was also involved in the Shakespeare club, and took piano classes at St. Francis High School.

Q: What was a typical outfit for you in high school?

A: We had a really strict dress code in St. Francis, so probably a very typical outfit for me would’ve been khaki pants with a St. Francis sweatshirt. That was about as casual as we could get.

Q: What advice would you give to your high school self?

A: I think one thing I would’ve told myself when I was a student was to study a bit more at home. I was a good student: I paid attention in class, did my homework, and got good grades. But I didn’t study for tests.

Q: What’s your most memorable high school experience?

A: I remember one time when I was a freshman, I forgot about a project, and I stayed up until two in the morning finishing it. That was my first time ever staying up past midnight.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: It’s part three of “Lord of the Rings,” “The Return of the King.” I’ve always liked the book series when I was a kid, and seeing it on screen was almost exactly how I imagined it. Yeah, it’s just me being a giant nerd and liking the fantasy/sci-fi genre.

Q: What’s your favorite book?

A: It’s hard for me to choose a favorite because I read a lot, and there’s a lot of books I like. In terms of the book I’ve read the most, it would probably be the Harry Potter series. But an adult favorite is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It’s very deep.

Q: Who’s your favorite superhero? Why?

A: My favorite superhero is Superman because he’s different from the rest. He doesn’t have to change into his alter-ego to be super, he just is Clark Kent, which I think is pretty neat. I totally stole that from Kill Bill vol. 2, by the way.

Q: What’s your most memorable teaching experience?

A: There have been moments that made me cry and moments that made me laugh. Last year, I had a student who hated science and got Fs because he didn’t try. But in his second semester he started to put in effort, and got a C for the first time. He was so happy and excited that he passed science, and I think watching him was really memorable.