*Elementary*
By: Morgan Blechschmid and Chloe Rojak
March 24, 2022
Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Mrs. Katie Renkas! Mrs. Renkas has been teaching in Brooklyn for 16 years and is currently a first grade teacher. She started her teaching career in special education working with high school students. Since then, she moved to regular education for both third and first grade. On top of being a teacher, Mrs. Renkas has a love for soccer as she was also the soccer coach for Brooklyn for five years early on in her career. She is well-known for her kind character, her wit, her hard work, and her dedication to the Brooklyn City Schools.
Q: How has being a teacher impacted your life?
A: “It has impacted my life positively because it gave me more patience. I always wanted to be a teacher, and Brooklyn gave me that opportunity to teach and help young kids.”
Q: What is your favorite part about teaching?
A: “Seeing the positive impact I have on my kids, and when they get older, they still come back to visit me. Also, seeing that I just had an impact on their lives in general is the best part.”
Q: What grade levels have you taught in your career?
A: “I taught 9-12, third grade, and now, I currently teach first grade.”
Q: In your teaching experience, what are the pros and cons of teaching elementary students and high school students?
A: “Pro to teaching elementary students is that they are young and sweet and eager to learn. Con is you need to have a lot of patience with younger students. Pro to teaching high school students is they understood my jokes. Con, they are taller than I am!”
Q: Where did you go to college, and why did you choose that school?
A: “I went to Baldwin Wallace, and I chose that school because they had a good education program, and I could play soccer. I played for four years!”
Q: What is your all-time favorite sports team?
A: “Buffalo Bills!”
Q: What is your favorite color and why?
A: “My favorite color is yellow because it is bright and sunny.”
Q: How do you plan to spend your Spring break?
A: “With my family at Disney World!”
Q: On a scale of 1-10, how cool is Mr. Holko?
A: “0!” {Editor’s Note: Not cool, Renkas. Not cool!}
Thank you so much, Mrs. Renkas! The Brooklyn School is fortunate to have you. Enjoy Disney!
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 